Hair Styling Tools

Part 3 in a 5 Part Series on Ponytails 

As with almost anything, there are always do’s and don’ts that need to be considered.  This even holds true with wearing your hair in a ponytail.  Fortunately these do’s and don’ts are intended to help keep your hair healthy, be informational, and most importantly result in having a positive ponytail experience.

PONYTAIL DO’S

1)  If you are on a ponytail binge, do allow your hair a break every couple of days. 

2)  As you are creating your ponytail style, apply some extra strong holding gel on shorter layers and hair strands that have the potential of falling out.  These dampened strands of hair will not fall out or stick out as the strands of hair start to dry.

3)  To eliminate flyaway hair, do spray a bristle brush with hairspray before pulling your hair back into a ponytail.   

4)  Do accessorize whenever you have the chance.  Ponytail styles can be a lot of fun and can be dressed up or dressed down. 

PONYTAIL DON’TS

1)  Never go to bed with your hair in a ponytail.  Unfortunately, a ponytail can cause stress and strain on your scalp.  There is also the possibility of the tail getting tangled up around the pony elastic.

2)  Don’t neglect the treatment of your hair just because you are putting it up in a ponytail.  Continue to use good haircare products such as conditioners, detanglers, shine sprays, hair sprays and whatever else you normally use on your hair. 

3)  If you are wearing a ponytail for a dressy occasion, don’t wear just an elastic band to secure the pony.  Dress your pony up with a jeweled hairpin, jeweled barrette, or anything that makes a elegant statement.

4)  Don’t use your everyday run of the mill rubber band to secure your ponytail as these break and strip the hair strands.  Use one of the more hair friendly elastics that are in the marketplace. 

5)  If your hair is long and/or thick, don’t continually wear a high ponytail.  The weight of the ponytail can cause tension headaches.  Alternate by wearing the ponytail with the base near the nape of the neck.   

Even though it’s not an election year, my friends and I decided to play up our sense of patriotism and knowledge of the past by dressing as presidents and first ladies for Halloween. My male friends are going as Bill Clinton, John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama respectively, while the other girls are going as Dolley Madison, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama. For my part, I’m planning to transform myself into Jacqueline Kennedy.

Jacqueline’s distinctive bob was perhaps her most memorable feature – discounting the pillbox hat, of course. It didn’t take too many styling accessories to replicate her hairdo, but I’ll be spending plenty of time perfecting the look by blowing my hair carefully with a round brush. In the past, I’ve picked costumes that require much more elaborate hair styling, and I won’t be making that mistake again. Now we just need to figure out a way to play “Hail to the Chief” as we arrive at each party.

How many times do we open up our vanity drawer and as we are starting to brush or comb our hair, we tell ourselves that we really need to clean that brush or comb?  We then use the item and then proceed to place it back in the drawer until the next time.

Why is it so important to keep our combs and brushes clean?  The reason is simply that a clean comb and clean brush contributes to good hair health.  Just think about it.  You wash your hair because it is dirty, so why would you want to use a dirty hairstyling tool on a clean head of hair?  If you are anything like me, thinking about cleaning my hairstyling tools was usually the last thing on my list of to-do’s, until I started spending more money on my professional hairstyling tools and wanted to make sure they lasted longer. 

The bristles of a brush and the teeth of a comb naturally gather dust, but they also get coated with hair styling products that you use, such as gels, mousses, serums, sprays, etc.   Also, when you brush your hair in between washings, natural hair oils, dirt, bacteria and dry skin flakes will accumulate on your brush.  So, if this isn’t something you want to continue to do, then it’s time to take care of business.

One of the first things that will make the task simpler is to start by removing all of the hair from your brush.  This can be a much easier task if you use a hair brush cleaner.  One that I found and now can’t live without is the Brush Cleaner by HairArt.  You can find it online or in some of the beauty supply stores in the hair styling accessories section.  This tool will help remove all of the hair from your styling brush.  The next thing to consider is what type of brush you are cleaning as there are different methods used for cleaning different types of brushes.  With the exception of rubber cushioned brushes, wooden bodied brushes or combs, and natural boar bristle brushes (these cannot be immersed) you can  simply soak all other types of brushes and combs in a sink filled with warm water and  either your favorite shampoo or about a half a cup of baking soda.  Let them soak for about fifteen to thirty minutes and then rinse again with warm water and let them air dry on a towel. 

