Little known insider secrets to tame frizzy hair

As the summer days approach, so does the humidity triggering our hair to become uncontrollable and seemingly impossible to maintain. But don’t worry, it’s possible to turn those frizzy hair curls into beachy waves, or the “frizzy-ness” into a more sleek and smooth look this summer. This is a common concern my clients have in the heat of summer and I’m always excited to share these tips. Here are some simple steps to follow to say “goodbye” to summer frizzy hair.

Shampoo

• Don’t wash your hair every day. Only wash it every couple of days to keep its natural oils. Learn how to create some second day hair looks.

• Use a moisturizing shampoo which is low in alkaline. High alkaline shampoo tends to dry out your hair.

Conditioner

• Always, always, always use conditioner.

• If you have fine or thin hair use a volumizing conditioner.

• Use  only a small amount on the ends and work it through your hair.

• For all hair types, use a leave-in conditioner. This will help control your “flyaways” and protect your hair from heat.

The Right Product

• Some of my favorite products are Moroccan Oil Frizz Control and Eufora Pure Polish. These products will control your frizz without weighing your hair down or making it feel oily.

• Always use a product that has UVA and UVB protection.

• Apply these products while your hair is still wet.

• Emulsify a dime size amount of product in your hands to get an even application. Repeat till proper amount is achieved.

• Everyone’s hair is different. After a couple of applications you will know how much product is right for you. But remember, less is more! You can always add more product but using too much can cause your hair to look and feel oily.

Hot Styling Tools

• If letting your hair air-dry doesn’t work for you, or you just want a smoother look,  use hot tools.

• Hot flat irons are great to tame down summer frizzy hair.

• The hotter and more powerful the blow dryer, the better it is at smoothing your hair. The high heat will help make your hair smooth and shiny.

Contributing author Nadwa Yono is a professional hair stylist and owner of Nadwa Hair Spa in West Bloomfield, MI making Oakland County her home. More info on Nadwa and Nadwa Hair Spa can be found at NadwaHairSpa.com and on Facebook.

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 Chalking 101, The DIY How To Secrets 

No, hair chalking isn’t new, but this season it really seems to be catching on! The beauty of hair chalking  is that it lets you play around with color to suit your mood, your outfit, or your style vibe without the commitment that regular dyes or full-on ombre hair colors require. While there are several companies that manufacture “Hair Chalk”, a simple box of non-oil based chalk pastels available at any art supply store, will give you the same colorful, temporary boost that more expensive products offer. Another plus about hair chalking is that it factors low on the coordination scale, so you don’t need to be really good with hair “stuff” to use it.

If you have blonde or light colored hair use hair chalk in it’s dry form. Applying hair chalk to light hair when it is wet will give you a darker, longer lasting dose of color pigment, but it can be difficult to remove, especially from damaged or bleached hair. If your hair is darker however, you’ll need to dampen the strands you want to chalk for the color to be bold and bright.

What you’ll need:

• Hair chalk
• Gloves
• Old sheet or throw for the floor
• Old shirt
• Spray bottle
• Flat iron/curling iron
• Hair spray

 Step by Step How To:

1.  Once you have selected the chalk colors you want, prep your 1st section of hair using a spray bottle. It’s best to dampen as you go. Take a few strands – less than you would use in a curling iron, but more than just a few wisps, and twist them  into a tight band.

2.  Apply the chalk using downward strokes so you don’t damage the cuticle. You can control how much pigment you add by keeping the hair damp and applying more layers of color.

3.  Allow the chalked, twisted sections of hair to dry. You can use a blow dryer but keep the setting on low and keep the nozzle far enough away from the hair so you don’t blow off the chalk.

4.  Set the color using a flat iron or curling iron, and apply a spritz of hairspray to lock in the look. 

5.  Want to get funky with it? Create beautiful braids using a variety of vibrant colored streaks blended together. You can create dramatic ombre hair color, or a cool rainbow effect using multiple colors. Remember on dark hair to start with a base of white chalk and build the color on top of that for a more dramatic effect.

Chalked hair may come off on your pillow case and will generally last until you shampoo it out. If you have blond hair you may need to use a clarifying shampoo to wash out the pigment, just be sure to follow with a good conditioning.

Insider Tip: Use different gloves for your warm and cool color applications to keep the colors true. And, avoid using styling products such as creams, waxes or shine products that can make a slippery mess. Also, don’t mix a day of hair chalking with a trip to the beach, or a day in the rain, for obvious reasons.

For more great hair chalking pictures check out our Hair Color Ideas Pinterest board. 

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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Transform Your Look with These Terrific Dip Dye Hair Colors

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last year, you may have noticed celebrities of all different ranks and ages are getting into what we like to call “The Dip Dye Job.” Whether it’s the chic and sexy ombre look or just a chunk of pink hair falling down your back, we’re falling in love with the craze. The idea of a dip dye job isn’t to dye your whole head but rather, to dye just the ends and lower portion of your hair. With shorter hair the look is funky and crazy, while longer hair can have an even cooler effect when experimenting with blondes and different shades of red and brunette.

If you’re ready to channel your inner Nicki Minaj or Katy Perry then we suggest going all out with greens, blues, and pinks. Even the likes of the ever chic and trendy Lauren Conrad are getting into the dip dye job donning the look by dying half of her blonde head pink!

The great thing about the dip dye job is how fun and temporary it can really be. If you’re not looking for any real color marriage, then a fling with a dip dye is the way to go. For those of you with shorter hair, we recommend dying the under layer of your hair to get the full affect of the dipped dye job – something on the top layer of your hair and be somewhat dramatic and could have a juvenile affect that is best to steer away from when you’re trying a trend. If you’re in the market for a dip dye job and you have longer hair, we suggest two different routes – the safe route or the wild ride.

For the safe route try something like ombre, if you’re a natural brunette, it’s a slow development from the darker roots into a very light blonde at the tips. This look is to die for in the warm summer months. We’ve even seen natural blondes try the look out with deep mahogany red at their tips. Any way you look at it, the dip dye job is fun and funky. If you’re in the market for the wild ride, then go crazy with funky colors like red, blue, green, and pink. If you have darker hair, mix it up with fun vibrant colors, don’t let the blondes have all the fun.

Semi permanent dye is typically the way to go when you’re doing such crazy colors and if you’re not in love with the permanent dyes that come along with ombre. The longer your hair, the more options you have to cut layers out or attempt to dye a different shade of blonde or brunette. And if you are conflicted between playing it safe and being a trend setter, you can try the dip dye color look with hair chalking. FreePeople.com sells a variety of shades and colors that are easy to use and wash out with each shampoo. So get creative! This wild look won’t be hot forever! Scroll though our gallery of dip dye ideas and tell us what you think.

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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