Hair Styling Tools

During my college years, I decided to grow out my hair like many young males. And also like many young males, I neglected my haircare and didn’t utilize the proper products. After a few years, my hair had transformed into an unmanageable mane.

In order to get my tresses under control, I sought out ways of improving the quality of my hair. The first, and most obvious, step was to begin using a conditioner on a regular basis. This made my hair softer and more controllable, eliminating the knots and allowing me to achieve something other than the “bed head” look.

Your hair, just like your skin, responds to its environment. So as the winter months settle in, your hair is going to react to the colder weather, the rain, wind, and snow. All these external factors can leave your hair dry and prone to damage.

But there are lots of easy, at-home products you can use to keep your hair looking shiny and sleek. The first step to healthy, hydrated hair is using high-quality hydrating shampoos. Also, most people do not need to shampoo their hair every day. Every other day will actually keep the hair healthier.

Beyond that; try using jasmine, fruit extracts or Shea Butter on your hair. All of these items will bring out the natural moisture in your hair. Particularly with the Shea Butter, make sure you leave it in your hair long enough to work. This is generally around half an hour. Also, focus on the ends of your hair. They sustain more damage than the roots.

If you’re still having troubles, try setting up a humidifier in your home. The added moisture in the air will help infuse your hair with moisture as well. If you don’t want to invest in a humidifier, a similar effect can be achieved through a large pot of boiling water.

Try one, all, or any combination of these hydrating options until you find the right formula for your hair.

Every time we look in a magazine, we see a different hair style that has become popular with the celebrities.  One month it’s curly and the next it is straight.  Maybe it’s age, but I have been of the school of thought that straight means casual and curly means dressy or formal.  NOT TRUE!  It really all boils down to how you feel at any particular given moment in time and how much time do you want to spend or how much time you actually have to spend on your hair.

In my book, it is all about taking the least amount of time to get ready as humanly possible.  Since the majority of us don’t have stylists at our beck and call, or someone just waiting in the wings to help us get ready for the day, it’s extremely important to get your timing down and find any way possible to cut back on the time it takes to do our hair.

So……if we are going for a sleeky straight look, blow dry your hair  after washing it.  If you are accustomed to bending your head over to get the underneath hairs dry, remember that this results in volume and volume is something that you DON’T want with the new straight hairstyle.  Instead, use a paddle styling brush and make sure you have a concentrator attached to the end of your hairdryer so you can focus on specific sections of hair and avoid as many flyaway hairs as possible.  If you have thick hair, you are obviously going to need to pin up the top sections of your hair while you are drying the under layers.

Now….if you have naturally curly hair, wavy hair, or any type hair other than straight, flat irons or hair straighteners are in order.  Contrary to belief, larger plates on a flat iron do not necessarily mean that the hair is going to get straighter quicker.  Most of the time it is the temperature of the flat iron that dictates how fast the process will go.  Taking small sections of hair and a one inch flat iron will allow the heat to penetrate your hair and straighten it at a much faster pace.  If you have really course hair you will want to make sure the temperature is set at a minimum of 300 degrees but generally somewhere between 350 and 400 degrees will work better.

Lastly…..if you want that straight sleek hair to give off that radiant shine, you are going to need to use some product.  Haircare products that produce shine can be anything from a shine serum to a smoothing cream.  Whatever you have tried and works best for you is what I recommend, however, if this is all new to you, I recommend Potions International Super Serum and the use of a tourmaline flat iron.  Now go dazzle someone……

Is your hair sticking together with hair product and collecting dirt?  Is your hair also looking limp?  More than likely you are facing the oily hair dilemma and are getting tired of dealing with it.  If it is your tendency to get oily hair, there are several ways you can manage this problem and it doesn’t have to be difficult or costly.

To manage oily hair problems, it is helpful to understand why this happens.  Most of us who have oily hair think that the reason our hair looks oily is because we have an oily scalp.  FALSE.  Typically, it is a dry scalp that motivates the oil glands in your scalp to generate more oil.  As a result, the excess oil then transfers to your hair.   The excess oil in the hair then starts to attract more dirt and dust and haircare products.  Ok, but why does this happen?  Well, if you are a teenager, blame it on the hormones.  In your teens the scalp can secrete more oily sebum.  As an adult, pharmaceuticals can affect our hormonal levels and can also have an effect on the oil in our hair.  This coupled with stress, or your basic skin problems all factor in. Are you also a person who likes to brush their hair, and brush often?  This too, can stimulate the glands resulting in more oil.

