Week of Beauty -- Hair Styling -- Part 5

Note: I am not affiliated in any way with Kenra Hair Care Products or Pureology Hair Care Products, nor is this a paid advertisement.

Here are a few fun facts about hair...

Lifespan of hair: 2 to 7 years

Humidity stretches hair

Combing is less detrimental than brushing

Male hair is denser than female hair (duh)

Split ends canNOT be repaired, they must be cut off (otherwise, the splits continue to travel the length of the hair shaft which weakens it, causing it to break off easily)

Next to bone marrow, hair is the fastest growing tissue in the human body

Forty percent of women by the time they reach menopause will have female pattern hair loss.

Hair grows at a rate of approximately 1/2 inch per month

Hair grows faster in warm weather

All these fun facts were taken from these great websites...

hairboutique.com
surviving-hairloss.com

Choosing the right styling products for your hair type needs, is easier when you understand what they are designed for. And most hair styling products on the market today list exactly what hair type they were designed for, but for best results and to save yourself some moolah by buying product that just doesn't work for you, I HIGHLY recommend discussing which products to use with your stylist, he/she will steer you in the right direction and most salons offered 100% money back guarantee, so if you take something home and just can't get it to work for you, they will replace it with something that will. Win Win!

The different hair types are: fine, coarse, normal...AND the denseness can be thick, thin or average. Your stylist will help you determine which combination you have. You'll also have to factor in if you have virgin hair (hair that has not been color-treated or had any chemical processes used on it).

Here are just a few tips for what to look for...

If you have fine hair, you are going to want shampoos, conditioners and styling products that add volume and fullness.

If you have coarse hair, you are going to want products that add moisture and help smooth the hair shaft. Even if you have curly hair and want to keep the curls, you'll still need to smooth the hair shaft to avoid frizziness (smoothing products with silicone work great on this hair type)

If you have normal hair, you can use just about any combination of products depending on the style results you are looking for.

If you have color-treated hair you DEFINITELY need to be using products specifically for color-treated hair as the coloring process dries the hair shaft out,...if you want your color to last AND you want healthy looking hair, you must use a deep conditioner at least once a week, preferably twice, in addition to shampoo and conditioner developed especially for color-treated hair. (please forgive me if I'm repeating myself) It is EXTREMELY important to get moisture back into the hair shaft and keep it smoothed down.

There are way, way, way too many styling products on the market today, so I'm just going to talk about the specific ones that I use on myself, if you have questions about your hair type, I'd be happy to answer what I can with the information you give me, just email me at mybluepeacock3333@hotmail.com , but you're best help would be the person who cuts and/or colors your hair as they're the ones that get up close and personal and with their fingers in your hair.

Kenra Volume Mousse Extra 17

I mostly use Pureology Shampoos and Conditioners as I stated in yesterday's post, switching off once a week with Kenra's shampoo and condioner for fine hair, although I have a lot of hair, it is fine which makes it appear thin so I have to use products that help "plump" it up.

After towel drying (don't rub your wet hair harshly, just squeeze with your towel), I will usually apply either Kenra's Mousse or Styling Creme 10 both of which I mix with just a dab of Kenra's Silkening Gloss. The reason I add the gloss is to tame and smooth the ends, you can also use it on your skin to revitalize it.

I then apply Pureology's RootLifter directly to the roots of my wet hair in the crown area. I blow dry my hair using the medium heat setting (if you use the hottest setting you risk damaging your hair, not the end result I want) and my fingers, going in all four directions (think north, south,east and west) on every area of my head. When almost dry, I then use either a round brush or a flat, wide brush to help style. (using a brush before hair is almost dry is just wasted effort) When I feel it's dry, to add volume I hold my head upside down and use the cool setting on my dryer for just a minute.

I use hot rollers when I want tons of volume and curl, a straightening iron for when I want a more casual look, and sometimes just a couple of velcro rollers in the crown area for just a bit of extra volume.

To finish it, I'll use Kenra's Platinum Texturizing Taffy and Volume Hair Spray 25
I use the Taffy with my fingertips and just smooth it over the ends (kind of picking at the ends), I love that it doesn't get stiff, ...then finish it off with the hairspray.

So, here's my unsolicited advice...

Get with a good stylist (if you don't already have one), and have him/her help you figure out what hair type you have and what styling results you are going for.

Decide what hair products you want to use and follow the directions and your stylists advice (they will gladly teach you how to use your styling products).

Get your hair trimmed (at least 1/8" every 6 weeks if you are trying to let it grow, 1/2" every 4 weeks if you want to maintain your current style)

If you cover your gray...Ladies! paleeeeeeze keep those roots covered...(just my opinion, but roots that show are just sooooooooooo tacky)

I had planned to split this post up into 2 segments, but I got a little carried away and probably a little too wordy, and once I got started it was very hard to stop (in case you haven't noticed, I'm just a wee bit passionate about skin and hair care, BECAUSE "when you look good, you feel good").....so I think for the next post, I'll let you know about a few of my fav new skin care products I've just recently come across.

My hope is that some of this information is helpful to you, if not, I hope that it at least entertained you!!!!

My hope is that we all start taking care of ourselves first, so that we can then do a great job of taking care of everyone else!

Week of Beauty -- Hair Care --Part 4

Note: I am not affiliated in any way with Kenra Hair Care Products or Purelolgy Hair Care Products, nor is this a paid advertisement.

