Hair Styling Tools

There are so many haircare products in the marketplace and each one has their own set of instructions.  If you are like me, I like a general rule of thumb as to when to apply my haircare products.

After reading many articles online and in magazines, most haircare products should definitely be applied to the hair when it is wet.  Hair tends to be the most responsive to styling when it has been freshly washed or rinsed.  Also, hair product such as gels and mousses are more evenly distributed through wet hair.

Ok, now that we have established that applying hair product to wet hair is best, what are the exceptions?  There are just a few and that would be when you are using a heat-protecting spray and finshing products like hair spray and pomades.  These hair care products are to be used on dry hair. 

When you go to get your hair cut, permed, colored, or whatever else that is offered at your salon, have you ever paid attention to what kind of shampoo or conditioner is being used?  Well, if you like the results from the product that is being used by your stylist, it might be a good idea to ask what he/she uses and then buy some.  If you don’t go to a particular stylist or don’t necessarily like the results of the shampoo and conditioner being used on your hair, then you just might want to try CHI. 

CHI Haircare products has one of the more popular lines of professional  hair care products available in the marketplace.  Not only does CHI offer shampoo and conditioner, but other hair care products as well.  As for the shampoo and conditioner, two outstanding products available to the general public are CHI Infra Shampoo and CHI Infra Treatment.  If you are looking for a shampoo and conditioner that actually leaves your hair silky, smooth, and shiny, then this is the product for you.

Shopping for a shampoo and conditioner shouldn’t be a difficult task to perform.  One of the key elements in looking for a shampoo is whether it is gentle enough to use on your hair if you are someone who needs to wash their hair on a daily basis.  CHI Infra Shampoo has a Cationic Hydration Interlink that provides gently luxurious cleansing to the hair while providing a balance of moisture for softness and proteins for strength.  With this particular shampoo you need only use a nickel size amount.

CHI’s Infra Treatment is the companion product to the CHI Infra Shampoo.  CHI Infra Treatment also contains Cationic Interlink and is a superior moisturizing and protecting treatment for the hair.   Using a generous amount of the Infra Treatment will leave your hair with the proper balance of moisture for silky manegeable hair with incredible shine every time.

These CHI haircare products can be found online and in many salons, beauty supply stores, and drug stores.  These products will range anywhere from $12.00 to $20.00+, depending on where you go.

Straight hair has its appeal to be sure, but sometimes women long for a change. A new hairstyle can be invigorating, getting you out of that rut and on to bigger and better things. In order to achieve that goal, you’ll need to master the art of the curling iron. First of all, decide if you want the relaxed, fun look of waves or the tight and prim curled appearance.

Larger curling irons make waves – quite literally – and small professional curling irons create curls. Be wary of overheating your hair, as that can cause unsightly damage. A conditioning spray may be used to shield your hair from heat damage. Divide the hair into sections so that it’s more manageable to manipulate. Then wind your locks over the curler in systematic fashion.

Hair diffusers come in all shapes and sizes and have different features.  When selecting the right diffuser attachment for use, there are a couple of things that need to be taken into consideration. 

First, what are you trying to accomplish?  Is your hair curly or wavy and are you looking to increase the amount of curls or waves?  Or, are you looking to lift or add volume to straight or limp hair?

If your hair is curly or wavy and you want to dry your hair with a blow dryer rather than letting it air dry, hair diffusers are the right styling accessories needed to accomplish this.  Not only will you be adding more curl or wave to your hair, you will also achieve extra volume depending on how you use the diffuser. 

There are basically three types of diffusers that can be used.  The first type of diffuser comes with “fingers” on the attachment.  There are those that have flexible fingers and others where the fingers are stationery.  It is just a matter of preference, but either one will gently massage your scalp while you are drying your hair.  Diffusers with fingers helps do the work for you because as you run the diffuser through your hair it is lifting and separating your hair to give it extra volume. 

The second type of diffuser available in the marketplace is the standard diffuser which comes in varying circumferences.  The size you select will depend on how much of an area of your hair that you want to dry as you move from section to section.  Regardless of size, the diffuser has numerous size vented holes where the air from the dryer blows through and dries your hair while keeping the style in tact.  While drying your hair with the diffuser attachment on the dryer, you generally will be scrunching your hair up with your own fingers to help encourage the curls.

