Hair Woes? Try These Tips
If you look through any magazine, you'll see that one of the hottest trends this season is long, silky hair.
Expert hair healer, David Evangelista, has some tips for treating your problem hair on The Early Show.
Frizzy Curls
Curly hair frizzes more than other hair types because it tends to be dry and brittle because of the shape of the hair shaft. Since dry hair lacks weight, it has nothing to hold it down and its natural inclination is to sit (or, spring, as it may be) away from the scalp.
In a sense, humidity can become a truth serum for the hair; if your hair is curly and dry, the dried strands will frizz up in humidity. If your hair is curly and healthy, frizz is less likely. Caring for curly hair can be a delicate balance. Too much productor products that are too sticky or heavy can weigh it down. But without the right products, the hair gets frizzy.
A few key tips for women with curly, frizzy hair:
- Do not shampoo every day because it will dry out curly cuticles even more. If necessary, you can rinse your hair in the shower and condition.
- Avoid heat styling. If you have to dry your hair, make sure you use a diffuser on your dryer and dry only the roots. The more heat you apply to the hair shaft, the drier it will get.
- Don't brush curly hair. It disrupts the natural shape of curls and snaps hair shafts, creating frizz.
- Do not pull frizzy hair back too tightly. Every time you pull your hair back into a tight ponytail or bun, the pressure breaks hair shafts all along your hairline. The short remnants of broken hair pop up as frizz.
- Avoid bleach. Bleach dries out hair. If you want to go lighter, ask your colorist about using a non-bleach color on your hair.
- If your hair is fine and wavy, use a mousse made for curly hair. Mousses formulated specifically for waves and curls include smoothing ingredients like natural oils, to keep hair silky, not fuzzy.
- If your hair is medium to thick, try a gel made for waves and curls. Most gels for waves and curls are formulated with silicone to keep curls intact and frizz-free. Also try leave-in conditioners to keep hair as moisturized as possible throughout the day
- To finish any type of curly hair, add a hair cream or finishing oil. Creams give instant shine and smooth down areas of frizz without making the hair greasy, and a touch of oil will keep frizzies at bay. Apply just a dab to dry hair after you style, or throughout the day.
A few products to try:
Fine, Limp Hair
If your hair is lacking in lustre despite frequent washing, you might be suffering from product build-up.
- Residue from conditioners and styling products can literally collect on your hair and weigh it down. To banish build-up, try using a clarifying shampoo. After you shampoo and condition, try a quick cold-water rinse; many hair experts swear that it seals the hair cuticles and gives it a natural shine. Try a volumizing shampoo with a light conditioner,enough to smooth and coat the cuticle, but not so much that it weighs down your hair.
- Hair color adds thickness to thin hair. The slight stiffness you get from not using a conditioner can also give you all the body you need. If you feel that you have to use a conditioner in the shower, opt for a light formula. Beware of the words "moisturizing" or "nourishing" as these are guaranteed to make your limp hair worse.
- Avoid leave-in conditioners. The best conditioners for limp hair are ones that contain protein.Avoid all products containing silicone, oils or lanolin, as well as two-in-one products, heavy gels and pomades. Spray-on shine products work well, but remember, less is more. For a serious case of dull, lifeless hair, try a colorless gloss or consult your hairdresser about other options.
- When you blow-dry your hair, use the lowest temperature setting possible and a large, vented, round brush. Bend over so your hair hangs towards the floor and dry the roots first, pulling hair away from the roots. A little mousse or hairspray applied to the roots can also give your hair more 'lift'. If you're really desperate, consider getting a short to shoulder-length cut because shorter hair looks fuller than longer hair.
- If you need to smooth things in place or reduce fly-aways, take an anti-cling sheet from your dryer and rub it over your hair. You can also spray a tiny bit of hair spray on your fingertips and work them through the ends of your hair.
Some products to try:
Overprocessed Hair
Women who are addicted to their flat irons, who dry their hair every day until it's stick straight or who continuously bleach their hair are the victims of overprocessing.
If you feel the need to heat-style your hair, avoid holding a hair dryer too close to the hair; always keep it at least an inch away from the hair and never place it directly on the hair. Avoid pulling on the hair too much. Coat hair with a hair straightening serum, which will make drying easier and will seal out the humidity that causes frizz. And no matter what type of heat-styler you're using, always keep the dryer or flat iron moving so you don't overheat any one section. Consider using the new wet-to-dry flat irons on the market.
Hair should be cut every 8-12 weeks. Keep split ends at bay by detangling the right way: when hair is wet, start combing (not brushing) the ends and slowly move up towards the roots. Otherwise you'll be tearing through tangles and knots, breaking hair as you go. Elastic bands and hair clips, especially clips with metal clasps, can beak hair.
Color can be an instant hair killer, especially when it comes to going lighter. When you remove pigment from the hair (lightening your color), you also remove the core moisture of the cuticle, and doing this too often will make your hair look like a bird nest. Among the b