Get shiny hair now!

You’ve seen those ads where models get shiny hair so glossy you swear you could see your reflection in it! How do you get shiny hair like this? For shine or lack of it, there are a lot of contributing factors like water, hair texture, products, amount of damage and your styling habits that contribute to shiny hair or not. Some people are lucky to have beautiful shiny hair without doing anything extra, it’s “natural”. Others have to “force” the shine with the products or styling techniques they use.

Each strand of hair has an outside layer of overlapping scales called the cuticle, similar to shingles on a roof. When the cuticle of the hair is lying flat, light will hit the hair, reflect back and create shiny hair. When the cuticle is open or lifted, as it is in damaged hair, the light hits the hair strand and the light is absorbed, producing no shine, no reflection of light.  You will not get shiny hair when the cuticle is lifted or damaged and the light is absorbed.

Color damage, other chemical damage, heat styling, sun and wind can all contribute to a raised cuticle. Sometimes you just may need to use the proper shampoo and/or conditioning treatments to get shiny hair.

A good rule to follow is to use moisturizing products in the winter months due to lack of moisture in the air and dry heat on in the homes.  A product I like for adding moisture to the hair, especially in winter is Biolage Hydrathérapie Hydra Seal Leave In Crème.

Protein products are also good to use to get shiny hair.  Protein products are used to restore strength in damaged or fragile hair. Redken Extreme CAT Protein Treatment is a protein product I highly recommend for those of you with fragile hair.

Some hair color and hair color gloss treatments will also seal the cuticle and promote shiny hair. One of my favorite professional color gloss treatments is Redkens Shades E Q, Equalizing Conditioning Color Gloss advertised as “the color that thinks it’s a conditioner”.

A few more tips to get shiny hair; a cool water rinse after shampooing will help to seal the cuticle for additional shine. A bad habit people can get into that also prevents shine is rubbing the hair dry with a towel – it raises the cuticle and promotes tangles – towel blot it instead!

Use of the correct hair care products during styling will sometimes weigh down the hair cuticle and disguise the condition of the hair and produce added shine.

For further discussion on adding shine to your hair checkout these related articles:

• Hair Shine How To
• Style Hair With More Shine and Less Damage?
• How to Add Shine and Bounce to Your Hair
• Shine Shield: Product Review
• Shiny Hair Secrets
• Styling Products 101: Shine Enhancers

Food hair needs to look it’s best!

The food hair needs in order to look it’s best literally starts with your daily diet! That shouldn’t surprise anyone, yet we spend literally billions of dollars each year on topical elixir’s to make our hair healthier, shinier, bigger, better and to make it grow faster. Is it money well spent?

“Food Hair Needs”I for one, have a storehouse of hair care products, of which maybe only 1/3rd of them I rely on to make my hair look it’s best.  I wouldn’t think to be without my reconstructors, shine serums, root lifters, deep conditioners, thermal heat protectors etc., but how much do all these products really do? How much do they add to the over-all heath and beauty of our hair?

Well, I wouldn’t suggest you give up your elixir’s any more than any of your other guilty pleasures! The hair care products you use on your hair DO make a difference in it’s overall beauty. But, take into consideration that the hair you see above the scalp is dead. This hair you see . . . it IS what it IS!  This hair can’t be changed other than some minor, surface, temporary fixes with topical elixir’s.

What you can do to positively influence the health and beauty of your hair is to consider what food hair needs and eat it! Your hair is alive (underneath the scalp) and is nourished by the blood. Your genes influence your hair type yes, but a good diet (and exercise) is next in line in determining the health, strength and beauty of your hair. The food hair needs is not unlike the food the rest of your body needs. Diet may be the biggest factor you can control in the health and beauty of your hair!

Dietitians and hair industry experts both agree the food hair needs is important for a healthy head of hair. “Essential omega-3 fatty acids are needed to support scalp health,” says Andrea Giancoli, MPH, RD, a dietitian in Los Angeles and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. “A deficiency can result in a dry scalp and thus hair, giving it a dull look.”

Food Hair Needs

• Salmon – omega 3′s, fatty acids, protein, B12 and iron.
• Flaxseed also good source. A deficiency here can result in dry scalp and dull, dry hair.
• Dark green veggies – vitamins A & C to produce sebum
• Beans or lentils – protein, iron, zinc & biotin
• Nuts – selenium, minerals, omega 3′s, zinc. A zinc deficiency can lead to hair loss.
• Poultry – protein
• Eggs – protein, biotin & B12
• Whole grains – zinc, iron & B vitamins
• Oysters – zinc a powerful antioxidant, also in beef & lamb
• Low fat dairy – protein and mineral aids hair growth
• Carrots – vitamin A for healthy scalp, shiny, conditioned hair

Paradi Mirmirani, MD, a dermatologist in Vallejo, Calif, tells WebMD, “Even though you can find beauty supplements on the shelves, try to get the nutrients you need from foods whenever possible. In rare instances, excess supplementation of certain nutrients, such as vitamin A, has been linked to hair loss.”

Here is a bit more on the top ten food hair needs

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Brazilian Blowout – The Hottest Hair Care Treatment Sweeping the Nation!

One of the most controversial topics in the hair industry is the Brazilian Blowout hair treatment smoothing system. The system works by filling the cuticle (outside layer) of the hair with protein, which is what hair is made of.

The Brazilian Blowout system is unique in that it is a formaldehyde free, professional smoothing treatment, without any harsh chemicals. Some of the celebrities praising the glories of the treatment include, Nicole Ritchie, Lindsey Lohan and Halle Berry.

You may be familiar with the Japanese straightening method for hair that came out some years ago. The Brazilian Blowout treatment is different from this in that it doesn’t ‘straighten’ and change the structure of the hair, leaving a noticeable difference from new growth to the treated hair.

In order to provide this service in hair salons, hairdressers must be certified on the exclusive technique used with the Brazilian Blowout. They are certified from the Brazilian Blowout Academy, or private in salon training in order to receive a Brazilian Blowout Certificate of Completion.

My daughter, a salon manager, held the private training for her staff in their hair salon to become certified in the technique. They all felt the results were amazing! The model was so thrilled to finally have manageable hair for the first time in her life she couldn’t be happier with the results! It’s not hard to find people who love this treatment!

Brazilian Blowout is great for anyone with frizzy, damaged or any type of processed hair, leaving the hair with plenty of body and bounce. You will have the option of wearing your hair curly or wavy when you just let it air dry, or you may choose to blow-dry it smooth and straight with a lot more ease. The treatment works on fine, medium or coarse textured hair and will actually improve the health and conditioning of color treated hair by sealing the cuticle (outside layer) of the hair, resulting in increased shine.

The Brazilian Blowout will last approximately 10 – 12 weeks, as long as the recommended after care hair products are used. The treatment is cumulative, the more you receive it – the longer it lasts! If you have received the treatment and never went back for another, your hair can revert back to its original curl, but still be healthier.

The cost of the service can range from $300 – $500 depending on the length and thickness of your hair. Allow at least 1½  to 3 hours for the service.

So… if you want to control with increased shine on your curly or frizzy hair, there is finally a system for you!

You can find a certified Brazilian Blowout hair salon near you here.

For further discussion on hair straightening you might want to check out these other articles:

• Hair Straightening with a Relaxer
• Hair Straighteners…Here is the Scoop
• Hair Straightening, Here are the Options
• A Safe Keratin Hair Treatment for You!
• How Hair Straightening Treatments Differ
• Keratin Hair Treatment vs. OSHA