Another method that is used to clean all types of brushes and combs is to aim only for the bristles and just dab a small amount of shampoo onto the bristles and teeth of the brush and comb and rub them gently against each other to clean them.  Hold them under the running warm water to rinse out the soap and let them air dry on a towel.  If you still find that some of the hair product goop is still present, take a cotton swab and dab it in some alcohol or vinegar to remove the excess.

Taking these few extra steps at least once a week should prolong the life of your combs and brushes and hopefully make you feel better about keeping your hair healthy and clean.

Some of the latest trends in hair fashion seem to be going towards adding extra heighth to a particular style.  Whether your hair is down or up, the fashion is to tease from about halfway back on the crown of your head and add heighth going on back.

The task may appear to be too difficult for those of us who don’t have a lot of extra hair.  However, new to the marketplace this year is a new gadget called the “Bumpit”.  It apparently is quite the craze and after taking a look at one I can see why.  This hair volumizer is actually an insert that you leave-in.  It is a self-gripping and you hide it under your hair.  The manufacturer, Big Happie Hair, has thought of everything.

Bumpits come in an assortment of shades to blend in with your hair color.  They are available in light blonde, medium/dark blonde, brunette/auburn/ and black to color match any shade.

For me one of the most important things about styling my hair is to do whatever is necessary to achieve the look I’m going for, but at the same time the process needs to be simple.  Using a Bumpit is very easy because all you have to do is part your hair at your crown and gently tease your hair.  You insert the Bumpit behind your part line, bring the teased hair back over the insert, spray your hair and go.  A process this simple couldn’t get any easier.

So, if you are up for trying some of the latest looks in adding heighth to an existing hairstyle or trying out something new, Bumpits are the way to go.  Bumpits can be found in most of your major retail stores in the hair styling accessories section, beauty supply stores and online for around $10.00.  

Are you looking for a sexy hairstyle that looks similar to what the supermodels wear?  If you have been looking in fashion magazines, you will notice more of the supermodels are wearing their hairstyles with some extra added volume.  The only hair styling tools that are needed to create some sexy volume is a teasing brush and hairspray.  Yes, that is all there is to it.

The first thing you want to do is to make sure that your hair is dry and smooth.  Then by taking the hair at the crown of your head, tease your hair to create height.   Next tease the sides as well as the center.  By teasing these areas you won’t look like you have a cone on your head.

Use an extra-fine hairspray.  Once you know that the hairspray has set, use your hands to scrunch up the ends of your hair so that you have that messy look.  Now pick something out of your wardrobe that makes you feel like a supermodel and you are ready for a night out on the town. 

For women with permed or naturally curly hair, the drying process can be a nightmare. A haphazard hair-drying job often results in stringy, gnarled locks rather than the lustrous curls ladies desire. A hot sock diffuser helps to solve this problem by distributing heat evenly around the head and eliminating hot, harmful concentrations. By following a few simple steps, you can dry your hair without the fuss in just a few minutes.

Apply the diffuser to the end of the unit, then begin by drying in a circular motion at the roots. You should keep the dryer’s power on low or medium and continue moving the dryer in the same direction. Keep the dryer at a 90-degree angle to add more volume to your hair. You should dry the ends last and then complete the process by blasting a cool shot of air through your hair.

Are you one of those individuals who travels often with your styling tools and after use, unplugs them and waits, and waits, and waits until you can safely place them back in your luggage?  Well, worry no more.  The newest item to hit the marketplace is the Hotty Hoody Cool Sleeve.  This smart new product is made of specially designed silicone that can withstand temperatures up to 500 degrees Farenheit. 

The Hotty Hoody is designed to fit over the hot portion of any curling iron, flat iron, crimper, waver, spiral iron, hot brush, or hot comb.    Not only does this hair styling tool cover fit nearly every standard size hair appliance, it also protects your equipment from being damaged when dropped. 

The Hotty Hoody is very easy to use.  Once you have finished using your appliance, insert the hot end inside of the Hotty Hoody and take the electrical cord and wrap it around the outside of the sleeve and tuck the end of the cord under the flap located on the outside of the sleeve.  Now you can safely transport your professional hair styling hot tools as soon as you are finished using them.  Or, even if you aren’t traveling, the item is great for home use because now you don’t have to worry about burning your counters.

When it comes to hair styling accessories, this “hot” new item is a MUST HAVE.  This hair tools transporter is great for travelers, after workouts, or anyone on the go!