Hair Emergency!!😁😁😁 I can't figure out a way to put it up and make it look good!

May 19, 2015

Miriam L.

My hair is very thick and it. Its length: about under my shoulder. I put it up in a ponytail it looks really bad. Do you have any ways to make the ponytail look good or make my hair seem less puffy and thick?

May 19, 2015

EsotericOdium Q.

Straighten. Proceed with ample amounts of gel. 
Works.

May 19, 2015

Miriam L.

Thank you girls!

May 19, 2015

Miriam L.

I know this isn't the main post but it's similar: I've tried everything to remove frizz at least temporarily- do you have any suggestions or products that have worked for you?

May 19, 2015

Hannah K.

Miriam would you mind sharing your haircare routine with me? Oftentimes the reason hair is frizzy is because it is super dry, so depending upon what products/tools/processes you're using on your hair, it could simply be that your hair is really dehydrated.

May 19, 2015

Miriam L.

So I usually shower evening (I use Pantene shampoo and conditioner) then I let it airdry and when it's pretty damp I put in l garnier anti frizz serum. Sometime I blow dry my hair... I wash my hair about every 2-3 days.

May 19, 2015

Hannah K.

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Pantene products are so terrible for your hair.

When you have hair that's prone to dryness, there are a few important things. Make sure that 1, your shampoos and conditioners are sulfate and sodium chloride free (Pantene is not, and is also super high in silicones) and 2, you're using a good deep conditioner or hair mask every other wash or so. These two things will do a whole heck of a lot for frizzy, dry hair.

I'd be happy to share my hair routine with you, if you'd like =) It includes product recommendations and a full on in depth explanation of the haircare steps I take.

May 19, 2015

Miriam L.

If you could share your routine that would be great... Also what shampoo/conditioner/hair mask do you recommend

May 19, 2015

Hannah K.

Here's how I keep my hair healthy:

In terms of products, invest in a sulfate and sodium chloride free shampoo and conditioner. That's all that matters. It can be any brand, any formula, with any intention (hydration, cleaning, repairing, what have you), as long as it is sulfate and sodium chloride free since that's what will strip your hair and leave it feeling really dry. I really like L'oreal EverStrong, EverPure, EverAnything, really. They're all great. EverCreme is in my shower now, and it's doing a pretty great job of keeping my hair soft and moisturized, though I really don't like the smell after a while (that's just me; it's like the warm vanilla sugar scent from Bath & Body Works, it just gets to be too much and too sweet for me personally) You can also check out Organix, they're great as well. If you're interested in higher end products, I adore the Unite and Keratin Complex lines, both are fantastic and really keep your hair in good shape.

I also recommend investing in a hair mask or deep conditioner. I really like the Macadamia Deep Repair Masque, it's very moisturizing and leaves your hair feeling hydrated instead of dry. I also happen to love the L'oreal Power Moisture Mask, it's a weird, jelly-like texture, but I love how light it feels on my hair. It makes my hair extremely soft without weighing it down. I also recommend the Keratin Complex Vanilla Bean Deep Conditioner. It's a bit heavier as well, but it smells great and certainly hydrates your hair.

In the shower, when you're washing your hair, make sure the water is as cold as you can stand. Shampoo only the roots and condition from your ears down. Rinse quickly in cold water, and then after that, apply your mask, focusing on the ends of your hair. Finger comb until you don't feel any knots, because that way you don't have to brush it, because brushing it can break it off like heck. Then put your hair in a bun. Leave it that way for the rest of your shower, washing it out should be the last thing you do. I wash my hair around 3 times a week (with drier hair I can get away with it) and do the hair mask every time. If you need to wash your hair more than that, reduce your hair mask usage to 3 times :)

Try to avoid brushing your hair a lot, that can break it more than anything else, actually. This is why I finger comb my hair in the shower, so that I don't have to brush it.

