Home Hair Care: Winter Weather Tips + Bonus Product Review

Does your hair dry out in the winter? Going inside to heated cars, homes, and stores can really dry out your natural oils causing flakey, dry scalp and lifeless, dull, dry hair, and also static. Not fun. 

Winter Hair Tips

* Try skipping shampoo and conditioner an extra day. With the dry winter air, you natural oils are being stripped so you can go an extra day without suds-ing up. Invest in dry shampoo. It will become your best friend. 

* When blow-drying your hair, turn your blow-dryer setting to the medium heat. Heaters all around you suck the moisture out of your hair and scalp all day. You don't want to start your day dried out from maximum heat on your blow-drier!

* Drink more water! A hydrated body doesn't dry out!

* For extreme dry scalp, try oil scalp treatments. Moroccanoil has a great one for dry scalp. Using your finger tips, apply the oil directly to your scalp and massage it in for about 10-15 minutes. You will look prettyyy greasy after, so follow it up with shampoo and conditioner. 

Product Review: ColorProof SuperRich Shampoo and Condition

You all know how much I love ColorProof Evolved Color Care. The entire line protects color-treated hair in many different ways. The SuperRich system is perfect for dry winter hair. The shampoo has a 'gingered amber' fragrance (smells like Christmas) and has a luxurious billowy lather. The shampoo doesn't use any harsh sulfates or salts. You only need a small amount of this highly concentrated shampoo. (dime to nickel size usage works for most hair types.) The condition has a 'mojito mint' fragrance. It deeply hydrates color-treated hair. This is my husbands favorite! He loves that cooling, calming condition provides relief for his dry scalp. I even use this condition for my fine, thin hair! A pea to dime size usage works for most hair types. If you have finer, thinner hair like myself, use a pea size to avoid weighing your hair down. Use more for courser, thicker hair.

***** Value (five stars) approximately $0.37 per use
***** Effectiveness (five stars) does exactly as it promises



****   Fragrance (four stars) some of my clients aren't a fan of the mojito mint in the condition. You either love it or hate it.
****   Final Recommendation (four stars) recommended for most hair type, perfect for hair in need of moisture

Product Review: ColorProof PureRelease Instant Detangle

This is another great product for dry hair. I love this year round, but in the winter especially because it reduces static! This product speeds blow-drying time, protects your hair from heat, reduces static, adds moisture to the hair, and oh yeah... detangles hair preventing harmful breakage. The fragrance is coconut lemongrass... love! It's like a mini vacation in the morning. Just a few pumps on wet hair, comb through, then style as usual!

***** Value (five stars) approximately $0.22 per use
***** Effectiveness (five stars) does exactly what it promises
***** Multi-use (five stars)
***** Scent (five stars) all my clients say, 'Oh, what are you using? That smells great!'
***** Final Recommendation (five stars) great for all hair types, I use it personally every day and on every one of my clients

Products In-Depth: Salon Shampoo vs. Store Shampoo

I'm going to warn you, this is my longest blog post so far! So, bare with me.. we're going to get down to ingredients and 'science-y' talk. It took a long time for me to get this all together, so I hope you find it educational and helpful! 

Let me explain what I mean by 'salon products' and 'store products'. Salon products are hair products that you can only purchase from a licensed cosmetologist. Store products are hair products that you can buy at any drug store, grocery store, or big box store. What you put on your hair is very important. If you spend money on a haircut, color, perms, or highlights, you need to protect your investment! Hair and skin has a pH of 4.5-5.5, so any hair product that is used often or daily should be around that range. If the pH of a product is way above that, you can get a dry, damaged result. If the pH of a product is way below that, the hair gets stiff and can break more easily.  

Let's talk about shampoo. Shampoo needs three basic ingredients: a surfactant (clings to the hair to dirt and oils) a humectant (water grabs it, and it runs down the drain taking dirt and oils with it) and an emulsifier (blends the surfactant and humectant together, also keeps shampoo from separating in the bottle).

Now that we understand the basic make up of shampoo, let's get down to comparing ingredients. I've chosen to compare ColorProof Super Plump Volumizing Shampoo for my 'salon product' and Pantene Pro-V Nature Fusion Moisture Balance Shampoo for my 'store product'. I picked these two products because they both advertise to be natural.

ColorProof Super Plump Volumizing Shampoo claims on the back of the bottle..."never before possible volume. Incredibly rich billowy lather. This 100% vegan revolutionary volumizing shampoo gently cleanses hair while infusing weightless body, fullness and unstoppable color protection with the use of harsh sulfates, salts, or gluten. The ultimate overachiever." Sounds great, right!? Let's look into ingredients...

