Flat Iron

Still can't live without your straightening iron? Once you know how to achieve that sleek, smooth look it's hard to go back. It really doesn’t matter which flat iron you use: ceramic, thermal, metal or ionic - they all damage your hair with over-use and inappropriate use. They heat keeps your hair dry and over time will damage the ends of your hair.

Here are 10 tips to help you and your flat iron work side-by-side without damaging your hair.

1. Keep your flat iron clean. It will last longer and do less damage to your hair.

2. Use a styling aid to prevent frizz before you blow dry. Sealed Ends by BC Bonicure seal the ends of your hair locking out frizziness by 79 percent. Use it after your blow dry to get rid of frizz.

3. Practice before you head out to any major event. It's very easy to use once you get the knack of it.

4. When using the iron on your hair comb, on the section you are using first, before running the iron through it.

5. Try avoiding using any products until you finish straightening out your hair.

6. Use small sections. The smaller the section the flatter and more weightless your hair will be.

7. Use even pressure while stroking your flat iron from the root to the end without stopping on any part of the sectioned hair.

8. Use a wide bristle brush on your hair while brushing your desired shape into place.

9. Use a lightweight serum to smooth any frizz left over. You'll only need a little.

10. Let your iron cool; clean its surface with a cloth so you’ll be ready to use it again tomorrow.

Sheer Blonde

Ok blondes, we all know you love to soak up that sun but so does your hair. Natural sun and heat damages your hair vaporizing all the moisture needed for your hair to look healthy and shiny. Texture doesn’t really matter nor does the shade of blonde, as they all are more prone to damage in the sun. Frizz is common in the summer and with good conditioner and frizz control you can look like any celebrity.

Try Frizz-ease or Split Ends by BC Bonicure to control frizz after or before your blow dry. For added protection apply a blow dry sealer before you start to blow dry your hair. It will protect your blonde hair from heat and this is for high damage control. There are also newer sprays and conditioners specifically formulated with SUV protectants helping your hair from damage. For a great feel try Back to Basics - Kiwi Melon Body Boosting Conditioner.

If your hair starts to go a green from being in the water a little too much, Resolve by JOICO is highly recommended. It will strip the chlorine buildup letting your hair breathe. Eventually you'll get back to your great color.
Sheer Blonde is available at most drug stores. It's formulated to enhance your blonde while protecting it from further damage.

Frederic Fekkai Baby Blonde Conditioner is a daily conditioner and enhances your hair with a great shine. Using sunflower seed oil, lemon peel and other natural products it helps with your hair's elasticity and this product is used specifically for color treated blonde hair.

For further protection, use a wide toothed comb or pick while your hair is wet. If you need a great detangler, BC Bonicure’s Spray Moisturizer is the best product on the market for detangling those hard annoying tangles.

Blonde will always have high maintenance and expensive to maintain. The tips above are to help you in between visits to your stylist. It’s still more fun to be blonde at any cost!

Updos

Updos - see Heidi Klum - are back. The nice plush updos that look like they took hours to make piling up so high upon your head are in fact very easy to do yourself. 5 Minute Makeover

First consider using hot rollers - see Salma Hayek - even if you don't want a curl. It's easy volume without having to work for it. If you can, then curl a few pieces on the top and sides with a curling iron - see Hillary Swank.

Flip your head over towards the front. With a pick or large comb tease your roots. Tease it with small fast strokes until you feel a little nest forming at your roots. Give it a little spray using JOICO’s Ice Finisher to add a little hold.
Flip your hair back and assuming your standing position with your paddle brush smooth out your hair into your desired shape.
You can use a big bristle brush if you want to see more definition in your updo. Hair SOS

Start with the back of your hair and grab a piece of hair like you’re doing a ponytail. Twist clockwise bring up and put your bobby pins in. Four to six usually do it and don’t forget to criss-cross the bobby pins if you feel you need a little support in the back of your updo. Take your top piece that’s left over and twist very lightly.

Once it is secured and you have the desired height you want on the top, pin it down with 2 bobby pins. See Reese Witherspoon. Now take each side twist it back to secure on the top building into a pile. Fix your bangs and pull any front hair back that’s been left over and secure with a bobby pin.

Spray or shape your loose ends and you have an updo that just saved you $60.

Combination Hair

There are many different types of hair. There are thick types and there are fine types of hair. There are curly ones and straight-falling ones. Some hair types are more prone to the accumulation of sebum (the natural oils that our skin secretes) than others, while some hair types are just naturally dry. There are various ways of taking care of hair according to its various types.

