Conditioner Strategies for Your Hair Type That Can Make a Beautiful Difference

Understanding what is going on with your hair is the first step to finding an ideal conditioning strategy.

Since we all have different hair types, we don’t condition our hair in exactly the same way.  Otherwise, the beautiful results we expect may not turn out as we had hoped for.  The reason this disappointment is because one conditioner is not always meant to address all specific hair textures or issues.  This is why you need to ask yourself a few questions before shopping for conditioners.

The Current Condition of Your Hair Matters

First, what is the current state of your hair right now?  Is it dry, damaged or color-treated?  If so, then using a daily hydrating conditioner after shampooing is important to keep it in good shape.  It is also helpful to use a thermal protective spray before using hot styling tools and your hair dryer so not to minimize your efforts.  To repair brittleness and add healthy luster, you also need to use a deep conditioner once a week.   

Hair Textures Also Have Different Needs

Perhaps, you have fine, limp hair.  What you don’t want to do is to overload on a conditioner that could weigh your hair down and make it look greasy and flatter because your hair is probably on the oily side.  However, you still might want a lightweight conditioner to help volumize and give it softness and shine.  The best thing to do is avoid thick, creamy formulas and condition only about twice a week.  If you have a problem with your hair knotting, a leave-in detangling spray offers additional control to tame it.

Thick, coarse hair thrives the best when it gets treated to a masque or deep conditioner with softening ingredients like shea butter or ceramides twice a month.  This type of ingredient offers the most powerful help to remedy its extra wiry damage and coax this texture back to beauty. 

Hopefully, this post will help simplify your hair conditioner strategies for the best possible outcome!

How to Give Your Hair the Best Finish When Styling

This beauty doesn't take her hair for granted.

We all know that hair can have a mind of its own.  Over the years, I have found some tricks for improving how I finish styling my hair.  Hopefully, these tips will help you as well to guarantee better hair days.  

The first involves hair spray. I don’t know about you, but I depend on a little hair spray to keep my style in place.  Regardless of the formula, I found a way to prevent my hair from becoming too stiff.  Instead of just spraying all over my head at once, I found that lifting up a section at a time and aiming the spray at the root underneath is a better method.   My hair stays in place but doesn’t have that hardness that spraying on top gives.

Something else to give damaged hair a lovelier finish is turning to a finishing silicone hair spray.   A silicone spray on dry, damaged hair can give the hair more beauty and make it healthier because it temporarily fills in the porosity.  

However, you don’t want to make a regular habit of using a silicone hair spray daily all the time because it can backfire.  After all, it’s sort of a plastic sealant for shine.  At the same time, it weighs hair down and causes a build up of dirt and pollutants that can eventually weaken and dry hair out.  Use it for those occasions when you need your damaged hair to look great until you can give it an intensive repair treatment.

The next finishing tip is for those with a natural curl or waves to their hair. I have thick hair that has natural curl.  The cut I get determines how much curl is released.  When my hair is not as layered, it has more waves than curl.  On the other hand, a layered style gives me a head of curls.  What I like to do is after styling is to pat on a little bit of finishing cream or pomade over my hair.  This keeps the frizz down and holds it in place that I even skip hair spray at times.

Also, here’s another curly hair trick to keep the frizz down.   Try not touching your hair so much when drying does help.  The fingers seem to break up the curl, which causes the problem.  If you try this, then you’ll understand how the frizz multiples from all that touching because the fingers make lots of finer curls.

Take care and I trust what I shared will keep you and your hair looking as sensational as ever!

How to Best Compliment Your Complexion Through Hair Color

Do you know how to select the best hair color for your skin tone?

Perhaps, you have been thinking of coloring your hair at home for the first time.  You might be tempted to trust the model on the box with what the hair color shade in your hand is meant to look like.  However, you are in for disappointment because the actual color on the head before any chemical process determines what you will later see.  Therefore, let me share some tips about picking out the best hair color shade to compliment your complexion before you hit the drug store.

If you have fair to light skin, then you want red or golden tones in the shade.  A clue to look for is W (warm) beside the name.   The warmth of the red or gold highlights to that color will brighten up your skin tone much better than N (neutral) shades that are cooler.  Also, I would avoid any color that has Ash to the tone, which makes the color much darker and void of highlights.  Ash colors have a tendency to give warm complexions a drab appearance.

For the best results stick within one or two shades of your original hair color.  This choice gives the most natural results instead of appearing obvious and fake. 

