Hair Styling Tools

Fresh off the Academy Awards presentations, it was a night of fashion and this year a definite change of scenery when it came to  hairstyles.  Admittedly so, there were some real disappointments, and some really fab styles that of course many of us want to duplicate.  But did you notice that there were far less updos than usual?  Many of the celebs were wearing their hair down and shorter than usual.

So what stood out?  Side-swept styles with waves, varying length of bobs, and of course some very sleek, long flowing, straight hair.  Let’s focus on the side-swept styles and how they were achieved.

Amy Adams’ hair and Natalie Portman were the definite standouts.  Their side-swept styles were each unique and worked for both of them.  Amy’s style was extremely easy to do and certainly reminiscent of a Lauren Bacall old school hairdo. Working with some damp hair, a frizz-free hair serum was applied to her strands to give them that shiny and healthy look.  One and one half inch hair rollers were set into her hair while it was drying.  All that was needed after that was a brush-through with a soft bristle styling brush and pushing the hair behind the ear on one side.

As for Natalie, her side-swept do was a little more asymmetrical in appearance.  While on one side of her head she had the flowing waves, the other side was sleek, straightened, and tucked back and under as it joined the rest of her hair at mid point at the back of her head.  To achieve this style there is a slight variation needed and it of course would depend on the type hair that you have.  If you already have some natural wave to your hair, you may need to flat iron the side that you choose to pull back.  Apply some hair serum to give it that luxurious shine.  On the wavy side blow dry your hair and apply some mid-size rollers to give it a longer lasting wave.  Remember that depending on the length of your hair, you are going to get some falling out of the curl, thus resulting in a wave.

So you have created a wavy look and the last thing you want it to do is fall out while you are still getting ready to go.   So what do you do?  Take sections of your hair and twist them up using a clip or bobby pin.  Lightly mist with some hair spray. Go ahead and put your makeup on and get dressed.  Then take the pins out letting the sections fall.  Lightly rake your fingers through the waves and your set.

Keeping your wavy hairstyle in tact for the next day can sometimes be a challenge.  Many hairstylists will recommend that if you sleep on a satin pillowcase, this will help to keep your hair from getting frizzy, matted, and /or tangled.  Sleeping on a cotton pillowcase can more easily rough up your hair due to the coarser texture of the cotton.

Sometimes haircare products can make all the difference in creating that lasting wavy style.  If your hair tends to be somewhat curly already and you are looking for a more relaxed wavy look, spritz on a leave-in conditioner throughout your hair to prevent any damage or breakage.  Take two inch sections of your hair and wrap them with hot rollers back away from your face.  This will help to create volume.  Spritz on a setting spray and wait approximately five to ten minutes. Undo the rollers and apply the tiniest amount of shine serum through your hair to soften the curls into bouncy waves.

With all of the different shampoos in the marketplace, how does one know really what type to select for use on their hair?  Many of the haircare products on the shelves and online are divided into categories by hair type, i.e. normal, dry, oily, etc.  Then you see labels on the bottles that indicate other additives or special attention is drawn to the fact that some shampoos are sulfate free.  So, why is sulfate free  shampoo so important for your hair?

For those of you who don’t know what sulfate free means, you need to know that shampoos that are sulfate free do not contain SLS or sodium lauryl sulfate.  SLS is a cleansing product that is used in a whole host of products including shampoo and even floor cleaners.  These cleansing products tend to only clean the surface on which they are applied and if used on your hair, the chemical can irritate your scalp and strip essential oils causing the hair to be dry.   So if this ingredient is so harmful to your hair why use it?   For the simple reason it is a cheap ingredient and of all things it creates bubbles and aids in the production of foam.  Do bubbles and foam really clean your hair?   Well, the SLS ingredient will remove oil from the hair but is this good for the hair?  No.   Why?  Sulfate has been also known to damage the hair follicle.  This can lead to the structure of your hair weakening and even a thinning out of the hair.  I don’t know about you, but I can’t afford to lose any more hair!

Over time, and with consumer awareness being so prevalent these days, the manufacturers of shampoo are finally starting to jump on the bandwagon and are starting to remove SLS from many of the shampoos. There are still many many shampoos still that contain this ingredient so if the health of your hair is important to you, I strongly suggest that you check the labels before purchasing and even when the sulfate free shampoos seem to cost more, think about what is important in the long run.  Do you want to be spending an inordinate amount of money trying to repair your damaged hair, or by spending the few extra dollars for the right product do you want to maintain a healthy, shiny, looking head of hair?