But what if your hair happens to be a combination type of hair? What if your hair is very oily near the scalp but has the tendency to be dry to the point of brittleness as the strands reach the ends? How do you take care of hair like that?

Fortunately, there are a number of ways to care for the combination type of hair. With the appropriate use of the right products, you can prevent damage to your hair, protect it, keep it healthy and even enhance its beauty. So how do you effectively care for the combination type of hair?

It all starts with the proper washing of the hair. In shampooing, never use hot water to wet your hair. Hair strands are susceptible to extreme heat and hot water will only damage it. Instead, just use lukewarm water.

Be choosy with the products that you use for your hair. If you have the combination type hair, avoid using shampoos formulated for oily hair. It might worsen the condition of the dry tips of your locks. Instead, opt for shampoos specially made for normal hair.

Do not use too much shampoo to wash your hair. Just a dollop the size of a quarter will do. Apply the shampoo directly on the scalp and just let the suds flow to the ends of your hair. Never apply the shampoo directly to the tips because the shampoo will wash off the oil that your hair tips need so much. If you must, just scoop some suds from the top of your head and use it to wash your hair’s tips. Never overclean your hair’s ends and be careful in handling them. Rinse the shampoo off carefully and thoroughly until it is not slippery any longer.

After shampooing the hair, apply a rinse-off conditioner. Just as you should never apply shampoo directly to the tips of your hair, you should never apply conditioner directly to your scalp either. The moisturizing agents in the conditioner will cause the scalp to produce too much oil. Instead, concentrate the application of the conditioner to the tips of your hair strands, and then rinse your hair thoroughly, this time with cold water to lock in the moisture and to discourage your hair from secreting too much oil.

For added TLC for your combination type hair, indulge in deep conditioning treatment once a week. Apply moisturizing conditioner to the dry parts of your hair, wrap it with a towel and let it be for a couple of hours before washing it off completely. You can substitute olive oil for commercial conditioner if you wish. Also, make it a habit to have your hair trimmed once every two months to get rid of your hair’s brittle ends.

The combination type of hair need not be a hair care nightmare. All it needs to keep healthy and beautiful is the know-how for its proper care.

Best Hairdos

A woman’s hair is her crowning glory. It frames her face and completes her appearance. She can talk with her hair, and there are so many ways that a person can tell about her by simply looking at her hair. It is therefore very important for a woman to take care of her hair, to keep it clean, moisturized and trimmed, so that it would remain soft, shiny and neat.

Most women cut their hair to different styles in an attempt to enhance their looks. Some like their hair long and straight, while others like to wear their hair long and with abundant curls and ringlets. There are others who go for the minimum, no-fuss look and always have their hair cut short and simple, while others wish to strike a balance between femininity and practicality and keep their hair at mid-length. And there are still others who like experimenting on color and highlights, not just with the length and cut of their hair.

Unfortunately, not everyone can wear the same hairstyle and look good in it. Some hairstyles look great on some women, but sadly look like bombs on others. Many things can be taken into account as to why this is so, but mostly it is because the hairstyle does not flatter the face.

The way you do your hairdos must flatter your face and enhance your best features. After all, that is what the hair is supposed to do, aesthetically speaking – to frame your face and to help bring out your best features. Whether a hairstyle will look good on you or not depends on the shape of your face.

There are many, many types of hairstyles out there, but not all will look good on you unless the hairstyle fits the shape of your face. Below are the different hairstyles that are considered most flattering for each shape of face.

An oval face. The oval face is the perfect face. Almost any hairstyle will go with it, whether it is long or short, straight or curly. If you have an oval face, you will do well with having layers near your chin or cheekbones to draw attention to them. However, try to avoid hairstyles that add volumes to the top of your head – it will make your face look longer.

A long face. If you have a long or oblong face, you should create the illusion of width to balance it out. You can add width to your face by doing your hair with long, side-swept bangs or chin-length bobs. You will also do well with curls and waves that frame the face.

If you have a long or oblong face, you should avoid letting your hair grow extremely long or having your hair cut extremely short. Such extreme hairstyles will take the width from your face and emphasize its length.

A round face. If people with long faces need to add width to their faces, people with round faces need to take some of the width and bulk off by adding length. If your face is round you need to create the illusion of length, and to do this, you can have your hair cut just below your chin, or in graduated layers. Do not do your hair in short, one-length, blunt cuts, as it will only draw attention to the roundness of your face.

