Be Nice to Your Hair
Hola hair junkies, it’s my lunch break and I want to talk about hair. Let’s take another look at those Allure hair tips over on Folica.com. See tab six, “6 Ways to Undo Hair Damage“. Since you’re reading HairJunky.com, I’m going to assume that you spend lots of time thinking about, experimenting with, and styling your hair. We love that, right? What’s more fun than getting a brand new product or tool and trying something you’ve never tried? New look, new perspective, new…damage, DOH!
All that washing, ruffling, brushing and heat styling really does a number on your hair—dries it out, causes breakage/split ends. Luckily, the beauty experts from Allure.com have some tips to help counterbalance all that fun we’re having. Start in the shower:
…”thoroughly drench your hair with water before you lather up,” says New Orleans dermatologist Mary P. Lupo. “Then concentrate on just the hair two inches closest to the scalp, since that’s where sebum collects. And rinse really, really well under the coldest water you can stand.”
Did you guys know that no matter how long your hair is, you only need about a quarter-sized dollop of shampoo? It’s true! (You probably use more than that. I did before I realized that I was only wasting my precious, expensive French Klorane shampoo that smells like chamomile tea with honey.) That’s only this much:
The shampoo itself breaks up the sebum that your scalp produces, which is what makes your hair feel dirty and greasy, so you only need it on your scalp. Unless you’ve been playing in the mud, the suds that run out when you rinse will be plenty to gently clean the rest of your hair. Especially try to avoid shampoo on the ends, where hair is the most fragile.
And then condition! On your ends only. Putting the conditioner on your scalp will only speed up oil production so that you have to wash sooner. If your hair is really thristy, try an overnight deep conditioner once a week or so. Kerastase Nutritive Masquintense is popular in the Folica office.
“The ingredients aren’t that different from those in your daily conditioner, but they’re much more concentrated and they leave behind a smoothing film that won’t wash off for days,” explains cosmetic chemist Joseph Cincotta.
As for blow-drying:
Just do it right. “Your hair will be much better off if you start blow- drying when it isn’t dripping wet,” says Boston dermatologist Ranella Hirsch. Blot, don’t rub, wet hair with a microfiber towel, which is less damaging than the classic terry-cloth turban. Use a heat-protective spray or serum. Our favorites: Rusk Thermal Shine Spray 4.4 oz. and John Frieda Frizz-Ease Thermal Protection Hair Serum.
Stretching your hair with a brush while you incinerate it with a blow-dryer is not so hot for your hair’s health. But you can fight frizz less harshly. A good-quality blow-dryer, like the Turbo Power TwinTurbo 3500 Ceramic and Ionic Hair Dryer, “dries so quickly that there really isn’t time for the hair to overheat,” says hairstylist Garren of the Garren New York salon, who recommends an ionic dryer with at least 2,000 watts of power.
Yeah, that Turbo Power dryer is good, but the Merch girls can’t stop talking about the Sedu Revolution Pro. Order both and return the one you don’t like 
Use the concentrator, it helps with frizz. And aim the dryer away from your scalp down towards the ends, smoothing out the cuticle. You know how your cat’s fur gets all wack when you pet them the wrong way? Same thing. Kind of. Hold your dryer like this:
Don’t forget to use a heat protectant before you use any hot styling tools, even a blow dryer! Noelle in Merchandising made us a list of the top 10 heat protectants, wasn’t that nice of her? Hi, Noelle! She has really great hair. See?
Do you guys have tips for keeping your hair healthy? Please share with everybody in the comments!