If you heat style, use a protector and keep your heat setting as low as it can be while still working on your hair. For me that's about 350-390 degrees fahrenheit. In terms of heat protectors, I like the Tressemme, or I use a combination of the Alterna Caviar CC Cream and the It's a 10 Miracle Leave in plus Keratin (be careful with that though, if you get too much on your roots your hair will get so greasy so quickly)

Also, get trims when you notice split ends. If you don't really see any, you probably don't need a trim. Regular/constant trims just keep your hair at a consistent length. When your ends start looking a little fuzzy or bedraggled, that's when you need a trim.


Products wise...here are deep conditioners I like

1. My ultimate favorite right now is the L'oreal Power Moisture Mask. It's not expensive, and it's sulfate and sodium chloride free. It's super light, kind of a jelly like texture that melts into your hair, and when you rinse it out your hair doesn't feel heavy or greasy, just hydrated. This is the blue one. I really, truly love it.
2. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, which I leave on for a lot longer than 3 minutes. It's really nice, also cheap, smells lovely, and hydrates your hair. It's pretty light, but make sure you rinse it all out or your hair will be a grease pit.
3. Macadamia Deep Repair Masque. This was my favorite for a while, until I found the L'oreal one. After that, I find this to be a little too heavy for my hair. I have to be really careful with this one, otherwise my hair gets greasy the same day. If I rinse well enough, my hair feels super clean and hydrated, but there's a thin line between greasy and too dry if you rinse too much, so this mask can be tricky.
4. Keratin Complex Vanilla Bean Deep Conditioner (also used as a hair mask) it's awesome. It smells like vanilla and hydrates your hair flawlessly. It's also color protective, which is part of why I love it so much. It's not heavy, so if you leave it in for a while it's not going to weigh down your hair, but it is a bit more expensive than others.
5. Organix Renewing Argan mask. It's also a bit on the heavy side, because it's oil based, but it seems to work fine so far. Also color safe, and also $6. It's a pretty good find :)
6. L'oreal Total Repair 5 hair mask. It's like $6, has a super smooth consistency and hydrates hair really well. You do have to rinse pretty well, or your hair gets greasy quickly, but after you rinse, you can add a tiny bit to the ends of your hair and it will work really well.
7. Alterna Bamboo UV+ masque. It's awesome. It smells really light and nice, it's safe for colored hair and it's super lightweight so you don't have to worry about rinsing everything out incredibly well. I also find it super smoothing, I like this a lot.
8. Garnier Damage Erase Butter. It's thick, really thick, actually, but it's pretty great. I like how easy it is to work with, it really moisturizes hair and prevents it from feeling super dry and frizzy. It's pretty good for $5
9. It's A 10 Miracle Hair Mask. It's decent, I like the packaging on it a lot, and the product itself is nice enough. It feels like my hair is hydrated and it works through really easily and gets rid of any tangles I have.
10. Paul Mitchell Super Charged Moisturizer. This is great. It's super lightweight and leaves my hair feeling super clean and hydrated.
11. Alterna Caviar Repairing Mask. I really like this. It's also super light and it feels so amazing on my hair. I managed to get a 16 oz version on Hautelook for $30 or something, which is amazing. It's really worth it. It's so smoothing and it makes my hair really shiny and soft.

Those are just my opinions and what has worked for me!

May 19, 2015

Angela J.

Had to get that clearance sticker in the pic lol. I'll try anything that's $35 off and found a gem in the rough this time:)

May 20, 2015

Miriam L.

Thank you so much Hannah and Angela! I can't wait to try out these new products and Hannah I'm getting a trim soon :)

May 20, 2015

Kattya M.

You can also try sleeping with it twisted around your head in different ways and see if you find something you like. My cousins in the Dominican Republic have veery difficult hair and they do that and their hair looks soft and not frizzy.

May 20, 2015

Charlese C.

Hannah covered a lot of great products and points :) another great tip is either sleep on a satin or silk pillowcase or get a satin or silk scarf and wrap it around your hair. cotton and jersey knit fabrics and stuff like that suck out moisture in our hair and satins and silks don't. it works wonders on helping with frizz.