A square face. Having a square face means having an angular jaw. The hairstyle trick with having a square face is drawing attention away from that jaw. This is done by putting texture to your hair. Short curls do exactly this, as well as long layers that start just below the jawline. If your face has a square shape, you should try not to have your hair cut in one-length bobs or wear bangs that are cut bluntly. It will only emphasize the squareness of your face.

A heart-shaped face. Heart-shaped faces are pretty Valentines, but the pointed chin draws attention away from the eyes. If you have a heart-shaped face, you could bring focus to your eyes by wearing side-swept bangs, a fringe on your brow or long layers at the top. Or you could let your hair grow and have it done with layers that touch your cheekbones.

Versatile Haircut

Our hair frames our face and the way it is cut and done should highlight the best features of our face.

However, inasmuch as there are so many hairstyles out there that we can pick and choose from, there are some haircut styles that may look good on some but not on others. A hairstyle we may like may not look good on us, and mainly because that haircut does not flatter the shape of our face.

A woman with a round face should wear her hair in such a way that it lessens the width of her face and should go for hairstyles that add length. In contrast, hairstyles that add length should be avoided by women with long faces, and these women should go for hairdos that add width to the face.

Read more on best hairdos for your face.

But whatever the shape a woman’s face may have, there are indeed a few haircuts that would look good on her regardless. This all-around hairstyle is so simple and versatile that it would look good not just on any type of face, but also on any kind of occasion.

What are the elements of this all-around haircut that goes well with any shape of the face?
There are two elements to the all-around hairstyle.

The first element is layering. The layers of the hair should act as arrows that direct the eyes to whoever is looking at you to the best features of your face, such as the eyes, the lips or the cheekbones. So, the layers of your hair should be done to the front of the face, rather than in the back. However, avoid having your layers done too short; hair layers should not fall above the eye or above the earlobes.

The second element is length. Try to keep the length of your hair to just about your shoulders. Long hair that falls to the middle of the back and cut without any shape or layers should be left to teenage girls.

But if you want to wear your hair long, wear it with layers around your face. Also, have the length at the back cut to a round shape, or a V-shape. Long hair cut straight and without any shape can make a woman look either too old or too juvenile, but long hair that is done with layers and with the ends shaped at the back can make you look sophisticated and sexy.

The all-around haircut is perfect for any face, regardless of the shape. Why don’t you try it and see for yourself?

Right Way To Wash Your Hair

Most of us think we have this all down pat, but for all we know, we might be wrong. After all, we have been washing our hair all our lives. How could we go wrong with something like washing our hair? However, we might be washing our hair the wrong way and contribute to its damage without actually knowing it.

What we should remember about our hair is that the individual strands of our hair, no matter how thick or strong it looks, is actually very delicate. So we cannot just tug and pull at it, or else it would break. We would not want to have hair breakage, would we?

So, what is the right way of washing the hair?
The first thing you should do is to comb the tangles out of the hair before you wet it so the hair would wash easily and the tangles would not worsen. And then, wet your hair thoroughly under the shower. You can use either warm or cold water if you like, but for best results, you can wet your hair with warm water to open the scale-like cuticles of the hair and wash all the oil and dirt off. And then, you can rinse your hair with cold water afterwards to close the cuticles and add to the shine of your hair.

Rinse your hair under the shower to rid it of the leave-on conditioner and styling aids you have used previously, using gentle strokes of your fingertips. Then, pour a dollop of shampoo in the palm of your hand. Rub your hands together, and then apply the shampoo to your scalp. Take note that you should put the shampoo on your scalp and not at the ends of your hair, as the shampoo would dry your hair's ends and cause it to weaken and split. Also, do not mix your hair all over your head as you shampoo because it will get all tangled up. After this, rinse the shampoo off.

More often than not, we need to shampoo our hair for a second time. The purpose of the first shampoo is to clean the oil and dirt off; the second shampoo is supposed to let the shampoo treat our hair. So, repeat the process, but let the shampoo sit on for around a couple of minutes. Rinse the hair completely after this.

To get the excess water off your hair, just squeeze the water out. Do not pull or tug at the hair because the hair is at its most delicate when it is soaked. When the excess water is out, apply a dollop of conditioner - mane event - and apply it along the hairline, the nape and the ends of the hair. Pile your hair then inside a shower cap and let the conditioner stay there for around ten minutes. And then, rinse it off completely.

The process described here does seem tedious and time-consuming. But remember, having great hair takes time and effort. And it is definitely worth it for a picture perfect hair.

To Blow Dry or Air Dry?

