Is your hair stressing you out?
Do you have endless bad hair days with no end in sight?
From deadly dull hair, to dandruff flakes to flat hair let’s see if we can’t relieve some of your hair angst. Replacing anxiety with confidence with the answers for 9 of your most pressing hair care questions.
Ready? Let’s fire away.
Q: What can be done to fix hopelessly dry and damaged split ends?
A: Unsightly split ends are the bane of many alright. And did you know tattered ends can split the hair shaft all the way affecting how your hair looks – just not in a good way?
And yes. The shelves in the hair care aisle are groaning under the weight of products claiming to repair those nasty splits. Yet as much as we’d like to believe that’s possible, it’s really hard to do. In fact you can’t.
Most of the time the only solution is a date with Mr. Scissors. If you’re lucky your stylist can just dust the ends rather than do more serious cutting. That is a teeny tiny bit of hair is snipped off the ends. So tiny is floats through the air like dust. This can often save you from lopping off longer sections where the frayed end has started to run up the shaft.
Next time avoid frying your ends. One way is by adjusting the temp on your flat iron down possibly. And it would also help if you weren’t so dependent on it for your everyday style.
Q: Best I can say about my color treated hair is that it is dull. What can I do to keep my hair healthy and shiny looking this summer?
A: Coloring your hair can zap the moisture right out of it taking the shine with it.
And since colored hair is drier hair you need to be careful about sun exposure.
Plus parched locks are more prone to breakage and frizz unless you treat them right.
Not only that, but too many silicone based products, chlorine from the pool, or too much heat exposure can cause your hair to lose its lustre.
All of which is usually a recipe for hair that is deadly dull.
So have you tried apple cider vinegar to bring back the shimmer lost to product buildup?
Are you using products made for color treated hair?
Do you see vitamin E listed on the label? It can soften and restore lost sheen.
Are you washing your tresses in warm rather than hot water?
Do you use a weekly mask to repair damaged locks by replenishing lost moisture?
Maybe a few cute scarves or hats might help shield your hair from dulling UV rays too.
See? Lots of simple things to restore radiance to your drab tresses.
Q: My limp fine locks need some oomph! Any ideas?
A: The obvious answer is to get some help from volumizing products. Although many find limpness relief with layered cuts too. But let’s talk about better body for fine hair through chemistry.
First you want to stick to lightweight products. That goes without saying. Nothing like the cure being worse than the problem. Or weighing your mane down with something that’s supposed to give it lift.
Second, since volume starts at the roots focus any lift producers there. On your roots.
When brandishing your blow dryer be sure to use it in an uplifting way that truly lifts the hair off the scalp to discourage flatness. Applying a light weight root lift to each section as you go can help too.
Fourth, don’t forget the bending over and blasting your upside down hair with the blow dryer move.
Finally foam rollers are another trick used by many stylists to the stars with fine hair. This may be old fashioned but used on dry hair they can produce cutting edge volume. Plus they help you avoid over exposing your hair to the dryer heat. Making them a great way to build in some body without damaging your fragile locks.
Q: I’ve got a bit of curl in my hair that in the summer results in a halo of frizz. How do I get rid of that?
Ah, the frizz. It’s almost like fighting a battle you can’t win, isn’t it? Especially those with any curl in their hair or who are unlucky enough to live where high humidity is not news. So you don’t need me to tell you that’s a lethal combo if you want smooth shiny hair. One that results in what you might charitably call a monumental mess!
The trick to winning the battle against frizz is to keep your mane moisturized. That way your strands won’t be tempted to steal moisture from the air any chance they get. Any product choices should lean heavily on those with words like de-frizz, smooth, shine, silicone, or hydrate on the label. Also running a dollop of de-frizzing cream, mousse, or gel on your palms and through your damp hair should help not only shut down the cuticle but make for a shinier mane.
Q: How can I tell if it’s dry scalp or dandruff?
