Top 5 Tips for Healthy Hair
Before you ever consider color, styling, or any other services there is a huge factor that should always have priority over everything. This factor being your hair health!
Why is having healthy hair so important?
Lets first go into healthy hair and hair styling. Have you ever encountered frazzled ends that you can’t smooth out no matter how much heat or product you put on them, and then you’re left with this unfinished look? Yeah girl… I’ve been there too! Leaving split, gummy, or just stringy ends on your hair will leave your hair looking run down, dull and unsmooth. If these ends are left unattended they can make your styles appear fuzzy and if you love updos it can make it much harder for the look to appear polished. Refer to Tip 1 to help fix this issue!
Walking into a hair coloring appointment with ends that are already compromised can cause significantly different results than expected. As a young hairstylist in Beauty School you are hammered with the terms “Elasticity” and “Condition or Quality”. Elasticity is how much your hair will stretch and return to its normal state. Normal, unprocessed, hair will stretch up to 50% and return to its natural state. Dry hair will only stretch 20% before returning to its natural state. Over processed hair [everyone’s worst nightmare] will just keep stretching and break off. The Condition, or state of the hair, and texture [wavy, curly, coarse, fine] of the hair goes hand in hand with elasticity. This is because both factors will determine if your hair can move forward with the service based on what the overall condition of your hair is and how extensive the service will be based on the texture of your hair.
Both of these are crucial when being honest with your stylist about what past services you have received. Whether this be previous color or hair treatments like Brazilian Blow Outs, Keratin Treatments, Straightening Treatments, Perms, etc. All chemically altering services can dramatically change the state of your hair and will determine what will be safe for your hair during future appointments!
So how do I get my hair healthy and in it's best condition?
Tip 1: Regular trims
I know girls we all hate haircuts because we all have been growing out out hair since 1999 and it just feels like it never grows! BUT I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your hair grows from the roots not the ends. With that being said, regular hair trims are what keep those split ends from continuously splitting and breaking off that length we’ve been working so hard to get. For all my guests in the salon I recommend coming in for what I like to call a “Dusting,” every three months. With a Dusting, we are just skimming those little tips to remove any little split or dry ends that are not helping the overall healthy look we want.
Another quick thing I’d like to mention would be that if you currently are growing out an Asymmetrical cut, A-line or Pixie I would highly suggest making sure your stylist is getting your perimeter length even before moving forward into longer lengths. If you previously had an A-line or Asymmetrical cut, those areas with longer lengths will have to be balanced with the rest of your hair length, and personally I say sooner rather than later.
Tip 2: Little to No heat
I won’t lie, this is probably the hardest for most women to work with. Personally I have a lions mane if I do not tame it with either a Blow Dryer, Flat Iron or Curling Iron. It’s super important for your tools to be professional and for you to do your research, but don’t worry I’ve done all this for you! You can find all of my favorites here.
Heat is the the culprit for most issues like split ends, dry ends, faded hair colors and [for blondes] yellow ends. The most important factor when looking for a hot tool is if it has a heat dial on it. Most basic store brand hot tools do not have a heat adjustment dial, which means that when turned on your heat is set at 400 degrees or more. Yes, let me repeat that one more time 400 degrees or more! This is always the first question I ask when I have guests who come in with issues like the ones mentioned above, because 9/10 times my guests have been using their hot tools on super high heat settings. When purchasing professional tools they will come with a pamphlet, or even say on the box, the exact setting that will be needed for your particular hair texture and condition.
Another factor that I find really important is the material the irons are made of. You’ll see a range of plate materials from titanium, gold or ceramic. From past experiences I have found that titanium and gold plates heat up much hotter than ceramic plates. I have also seen that both of these plates do not heat evenly and create what is called “hot spots”. Hot spots are areas that get much hotter than the rest of the iron plate. This can cause severe damage to the hair! This is why I personally prefer ceramic plates. Ceramic plates usually have a technology within them that avoids these so called hot spots and create a even heat surface. I also appreciate the amount of smoothness I see with a ceramic plate because who doesn’t love silky smooth hair!
Now, if you are compromised or have color treated hair [especially lightened] less is more when it comes to heat use. When you’re lightening your hair you are opening up that cuticle, removing pigment and removing natural Keratin from the hair. Heat is also a cuticle opener so our goal is to keep that cuticle shut when we are repairing our hair so it stays nice and strong. See Tip 3 for my favorite hair saver!