Another thing that I learned is not all complexions are ideal candidates for blonde hair, especially for those with yellow undertones and on the fair side.  Blonde hair is beautiful on others, but horribly clashes with skin such as mine.

Those with a medium complexion, whether warm or cool, seem to have more color to play with.  With that slightly darker skin tone, you could wear warm or cool tones.  Look for the W or N (neutral) on the hair color box.

For those with olive or a dark complexion should try a warm shade, but particularly a rich golden tone such as a burnished honey.  The color will wonderfully enhance your skin.

One last thing, make sure to do the allergy test 48-hours before you color.  This is so important to do each time  because you can develop an allergy to hair color that could send you to the emergency room.  Even if you used the same product without any problem in the past, it is always advisable to do that patch test each time you color.

Best and Worst Ingredients to Look for When Buying a Shampoo

This beauty is carefully considering her options.

Shopping for shampoo can seem like an easy task with all the available choices at your disposal.  Therefore, how do you decide which formulas are actually the best for your hair?  

First of all, you have to be careful on how you read a product label.  Certain words could appear larger because companies want to appeal to you, but it is not always totally accurate. For example, “natural” and “organic” doesn’t always mean the shampoo has the pure formula that you may be lead to believe.  Instead, manufacturers are allowed to use it even with just a small percentage of natural or organic ingredients in the formula.  To understand how to distinguish between “natural” and “organic” on a label, you might want to read my earlier post for clarity.  The important thing to remember is to read the smaller print with the ingredients because those words are the ones you can trust. 

Look for a plant or natural surfactant (byproduct of an animal) over a chemical surfactant that is common in sulfates that can strip hair of natural oils due to its foaming agents.  Some excellent plant surfactants to keep in mind are avocado, kukui nut, grapeseed oil, macadamia nut oil, meadow foam seed oil, wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, borage oil and cocoglucoside (from coconut and fruit sugars).

Parabens are the preservatives in the formula such as the following chemical ingredients of methylparaben, ethylparaben, butylparaben among others.  These are suspect in playing with estrogen levels and their possible link to cancer so watch out for any of these when reading ingredients.

Phthalates are synthetic fragrance compounds commonly referred to as “plasticizers” that could risk your health to toxins from what they could possibly do to your endocrine system. These often are used in formulas to mimic the authentic essence of the essential oil, which was replaced to save costs. Phthalates could hide in the formula labeled just as fragrance.  Common phthalates include BBP butyl benzyl phthalate, DBP (di-n-butyl phthalate), DEP (diethyl phthalate), DEP (diethyl phthalate), DiDP (di-isodecyl phthalate), DnHP (di-n-hexyl phthalate), and DnOP (di-n-octyl phthalate) among others.

A safer choice is a formula with an essential oil as the fragrance. 

Your health is everything so consider the formula of the products that you use carefully.  Good bets are looking for a USDA Organic Seal, Natural Product Association (NPA) seal or an Ecocert seal to guarantee purity of ingredients. 

Why You May Want to Try Curly Hair Products for Help With Dry, Damaged Hair

You may want to consider trying some curly hair care products for your hair type, too!

As I mentioned, I have some natural curl in my hair.  When it is one length, the weight of my thick hair flattens the curl into more gentle waves than full curls.  The story changes once I get a layered cut.  The more layers, the more curls that spring up.  Despite how I style my hair, I still always turn to curly hair products to tame and boost moisture more often than other varieties.

The reason I keep coming back to curly hair products is because of the extra moisture this type provides my dry hair for more thorough conditioning.  The reason for more intensive lubrication in this formula is due to handling this hair’s unique texture and porosity. 

The degree of curl determines how heavy the emollients in the formula are most likely to be.  For example, the products for tight, small curls have the richest ingredients for moisture such as shea butter, coconut oil, avocado oil, or jojoba oil for keeping the strands healthy and at their best. On the other hand, a lighter form can be in a product such as a spray.  You just need to experiment and find the right formula that won't weigh your hair down.

Curly hair products also have more ingredients for strengthening, which is another reason to love them when the hair is brittle. If you want to rescue suffering, damaged or coarse hair, try some curly hair products like a smoothing creme, conditioner, mousse etc. and see the extra conditioning benefits that you’ll find in addition to styling.   Give it a try and you'll see how much faster that your hair will come back to its former glory!

Keune Care Derma Activate Thickening Spray, Absolute Volume Volume Mousse and Satin Oil Oil Milk Review: Taking Hair to New Heights

This is serious professional hair help.

