Posts Tagged ‘hair care’

The Curly Girl’s Guide to Hair Care

As every woman with curly hair knows, there are significant differences in how you care for your hair as compared to your straight-haired friends. For instance, do you even own a brush? Probably not! There are many things that every curly-haired diva needs to know about caring for her hair. Those tips and tricks are outlined below.

1.Never brush curly hair. Using a brush on curly hair causes the curls to unravel and become frizzy in just a matter of moments. If you have no other options, only use a brush on wet hair. If possible, use a pick on wet hair to untangle the hair without promoting frizz. If you have no styling tools, using your fingers can be perfectly acceptable. Mimic the motion of a pick and stop after the tangles are loosened.

2.Use an anti-frizz cream. Apply several pumps of an anti-frizz cream to you palms and work it through your hair, focusing on the roots and back. Because you sleep on the back of your hair, it is prone to more frizz than the front sections, so concentrate the cream in that area. Most creams can be applied to wet or dry hair as needed. Start by applying it after towel-drying your hair and before using other products. Use it throughout the day to prevent frizz from popping up.

3.Use a specialized shampoo and conditioner. There are plenty of shampoos, conditioners, and styling products designed for women with curly hair, so take advantage of the new specialization in products to get something made just for your hair type.

4.Avoid heat-styling. Especially in the spring and summer, let hair dry naturally to maintain health and bounce. Apply a styling cream or gel and scrunch hair in your hands. Re-scrunch periodically as the hair dries, but let it dry on its own. Finish with hair spray or finishing spray.

5.Get regular trims. Because curly hair is more prone to damage than naturally straight hair, it is important to get regular trims to maintain the health of the hair.

6.Don’t fight it. Your hair will probably look a little bit different every day, depending on the products you use and the weather outside. Fighting with your hair to make it look a certain way will cause it more harm than good, because the extra products and tools you use to coerce it will end up causing damage. Accept that it has a mind of its own and settle with controlling it, not dominating it.

7.Don’t run your fingers through your hair. While straight-haired girls have the luxury of flipping their hair back and forth and playing with it, when curly girls try that, their hair puffs up into a frizz ball. Running your fingers through your hair will break down the product you have applied, which is keeping your hair in check and preventing it from expanding. If at all possible, leave your hair alone during the day. If you do need to refresh your style, flip your head over and massage your scalp, scrunching your dry hair before flipping your head back over. This will wake the curls back up and, though the style will deflate again throughout the day, it is a non-product-based way of keeping your style intact.

Curly hair certainly requires maintenance that straight hair doesn’t, but the benefits of having a unique style are certainly worth it! Stop following hair care guides written for straight hair and you will learn to love your curls as much as your envious stick-straight friends!

The way in which you should care for your hair will depend on your hair type. People with greasy hair will have a different hair care regime than someone with dry or flyaway hair. You need to establish what type of hair you have before you know how best to care for it.

Dry hair: Often prone to breaking, frizzing and with a generally dull appearance. Dry hair needs moisture. When washing, use a shampoo specifically formulated for dry hair, this will help increase its much needed moisture levels. Also use a conditioner for dry hair. Wrap your hair in a towel for a couple of minutes after washing, then remove the towel and apply conditioner. This will make the effect of he conditioner more intensive. Try not to wash your hair everyday, leaving your hair for a couple of days and not washing it will give the natural oils in your hair a chance to spread around the hair a little.

When styling, use a heat protection product, this will minimise the damage that your heated styling appliances will do. Make sure anything you apply to your hair has dried before you straighten your hair. Having liquid on your wet air and then straightening it will do a lot of damage; your straighteners will basically boil any moisture that is left on your hair.

Greasy hair: Often looks lank and wet, and you may have washed it just that morning. This is caused by overproduction of sebum.

Specifically formulated shampoos are good for greasy hair, they contain ingredients that help to delay the production of oil, making the hair look fresher for longer.

You may need to wash your hair everyday, but do not use a harsh shampoo or water that is too hot. This will only cause the sebum glands to overcompensate and produce more oil. Try a dry shampoo; this will help to remove some of the oil without drying out your roots completely

You will still need heat protection so when choosing styling products, go for something light, but protective. Sprays are best, as serums and creams tend to be too heavy and drag the hair down, and make it look much greasier. Apply to the middle and ends of your hair, if you apply them too high up, you will just make your hair look even greasier.