The third type of diffuser is one that is made of a stretchy elastic type material that also fits over the nozzle end of the dryer.  This diffuser basically cuts back the power of the air blowing through the dryer so as not to disturb any curl or wave that you have in your hair. 

If you have fine or limp hair, the focus in using a diffuser is to direct the air from the diffuser at the roots of your hair.  You can actually use any of the three types of diffusers for this but using the diffuser with the fingers may be less tiring as the fingers will help to lift the hair.  Some individuals find that using a round brush and blow drying their hair at the roots will accomplish the same thing that using the diffuser does.  It boils down to personal choices and what works best for you.

Many hairdryers in the marketplace come with diffusers.  For those that do not, there are many diffusers that are sold individually and are an inexpensive attachment to add to your hair styling tool collection. 

Shopping for hairdryers can be a very frustrating task if you don’t know exactly what you are looking for.  There are so many brands, types, shapes, sizes, wattage amounts, and an inordinate amount of features.  So where does one start?

One of the first things in shopping for a hairdryer is to know what price range you can afford.   If you are looking for a professional hair dryer, then expect to pay anywhere from the mid $20.00 range all the way up to over $200.00.  In today’s economy, the price range that many are looking at is obviously on the lower end of the spectrum.  Many individuals think that having a low budget forces them to shop at the discount chain stores to buy their hair styling tools.  Well, this simply doesn’t have to be what you have to resort to.

In looking at a well known brand of hairdryers, I found that the Hot Tools Dryers manufacture a large selection of professional hairdryers that are very affordable.  Most of them have all of the features that you need, as well as the attachments.  Hot Tools Dryers are part of the Helen of Troy line of professional hair styling tools and you can be assured that every tool that you buy comes with at a minium a 12 month warranty.  Hot Tools even offers some very fun styles such as the Skull Design and the Pink Zebra.

So, the next time you are looking for an affordable professional hairdryer, take a look at Hot Tools and you will more than likely be able to find just the one that suits your every need.

Have you ever stopped to think how selecting a hairdryer to use either for at-home use or professionally, should include taking into consideration how light or heavy it is.  Well, for those of us who make a living sitting in front of a computer all day, we certainly have to take into consideration the ergonomics of our work station so as not to end up with hand, arm or wrist issues.  The same goes for using a hairdryer.  Especially for those of us who make a living at styling hair.  Whether we are a professional stylist or an at-home user, there comes a time when choosing the right weight hairdryer is extremely important. 

Let’s face it, as we get older our lifting capabilities lessen.  Holding up a two to three pound hairdryer either every day or every other day can take its toll on our hands and wrist.  In fact, many stylists eventually end up with carpal tunnel syndrome due to the excess weight they are holding in their hand each day as they blow dry hair.  Just as with typing on a computer keyboard, it also boils down to how we position our hands and wrists when holding our hairdryers that also comes into play.

If you fall into one of the categories described above, when you go to select your next hairdryer, it might be advantageous to look for those dryers that weigh less than a pound.  One such hairdryer that I have found to fit the bill is the Andis Hair Dryer.  Andis Elevate ™ Ultra Light Tourmaline Hairdryer weighs approximately 15 ounces.  Hairdryers such as this are professional, yet are offered at a very reasonable price.  There are many other hair dryers offered in the marketplace that are advertised as “lightweight”, but in actuality if it weighs much more than a pound, you won’t be necessarily doing yourself any favors.  Naturally, you will want to take into consideration what bells and whistles you would like your hairdryer to have, and sometimes if you must take into consideration diffusers or concentrators, you need to factor this into the weight of the hairdryer.

Hairdryer manufacturers are continually testing new ideas for developing the hairdryer that will meet the needs of its customers.  Outside of being able to afford for someone to be available to blow dry our hair for us every time we wash our hair (dream on) then most of us will need to be satisfied with the lightweight hairdryer that suits our every need.   

With so many types of haircare products such as gel, mousse, cream and serum on the shelves and online, is there a standard rule of thumb as to how much to use? 

Well, according to the styling professionals, less is more.  One of the problems that so many of us experience is when we buy hair product, many of them do not specify how much to use.  And, what typically happens is we use more than we need.  Our hair ends up looking flat, greasy, dull, or shellacked.  So, what then do the experts recommend?