Tip 3: Olaplex, Olaplex and some more Olaplex
Olaplex is my number one product I send home with all of my guests, color treated or not! What is this magic potion? Let me tell you about it!
Olaplex is a brand designed to help protect, nourish and smooth the hair! There are six products within the line and each are equally important. Olaplex No. 1 & No. 2 are used in the salon during your color service, or can be used as a stand alone treatment. These are the most potent of the six products as they are designed for Hair Professional use only. All of us have bonds called “Disulfide Bonds” in our hair shafts and these bonds are what shape our natural hair, whether that be curly, wavy or straight. These bonds can only be broken down through chemical services. Olaplex No. 1 is added into your salon chemical services to help rebuild these disulfide bonds, prevent any damage and protect the hair. The No. 2 continues the rebuilding process and rebuilds the remaining bonds to ensure strength and health. This step is done after all your color services have been completed.
Olaplex No. 3 is basically “Hair Insurance”! This is a more mild treatment that can be done in the comfort of your own home. Now this is NOT a deep conditioning treatment, this is an actual hair treatment that is changing the internal chemistry of your hair. No. 3 visibly changes the strength, breakage and overall appearance of your hair. Let me tell you… this stuff will make your hair feel incredible!
Olaplex No. 4 & No. 5 are the shampoo and conditioner duo… it is magic. I love to follow up my No. 3 treatment with this combo and it always makes my hair feel like silk, and I’m not even exaggerating. As most of you know I wear tape in hair extensions and dry doesn’t even begin to describe my extensions and my natural hair [I’m telling you, avoid the heat girls!]. This combo makes my hair look so beautiful and smooth! The No. 4 shampoo is super concentrated and thick, so a little goes a long way. Add a little water and it’ll suds right up, no need for a second shampoo. And remember that silky feeling I mentioned? The No. 5 is the winner here! It adds hydration and repairs those ends to help eliminate frizz for healthy looking hair!
Last but not least, the newest member to Olaplex the No. 6 Bond Smoother. So honestly I avoided this product for awhile because I figured it would be to heavy for my fine hair. I finally caved a few weeks ago and purchased it… guys I know I said the other 5 Olaplex products were incredible but this is the best smoothing product ever! Just as all the other wonderful products in this line, it helps to remove frizz, hydrates and protects the hair from heat damage. OH and lets not forget, it cuts down your blow dry time! Count me in!
Tip 4: Deep Condition
So as I mentioned in Tip 3, the Olaplex System is amazing but sometimes I come across guests who are all natural and just need a little moisture boost. Deep Conditioning treatments are a great option for these guests!
Two of my favorites are the Amika Soulfood and Amika The Kure. Soulfood is great for those who just need that extra bit of shine and moisture but are not in a compromised condition. The Kure is a great option for those who need actual repairing due to weakened or damaged hair. If you’re feeling like you need more of The Kure then I would consider pairing this with Olaplex No. 3 for a more extensive treatment.
Tip 5: Spend the money, see a Professional Hairstylist & Buy Professional Hair Products
Whether I am the stylist you choose to see, or you choose to be with someone else, please never go the cheap route when it comes to your hair. Chemicals that are used to color your hair, or alter the texture of your hair, are extremely powerful. Hairstylists have had years of experience and training to know how to use these products properly, so as to protect and care for your hair in the way it deserves.
Our hair is something that most people view as a comfort blanket and it can completely destroy our self confidence if we are not happy with it. I know for myself that if I have a horrible haircut, or color, my self-confidence drops from a 10 to a 3 in a matter of two seconds. My hair is my comfort zone and it’s what keeps me feel girly and pretty! We all have had bad hair days, so I know you all know what I’m talking about!
We always hear the saying, “You get what you pay for!” and this is so true! From personal experience I can say that with anything I’ve decided to go a bit cheaper on I have never been 100% satisfied and I end up spending more money to fix whatever it was that I didn’t like. About a month ago I did a whole post of this exact matter because it all comes down to value. I go way more into depth on my post here, so feel free to check that out! But the bottom line is spending money on a great hairstylist and good hair products is what will be the game changer for your hair! You will not regret it!
In conclusion…
I hope that these five tips have helped you to better understand what it takes to really take your hair to that next level! So let’s get you treating your hair right and having the hair of your dreams!
xoxo,
Shelby Alexandra