Usually it is in our 40′s when we start noticing that there is definitely something that needs to be done to add some pizazz back into our hair.  Whether it be a new hair style, or just using some haircare products to bring the hair back to life, it ultimately boils down to the fact that we are trying to look younger.  So what hair styling tip is the beauty world suggesting?  According to Colleen Moody from online “Real Beauty”, face-framing streaks not only give definition to your cheekbones, but they will also make you look younger.  You might want to try multi-dimensional hair colors to blend in any grays that you might have.  Most important to this process is the fact that you need to use a leave-in UV protectant that will protect your hair from the sun as well as preserve the color.  Try Potions International Super Serum for this and you will be glad you did.  (Photo courtesy of Exposay.com)

Did you know that in your 4o’s and 50′s your hair starts to feel coarse and lose some of its shine?  As with most anything these days, there are products that will take care of this and we are so very fortunate that this is the case.  It’s hard enough to face the aging process as it is, but with a little help here and there it just seems to make the transition easier.

As for haircare products to handle that lackluster looking hair, I definitely would recommend two products.  The first is Potions International Power Construct.  This moisture rich creamy conditioner has some amazing natural ingredients that result in exceptional looking hair.  Pure Carrot oil, purified essential oils from the Mango and Olive butter, along with other vitamins and marine extracts all work together to recondition the skin of the scalp, hair and body through oxygenation and stimulation.  And, the icing on the cake is that the beta keratin oil ingredients strengthen any weak hair.  When used on a weekly basis, you will start seeing results in no time.

So what can you use on a daily basis?  Once again, Potions International is the answer.  They have a super product that coincidentally is called Super Serum.  Suffice it to say that this product blows other serums and oils right out of the water.  Not only does it control frizz but it repairs your hair, provides heat protection, creates shine, has UV protection, and is alcohol and paraben free.  This product is enriched with organic Argan oil and simply penetrates and absorbs almost instantly into the hair.  This does not leave your hair feeling greasy and has a wonderful fresh scent.  As with all of Potions International products, they are made in the USA.

Yes, we get to that point in our lives when we start looking like we are fading into that older look simply because we are getting older.  A hard pill to swallow but older doesn’t have to mean over the hill.  To get away from those dorky looking mom sort of looks, how about making changes that renew and revitalize us from older to younger and newer.

Are you wearing short wispy bangs?  Look younger by letting your bangs grow into long choppy bangs. Guess what?  These new bangs will hide any forehead wrinkles you might have.

Are you over 40 and doing a single-process color?  Look younger by adding a few highlights, which brings on that lighter and brighter appearance to your whole face.

Are you still curling your hair and leaving the locks coiffed with no separation and set in super hold hair spray?  Look younger by turning your head over and running your fingers through your curls.  Lift your head back up and lightly run a  styling brush through your hair.  Both  Cricket and Denman brushes offer several brushes that work extremely well for this.

Are you still wearing flat hair?  Look younger by layering your hair and using a hair care product.   Take the tousled layers and give them a boost with some volumizer.  I like Loreal Natures  Therapy Mega Volume Instant Root Lifter.

Are you pulling your hair up into a tightly bound bun for that shortcut hair day?  Look younger by leaving out some stray pieces of hair alongside your face.  These loose hairs can help to camouflage any crows feet you might have while taking off a few years as well.

Most of the time I’m in a hurry in the morning and since I wash my hair every other day, I need to be able to dry my hair quickly to make up for lost time.   There are several things to consider to get speedy results and one of them is using ionic hair dryers.  Another consideration is using the right styling hair care products.  

When using an ionic hair dryer, the ionic technology is such that it evaporates the water quickly from your hair.  That coupled with several spritzes of a volumizing spray on fine hair, a dab of flexible-hold gel on curly hair, and a few spritzes of heat-protecting spray on thick hair, and you will see a considerable time savings.  According to hairstylist River Lloyd of the Serge Normant at John Frieda salon in New York City, “the experts don’t even pick up a brush until they’ve removed 95% of hair’s moisture with the dryer.  This allows you to get through the back sections quickly and focus on the pieces that frame your face.” 