A: Ugh. Those pesky white flakes! Sometimes you could just die! But you’re wise to know that those embarrassing flakes are not always a sign of dandruff. That’s caused by a fungus. And most often strikes during the summer when your scalp is its oiliest. A good first step to treating this is by using a gentle shampoo designed to deal with any accumulating oil on your scalp. If the problem is more of a winter thing, then you’re likely dealing with a scalp that’s parched by dry heated indoor air combined with dry air outside. If you are unsure as to the root cause you’ll want to discuss the flaky situation with your doctor.
Q: I want my hair to grow faster. How can I make that happen?
A: Chopping off your locks for that cute boy cut hairstyle sure seemed like a good idea at the time. And it was. For about three weeks. But before you know it you were hankering for hair you could actually style again. So not being a fan of extensions you’re left to hope for fast growing hair, huh?
I get the picture. Sadly, despite what you may have been told, there is precious little that can be done to speed up the process.
But you can avoid doing things that will sabotage it. That means keeping your hair healthy and not styling it to death as it grows. Or changing color more often than you change boyfriends. In other words be gentle with it. Because split ends, tangles, and excessive tugging on it when styling can do a number on your mane.
Still about half an inch a month is what you should expect. And I guess you don’t want to hear about clean up trims you may need or how unflattering things can get along the way.
Q: I love to live at the pool during the summer. My hair doesn’t love it much. Help!
A: As you’re finding out chlorine doesn’t do your mane any favors. The bad things repeated exposure to it can do to your hair include leaving it dry and brittle, ruffling the cuticles and thus killing the shine, or turning those delightful honey blonde locks of yours into a less than delightful shade of green.
Since it’s unlikely you will willingly don a swimming cap, and who can blame you, do this instead.
Before taking the plunge apply a leave in conditioner to block the chlorine and protect your hair.
Immediately after climbing out of the pool drench your mane with club soda which will rinse out any chlorine before it can sun bake into your strands. Then clarify when you get home.
Q: What can be done about thinning hair?
A: Can you imagine anything worse than seeing more and more of your crowning glory ending up on the shower drain catch? It can be traumatic all right. Heartbreaking too. And while it’s certainly normal to shed a few strands each day, maybe as many as a hundred, if it seems your part is growing wider the unwelcome news is your hair may be thinning.
Sadly a large part of this is genetic. But things like birth control, stress, and diet also play a role. For example how’s your iron? An iron deficiency is a common contributor to hair loss you know.
Still rather than guessing, if this thinning persists you’ll want to make an appointment with your doctor to get to the root of the problem. Because the sooner you get treatment the better the outcome.
Q: What are the best styling products for my hair?
A: It’s so confusing isn’t it? All the brightly colored bottles lined up and beckoning you to pick them.
To a certain extent, “best” depends on your hair type. So if you can, narrow the offerings to those formulated to work with your texture that’s a start.
But other than asking your stylist, who can analyze your hair and make recommendations from his or her products there in the salon, there is no easy way to know what products will work best for your hair. That leaves you with try them and see. Yes, you pretty much have to be willing to experiment knowing some will work out and others not so much.
Q: Is shampooing my hair every day bad for it?
A: Depends. On your hair. Does it need to be washed every day or are you just doing that because it’s something you’ve done your entire life?
Ask any stylist and they’ll likely tell you, unless they’re nearing a big bonus for massive salon product sales, that when it comes to shampooing, less is usually more. Or that you really only need to scrub down your scalp. Meaning the section of strands farther on down aren’t really needing all the much lathering up attention.
Still truth be told most of us do over wash our hair. Unless it tends towards oily every day is over kill. Yet washing daily doesn’t have to be bad for it, if you do it right. Again right meaning concentrating on the scalp. And this is made all less harmful if you condition after sudsing. At least the portion of your strands ear high and lower if you have fine hair and are worried about maintain a semblance of volume.
If you are plagued by less than perfect hair, hopefully this has helped some. So relax. If you are constantly tormented by less than perfect hair don’t despair. These proven hair care tips can turn your hair nightmares into dreamy manes.
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