Today's post is about hair care and the products that I personally found to be the best for achieving the results I needed as a hair care colorist and stylist for over 20 years. When I first opened my own salon fourteen years ago, the hair care line of products I started out with was Graham Webb, I was determined to only offer the highest quality products that produced superior results and Graham Webb certainly fit the bill. Over the years, I tried every old and new product available, just to see if there was something better, and what I found was Pureology. Loved it..........

But at first, I was worried about the higher prices being off-putting to my customers, until I realized that, yeah, you might pay a bit more at first, but as their products are not made with "water", making them ultra-concentrated, you end up using a fraction of what you use with cheaper brands, so the result is the products go so much further, you really aren't spending much more than you were before. (ex: if you normally use a Quarter-sized dollop of shampoo in your palm to wash your hair, you would use a Dime-sized dollop with Pureology)

Pureology Super Smooth System

Here are a few facts about Pureology...

COMPREHENSIVE COLOUR CARE SYSTEMS FOR ALL TYPES OF HAIR
ANTIFADE COMPLEX®
Free radicals are highly unstable molecules that attack hair follicles and colour pigments, compromising hair health and colour vibrancy. Pureology’s exclusive AntiFadeComplex® contains a blend of potent antioxidants and full spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreens to protect colour from free radicals.

ZERO SULFATE® SHAMPOOS
Surfactants are an essential part of a shampoo’s cleansing system, but common surfactants, known as sulfates, can fade colour vibrancy. To gently cleanse without stripping colour, our ZeroSulfate® shampoos include a mild cleansing system, with no added salt, derived from coconut, corn, and sugar to deliver a rich lather and help optimize colour retention.

NATURE-INFUSED FORMULAS
FOR PURE PERFORMANCE
100% VEGAN INGREDIENTS
Pureology combines the best of nature with advanced technology to ensure pure performance and radiant colour, and our products are made without animal products or by-products.

ORGANIC BOTANICALS
We are committed to developing naturally-based formulas infused with organic botanicals harvested from plants grown without the use of synthetic pesticides or chemicals.

CONCENTRATED FORMULAS
FOR PURE INDULGENCE
Indulge in the ultimate multi-sensory experience with highly concentrated formulas bursting with superior ingredients that deliver up to 80 shampoos—two times more than other shampoos. Our rich lathers, featherlight textures, and decadent masques surround the senses with aromatic essences, creating a luxurious experience and incredible results. Colour-treated hair is silky soft with dramatically improved condition and remarkable shine.

CREATED WITH INTEGRITY
From the beginning, Pureology’s philosophy has been uncompromising. Our superior colour care is created with integrity to preserve the future well-being of our environment while still providing 100% guaranteed product performance. Pureology is against animal cruelty and proud to use post-consumer recycled and recyclable packaging

Pureology Pure Volume System


It's only my opinion, but I've personally used Pureology on my clients AND myself with the exact result I wanted. Let me tell you the circumstance that orginally got me to try Pureology for the first time...

Salon Testimonial

I had an on-off client, she colored and lightened her own hair and just came to me for nails and hair cuts...she came to me one day with her hair literally "fried"...she had colored and highlighted, then gone to Florida, and into a chlorine pool...DISASTER!!!! She was practically in tears. Her hair had just a tad of a green cast AND about 6 inches that looked and felt like "cotton candy" (very gummy and stringy). She had hair that was normally very dry, SUPER curly, corkscrew curls, and we were going to have to cut at least 6-8 inches of it off just to get rid of the worst of the damage. In the hair care world, once hair is damaged, it has to be cut off, there is no "repairing" it no matter what products on the consumer market advertise.

Well, needless to say, she begged me to help her find some way to save what we could...I told her to give me a few days and I'd call her with whatever I found. Enter...Pureology

I had already been reading about it, so I checked into it some more and I decided to try Essential Repair Instant Repair Treatment and Nano Works Luxury System . I gave them to her with complete instructions and for her to come back in a week and we'd see what we had to work with.

She came back....in 3 DAYS! Walking on air and sporting a beamer of a smile! "LOOK at this"...I gotta tell ya, I would have sworn to anyone that asked, we would be cutting off 6 inches of her hair at the end of her trial...but the Pureology products had REPAIRED, yes REPAIRED almost ALL of the damage, we ended up cutting off 1 inch!!!!!! Their products became my shops featured line the very next day, and flew off the shelves after that.

Whether you have thin, coarse, color-treated, damaged, or even healthy hair, they have products that will work STUPENDOUSLY for your specific needs. I really just can't say enough good about them.

I find that hair gets "tired" of using the same brand ALL the time, so my favorite switch off brand is Kenra Hair Care Products. I will use my Pureology all week, and then switch to Kenra for a couple of days, then switch back. I am, with hair care products the same as I am with skin care products...always trying out whatever is new on the market, cause you just never know when something better might come along...but for the past 10 years, both of these hair care lines are my go to's.

Kenra Color Maintenance Shampoo

Tomorrow I plan to go more into the different hair types and the specific needs for those types, and I hope to finish up my "Week of Beauty" series on Monday with Hair Care Styling Products.

If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask here in the comments section or email me at mybluepeacock3333@hotmail.com and if you've found a great hair care product or have your own testimonial, I'd love to hear about it.