Keune Haircosmetics never ceases to amaze me with the level of quality I discover from using their professional salon products.  Earlier I told you about a few of their new additions to the Care line that I honestly think can help even the worst head of hair.  Because the line is formulated with their special Essential Mineral Complex of zinc, copper, silicum, iron, and magnesium, the hair and scalp are strengthened and nourished.  However, I didn’t get a chance to share the rest until now. 

The Care Satin Oil Oil Milk ($30.00) is a leave-in milky spray that deep conditions with maracuja, baobab and monoi oils for returning moisture and shine.  Using this product dry or on damp hair when it needs help will do the trick without making the hair look greasy, sticky or make your style droop from weight.  I’m torn, which one I love more, this or the Care Vital Nutrition Protein Spray that I reviewed first for serious hair help. 

Another new Care product I tested was their Absolute Volume Volume Mousse ($26.00), which not only increases volume and thickens with liquid keratin and provitamin B5, but also offers heat protection.  My hair did have a healthy gloss without any flatness of my curls for long-lasting style.  

The Keune Care Derma Thickening Spray ($30.00) is a leave-in product that is intended for fine hair that uses wheat proteins and provitamin B5 to strengthen as it pumps up volume.   You probably wonder why I would bother using a thickening spray when I have thick hair.  The answer is because I also have a layered style that could use a boost in places, especially on one side where I have less hair.  

When I specifically targeted that side where I sleep, I did notice the curl did appear thicker in that section.  I didn’t need to use this spray all over because the rest of my head has a lot of hair, but this product does seem to bulk up the hair where needed.  If you have fine hair especially or not too much hair, this is another Keune Care product that can help thicken and strengthen what is on your head.  

If you never tried professional salon hair care products from Keune Haircosmetics, then you can’t understand the difference of what their formulas can do to turn ordinary hair into salon beautiful hair.  Check the company’s website to learn more and where to buy.

Maple Holistics Winter Blend Shampoo and Conditioner Review

Here is the winter hair care help that can make a difference when temperatures drop.

Extreme cold weather is hard on skin but just as damaging for hair especially when you go from the heated indoors to the outdoors.  Often hair becomes frizzy and drier than we like, especially worse for people with dry or chemically-treated hair.  One quick fix that you might want to try is Maple Holistics Winter Blend Shampoo and Conditioner that I had the chance to use on my own hair.

Both this natural shampoo and conditioner are sulfate free, cruelty free and safe if you color your hair.  Each retails for $13.95 for an eight-ounce bottle or $19.95 for the set.

The shampoo is formulated with a refreshing blend revolving around different mints from spearmint, peppermint, wild mint, eucalyptus mint, bergamot mint along with jojoba oil and botanical keratin.  This is a moisturizing mix of ingredients that nourish the hair, but also care for an extra dry scalp to avoid any flaking.

The formula of the matching conditioner is a combination of eighteen silk amino acids and conditioning agents to repair damage and provide luster for the hair.

Besides the pleasant scent, I found this shampoo lathered well for the small amount I used.  It felt invigorating when I rinsed. 

After using the conditioner, my scalp felt cleaner as well.  My thick hair seemed healthier overall.  Once I finished styling,  it did seem to have more gloss and softness.  Have you tried these products yet?

If not and you’re looking for some tender loving care for your hair, I suggest visiting Maple Holistics and giving the Winter Blend Shampoo and Conditioner a try.

California North Travel Shower Bundle Review: A Gift Any Man Would Love for Traveling in Style

This Travel Shower Bundle is handy, practical and full of quality products.

Shopping for holiday gifts for your guy can be difficult.  You want your choice to be special as well as one that he doesn’t already have.  If he often travels on business, then I have a suggestion with California North’s Travel Shower Bundle that was sent to me for this review.

This is a sturdy bag that your guy can later use for carrying his things to the gym.

Imagine the smile on his face once he would find a sturdy travel bag already stocked with his basic grooming needs that is ready to go whenever he is.  This bag is well-constructed of waterproof, 100 denier durable nylon with leather handles and a metal hook to hang it from that always can be used later as a gym bag

Inside this attractive navy travel bag that has compartments and room to pack other essentials, there are three quality necessities with 8-oz. pump bottles of California North Sea Blast Shampoo, Sea Blast Conditioner and Gelskin Wash for luxurious skin and hair pampering, including an ultra soft microfiber wash cloth.  The formulas are enriched with beneficial botanicals and natural extracts that cleanse and nourish in a fresh, pleasant scent.

