Wednesday, December 17, 2008

A Vacation For Your Hair

Okay, onto the next question....

Question: How can I air dry my hair and still achieve volume without getting the frizz and tangles too?

Answer: Well, the key to air drying is all about the product. You can start off by putting a little leave in conditioner in it to help control the frizz. Then depending on what your hair texture is, put in the appropriate product. If you have fine hair, sprays and mousses seem to work best. If you have wavy or curly hair creams or gels are great.
If your hair still seems to be getting a little flat you can do a little trick. Pull up the sides of your hair in two large clips and let it finish drying. Then when it's all dry take out the clips and fluff it with your fingers a bit and you'll have natural volume and waves. You can use a light hair spray too to finish off the look. Beautiful!

Air drying really gives your hair a break from over processing. Consider it a vacation for your hair! Good luck and let me know how it goes. Or if you have any other questions about it.

P.S. I will be taking a break for a week or two while I'm on Christmas vacation. So be sure to check back in a couple of weeks. Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Do you use Product?

Don't you think it's kinda funny how hairdressers always use the word product? "What product do you use on your hair?" "Can I show you some product I like?" I mean, I use the word, but I have always thought it was kinda strange. Like I'm trying to be someone I'm not. Do you guys feel that way or is it just me? It might just be me, Ha!

Anyways on to today's question: What hair product works well for curling and straightening?

Answer: First I'll start off with curling. I have naturally curly hair myself and I swear by Catwalk Curls Rock booster and Curls Rock amplifier. As soon as I get out of the shower, I will towel dry my hair just a bit, but not too much. (For curly hair you still want quite a bit of moisture in it before you put product in so it doesn't start to dry and get frizzy.) Then I will apply the Curls Rock amplifier. I just do one squirt, rub together with my hands and apply it all over my hair. (You don't need to scrunch your hair at this point, just make sure you saturated your hair pretty well.) Then I take the Booster and turn my head upside down and spray it all over while scrunching my hair. Don't use too much booster, or you'll get the crunchy feel. Then I diffuse my hair while my head is still upside down. It works great! It's the best product I've found for curly hair, and I've tried a lot!

Now, for straightening. I really like TIGI S Factor Smoothing Lusterizer. You apply it while your hair is wet. It's great because not only does it control frizz and fly aways, it also adds shine and is a heat protectant. It's like a two one! It works great and smells great too! And for a finishing touch after your hair is dry try Bed Head's After Party. It leaves your hair looking smooth and shiny and feeling so soft. Love it.

You can find these products at Peerless Beauty supply, Sally's Beauty, or a local salon that carries Catwalk, Bed Head, or TIGI hair product.

These products have really worked for me. So try them out and let me know how you like them, or leave a comment about your favorite "product."

<3 Stef

Saturday, December 13, 2008

How To Wash Your Hair The Right Way

I've been getting tons of feed back and questions so thanks everyone! I thought I would answer a question one day at a time.

Today's question: Is there a right way to wash your hair?

Answer: Well, actually there is, and it's very important. I'll list it in a step by step way so it's easy to follow.

1). Start off using warm water to open up your cuticles (never use too hot of water, that is what can dry out your scalp) and make sure your hair is completely saturated with water before applying shampoo.

2). The amount of shampoo you use will depend on the length of your hair. If you have long hair use about a tablespoon. If you have shorter hair than about a dime size. You can eye ball it pretty good.

3). The main purpose of shampoo is to clean your scalp. So you really don't need to worry about lathering your ends with shampoo, it can actually dry out your ends believe it or not. So really just focus on scrubbing your scalp.

4). Then rinse the shampoo out well. Really well.

5). Apply the conditioner to mostly your ends and around your hairline. These areas are the most damaged and dry and need the most attention. Leave the conditioner on while you are doing other things in the shower so it really has time penetrate into your hair. If you want to really get into it you can use a wide tooth comb and comb through your hair while the conditioner is in it. But really focusing on the main areas of your ends and hairline will be just fine.

6). Rinse the conditioner out using cool water. Cool water closes your cuticles and adds shine. And we all want that! Make sure to really rinse well and get all the conditioner out. If you leave any in, it will end up making your hair look dull, matted, and greasy.

7). Blot your hair with a towel. Don't rub your hair dry. This can cause your cuticles to catch on the fibers of the towel and make them more damaged.

So there you have it! Stay tuned for my next post on hair products for curling and straightening.

<3 Stef

Monday, December 8, 2008

Beware of Dry Hair!

Winter is coming, and we all know what that means -- frizzy, "staticky" hair and dry, itchy scalp.

Primary causes of Dryness:
  • Heat -- blow dryer, flat iron, curling iron, etc.
  • Overwashing -- you know that extra dry feeling you get sometimes?
  • Bleach/Color
I know what you're thinking -- we can't stop washing our hair, and we're not about to put our sacred heat styling tools away for the winter. And you probably have family pictures coming up which means you'll have to get your roots touched up.

We can't avoid the causes of dryness all together.

But here are a few helpful tips to get us through the cold months:
  • Towel- or air-dry your hair. And if you must use a curling or flat iron, apply an extra moisturizing product (or a heat seal) to your hair before and/or after use.
  • Use heat appliances with ceramic plates (instead of metal). Set the temperature gauge to the lowest temperature that still gets the result that you want.
  • Wash your hair every other day so your scalp's natural oils have time to rebuild.
  • Avoid bleach as much as you can. If you must color your hair, try going dark! It's easier on your hair.
  • For all of you "must bleach" girls, use extra moisturizing products like deep conditioners (maybe once a week) and leave-in conditioners (daily if necessary).
Just a side-note, be careful not to use too much product, or you run the risk of looking like a greaseball :)

How's that for my first post? I hope those tips help us all out a little bit this season. I'll answer any questions in a follow-up post so leave any questions you have about winter dryness.

<3 Stef