• Water: good ole' H2O
• Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethinate: according to Innospec, this is an extremely mild surfactant providing a luxurious foam; provides gentle yet thorough cleansing, has a pH of 5.5-6.5
• Ammonium Cocoyl Isethionate: based on purified fatty acids from coconut oil
• Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine: foam booster; anti-static agent
• Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate: conditioning agent and emulsifier.
• Decyl Glucoside: mild surfactant often used in baby shampoo and for sensitive skin; plant derived
• Methyl Gluceth-20: moisture retentive qualities; extremely gentle
• Glycereth-26: used as an emollient (softens) and thickening agent  
• Cocamidoprpylamine Oxide: conditioning cleansing agent
• Divinyldimethicone/ Dimethicone Copolymer: foam booster and stabilizers; excellent conditioning and anti-static properties
• Silicone Quaternium-16: conditioning agent
• Butyloctanol: humectant
• Undeceth-5: emulsifying agent
• Amodimethicone: silicone based conditioning agent
• Sunflower Seed Extract: antioxidant, *did you know* sunflowers are used to extract toxins from the environment?
• Hydrolyzed Soy Protein: Hydrolyzed proteins are proteins that have been broken down into smaller chains of amino acids, this way the protein goes deeper into your hair as opposed to sitting on top of your hair and weighing it down
• Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil: rose geranium oil has a balancing effect on the nervous system and relieves depression and anxiety
• Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract: conditioning agent
• Lentinus Edodes Extract: antimicrobial and antibacterial properties
• Pogotemon Cablin Leaf Extract: functions as a perfume
• Panthenol: form of vitamin B5; conditioning and anti-static
• Citric Acid: preservative
• Methylisothiazolinone: preservative

My thoughts: As I think of all these ingredients working together, it sounds like it cleanses gently and provides light condition. All the surfactants have a foam agent with them, so that provides the 'rich billowy lather'. The Hydrolyzed Soy Protein really peaks my interest. As someone with fine hair, and have used volumizing shampoos most my life, I find they can be drying to the hair. But, having a moisturizing protein that's molecule is small enough to go inside my hair and repair it, instead of sitting on top, is amazing to me! I also like the use of flower oils and extracts. I like the idea that shampooing my hair in the shower can detox and relieve stress.

Pantene Pro-V Nature Fusion Moisture Balance Shampoo claims on the back of the bottle... "Pantene science combines Pro-V technology with naturally derived ingredients, such as Cassia. Moisture Balance shampoo and conditioner system- containing Cassia and a blend of aloe vera, calendula and ginger- moisturizes your hair for touchable softeness." Sounds nice enough, let's look deeper!

• Water: yep, H2O
• Sodium Laureth Sulfate: used as a surfactant; may be contaminated with potentially toxic manufacturing impurities
• Sodium Chloride: folks, that's table salt...
• Cocamidopropyl Betaine: synthetic surfactant; it has been associated with irritation and allergic contact dermatitis; anti-static agent; foam booster
• Sodium Xylenesulfonate: surfactant
• Cocamide Mea: surfactant; foam booster; some contamination concerns
• Cassia Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride: anti-frizz agent
• Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder: powder obtained from the dried leaves of an aloe plant
• Calendula Officinali Flower Extract: fragrance
• Zingiber Officinale Root Extract: fragrance
• Panthenol: form of vitamin B5; conditioning and anti-static
• Panthenyl Ethyl Ether: conditioning agent, anti-static
• Citric Acid: preservative
• Dimethiconol: silicone based, anti-foaming agent
• Sodium Benzoate: preservative; linked to organ system toxicity
• Disodium Edta: chelating agent, used to sequester and decrease the reactivity of metal ions that may be present in a product
• Methylisothiazolinone: preservative.
• Sodium Citrate: pH adjuster
• Yellow 5 and Orange 4: adds color to the shampoo

My thoughts: Yikes... there are a handful of ingredients in this product that make me nervous.. Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, and Sodium Benzoate, are linked to ill effects on the body. Another ingredient I'm wary of is Diodium Edta. Why do they need something to decrease the reactivity of metal ions that may be in the product. It's also interesting how they claim 'natural infusion' but the only thing their plant extracts are good for is fragrance. Feel free to look these ingredients up yourself. It's kind of scary!

References:

• ronaschemical.com
• cosmeticinfo.org
• goodguide.com
• ewg.org
• specialchem4cosmetics.com

Home Hair Care: Color Treated Hair

Color Treated Hair is hair that has been altered by hair color, whether it's a permanent color, demi-permanent color, temporary color, or highlights. Due to chemical changes, hair needs to be treated a little differently than natural hair.

