Salon Quality Hair at Home

Are you jealous of those hair models? Their hair seems to swing easily, shiny, smooth and tangle free. The hair lays well, the curl stays and there is NO air brushing involved – right? Watch any hair care advertisement and you are ready to run out and buy it, try it and pray for that miracle. It can all be overwhelming.
Good hair care begins with knowing and understanding the needs of your particular hair type before choosing the products and equipment you need to wash, condition, dry and style. While we would all like that smooth silky shine, you know your own hair best. You know if it is normally curly and dry, fine and limp or gets greasy quickly. Don’t trick yourself into believing that with a new shampoo, conditioner or treatment you can change the basic structure.
You are striving to achieve the best possible results with the tools you’ve been given. That means getting the best possible equipment and products to give you the best potential.
Start with a good boar’s head bristle brush with a rubber base. This brush has some give and take in the base so you aren’t ripping and tearing at the hair shaft. You also want a good wide tooth comb to use when the hair is wet. No matter how tempted you are to use a brush on wet hair DON’T! No matter how great the brush is your hair is more apt to be damaged when wet. In fact, if you have straight hair you may want to wait until it’s dry before combing through.
Shampoos and conditioners are an essential part of any routine. Shampoos will lift the dirt, oil and environmental toxins from your hair and send it down the drain. Pick the shampoo for your specific hair type. If you have curly hair you’ll want a shampoo that is hydrating; limp fine hair works well with panthenol which help to plump the strands and give you volume; color and treated hair should be washed with gentle shampoo that can be used daily.
Unless you have curly hair or dry and treated hair use your conditioner 2-3 times per week. Those who have treated or curly hair should condition daily – or any time they shampoo. Conditioners help to protect the hair from damage, leaves you with less tangles, moisturized and hydrated.
Now you can experiment with mousse, balms, de-frizz, shine serums and heat treatments. Shine serums help the hair to reflect light giving it that shiny appearance but will weigh down fine hair. Mousse, balms and de-frizz products will help you control your hair on days that are high in humidity, heat or activity levels. And heat treatments will help to protect the hair shaft from the heat of blow dryers, straighteners and curling irons.
When you are purchasing a blow dryer get a good one. Curly thick hair will require 1875 watts while fine hair can get away with a dryer with 1500 watts. A strong dryer with multiple settings will cut the time your hair is exposed to heat and decrease your drying time.
Hairspray isn’t what your mom used to buy – or at least it shouldn’t be! Hairspray can keep your hair under control during bouts of humidity and protect it from the UV rays from the sun. A soft, flexible formula will hold your hair in place during activities but won’t leave you looking like Great Aunt Carol’s helmet head. If you are looking for a bit of extra volume lift sections of hair and spray near the roots. Those with short hair can also spray their hair with their heads upside down.
Keep each of these items in your arsenal of supplies so you can look your best each and every day. Whether you are leaving the house or staying home, looking your best helps you to feel your best!