Using the Right Wattage Hair Dryer

Most women know about choosing the right temperature setting on their curling iron or hair straightener for their hair type to get the best results. Many do not know they should also choose their hair dryer based on wattage for the same reason. Of course poorly made hair dryers do not have the higher wattage capability as the professional hair dryers have built in.

For those with fine or damaged hair a hair dryer of 1,200 to 1,500 watts is the best for getting the hair dry quickly and efficiently. This means that if your hair is in this category you will not need a dryer that is stout and robust, as other hair types need.

While those with very thick or wavy hair type will need a hair dryer with more power, so for these hair types a unit with a minimum of 1,800 watts will be needed to properly dry hair like this.

If your hair is somewhere in between, than a dryer in the middle ranges of these two wattage ratings extremes will be suitable to get the hair dry.

Having the right amount of power behind your hair dryer is essential to not only dry your hair quickly but to keep it at its absolute healthiest. This will help you get ready quicker and make styling your hair so much simpler.

Avoiding Snags and Breaks When Straightening Your Hair

One of the many benefits of using quality ceramic hair straighteners is the gentle way in which they work with your hair. Many cheaply made hair irons are not made with solid ceramic and inconsistencies in the surface will catch and snag your hair as you glide the plates down the length of each set of strands. This will result in broken damaged hair, which cannot be repaired resulting in the need to cut your hair in order to remove the broken unhealthy snags. Though ceramic hair straighteners may cost a little more in the end the health of your hair is worth every penny, especially if you plan on using the hair iron often.

Buying A Professional Hair Dryer

There is more to buying a good hair dryer than just taking one from the shelves, buying it, and taking it home. Many professional hair dryers can come in models, which include a temperature setting just as other hair tools do. This allows the user to pick the amount of heat used to dry their hair. This is very useful for those with fine hair or damaged hair that do not need the blast of heat that someone with thick healthy hair uses to dry their hair. By having a variable temperature setting you can always adjust your hair dryer to your needs at any given time.

Avoiding Split Ends

Split ends are generally caused by over drying of the hair and this is easily done with cheap drugstore hair dryers. These dryers are blowing very hot dry air onto the hair and this causes the hair to dry and lose its own natural oils, which is needed keep hair healthy and free of split ends. Once the oil is stripped and removed the hair no longer has the protection this provides and it will begin to split into two and three strands on the end of each hair. Unfortunately the only way to cure this is to remove the damaged hair by trimming it off. Once that is done you should always use a professional hair dryer to ensure that the hair is not exposed to hot dry air again to dry it out.

How to reduce damage from Hair Straighteners

Yes, there is such a thing as using heating products too much, that is if your not using anything to protect your hair before you start styling. Do you have a matted type ball at the back of your head and the middle doesn’t seem to be as long as the sides? This is because of too much heat products and other misc. things, ie: elastic bands too tight, not the right pillow case etc. If you are going to be using your hair straightener everyday you need to start protecting your hair in the process, if you don’t you will not be able to even straighten that matted hair on the back of your head, it will always have a certain frizz look to it.

figure 1: Karmin Envy Titanium Hair Straightener.

Make sure that you take a break every once in a while where you don’t blow dry or use any kind of heating products. Try doing this once or twice a week. Use a good spray in conditioner, avoiding anything that has alcohol in it (this dries out your hair) spray each section as you are straightening it. Use a good conditioning pack at least once every two weeks (the kind you keep in and wash out after approx. 15 min.) Comb deep conditioner through hair and rinse out after time noted above.

Do not brush your hair too harshly, using a natural bristled brush, or a comb, just brush from the bottom up. Use a lower heat setting on your hair straightener once in awhile. As you can see from the photos below after time heating products and just not caring about your hair does sufficient damage. So to ensure the best healthiest hair take care of yourself, eat right, do conditioning treatments and treat your hair like it’s your best friend.

normal hair

blowdry damage

weak hair

chemically damaged hair

Till next time Good Luck!

Niki

Hair Straightening Tips

Getting sleek shiny straight hair with an ceramic hair iron, takes a little practice but once you master some simple techniques you can quickly and easily master the straight hair look, which is so popular currently.

• Use the lowest heat setting necessary on the hair straightening tool for your hair type – Professional hair tools have variable temperature adjustments which will allow you to choose the settings which is just right for your hair. Thin or damaged hair should stay in the lower temps while very thick hair will need higher settings to optimally straightener the hair. While most hair types will use the middle temperature settings on the ceramic hair straightener to get the curl out.
• Comb your hair out before attempting to straightener your hair with a flattening iron – Tangles in your hair will not straighten properly with a ceramic hair iron, so comb out your hair thoroughly to get the absolute smoothest straightening of your hair possible.
• Straighten you hair in sections – It is easiest to divide your hair into small manageable areas to straighten. This makes the heat from the ceramic hair iron more effective on the area that you are currently working on.
• Work from root to tip – Slowly run the hair straightening tool you are using from the root of the current section you are working to the tip in a smooth gliding motion.

With a little time and practice you can become as good as a professional stylist at straightening your hair with a hair straightening tool.

Damaged Hair – Repair Hair Damage

Having damaged hair can be distressing. You spend all your money on products that promise results, you style your hair, hope for the best and still your hair looks damaged in the final process. How can you fix your hair once it is damaged? Well, we will go over some ideas to help “reduce” damage and in some cases fix it.