Here are some steps as identified in Allure Magazine as to how to achieve a fast blowout:

1)  Towel dry your hair and then apply the right styling product based on whether your hair is fine, curly, or thick.  Remove the nozzel of your ionic hairdryer and set it on the high heat setting and at medium speed.  Lift your hair as you aim the dryer at your roots.  Then, rake your fingers from your roots to  your ends, following each motion with the dryer.  Sweep your hair from side to side until it’s mostly dry and the ends of your hair and the pieces around your face are damp.

2)  Two inches back from your hairline, make a horizontal part and clip up the front.  You are now going to reattach the dryer nozzle and set it on high speed and heat to dry the sides and back of your hair.  Using a round brush, pull three-inch wide sections out to the side and then wrap the ends around the brush while securing with your thumb.  Run the blow dryer up and down the section (with the nozzle pointed down).

3.  Now unclip the front layers.  Start at your forehead and position the brush under the hair and pull each section straight up.  Roll your hair back to the scalp with the brush and hold for a few seconds and then unroll.  You are going to repeat this process until the top section is dry.  After you have finished, blast your hair with a cool shot or use cool setting to dry any damp spots.  As a last finishing touch, smooth your hair with some serum or a spritz of hair spray if your hair is fine.

If you don’t own an ionic hair dryer, now is the time to consider purchasing one or adding it to your wish list for the holidays.  There are some tremendous deals online now with the holidays rapidly approaching.

If you haven’t already decided on what you want to be for Halloween, there are a couple of ideas where using a hair crimper will add to the overall completion of your Halloween costume.

So for starters, how about dressing up as the bride of Frankenstein?  It may not be that easy of a task, but it could be a very dramatic look, and who knows, you may really enjoy the outcome.  To create the bride of Frankenstein hairdo be aware that you will be being doing a lot of teasing of your hair.  While this style can work well with a variety of hair lengths and hair types, shoulder-length hair works best.  If you hair is longer, it might be more of a challenge.  Are you ready to see what is needed, well here goes…

ITEMS NEEDED:  Crimping iron, ultra maximum hold hairspray, teasing brush or comb, hair pins, white colored temporary spray color to add streaks to the style.

1. Spray your entire head with hairspray lightly.
2. Take your hair and divide into 1 to 3 inch sections and start crimping from the roots down.  Crimp until all sections of hair are done.
3. Tease your hair to the max at the crown and all the way to the roots.  This process is for creating a base.  Spray heavily with hairspray.
4. Tease the surrounding sections of your hair lightly and spray well so you can pin them to the base you have created.
5. Take your hair and work the style into a cone shape.  Tease if necessary and then apply hairspray to the outside sections.
6. Once you have the desired cone shape, spray yet again to make sure the style lasts for whatever amount of time you are going to be partying.
7. The final step is taking the white colored spray and spraying a white line that starts above your ears and continues upward diagonally to the ends of your hair.

Ok, so if you’re not into the Bride of Frankenstein, or if it looks like too much work, how about going as something reminiscent of the 1980′s?  Looking punk, or wearing your tresses crimped will certainly bring some laughs and fun into your style.  The picture below is that of Jody Foster in the 80′s.  If you have short to medium length hair this could work along with wearing the 80′s wardrobe.  This hairstyle only requires crimping each section of your hair with no teasing of the hair or excessive amounts of hairspray.  You simply want to section your hair and pin it up as you crimp each section.

Last but not least, please remember to use haircare products that provide protection for your hair.  Just as with any hair styling tool, using crimpers will not damage your hair when used occasionally, but any time you apply extra heat to your hair, it is always best to treat your hair with respect and do not allow your hair to get overheated or dried out.  On that note, have a Happy Halloween and most of all HAVE FUN!

There are hair dryers that have 600 watts, 1300 watts, 1600 watts, 1875 watts, 1900 watts, and 2000 watts.   And there may be others, but who is counting?  The more important question is how much wattage does one actually need to dry their hair.  And, does it make a difference as to how much or how little hair you have?

Wattage in hair dryers is actually referring to the amount of power that is being output.  Consequently, an 1875 watt blow dryer is less powerful than a 2000 watt dryer, a 1600 watt dryer is less than an 1875 watt dryer, etc.  Knowing this, then the question is what works best on any particular type of hair or amount of hair?

