Growing out that Bob!!

Change the look of your hair without cutting it.  One cut can be styled many ways.  Get creative.  Don’t be afraid to get yout hands in there.

Take for instance the ever so popular “Beckham” bob.  This bob requires monthly maintenance and because it is decontructed and/or layered, it has a tendancy to be a little of a pain to grow out.  (especially the nape of the neck where it often gets bushy)

 

ONE LOOK 3 WAYS

1.  Flat iron your bob, wear it sleek and close  to the face.

2.  On wet/damp hair, slick back the sides with some gel and pin behind the ears.  This look is great for summertime after the pool.

3.  Try scrunching some wave/curl into your hair.  Use a styling aid for curl and finish off with a little hair spray.

www.raincry.com

Blowdryer Technology

QUESTION:

I just purchased new boar bristle round brushes and would like to know if the type of blowdryer I’m using will give a better end result?

 

ANSWER:

Like brushes, blow-dryers also differ in quality.

There are 2 types of blow-dryers currently being offered in the market.

 

 

The first is traditional blow-dryers.  They have not changed in design and performance since their introduction almost 50 years ago.  They work a lot like a convection oven- a heat source with air being blown over the element to provide you with the hot air coming from your blow-dryer.  This style blow-dryer’s heat is more abrasive then some of the newer technology blow-dryers.  Think of it like a toaster oven.  They typically range in price from about $60 – $120

The newer technology blow-dryers use an infrared heat source that dries your hair more from the inside rather than “browning” the outside of the hair.  Think of them more like a microwave oven- keeping the moisture without browning / baking.  Many of them are also ionic.  Ionic blow-dryers are said to give hair greater shine and health.  Hairstylists might notice a slight improvement with an ionic blow-dryer regarding hair health and shine, but most consumers might not notice a huge difference.  Where you might notice a difference is with the blow-drying time.  Ions are also supposed to break apart the H20 molecules quicker, resulting in faster blow-drying times.  These types of blow-dryers are “healthier” for your hair but are also more expensive; ranging from $175 – $250. 

Easy Way to Keep Your Style All Day!

There’s a dirty little secret for ensuring your style will hold all day…oil!  The best time to style your hair is when it is a little oily.  When your hair is freshly washed and blowdried, it can be a bit ’slippery’, and, especially when creating curls, fall limp.  When your hair is a bit oily, curs will stay beautiful and bouncy all day!  Using a round brush that has natural boar britles to create curl is also your best bet, as the natural bristles help to disperse the natural oils all thorugh your hair, preventing fly-aways, and ensuring fully, naturally moisturized curls.  RAINCRY makes a great boar bristle round brush, found at http://www.raincry.com
To get the perfect amount of oil in your hair, wash it the night before you style.  And to finish off your style, use a flexible hold aerosol finishing spray.  You want your still to have lots of movement and to look touchable all day, so a strong hold, ‘crunchy’ hairspry would not do the job.  Also, aerosol is a better spray to go with, because it dried almost instantly, and will not weigh down your hair wil it dries, like some spray-pump hairsprays.
Good luck!

You Asked For It- More Wet Hair Styles!

On request, here is another quick and very easy wet hair style!  Whether you’re coming from the beach, or straight out of the pool, this braided style is a great, relaxed way to style your hair without having to blow dry.

First, spritz your hair with a detangling spray, or apply a leave-in conditioner (this will help to detangle your hair, while reducing the risk of breakage).  Brush your hair with a detangling paddle brush, and part your hair down the middle.  If you have bangs, brush them in the style you choose (to the side or straight across).* 

Next, divide your hair into two equal halves.  The easiest way to do this is to take a comb, and follow your centre part down the back of your head.  Put one half in a loose elastice to keep it out of the way.

Take the loose half of your hair (not the one in the elastic) and proceed to braid, holding the section of your hair over your shoulder, to the front.  When you reach the end of the section, secure the braid with a snag-free elastic.  Remove loose elastic from other section, and repeat braiding steps.

Finally, step back and admire the cute, put-together you!

*If you have wavy, unruly bangs like I do, or you just want them off your face, try pinning them back before you braid in a classic bouffant style.  To do this, pull bangs back and pinch the end of the section.  Push pinched section forward until desired pouffe is achieved.  Slide bobby pins into the pinched section (one insterted left, one inserted right).

Ponytail

Heres a step by step on how to master a smooth ponytail.

1. Put your hair behind your ears.
2. Use a boar bristle paddle brush to smooth out the bumps.
3. Grasp hair with one hand and bring all the hair to the middle of the head.
4. Using an elastic band, fasten the hair securely.
5. **For a more sophisticated look, take a small section of hair from underneath the pony and wrap around the elastic.  Pin the end into the base.

Hairdryer Settings

No matter what hairdryer you own whether it be professional or department store brand, they all have several settings ranging from warm, to hot to cool.  Most of us use only the hottest setting to dry our hair from beginning to end, but what about the others?  Should we be using the warm setting instead of hot?

