Hair Styles | Short, Prom & Celebrity Hairstyles | Hair Care- The Hairstyle Blog

The good news is that hair care products, styling utensils and techniques have dramatically improved in recent years. With a little professional guidance from your hair stylist and a dollop of patience you’ll be well on your way to having smoother hair styles. We may still scoff at those unrealistic hair care product commercials, but it’s nice to know there’s an alternative to feeling like an unruly shrub in need of a good pruning.

‘The biggest mistake that frizz hair heads make is using the wrong hair care products and taking the wrong steps with those products,’ says Marla Roth, hair stylist and owner of Vega Hair Design in Myrtle Beach.

Roth’s associate, Michael Williams, agrees, likening hair care to taking care of delicate fabrics. ‘Think about how bad your black silk shirt or linen trousers would look if you washed, dried or ironed them incorrectly. Hair needs the same kind of precise attention.’

Regularly trimming away split ends every six to eight weeks is the first step to combating frizz hair. If volume is a problem during the humid months, ask your hair stylist about using thinning shears.

The cut is of primary importance, but the shampoo and conditioner come in a close second. Look for hair care products formulated for your hair type containing buzzwords such as ’shine,’ ’straightening,’ ‘moisturizing’ or ‘frizz control.’

Orlando Martinez, hair  stylist and owner of Hair by Orlando in Myrtle Beach, recommends rinsing your hair in lukewarm water to begin closing the hair’s cuticle, which is the key to shiny hair.

Instead of towel-drying your hair, gently squeeze or blot out excess water before blow-drying. To prepare your hair for blow-drying, apply a leave-inFrizz Hair Tips conditioner and light heat protectant designed for wet hair.

‘’When you add heat, it opens up the cuticle and when you take it away, it closes it,’ Martinez said. ‘What the products do to help stop the frizziness is locking down the cuticle of the hair right away.

Martinez cautions that most people have a tendency to use more hair care product than necessary. He teaches his clients how to distribute the product, roots to ends, using the fingers.

After combing out your hair with a wide-toothed comb, the next step is to section the hair using alligator clips. The more hair you have, the more sections you’ll need.

Roth suggests that her clients use a nylon and boar’s hair paddle brush when going for sleek styles at home.

Begin the drying process at the back of the head. One section at a time, follow the brush with a hair dryer on a medium setting equipped with a nozzle to direct the heat down the hair shaft. This way you can concentrate on blow-drying one section of hair at a time while preventing hair from stirring around, which will only contribute to excess bulk and frizz. Take the time to dry each section of hair completely, finishing with a cold shot of air.

A flat iron used with the right product is essential in the pursuit of a smooth mane that will last between washings. Re-section the hair using the alligator clips. Working on one section at a time, spray with a heat protectant designed specifically for flat ironing.