RSS Feed

‘Articles’ Category

  1. Ten Must Needs

    November 16, 2011 by sam willows

    Are you overwhelmed by all the mousses, gels, irons and other hair care products vying for your attention? What you really need boils down to 10 basic tools. Here are the hair care products and tools every woman should have on hand.

    1. A good brush.
      The higher quality your hairbrush, the healthier your hair. We’ve found the best brushes have rubber bases with boar’s head bristles. These allow bristles to flex, cutting down on the damage to your hair. Here, you’ll find brushes for $10.95.
    2. The right shampoo for your hair type.
      Shampoos work by cleansing hair of dirt and oil. Picking the correct shampoo is all about the ingredients. Extra tip: More shampoo is not better. All you need is a half-dollar-sized dollop, perhaps a bit more if you have long hair. And although it says on the back of every shampoo bottle, “rinse & repeat,” you don’t need to if you did a good job the first time around. Beauty experts tout Pantene as the best basic shampoo on the market. We tend to agree, having tried dozens of different shampoos from the fabulously pricey to the basics. Check out their various products from moisturizing to volumizing.
    3. Conditioner.
      Unless you have baby fine hair that goes limp at the sight of creamy conditioners, you need to a conditioner. Hair pros will tell you conditioner can help repair heat- & chemical-damaged hair. The truth is conditioners protect your hair from these things (and harsh brushings). More than conditioning, we like how conditioners have moisturizing agents that coat hair leaving it tangle-free. Want to spend less time brushing out long wet hair? Condition the ends. Your comb will zip right through.
    4. A wide-toothed comb.
      Never, ever, ever, never use a brush to comb out wet hair. That’s why they call it ‘combing out’ – a wide-toothed comb is the only equipment that should touch your wet head. Check out combs from $1 to $10.

    5. Shine serum.
      Here is where you may say, ‘what?’ But really, who would turn down a shiny mane if promised one? These shine serums really do work. If you have fine, straight hair, forgo the serums for the spray & don’t use too much. Shine products will weigh down fine hair, so a quick spritz will do you. If your hair is thick, try the serums, which help smooth the hair & give it an added gleam, or just use more of the spray. Check out shine serums, from cheap ($5) to steep ($30).

      Women with fine hair should consider the shine sprays:

    6. Dry shampoo OR talcum powder.
      These shampoos are great for absorbing oil in between washings. Don’t want to splurge on the fancy stuff? Here’s what I do (having tried the fancy Bumble & Bumble powder): Talcum powder. Just make sure you go easy on your part & at the hairline. You don’t want the powder to be obvious (though I must admit, sometimes the smell of baby powder is a dead giveaway, but the smell is worth not having oily hair, IMO). Check out different dry shampoos here:
    7. A blowdryer.
      Never underestimate the power of a good blowdryer. The more powerful your dryer, the better. A strong blowdryer, like the pro favorite, ‘Tourmaline,’ (see compare prices link below) will speed drying time which reduces your hair’s exposure to damaging heat. If you have thick hair, you’ll want a dryer with at least 1,875 watts. Those with finer hair can make do with 1,500 watts.
    8. Volumnizing mousse or spray OR straightening balm.
      Volumizing products are a Godsend for those of us with fine hair. Spray it on your roots & voila! all of a sudden you have volume. Got coarse hair, skip this product & buy the balm, which will calm down those frizzies we straight-haired girls would love to have to battle every now & then. See volumnizing mousses here:

     

    9. Rollers OR straightening irons.
    If you’re like me, you spent many a night as a teenager sleeping with those fuzzy pink rollers wrapped in your hair. These worked great, but they were annoying to sleep in. Rollers have come a long way since then. Even coarse-haired girls can benefit from a good set of rollers. And remember, the longer your hair, the larger the rollers need to be. Don’t like rollers? Try a good curling iron. Curly girls, of course, can skip the rollers & invest in a high-quality straightening iron. Find one designed for your hair texture & flatten away. See straightening irons & prices here:

    10. Hairspray.
    Hairsprays are a must for holding your style in place while also protecting your hair against humidity or even heat & UV rays. Don’t want helmet head like my Grandma (I call this look ‘Grandma head’) who still gets her hair done every week at the salon leaving it perfectly curled & fluffy for 7 days? Go for a flexible, soft-hold formula. For extra body, lift sections & spray close to the roots My favorite hairspray is Bumble & Bumble:

    Category Articles | Tags: ,, | No Comments

  2. Shampoo For Straight Hair

    November 16, 2011 by sam willows

    Straight hair is typically very fine and can be difficult to care for. While the way the hair is styled will have an impact on how straight your hair is, shampoo can also play a part in how straight your hair is. The type of shampoo you use can help add volume to thin hair and help keep it clean and protected. In this article, we’ll discuss what you should look for when buying a shampoo for straight hair or if you wish to encourage your wavy hair to be straighter.


    When looking for the right shampoo for straight hair, be sure to avoid creamy shampoos that are formulated for curly hair, as they can weigh down your hair and cause it to look greasy, so be on the lookout for clear shampoos. Look for shampoos that advertise formulas for fine, limp or straight hair. An important ingredient in good shampoos for straight hair is panthenol, which experts believe can penetrate the hair follicle and make each strand thicker.

    Those with fine, straight hair often find that their hair looks oily the day after a shampoo, but this will depend on the product. Don’t be afraid to experiment with how often you can go between shampooing, because the less you shampoo, the better it is for your hair.