Now that we have identified several reasons why we might have oily hair, what can we do to diminish or even eliminate the problem?  Aside from the fact that a healthy diet will certainly contribute to the improvement of your hair health, something as simple as the type shampoo you use and how often you shampoo is important to monitor.  Use a mild cleansing , oil-free shampoo and if possible limit the number of times you shampoo.  If you are someone who feels they need to shampoo daily, only shampoo the hair and not the scalp.  As for a conditioner, you will also want to use one that is labeled for oily hair or something that is mild and oil-free.  Be sure to rinse your hair with cool or luke-warm water. as

Home remedies are bountiful when it comes to trying to deal with oily hair.  A vinegar rinse of one part vinegar to four parts water can be used as long as you avoid using it on the scalp.  A similar rinse using lemon juice might also be something to try.  A diet that is low in saturated fats will help as will drinking plenty of water.

Since we all have different body chemistries, it is extremely difficult to properly diagnose and come up with an all tried and true remedy, so experimentation is needed.  However, if some common sense is used as well as applying some of the previously stated suggestions, I am confident you will end up with the shining, beautiful hair that you so much want to have.

Is your hair lacking luster?  Perhaps your hair is needing a moisturizing pick-me-up.  So how does one go about it?  If you are looking for a quick fix, there might be some temporary solutions out there, but the solution is to find out what works on an ongoing basis so you are not always fighting an uphill battle.

There are many shampoos and conditioners designed to handle dry hair.  Obviously not all of them are going to work, but the question is which ones do?  There is no simple answer to this question because not everyone’s body chemistry is the same and what might work for one individual just might not work for another.  The key is to first find a shampoo that gives your hair a nice soft texture before even getting to the step of using a conditioner.  Good moisturizing shampoos will stand alone if they are really good.  Another thing to remember about shampooing when you have dry hair is that you may be shampooing too often.  If you are shampooing more than twice a week it just might be too  much so cut back.

Hair masks are also a good way to hydrate, moisturize and nourish your hair.  Applying a hair mask about once a week should show some marked improvement in a very short period of time.  Another option is to try a rinse-free,  leave-in conditioner, or deep conditioner.

Regardless of the number of haircare products that are out there for you to discover, some genuine common sense always needs to be factored in.  If you are using hair styling tool on your hair on a daily basis, cut back.  If you color your hair often (and don’t need to because you don’t have gray hair to hide) then stop for awhile to give your hair a chance to repair.  

Lastly, but not any less important is the health-minded or natural approach to taking care of dry hair.   Using foods such as avocado, mayonnaise, coconut oil, olive oil, or even egg mixed in the right amounts and applied to mainly the ends of your hair may have some benefit.  Certain over the counter vitamins that are specific to hair health may also be the answer.  Again, this along with all of the other recommendations may require some trial and error, but don’t lose hope because the right recipe is there for you to find.

Have you ever asked yourself the question, what exactly is “normal hair”?  I think most of us would answer the question with normal hair is not too oily or not too dry.  Additionally, if your hair doesn’t have split ends,  isn’t damaged in any other way,  and is fairly well behaved, one might classify their hair as normal.

So, if your hair is normal, what exactly does one need to do to keep it that way?    The most logical answer is to make sure you wash your hair at least twice a week with a mild shampoo and conditioner for normal hair.  If you are not a person that lets their hair air dry, then when using a hair dryer, be sure to blow dry from at least five inches away, whether your hair is normal, dry or oily.  

There are many shampoos and conditioners in the marketplace so finding the right one may be a process.  You can certainly go by the advice of your hair stylist or if that isn’t an option, I suggest you look for a product that says it is a hydrating shampoo or conditioner.  Let’s face it, using hair styling tools and just the natural exposure that our hair gets on a daily basis can certainly dry out our hair so something that adds moisture or hydrates the hair is essential.

Lastly, as I just mentioned, using hair styling tools on a regular basis will eventually break down the hair cuticles or folicles and some repair will be necessary.  So, the best thing you can do is to keep up the process that works best for you and so you can continue to be able to call your hair “normal”.