Use this guide to use your dryer and all its bells and whistles!

HOT–Use hot air to dry wet hair using your fingers or a round brush.  When you have a product that is not pliable enough try heating it up with some hot air.

WARM–Use for diffusing.  Curly/wavy hair is often dry by nature.  Hot air tends to dry out the hair to fast thus leaving a frizzy untamed mess.  Using the warm setting will be much gentler on your locks.

COOL–Use your cool button to seal the cuticle at the end of your blowdrying.  This shot of cool air closes the cuticle, making your hair smooth and shiny.

Managing your hair at home

You may have the pre-concieved notion that hair maintenance means a trim and a root touch-up by your favorite stylist.  This is corrrect, but there are also things you can do yourself to manage the up-keep of your new coif.

Just to name a few:

SHAMPOO your hair every other day.  There is no need for anyone to wash thier hair everyday.  Washing too often will wash the natural oils away, not to mention your precious hair color will go down the drain (so to speak) with over washing. 

CONDITION your ends.  Your scalp does not need conditioning.  Your hair is essentially dead protein, which is dry and has no moisture of its’ own whatsoever.  Even if you think your hair is fine and limp, it still needs some tlc in the conditioning deptartment.  Apply conditioner mid-shaft to ends.

BRUSH your hair.  Remember your mother telling you to brush 100 strokes a day?  This is correct.  Brushing once a day will beep you scalp and hair happy.  Using a detangling paddle brush with metal epoxy tipped bristles will stimulate the scalp while using a boar bristle paddle brush will distrubute the oils throughout the hair allowing your hair to benefit from your body’s natural moisturizers. (oils)

PROTECT AND PREVENT your hair from damage that is caused from daily use of the hairdryer and or flat iron.  Use a styling aid such as a straightening gel, gloss spray, or just an all-round styling cream. These products are called STYLING AIDS for a reason, take the help, it will save your hair from heat damage.  Take your product of choice into the palm of your hand (your hands will warm it up and make it more pliable).  Distribute through the hair and then comb or brush through.  NOW GO AHEAD, BLOWDRY!!!!

Change The Look, Not The Length!

Getting bored with your hairstyle?  Want a change, but don’t want to cut any length?  Surprisingly enough, there are options for changing your style that are chop-free, and flattering for different face shapes.

By changing the way you part your hair, you can create a subtle new look, and create the illusion of a different face shape.  Have a round face that you want elongated?  Try a centre part- they visually divide the face down the middle, giving the impression of length.  If you are the opposite, have a longer face and want to add a bit of shape to it, try a side part. If you want to disguise grown-out roots and give a bit of lift to your roots, try a zig-zag part.

All of these part options are very easy to create, and even easier to maintain.  What a great way to change your look without picking up scissors!

Protect- Don’t Neglect!

SPLIT ENDS…every girl’s pet peeve.  There’s nothing worse than sitting in the sun and looking down at your long locks that have taken months on end to grow, only to see DRY, FRAYED, DAMAGED ENDS.  Long hair is not worth having if you have to sacrifice the health of it.  Daily and monthly maintenance is key.  There are many causes for why this may happen, but usually it’s because your hair is dry and/or damaged and causes a split up the hair shaft.  If this is not caught early the split will keep moving up the hair, eventually causing the hair to break.

Serums, leave-ins and creams are great for masking these nasty ends, however the only way to rid your strands from split ends is to  cut them off. 

GET REGULAR TRIMS…it’s the only way to avoid split ends from reccuring. 

CONDITION THOSE ENDS…remember that your hair is essentially “dead protein.”  Hair is dry, and requires daily conitioning to prevent it from becoming dryer due to heat styling prducts and the elements.  Think of conditioner as a hair protector.

A Quick And Easy Wet Hair Style

Picture this- you go to the beach with your friends, you’re swimming and having a good time.  But as soon as you get out of the water, your hair is flat and soaked!  How do you create a cute updo with wet, straight-out-of-the-water hair?  Let me introduce you to the Messy Bun!

The Messy Bun (Recommended for Long Hair)
The messy bun is one of the most popular casual updos of today.  It can be messy and fun when styled with dry hair.  However, it can give you a cute and easy look when your hair is wet and you just want you hair off your neck and out of your face.
To style a messy bun, choose a snag-free covered elastic, and follow these steps. 
            1. Gather your hair up in a ponytail (low or high-both suit the style), and put the elastic around the base of the hair. 
            2. Pick up the slack of the elastic, and twist once.  Pull the ponytail partially through the twisted slack of the elastic. 
            3.  When the ponytail is about halfway through the elastic, it will form a downwards loop.  Twist the elastic again, but this time, pass the elastic’s slack over the loop of hair.
            4. Pull out some pieces, move around the elastic- remember, messy is key, so don’t worry about making it look too sloppy!

There will be more wet hair solutions coming, so keep checking back!