    If you have wavy hair and wish to encourage it to be straighter, you can also benefit from shampoos that are formulated for straight hair. Straightening shampoo can help by cutting down on frizz and flyaway hair, encouraging the hair to be smoother and straighter.

    Often, straightening shampoos will need to be used in conjunction with another styling method if your hair is naturally curly, but this type of shampoo will certainly help protect the hair. For the best effect, be sure to choose a straightening shampoo that doesn’t contain alcohol, which will result in dry hair.

    Category Articles | Tags: | No Comments

  3. Which Hair Shampoo Works Bests For You?

    November 16, 2011 by sam willows

    Choosing hair shampoo & conditioner can be very difficult because there are literally hundreds of them. Pay a visit to any cosmetics store in the locality and you will have an option to choose from dozens of brands and variants. There are no direct rules to choose a hair shampoo & conditioner. There are, however, certain parameters that you can check in order to make an informed decision about the selection of shampoos and conditioners.

    Read on to find detailed information on some key parameters regarding the selection of hair shampoo and conditioner.

    Look for the Right Ingredient Combination When Choosing Shampoos and Conditioners

    It can be pretty confusing to choose hair shampoo and conditioner based on the type of ingredients they have. However, the knowledge of ingredients can help you a great deal in making the right selection. Do not go after the marketing pitch of a shampoo or conditioner but remember to learn about various ingredients.

    For coarse and curly hair:


    Curly hair is usually dry because the oil supply does not reach the end. It is usually due to the reason that oil produced at the hair shaft is prevented from reaching the tip of the hair.

    For coarse, curly hair, you should go for creamy and moisturizing shampoos.

    Shampoos for curly hair should contain shea butter, germ oil and nut oil.

    Also, conditioning curly, coarse hairs should be a regular practice. Men and women with coarse hair should look for conditioners that especially made. An ultra conditioning moisturizer is what curly, coarse hairs need.

    For fine, oily hair:

    Men and women with fine, oily hair prefer to avoid an “oily” appearance. So it is important to avoid creamy shampoos. Creamy products are suitable for coarse, curly hairs only.

    For frequent washing, one can look out for products that contain panthenol. This ingredient is known to improve the thickness level for each hair strand. During frequent washings, one can use a dry shampoo or talcum powder for best results.

    Conditioners are not so important for limp haired women. You can just skip a conditioner if you can easily comb through hair after are finished washing them. Always go for a mild conditioner if you have oily, limp hair. Spray conditioners can be great as they don’t reach the scalp so easily. You do not have to lather your hair more than once unless they are “extra oily”.

    For processed hair:

    One of the biggest problems with processed hair is that roots tend to be oily and ends are drier. This behavior makes the task of washing processed hair very complicated. Technically, you have to moisture the end part and cleanse the shaft.

    In such cases, it is advisable to wash your hairs with an ordinary shampoo at least once in a day. A shampoo should be used to cleanse the scalp area. Use a strong conditioner after washing your hairs with a shampoo.

    Do not apply the conditioner to the scalp area. People with processed-colored hairs are especially concerned about preserving the color. While some companies have come up with specific shampoos capable of preserving the color, many people continue to believe that such products are just marketing fads. Try a few products before you use them for colored hair.

    As far as permed or relaxed hairs are concerned, you can use any type of shampoo. Just make sure that the shampoo is applied to roots only. Through rubbing followed by a burst of cold or lukewarm water is recommended. For processed hair, you should never use conditioners that have silicone. This ingredient is well known to cause damage to colored hair.

    For dry and damaged hair:

    As far as dry and damaged hairs are concerned, it is advisable to choose creamy shampoos. Clear shampoos are not suitable for damaged and dry hair at all. Regular conditioning of dry and damaged hairs is required. An ultra-moisturizing conditioner is just right for damaged and dry hair. Learn how to treat dry hair.

    Price of the Product as a Guiding Factor

    For many people, price is the guiding factor when selecting particular hair shampoo and conditioner. You may wonder if there is some real difference between a $5 shampoo available at a nearby shop and a $25 shampoo or conditioner offered by a salon. The difference may or may not be significant for you. Inexpensive shampoos are known to have certain foaming agents that cause dryness.

    As long as you have oily hair, inexpensive shampoos with such foaming agents are just fine. However, men and women with damaged hair should definitely look for more expensive shampoos and conditioners. Damages including those caused by sun rays and chlorine may aggravate if your choice of shampoo and conditioner is not right. It is advisable to go for a salon product if your hair appears damaged even after trying inexpensive products.

    Purchasing Shampoos and Conditioners for Children

    You have to be careful of purchasing “safe” products for children. There is no point of going after cute bottles. Forget about lovely colors and interesting poems written on bottles as well. All these factors shouldn’t count when you choose a particular shampoo or conditioner for children.

    The most important thing to remember is that a shampoo or conditioner has to be free from fragrance and colors. Even if children are adamant on purchasing products of specific brands, parents should try to get shampoos and conditioners that are free from such ingredients. Even if a product has been labeled as “mild”, you should look for the list of ingredients before making a final decision.

    For specific problems like dandruff, you need to purchase shampoos for exfoliation, soothing and anti-inflammatory action.

    Shampoos are generally used to get rid of dirt and product buildup from hair and conditioners simplify the process of combing, add appealing shine and protect hairs from getting dry.

    Your overall appearance is greatly affected by the kind of hairs you have. Choosing the right type of shampoo and conditioner is important to have great hair.

    You can also check our article where you can find some recipes for shampoos and conditioners and learn how to make your own hair mask and do not forget to see the full list of hair care articles, where you will surely find information you need.

    Category Articles | Tags: ,,, | No Comments