Most styling professionals base the amount of product used on their client’s hair by the length and amount of hair.  Of course these are very obvious answers but for many of us, we need more clarity.  To put the amount into visual terms, think about the size of coins and even a shot glass.

SHORT HAIR

When using cream and gel use between a dime and nickel size amount.  If your hair is extremely thick you will probably need the nickel size amount over the dime size.  For serum the amount needed should not exceed the dime size and in some instances a little less.  When using mousse imagine using about three quarters of a shot glass of mousse on your hair.

MEDIUM LENGTH OR SHOULDER-LENGTH HAIR

The amount needed for styling cream or gel for this length hair is the size of a nickel.  When you are using serum use only a dime size amount.  And, for mousse you will need a full size shot glass of the mousse.

LONG HAIR

When you have long hair a lot will depend again on the thickness of the hair.  The amount of styling cream or gel to use on your hair typically will be between the size of a nickel and a quarter.   As for serum the amount to be used will fall somewhere between the size of a dime and a nickel.   The amount of mousse to use will be the size of a full shot glass and then some.

Of course all styling professional recommendations are just recommendations.  Every individual’s hair is a different texture, thickness and state of health.  Therefore, practicing with different size portions makes the most sense for what you are trying to achieve.  Again, as stated previously, less is more.  You can always add more product if needed, but to try to remove hair product from your hair is a little more challenging. 

My hair is naturally wavy, although lately I prefer to style it into tight curls. I had grown a bit nervous about my hair care future ever since enrolling for a study abroad in London, beginning in September. It’s not that I won’t have time to dedicate to styling; it’s just that I had heard that European electrical outlets can do damage to American appliances.

Luckily I found a great deal on dual voltage curling irons online. A curling iron allows me to maintain my signature look, so I won’t be completely adrift when visiting a foreign land. The dual voltage function means that I can continue to use the unit upon my return home in December. But now I’m getting ahead of my self. For now it’s time to plan all the exciting things I’m going to do in the bustling British capital.

Most women nowadays are using a round brush to style their hair.  The question, however, is what size to use.  Typically, brush size selections are based on the length of your hair and also what style you are trying to achieve.  If you are like many of us, and want to change our style up sometimes, then your styling accessories should include at least one of each size of your favorite styling brush.

The rule of thumb in selecting a styling brush is to use a small brush that is one inch in diameter for chin length hair or shorter.  If you have medium length hair (hair that is no  longer than the top of your shoulders) you should use a brush that is one and one half inches up to two to three inches.  And, for those who have longer hair, use brushes that have a barrel size of two to four inches.

One inch diameter brushes are also very good for working with layered hair and also fine hair when you want to add some extra bounce. 

Two to three inch diameter brushes work extremely well when you are trying to create a loose curl or a natural waves.  Three to four inch diameter brushes typically work best when you are trying to straighten your hair while blow drying or working on smoothing out your hair.

There are brushes that are available in sizes smaller than one inch.  These smaller brushes are intended for use when you have extremely short hair or when you are styling longer strands that you want to create some extra body or a slight curl.  What many of us fail to remember is that the longer our hair is, the quicker a blown-dry styling will fall out.  Thus, if you are wanting the curl to stay you are going to need to use some product and a curling iron.  

I’m sure many of you have noticed that in today’s world everyone is looking for items that will do more than just one thing.  Whether it be your fax machine that copies, faxes, and even takes messages, or a multi-use screw driver that has every imaginable type head that easily converts to the tool you want, there is typically some gadget in the marketplace that has more than one purpose.

When it comes to hair styling tools, there are also multiple use tools.  Take for example the Lava Tech 4 in 1 Rotating Ceramic Styler.  This particular professional styling tool provides ideal styling options for all hair types.  With this styler you can crimp, straighten, wave, and curl.  Not bad options for one tool.  The styler comes with four 1-inch plates that perform each of the four styling options.  The styling barrels are also easily removed for cleaning.

There are advantages to multiple use hair styling tools, especially if you are traveling.  If you want the capability to create different hair styles while traveling, the Lava Tech 4 in 1 Rotating Ceramic Styler is the perfect example of why multiple use hair styling tools are becoming more popular.  Most airlines have imposed weight restrictions on the luggage that you take, so not having to pack multiple hair styling tools becomes important.

So, the next time you are planning on traveling or in need of several hair styling tools, you just may want to consider looking into the multi-function hair styling tools.