Hair Styling Tools

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……

Bobby pins, what are those?  Or, are they just calling them hair pins these days?  Does anyone actually still use a bobby pin/hair pin?  Well, if you are interested in what current hair stylists and designers are using these days, then yes, the bobby pin still has a function.  And, there is actually a hair pin that looks different from a bobby pin.  Instead of the pin closing together at the end, the hair pin is actually spread apart.

So, how do you incorporate bobby pins and hair pins into an updo style? 

1)  Towel dry your hair and make sure to apply some type of shine serum.

2)  Blow dry your hair.

3)  Pull your hair back as if you were going to put it into a ponytail but instead of putting a hairband around the tail start twisting your hair around into a cinnamon bun affect.

4)  While holding the hair against the back of your head, start using hair pins to make sure the bun holds.  Any stray hairs can be secured with the bobby pins.

Of course the old ponytail method of securing your hair into the tail and then the fun begins.  Why not divide the tail into two separate tails and twist each tail on either side of the back of your head.  You can even leave some of the hair hanging out and use a curling iron to give the end that slinky look.  AND what do you use to hold in place each pony tail to the back of your head?  You got it, hair pins and bobby pins.   Who would have thought that the simplest of the old fashioned hair styling accessories would still be in use today?

Are you looking for an alternative way to produce bouncy waves over using a round brush and hairdryer?  Using hot rollers is the answer and the rollers are one of the best ways to make those waves last.

Take your damp hair and scrunch some volumizer throughout your hair.  Blow-dry your hair and and then use the largest of the hot rollers to wind around your hair.  After the curlers have cooled, remove them and use a paddle brush to gently run through the curls to loosen them.  Bend your head over, shake, and return your head upright to a headful of hair that has that natural look of body and bounce.