Contrary to popular belief, using a volumizing shampoo is not necessarily the best way to add volume to your hair.  Why not?  Well, when you are shampooing your hair, don’t you rinse the shampoo out?   Obviously, it becomes a challenge for the ingredients that are supposed to create volume in your hair to do their job if they are only being rinsed down the drain.  That is not to say that some shampoos that are labeled as volumizing  do possibly add a bit of fullness if you are selecting the right brands.

The best way to plump up your hair is by using styling  haircare products.  The type of styling products that you select will of course depend on the type of hair that you have.  If  you have textured hair, a styling mousse or gel applied at the roots will definitely take your hair to new heights.  If you have fine hair, you just might be able to get by with certain volumizing shampoos and conditioners but ultimately applying the gel or mousse while styling is what will seal the deal on volume.

I don’t know how many of you have asked this question, but with so many types of conditioners available to buy, it can boggle the mind as to which one to select.  Besides helping your hair feel softer, and in some cases it helps with less tangles after you have washed it, what exactly does hair conditioner do for your hair?

Scientifically speaking, conditioners actually replace the sebum that is lost from your hair.  And, what is sebum?  Sebum is an oily substance secreted by the sebaceous glands in mammalian skin. Its main purpose is to make the skin and hair waterproof and to protect them from drying out.

More than likely you will agree that hair conditioners will, however, make your hair dull and lifeless if you use too much, and if you don’t use enough, your hair ends up with static electricity and definitely is unmanageable.

So, now that we have established that your hair requires conditioning, all that is left is to figure out what is the best conditioner for your particular hair type.    There are basically four types of conditioners available in the marketplace.  The first are the instant conditioners that are applied immediately after you have shampooed your hair.   These conditioners  contain additives such as aloe, balsam, herbal extracts, lanolin, and vitamins.  Your hair will end up shiny but in actuality only do a mild conditioning job on your hair.  The second type of conditioner is the deep conditioner.  This type of conditioner is a more concentrated version of the instant conditioner.  The only difference is that the deep conditioner is intended to remain on your hair for a longer period of time before rinsing it out.  Deep conditioners are intended for use by those who really have a need for conditioning due to damaged hair.  A deep conditioner should be applied at  least once a month.  Some deep conditioners come in the form of hot-oil treatments or protein packs.  The next type of conditioner for  your hair is  the leave-in conditioner.    Leave-in conditioners are applied to your hair after shampooing and towel drying.  There is no rinsing needed and it does not get washed out until your next shampoo.  This product will make your hair look shinier but it doesn’t take care of split ends or frizzy hair.  The last type of conditioner is the protein conditioner.  Protein conditioners are sometimes used as a temporary application to make your hair appear thicker.  They are just that….temporary.  The main benefit to a protein conditioner is that it keeps your hair lubricated between washes.  Although the protein conditioner contains proteins, the proteins do not penetrate the hair shaft.

Now that you know what the different type conditioners can  do for your hair, have fun picking out a couple to try on your hair and by process of elimination you will find the one that is best suited for you.

Well it is definitely time to start shopping for the holiday season.  If you are anything like me, I like to plan everything out in advance when it comes to filling the stockings.  In our house we have giant stockings so naturally they hold more.   As the children have become adults and gone off to college or just don’t live at home anymore, Christmas is the time when everyone comes home.  Come Christmas morning, the stockings are the first thing that everyone traditionally takes down from the mantlepiece to see what has been left.  No matter how old everyone is, the stockings are still a very popular event and it has become more difficult to figure out what to fill them with.  As adults, candy and small toys just don’t cut it.  Therefore, I am always looking for fresh ideas on what to buy.

A friend of mine recently suggested buying haircare products or even hair styling accessories for the stockings.  What a wonderful idea and definitely something that is useful.  Since haircare products come in an assortment of sizes, buying shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, etc. shouldn’t be a problem regardless of the size of the stocking.  So, if you are looking for a new idea for stockings, haircare products are definitely something to consider.

I used to use generic shampoo that I bought cheap from the drug store. After several years of using the generic products my hair became dry and brittle and I knew I needed a change. I wanted that thick, shiny hair I saw on commercials.

I bought some premium hair products in hopes of getting the beautiful, voluminous hair featured in the television commercials. After a couple weeks of using the products, there was noticeable improvement in the condition of my hair. It had more shine and less split ends.