Do you wake up in the morning with what looks like a matted ball on the back of your head? Is your hair one length but yet after about an hour of styling you notice tons of little hairs that are shorter than the rest sticking out all over the place? These are fixable, or shall I say after putting these tips to use you will get less damage.

All people should use a silk pillow case over their pillow because this allows your hair to move freely while moving in your sleep. People with thin fine hair get the most damage and therefore require this type of pillow case at all times. When you sleep you move around a lot thus matting your hair in the back. After time this will cause damage and breakage to your hair and soon you will notice that your hair seems to be getting thinner just in the back area. You should hand wash your pillow case in cold water and hang to dry, you do not want to get snags in it which would also snag your hair after some time.

Never use elastic bands on your hair, they get tangled easily and when you try to remove them they cause breakage. When you use hair ties you should make sure that they are not bound up too tight, this causes breakage also. In some cases hair will become too damaged and require some cutting and deep conditioning treatments.

Breakage is what makes your hair look like it has shorter pieces all over and stick out every which way.

This is a close up of a piece of hair that has been broken and is splitting, ergo split ends.

This is badly damaged hair.

When you brush your hair always start from the bottom and work your way up, this will prevent ripping your hair and breaking it. If you have a lot of hair it is wise to use a detangler. Johnson and Johnson’s no more tangles is a good product, good enough for babies then definitely good enough for you. Spray this in and start brushing from the bottom up. Do this every time you brush, I know it is time consuming but in the long run you will notice that you have less breakage. Continue this process of “silk pillow, loose hair ties, and brushing from bottom to top” and you will notice that as your hair grows you will no longer have this problem of flyaways. Till next time Good Luck.

Niki

Hair Brush – Choosing the Best Hair Brush for You

With so many hair brushes to choose from it can be overwhelming on deciding which one to purchase. Many of us may think that the type of hair brush we use won’t make a difference but the fact is that it indeed will.

Types of Hair Brushes to Choose from;

Straightening Brushes

When it comes to straightening brushes you have a few choices. These brushes can be used before using your hair straightener to help straighten the curliest of hair.

1. Barrel Brush

These brushes are round and are for used for finishing meaning straightening and shaping. These brushes are also great for adding volume. A professional Barrel Brush will offer great control, faster drying and styling as well as be sure to look for a Barrel Brush made with 100% Boar Bristle-First Cut as this part of the boar bristle provides shine and and smooths hair by closing the hairs cuticle.

These brushes are available in different sizes for different lengths of hair. They are great for all hair types.

2. Ceramic Styler

A Ceramic Styler is designed to be used with your hair dryer and features a vented design to allow for quicker drying time. The ceramic plates work to leave hair smooth and shiny by locking in moisture. A professional Ceramic Styler will usually be made from 100% Natural Boar Bristles.

This type of hair brush is best for medium to long hair of all hair types. Can be used to straighten as well as add waves and loose curls.

3. Ionic Hair Brush

These brushes use negative ions to rid of frizz, add shine and make hair smooth and soft. These come in a variety of shapes and sizes so you can choose what you prefer to use be it a barrel or paddle brush.

These brushes usually come made with either nylon or boar bristles. If you have thin, weak, fragile or damaged hair it is best to go with nylon bristles as boar bristles are known to ‘grip’ hair which could break weak strands.

Massage Brushes

These brushes are meant for for brushing the hair than actually styling the hair. They are great for providing a gentle scalp massage as well as helping stimulate circulation. They are often used when shampooing or applying other hair styling products.

These brushes are a great way to help promote healthy hair growth and are great for all hair types.

Styling Brushes

These all purpose styling hair brushes usually feature 6-8 rows of straight tufts of bristles. They are sued to style, smooth and shape the hair. Made with nylon pins these brushes offer snag free styling and are best for thick hair types.

Vented Brushes

These brushes are designed to make drying hair quicker and the help to add volume and texture to hair. These brushes are also available in barrel, ionic and ceramic styles making them great for all different hair types and lengths.

Cushion Brushes

These brushes are made with a soft rubber base and are gentle on hair and scalp. Also known as a paddle brush these hair brushes are perfect for those with thin, damaged, fragile and fine hair types. Can also be used on other types as well, great for hair that needs to be brushed out before styling and for finishing styles.

Available in a variety of bristle types, shapes and sizes.

How to use a Curling Iron and get the Best Results

Depending on the size of the curls you want you first need to choose your tool. A curling iron with a large barrel will create large, loose curls where as a smaller barrel will create smaller, tighter curls such as ringlets.

Once you know what size of curls you want, using the curling iron is pretty much the same no matter what size the barrel is.

Always start with dry hair; curling you hair when it is wet will leave you with fried and damaged hair. If your hair is medium to long in length it is easiest to start at the back of the head whereas if you have short hair start at the crown.

Take a 1 to 2 inch section of hair and starting at the ends clamp the ends of your hair into the iron and roll the hair until you are about 1 inch from your scalp. Hold the iron for about 10 seconds then gently release the iron and let the curl fall. Repeat with the rest of the sections of hair.

Once the curls have cooled down you can set your hair with holding spray and use your fingers to help shape the curls.

Did you know that you can use your Hair Straightener to curl your hair as well? See how to curl your hair with a hair straightener.

« Previous Page