Fade prevention: When you spend money on your hair color, you want it to last! Here's a list of ways to slow color fading
     *use color safe shampoo - any shampoo can claim to be color safe, avoid the following ingredients:
            - Sodium Laurel Sulfate 
            - Sodium Chloride (salt) 
     *avoid direct sunlight (wear a hat when you're at the beach or spending a long time in the sun)
     *try to shampoo and getting your hair wet less often (each time you shampoo, some of those color molecules fall out of the hair slowly changing the tone)


Highlighted hair: The chemical process that happens to the hair during a highlight service causes the hair to expand, and the hair looses some proteins in the process. It's ideal to use a 'repairative' mask or conditioner at least once a week. This will strengthen the hair and prevent breakage. 
If you have gone blonde, and feel like your hair looks a little brassy between touch ups, use a purple shampoo when needed. The purple shampoo will cancel out any unwanted tones and brighten your highlights! Let the purple shampoo set on the hair for a few minutes, then rinse. Usually the brassiness is gone with one shampoo, after that return to your normal color-safe shampoo.

My favorite product line for color-treated locks is ColorProof! The entire line is designed to protect your beautiful color! It is also 100% vegan, free of all known carcinogens, and has many options for all hair types.   

How To: Blow Drying with a Round Brush

Blow drying with a round brush is the foundation of creating a great hairstyle. It provides volume and helps smooth the hair. When the hair is blow dried correctly, you won't have to flat iron as much!

The products I like to use are ColorProof's LiftIt Foam Mousse and Control Craze Styling Creme. This provides a clean lift and weightless hold!  

After applying the products, blow dry the hair until it's about 80% dry. You don't need the brush for this part yet. The goal is just to get the hair mostly dry. You may hold your head upside down to get added volume. If your hair tangles easily, avoid giving you hair a rough blow dry, try going in only one direction with the blow dryer. 

Once your hair is mostly dry, it's time to take out your clip and round brush! My favorite round brushes are by Olivia Garden. It's important to have a quality blow dryer. This FHI Heat gives of a good bit of power behind it's air stream so you will dry the hair faster and smoother. If your dryer is going bad, it may be giving you just damaging heat instead.  

Clip most of you hair up, leaving the back, bottom section out. This will be the first section. Gently spin the round brush as it's close to your scalp while you dry it. This is what you the most volume! Pull the brush up, and out of the hair lengths as you run the hot air over it. 

Continue this pattern around the head, making 'horseshoe' shaped sections. The sections should be as thick as the diameter of the round brush. So, if the circle of your round brush is 2 inches, your sections would be 2 inches thick. Remember to spin the round brush a little bit at the roots. Once you get to the top, section out the 'mohawk' section. This is the top section of the head, which should include your part. This section is done just a little differently than the rest. 

Round brush this section of hair straight up, pulling it slightly forward to create the most volume. Once you get to the ends, spin the round brush just a little more! 

For the fringe area, blow dry the hair down and forward. This will help fight cowlicks, and you will be able to brush your bangs to either side. 

If you struggle with a tough cowlick in the front, it's best to blow dry that section first. Blow dry creating an 'X' pattern with brush and dryer. Blow dry one direction, then the next.  

Practice makes perfect! Once you get used to working with these tools, it will get easier for you! This is the hair styled with only the blow dryer and round brush, no flat irons or curling irons! 

More Tips:
     *When you're done blow drying, turn you blow dryer on the cool setting, and blast the hair with cool air. This helps shut down the cuticle, holds the style, and makes your hair shiny!
     *It's helpful to have the concentrator nozzle on your hair dryer. It directs the heat right where you want it, speeding up blow drying time.

How To: Outer Barrel Curls

The Outer Barrel Curling Method is great if you have a hard time using a curling iron and get those 'crease' marks. This method creates a soft curl, and is super easy to do at home. Always use caution when working with heat tools, and be sure to use a heat protectant on your hair. 
One of my favorites is ColorProof's Heat Proof.


Your curling iron probably looks like this.. and you would normally wrap your hair on the inside of the iron. But, with this method, it stays closed and you wrap the hair around the outside of the iron. You can also use a curling wand for this.




Begin by sectioning your hair. Sectioning you hair provides you with more control, and helps you put the curls right where you want them! If you have thicker hair, take smaller sections, if you have finer hair take larger sections. The sections should start at the nape. (the back, bottom part of your head) Work your way up the head, making a new section each time.


Then, starting with the iron in the middle of the hair section, begin wrapping the hair around the iron. You may hold the iron vertically or horizontally. If you want the curls to be consistant, stick with one way, if you want a variety, alternate between the two. Don't overlap the hair as you are wrapping the section around the iron, you want the hair to have an even amount of heat. I always leave about a half inch of hair on the ends off the iron when I wrap it this way, just so I don't burn myself.




The finished look! In this picture, I used a 1" barrel curling iron and used vertical wrapping sections. Also, I combed my fingers through it.

Side Notes:
*The smaller the curling iron is, the tighter the curl will be.
*Avoid touching the hair right after it has been curled. Wait for the hair to cool before adjusting pieces of combing through it. Touching the hair before it has had time to cool can make the curls fall out!
*If you hair has a hard time holding a curl, lightly spray each section with 'working' hairspray. This is a light hold hair spray that can be brushed out with ease. That helps set the hair on the curl.