Combination hair: Possibly the most difficult to care for, combination hair will normally have greasy roots and dry ends. There are shampoos available for combination hair, but there is not a great selection. Choose a mild shampoo, nothing too harsh, as this will damage the ends. Dry shampoo will remove the grease from the roots without drying out the ends. Choose a conditioner that is not too heavy, something designed for greasy hair; these will still condition the dry ends of your hair without making your roots look even greasier.

Apply heat protection styling products to the middle and ends of your hair, not the roots.

Normal hair: If you are lucky enough to have normal hair, then choose a shampoo and conditioner that will help to maintain the moisture levels in your hair, make sure you still use heat protection products.

Coloured hair: The lathering process when washing your hair can strip it of a lot of its colour. Choose a shampoo for coloured hair (they lather less) Choose a conditioner that is for coloured hair aswell, these will keep your colour looking fresher for longer. Try not to wash your hair everyday.

There are many styling products available for coloured hair, even specific colours such as brown, red and blonde (although I have never seen one for black hair)

These will all protect your hair and keep your colour looking vibrant at the same time.

There are different reasons that our hair can become damaged, but the main reason is due to the improper treatment of the hair. When it hair becomes damaged, it needs to be treated with a great deal of care. If it is not then you will only make the situation worse.

So many people do not know the proper way to treat their hair and so taking care of it when it is damaged will require a radical rethink about your hair care routine.

Washing.

In order to avoid damaging your hair any further you need to know how to wash it properly. Wet your hair with warm water and apply a small amount of shampoo into the palm of your hands and smooth it over the roots and temples. Gently massage it into the scalp with your finger tips using small circular motions. Do not scrub at the hair or pull at it to try and remove any knots because you will damage it if you do.

Rinse the shampoo out by letting the water run down your hair and gently moving it to make sure all of the shampoo has been removed. 

Next, you will need to gently remove the excess water from your hair, do this by carefully squeezing the hair and then wrapping it in a towel for one minute. Then apply your conditioner and massage it into the hair using your finger tips. Leave it for as long as possible to allow it to work and then rinse it thoroughly.

Try to avoid brushing your hair when it is wet. Wet hair is incredibly fragile and so it will break very easily. If you need to style it with something then use a wide toothed comb. This will cause minimal damage. If it is possible then try and use your fingers to style your hair instead. This will cause less damage and it will also create a natural look

Always apply a heat protection serum to your hair. Many people think that if they are only using a blow dryer then they do not need it, but this is not true. Your hair needs to be protected from all kinds of heat.  

Always wait until your hair is at least 70% dry before blow drying it. Use your blow dryer on the lowest heat setting and always keep the nozzle pointing downwards. This will help the cuticle to lie flat making the hair smoother and shinier. 

The Curly Girl’s Guide to Hair Care

As every woman with curly hair knows, there are significant differences in how you care for your hair as compared to your straight-haired friends. For instance, do you even own a brush? Probably not! There are many things that every curly-haired diva needs to know about caring for her hair. Those tips and tricks are outlined below.

1.Never brush curly hair. Using a brush on curly hair causes the curls to unravel and become frizzy in just a matter of moments. If you have no other options, only use a brush on wet hair. If possible, use a pick on wet hair to untangle the hair without promoting frizz. If you have no styling tools, using your fingers can be perfectly acceptable. Mimic the motion of a pick and stop after the tangles are loosened.

2.Use an anti-frizz cream. Apply several pumps of an anti-frizz cream to you palms and work it through your hair, focusing on the roots and back. Because you sleep on the back of your hair, it is prone to more frizz than the front sections, so concentrate the cream in that area. Most creams can be applied to wet or dry hair as needed. Start by applying it after towel-drying your hair and before using other products. Use it throughout the day to prevent frizz from popping up.

3.Use a specialized shampoo and conditioner. There are plenty of shampoos, conditioners, and styling products designed for women with curly hair, so take advantage of the new specialization in products to get something made just for your hair type.

