-Hope-
Apr 30, 2009, 05:54 AM
1. Washing your hair everyday - Unless you have oily hair, it is not necessary to wash your hair everyday. The natural oils in our hair prevent it from drying out, and actually help in achieving some looks such as up-dos and spiral curls. If you have combination hair (oily scalp, dry ends), just wash the hair around the scalp and leave the ends. For those who just can't stand to go a day without washing their strands, try a gentle cleansing shampoo with natural moisturizing agents. A good one to try is the ISH Color Lock Shampoo, which uses coconut and jojoba to add a moisturizing aspect to this pure cleanser.
2. Sticking by the same product - Think of hair products as exercise. When you do the same exercise day in and day out, your body get used to it and the initial results diminish. If you vary your work out routine, however, the outcome is much better. Hair is no exception. Your tresses get used to certain products, just as your body acclimates to certain exercises. To keep you hair looking in top condition, change your shampoos, conditioners, and other products at least once a month. You can use the same type of products, just in different brands for the same effect. For example, one month try Matrix Sleek Look Smoothing Shampoo and next month, switch to Redken Smooth Down.
3. Skipping your deep conditioning treatment - Even if you don't heat style your hair often, it's important to use a deep conditioner at least once every two weeks. If you have oily hair and are afraid of hair being weighed down, simply pair the deep conditioning treatment with a clarifying shampoo. An excellent deep conditioner is the Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Deep Conditioner and a good clarifying shampoo is the Kenra Clarifying Shampoo.
4. Always wearing your hair tied back - Wearing your hair pulled tightly back does several negative things. First off, it can pull on the scalp causing possible breakage. Also, your hair can become trained to lie in a pulled back fashion so that when you do want to wear looser styles, you may have a hard time. Last but not least, your current hair cut is not suited to your lifestyle if you must always wear it up! It is understandable that some of us have jobs requiring us to wear our hair pulled back. If this is the case for you, I suggest wearing your hair down when you sleep or wearing it down during your days off. If you must wear your hair back while sleeping, use a scrunchie instead of a rubber band.
5. Using heated appliance with styling products - About 95% of styling agents, such as mousses, hair sprays, and gels, contain plastic polymers and alcohol. When plastic polymers are applied to the hair and then used with a heated appliance, like a flat iron or blow dryer, the plastic actually melts onto the hair, creating an unhealthy build-up. Unfortunately, it takes more than a simple shampooing to get rid of the residue. Alcohol is known to be very drying. Apply alcohol to the hair in combination with a heated styling tool and you're drying and frying your hair simultaneously. If you must use heat and styling products together, try some of the new all natural styling products, such as ISH I Love My Hair Styling Spray, which utilizes rice starch as its holding agent.
Kristen L - Beauty and Hair Consultant
2. Sticking by the same product - Think of hair products as exercise. When you do the same exercise day in and day out, your body get used to it and the initial results diminish. If you vary your work out routine, however, the outcome is much better. Hair is no exception. Your tresses get used to certain products, just as your body acclimates to certain exercises. To keep you hair looking in top condition, change your shampoos, conditioners, and other products at least once a month. You can use the same type of products, just in different brands for the same effect. For example, one month try Matrix Sleek Look Smoothing Shampoo and next month, switch to Redken Smooth Down.
3. Skipping your deep conditioning treatment - Even if you don't heat style your hair often, it's important to use a deep conditioner at least once every two weeks. If you have oily hair and are afraid of hair being weighed down, simply pair the deep conditioning treatment with a clarifying shampoo. An excellent deep conditioner is the Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Deep Conditioner and a good clarifying shampoo is the Kenra Clarifying Shampoo.
4. Always wearing your hair tied back - Wearing your hair pulled tightly back does several negative things. First off, it can pull on the scalp causing possible breakage. Also, your hair can become trained to lie in a pulled back fashion so that when you do want to wear looser styles, you may have a hard time. Last but not least, your current hair cut is not suited to your lifestyle if you must always wear it up! It is understandable that some of us have jobs requiring us to wear our hair pulled back. If this is the case for you, I suggest wearing your hair down when you sleep or wearing it down during your days off. If you must wear your hair back while sleeping, use a scrunchie instead of a rubber band.
5. Using heated appliance with styling products - About 95% of styling agents, such as mousses, hair sprays, and gels, contain plastic polymers and alcohol. When plastic polymers are applied to the hair and then used with a heated appliance, like a flat iron or blow dryer, the plastic actually melts onto the hair, creating an unhealthy build-up. Unfortunately, it takes more than a simple shampooing to get rid of the residue. Alcohol is known to be very drying. Apply alcohol to the hair in combination with a heated styling tool and you're drying and frying your hair simultaneously. If you must use heat and styling products together, try some of the new all natural styling products, such as ISH I Love My Hair Styling Spray, which utilizes rice starch as its holding agent.
Kristen L - Beauty and Hair Consultant