Should the hair be blow dried or air dried?
It is a matter of preference, actually. Some people do not have much time to devote to styling their hair, or want to achieve the maximum styling they can get for their hair, so they opt for blow-drying it. On the other hand, there are some people who think that blow-drying is a waste of electricity and is the quickest way of damaging the hair, so they opt to have it air dried.

Which is better, you may ask?
Both ways of drying the hair have their advantages and disadvantages, and there are proper and improper ways of doing both. Read on and find out what these are.

Air drying. Air drying is usually done by people who have short and low-maintenance hairstyles, or by people with curly hair. There are also people who have long hair yet have their hair air dry, as air drying does not subject the hair to excessive heat. Therefore, the hair is not as susceptible to damage as hair that is blow dried.

If you are going to have your hair air dried, it is very important to remember that the hair is at its weakest when it is wet. So, take care not to rub your hair dry with the use of a towel. The friction caused by rubbing the hair with a towel will make the hair brittle and eventually break. Rather than rubbing it, you should instead blot the moisture out of your hair with the towel. Also, be careful not to tug or pull at your hair that much when it is still wet. Once the water is blotted out of the hair, fluff it out with your fingers.

Blow Drying. Blow drying the hair is the most convenient way of doing it, and because most people live fast-paced lives, blow drying the hair is the way most people want to do it. Moreover, drying the hair using a blower adds volume to the hair. But inasmuch that blow drying is very convenient, it is also dangerous to the hair, especially if overdone. It can make the hair very brittle.

If you blow dry your hair, make sure that it is not soaking. Blot the water out with a towel first. Do not hold the dryer too close to your head; keep it at least six inches away from your hair and move the dryer constantly around your head. Protect the outer strands of your hair from being over-dried by bending over and blow drying your hair with your hair hanging upside down. Also, try not to dry your hair completely with the blow dryer. Stop while the hair is still slightly damp.

Whether you air dry your hair or you blow dry it is completely your own choice based on your own lifestyle and preferences. But whatever you do, always remember that the hair is fragile. Be careful while handling it.

Shake Dandruff Flakes Away

If you have dandruff, do not worry about being alone with your problem. With one out of every two people in the entire world having, or having had, that same problem as yours, you are definitely not alone with it. Dandruff is a common hair problem. Embarrassing indeed, but a very, very common problem nonetheless.

What causes dandruff? Well, you see, our entire skin, from our scalps to the soles of our feet, sheds dead skin cells on a daily basis. We get a complete coating of new skin every 28 days or so, but we hardly even notice it.

Our bodies also play host to a lot of microorganisms like bacteria and fungi, feeding off on the sebaceous oils that our skin produces. Our scalp in particular is home to a kind of fungus called malassezia fungus, and its food is the oils produced by the hair follicles of our scalp. Dandruff happens when, for some reason or another, the malassezia fungus goes crazy and irritates our scalp, causing the dead skin to shed a lot faster. So, instead of shedding the dead skin cells of our scalp for a month, the shedding happens in less than two weeks, and the oil that our hair follicles produce cause these dead skin cells to clump together and become dandruff. Until now, the factors that trigger this phenomenon with the malassezia fungus are still the subject of research.

Dandruff is an embarrassing hair condition, and it can recur despite your best efforts. But with proper hair care, the recurrence of dandruff can be controlled. The best way to keep the flakes at bay is to shampoo your hair every day - picture perfect hair.

Dandruff can, of course, become stubborn, so if washing everyday with your regular shampoo does not stop the flakes from becoming haywire, the next best thing to do would be to start using anti-dandruff shampoos. Look for anti-dandruff shampoos with zinc pyrithione, selenium sulfide, salicylic acid or ketoconazole as the active ingredient. To keep your scalp from developing immunity to these shampoos, go ahead and rotate brands at least once a month.

For optimum results, you can lather your hair with the shampoo of your choice twice. The first wash will clear the scalp of the flakes and the oil buildup. The second one would let the chemicals in the shampoo get absorbed by the scalp - haute hair.

You can also try homemade remedies to wash the flakes away and to keep the dandruff from recurring. What is considered the best homemade remedy to dandruff is a vinegar wash. Mix two teaspoons of vinegar with six teaspoons of water and rub it against your scalp before you go to bed, then wrap your head with a towel. Apply the same solution to your hair once again in the morning when you wake up, then rinse it with water. You do not have to worry about the smell of vinegar in your hair, as the smell of vinegar does evaporate eventually.

Whatever you do, never, ever scratch the clumps with your fingernails. It will cause wounds on your scalp.

Dandruff is an embarrassing hair condition, but it is not unmanageable. Just take good care of your hair and the flakes will go away.