“Dry Shampoo or No Shampoo Routine”The practice of doing a no shampoo or dry shampoo . . . hair washing, has been catching on all over the country and women with dry, frizzy hair, love the results! Here is a recent student post in Finding the Right Hairstyle for You! who has the type of problem which could benefit from the no shampoo . . . hair washing. She writes in answer to this assignment:

• List a hair care concern you have;
• I have always wanted to be able to wear my hair completely down without feeling like it was huge, frizzy etc. Most of the time I have to wear it in a ponytail for work so it always looks the same, but when I try to wear it down I usually end up wearing it half up or straightening it because I am not happy with the frizz!
• Make an inventory of your hair care routine;
• “I usually shampoo and condition every other day because if I do it every day it seems frizzier then if I wait, but by the second day it feels very oily. I also have been deep conditioning once a week, which I’ve now learned is too often. Should I use a clarifying shampoo to counteract this?? Thanks for your help!

The idea of the no shampoo . . . hair washing, is to let the natural oils in your hair remain in the hair, in a manageable way, to keep it conditioned. Women who have this hair type report great results! Their hair becomes shinier, better conditioned and more manageable.

Here is how it’s done:

• Wash your scalp with plain water, giving your scalp a good massage, as if you were using a shampoo.
• Condition the ends of your hair. (not the scalp)
• Rinse

The oil doesn’t get striped out from the detergents in a no shampoo. The massaging of your scalp with water can be sufficient to remove enough surface oil to give your hair a clean look. With the water alone you are getting moisture to your hair. Although the no shampoo routine isn’t for everyone, I suggest trying it, especially if you have a frizzy hair type. Natural curly hair has the tendency to be dry because the oil can’t travel down the curly twists and bends of the hair shaft.

I’ve tried the no shampoo on my own medium wavy hair and had mixed feelings on the results. My hair felt heavier, (as most women report) and when scrunching my hair, it gave a more conditioned smoother looking curl. For my hair type it won’t leave it fluffy like I like but to do this once in a while, I feel like a no shampoo interlude gives my hair a break . . . and it works!

For further discussion on the dry shampoo techniques you might want to check out these other articles:

• The No Shampoo Conditioning Treatment
• Update on the “No Shampoo” Controversy
• Dry Shampoo Controversy Rages On
• No Shampoo Controversy is Worth Tracking
• Are you washing your hair too often?
• When a Daily Shampoo is Not an Option

Barb Quinn on Google+  

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Hair Dryers the Inside Scoop

Do you really know how to use a hair dryer? It pays to master the art of blow drying your hair. A hair dryer can make curly hair straight, add volume to fine and thin hair, or style soft curls to almost all hair types. This is the predominant hair styling tool used by non-professionals and professional hairdressers alike.

“Hair Dryers the
Inside Scoop”

Purchase hair dryers with 1500 to 1800 watts. Anything less powerful will prolong the drying time and put more stress on the hair. Much higher wattage can over-dry or blow a hairstyle right out of your hair.

It’s important to dry your hair to about 95% before you start using your hair dryer as a styling tool. Your hair is most vulnerable to breakage when wet, so the less tugging the better. Also, this saves time and wear and tear on your hair.

To get most of the moisture out of your hair, start by drying with full heat, using your fingers instead of a hair brush. Now you are ready to use your hair dryer for styling your hair.

Don’t forget to use your hair dryer attachments, they do have a purpose.

• The Nozzle — Don’t throw away that nozzle. It will concentrate the airflow allowing for a better result on your hairstyle. It will also make your styling time more effective. By concentrating the air at the roots for lift, or at a specific section for curl, it can make the difference of achieving a good and long lasting hair style.
• The Diffuser Sock –This is a synthetic, elastic, one-size-fits all sock that fits over the hair dryers head. Great for travel, it scrunches down to nothing. Used to diffuse the air and dry the hair less forcefully. Good for wavy and curly hairstyles when you want to enhance the curl. The sock is also cheap and will fit all hair dryers.
• The Other Diffuser — Made of plastic, these fit on the head of the hair dryer (However, not all types fit every hair dryer. You need to check the sizes.) These will diffuse heat over a larger area of your hair. Some have prongs that allow you to lift your hair from the roots to dry in more lift at the roots.

Barb Quinn on Google+  

Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!

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Hair Brushes, Everything you Ever Wanted to Know

Once used for just hair brushing, now hair brushes are one of the quickest, easiest tools to use for styling your hair. When using a round hair brush for styling your hair, the size of the brush determines the size of the curlHair Brushes. It’s a good idea to use a thermal styling product, which is a protectant from heat and a product to help lock in the curl.

Thick, coarse, medium or frizzy hair needs a hair brush that has firm enough bristles to grab the hair and hold it. The bristles must have some flexibility to them, however, or they can break and damage the hair.

Fine and thin hair should use a more dense and softer bristled hair brush. This kind of bristle will grab and hold your hair type better.

• Round hair brush with metal cylinder — These are my favorites and are used with a blow dryer to encourage lift, volume, smoothness and to create soft curls. The metal cylinder heats up with using your hair dryer to lock in the curl. The cylinder is perforated so it saves drying time as it heats all sides of the hair brush at once.
• Round hair brush with boar bristles — These hair brushes have more bristles that are more flexible than plastic bristles. It creates the most tension on the hair and results in a smoother look. You can also create volume, lift and achieve soft curls with this hair brush. There are two kinds of bristle hair brushes: medium length, which is good for medium length hair and long hair, and short bristles, which is better for short hair. The short bristle hair brushes have more compacted bristles which can get tangled easily in long hair.
• Oval hair brush–Oval hair brushes are good for drying medium length hair and long hair and for finishing the ends. It cannot create as much volume at the roots as a round hair brush, and you cannot create the tension to straighten as smoothly as a bristle hair brush.
• Vent hair brush–A vent hair brush is good for brushing through wet or semi-dry hair without the tugging of other style hair brushes. The vents allow air to flow through the hair brush so the hair can be dried quicker. This can also cause static hair buildup. Straightening is more difficult as the plastic teeth are wider apart and therefore don’t create much tension.
• Flat or paddle hair brush–Flat brushes can be used for creating straight looks with long hair and is good for smoothing out wavy hair or curly hair. They can’t be used to create volume easily and will only finish ends straight or with a slight bend. They come with metal or nylon bristle teeth. The bristle teeth are easier on your hair and create more tension for a smoother look.
• Hot air hair brushes — This is one of the easiest hair brushes for non-professionals to use. It blows hot or cool air on the hair as it dries it to the size of the barrel used. The barrel is metal so it will heat up and lock in the hair curl. It also takes away the need for sectioning the hair. Hair should be pre-dried about 80-90% before using hot air hair brushes. It will not only save hair styling time, but will also save wear and tear on your hair.
• Compare prices on hair brushes at Amazon, eBay or my favorite, Folica. Enter the type of brush in the search box.

Barb Quinn on Google+  

Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!

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