FINE, THIN, DAMAGED, or FRAGILE  CURLY HAIR: If your hair type falls under any one of these descriptions then a hair dryer with 1200 to 1500 watts is all that you really need.  You might also want to consider towel blotting your hair to remove any excess moisture and then when drying to use the slowest and coolest setting to prevent further damage.

MEDIUM STRAIGHT or TEXTURED HAIR: If you have either  of these types of hair and it is neither fine nor damaged, you can dry your hair with any wattage range depending on the speed that you are using or the desired style.

THICK or WAVY HAIR: Or, if your hair takes a long time to dry, a minimum of 1875 watts should be used.

Two additional considerations to keep in mind when shopping for a hair dryer is how many heat settings and how many speeds the dryer has.  At a minimum you want a dryer that has at least two heat settings.  If your hair is fine, thin, damaged, or fragile curly, you will benefit from cool or cold settings as these will prevent further heat damage and if you have fine hair, the cool air will plump up any limp strands.  If you has thick strands you should use the full heat settings.  The hot air blowing out of a dryer helps to create a style and the cold air locks the style in.  That is why so many hairdryers come with cold or cool shot buttons so that you have the option to easily press that button once you are ready to lock in a particular section of hair that you are styling with your hair brush while drying.  When it comes to the number of speeds you want in a dryer, you want at least two speeds.  The two speeds will consist of high and low.  If your hair is fine, thin, damaged or fragile, your hair will benefit from the slower speeds.  If your hair is thick or takes longer to dry, the speed needs to be medium to high.

Always take precautions when blow drying your hair.  You don’t want to over-blow your hair which ultimately means that if you are trying to style your hair and you are using the higher wattage along with the higher heat and faster speed, you risk not being able to properly set the style you are working on.  Additionally you are running the risk of overheating your hair.  So to take a couple extra precautionary measures, remember to keep the dryer moving around your hair and don’t hold the dryer extremely close to your hair. Lastly, always use  protective haircare products that you apply to your hair before drying.

Photo used above is courtesy of:  http://www.dreamstime.com/free-stock-photo-girl-blowing-dry-her-hair-rimagefree8108175-resi2740994

Time always seems to be something that most of us don’t have enough of.  It seems like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything and that includes styling our hair.  The following are just a few tips on some shortcuts that I have uncovered and wanted to pass along.  Allure magazine frequently provides some very helpful tips for the hair styling industry.  Their August 2010 issue featured “13 Hairstyling Shortcuts” and these are some of the tips that I have found to be very helpful and relevant using haircare products and hair tools that you already have and use on a regular basis.

REVITALIZING BOUNCE BACK INTO YOUR HAIR

Your hairstyle has lost its bounce because your hair has fallen and lacks pizazz.   If your hair is at least neck length or longer, all it takes is two simple steps to get that lightness and buoyancy back to your hair.  First plug in your large barrel curling iron.  Flip your head over and spray your hair with a light-hold hair spray.  Flip your head back to the upright position and taking a large section of hair (it should only take six to ten sections of your hair to do) and wrap the section around the curling iron barrel.  Hold for 10 to 15 seconds or slightly longer if curl isn’t taking.  Once you have curled each section, run your fingers through the hair and shake it.  If you want extra fluffiness, you will need to brush out the curls after they have cooled.

FIGHTING FRIZZ FAST (After Washing Hair)

One of the most effective ways to quickly get rid of frizz is to use a blow dryer.  When your hair is not quite dry, take  skinny sections of the outer layers of your hair and wrap each one around a large round hair brush. Using the high heat option, blow-dry with the concentrator attachment.  If your hair is still somewhat frizzy, take a dime-size amount of hair serum (I use Potions International Super Serum) and rub it between your palms.  Next run your palms over the outer layer of your hair and if necessary follow with a flat iron.

FIXING WACKED OUT BANGS

Bangs have a way of sometimes doing their own thing.  To get them back to looking like bangs and not wingdings, wet them at the roots.  Pull on the bangs with your fingers as you are drying them with your hair dryer.  Hair stylist Orlando Pita tugs the bangs from left to right and then right to left.  For those of us who have cowlicks or other areas that create a problem, Mr. Pita says “make sure the roots are dried first in the direction you want the bangs to end up.  Then continue to dry the ends with a small round brush.”  Remember to point the dryer down so as to avoid creating a dorky looking curl.