4.Avoid heat-styling. Especially in the spring and summer, let hair dry naturally to maintain health and bounce. Apply a styling cream or gel and scrunch hair in your hands. Re-scrunch periodically as the hair dries, but let it dry on its own. Finish with hair spray or finishing spray.

5.Get regular trims. Because curly hair is more prone to damage than naturally straight hair, it is important to get regular trims to maintain the health of the hair.

6.Don’t fight it. Your hair will probably look a little bit different every day, depending on the products you use and the weather outside. Fighting with your hair to make it look a certain way will cause it more harm than good, because the extra products and tools you use to coerce it will end up causing damage. Accept that it has a mind of its own and settle with controlling it, not dominating it.

7.Don’t run your fingers through your hair. While straight-haired girls have the luxury of flipping their hair back and forth and playing with it, when curly girls try that, their hair puffs up into a frizz ball. Running your fingers through your hair will break down the product you have applied, which is keeping your hair in check and preventing it from expanding. If at all possible, leave your hair alone during the day. If you do need to refresh your style, flip your head over and massage your scalp, scrunching your dry hair before flipping your head back over. This will wake the curls back up and, though the style will deflate again throughout the day, it is a non-product-based way of keeping your style intact.

Curly hair certainly requires maintenance that straight hair doesn’t, but the benefits of having a unique style are certainly worth it! Stop following hair care guides written for straight hair and you will learn to love your curls as much as your envious stick-straight friends!

The way in which you should care for your hair will depend on your hair type. People with greasy hair will have a different hair care regime than someone with dry or flyaway hair. You need to establish what type of hair you have before you know how best to care for it.

Dry hair: Often prone to breaking, frizzing and with a generally dull appearance. Dry hair needs moisture. When washing, use a shampoo specifically formulated for dry hair, this will help increase its much needed moisture levels. Also use a conditioner for dry hair. Wrap your hair in a towel for a couple of minutes after washing, then remove the towel and apply conditioner. This will make the effect of he conditioner more intensive. Try not to wash your hair everyday, leaving your hair for a couple of days and not washing it will give the natural oils in your hair a chance to spread around the hair a little.

When styling, use a heat protection product, this will minimise the damage that your heated styling appliances will do. Make sure anything you apply to your hair has dried before you straighten your hair. Having liquid on your wet air and then straightening it will do a lot of damage; your straighteners will basically boil any moisture that is left on your hair.

Greasy hair: Often looks lank and wet, and you may have washed it just that morning. This is caused by overproduction of sebum.

Specifically formulated shampoos are good for greasy hair, they contain ingredients that help to delay the production of oil, making the hair look fresher for longer.

You may need to wash your hair everyday, but do not use a harsh shampoo or water that is too hot. This will only cause the sebum glands to overcompensate and produce more oil. Try a dry shampoo; this will help to remove some of the oil without drying out your roots completely

You will still need heat protection so when choosing styling products, go for something light, but protective. Sprays are best, as serums and creams tend to be too heavy and drag the hair down, and make it look much greasier. Apply to the middle and ends of your hair, if you apply them too high up, you will just make your hair look even greasier.

Combination hair: Possibly the most difficult to care for, combination hair will normally have greasy roots and dry ends. There are shampoos available for combination hair, but there is not a great selection. Choose a mild shampoo, nothing too harsh, as this will damage the ends. Dry shampoo will remove the grease from the roots without drying out the ends. Choose a conditioner that is not too heavy, something designed for greasy hair; these will still condition the dry ends of your hair without making your roots look even greasier.

Apply heat protection styling products to the middle and ends of your hair, not the roots.

Normal hair: If you are lucky enough to have normal hair, then choose a shampoo and conditioner that will help to maintain the moisture levels in your hair, make sure you still use heat protection products.

Coloured hair: The lathering process when washing your hair can strip it of a lot of its colour. Choose a shampoo for coloured hair (they lather less) Choose a conditioner that is for coloured hair aswell, these will keep your colour looking fresher for longer. Try not to wash your hair everyday.

There are many styling products available for coloured hair, even specific colours such as brown, red and blonde (although I have never seen one for black hair)

These will all protect your hair and keep your colour looking vibrant at the same time.