Though you always want your hair to be perfect, it is especially vital when you have an important meeting or function when traveling.  With the Sea Blast Shampoo and Conditioner that are both pH balanced, hair color safe and sulfate free that guy or you can rest assured that your hair will look its best.

Hotel soaps can be so drying for skin from my experience.  The soaps tend also to be small in size, which is my guy’s complaint.  Therefore, we also pack our own cleansers besides shampoo and conditioner.   The Gelskin Wash is another product that indulges the body but also the spirit with its light citrus scent.  I just love how gently this formula cares for the skin with its rich, foamy lather.  You can read my review to learn more.  

The California North Travel Shower Bundle ($62) would be just as welcome of a gift to any woman that also travels a lot, if you want the truth.  The formulas are splendid for beautiful hair and skin with a comfortable, fresh scent that you would love as well.  

Here is a great deal that I am excited to share with you.  Right now, you can save 30% off of your California North purchase at checkout using coupon code THANKSMARY.  This offer is valid now until November 20 so do hurry and score that ideal gift like this Travel Shower Bundle while you can.  This coupon code is not valid in the sale section or product samples.  Furthermore, it cannot be combined with other coupon codes.

Three Keune Damaged Hair Solutions–New Care Vital Nutrition Protein Spray, Porosity Filler and Thermal Cream

If you haven't had luck with repairing your damaged, weak hair, this new Keune trio may be just what you need. 

Healthy, strong hair is what we all strive for.  Unfortunately, this is not always the case as many of us know.  What we do to beautify it with strong chemical processes like hair coloring, perms, straightening to styling tools can also weaken and damage it. The good news is I tried three recently released salon hair products from Keune Haircosmetics Care Vital Nutrition line with their Protein Spray, Porosity Filler and Thermal Cream that are amazing to revitalize texture and shine while strengthening due to their patented Essential Mineral Complex of zinc, copper, silicum, iron, and magnesium.

The first one you need to be aware of is Keune Care Vital Nutrition Protein Spray ($31.00) that is intended to use before, during or after hair coloring or any texturizing treatment.  This product arrived at exactly the right time.  My hair was suffering and ready for fresh hair color, but I needed some serious conditioning first.

After shampooing and using an instant conditioner, I gave my hair a few, short blasts of this spray.  I dried and styled as usual, finding it somewhat softer with more shine.  However, the next time I washed and dried again, I skipped the spray.   Believe it or not, the product had to penetrate deeply into the hair because once I finished styling it felt softer to the touch, even without any more help from that spray.  This product is fantastic to keep on your vanity when your hair gets to the ugly, hard stage when you don’t have time to deep condition, but need more than a shine spray can provide with texture repair. 

I don’t know if regular hair coloring or diet is why I seem to find my hair all over, but I do shed. Inside this box that arrived, I found Keune’s new Vital Nutrition Porosity Filler ($34.00).  This product is enriched with ceramide and wheat proteins to boost hair strength through a special nutri-injection technology that is formulated to create a protective shield around the damage as it repairs and adds moisture to the hair.  

Ceramides are found inside the hair cuticle, a lipid, acting to lock the hair in place.  Aging decreases the body’s natural ceramide production, which can result in hair loss and dry, damaged hair.  The formula works because it supplements that insufficient ceramide along with wheat proteins to alter the structure of the hair for the better.

This product is in between a gel and a cream that can be used on damp or dry hair.  I tried after shampooing working in three drops (you don’t need much) before blow-drying and styling.  So far, I didn’t shed nearly as much.  Also, this does make the hair quite glossy.  I will keep using it.

Keune Care Vital Nutrition Thermal Cream ($30.00) was another new fall launch.  This is protective cream that also has their nutri-injection technology to shield damaged hair from any further abuse from intense heat while styling as it repairs.  This product is awesome for repairing while protecting vulnerable hair for the kind of finish to your hair that you’ll be proud of.

If you have damaged, weak hair and tried your share of products that didn’t do much, I suggest trying the Keune Care Vital Nutrition Protein Spray, Porosity Filler and Thermal Cream to see the difference.  You can only find these hair care products at your salon or visit Keune’s Haircosmetics website to find a salon location near you.  

Goldwell Kerasilk Hair Perfumes Review: Why This Line Needs to Be on Your Shopping List

These add an extra special touch to hair!

Before hair perfumes became popular, I used to like to mist my hair with my regular fragrance until it started drying my hair too much due to the amount of its alcohol. Later, to avoid direct contact with the strands, I tried spraying my hairbrush first before using on my head.  This was a better approach, but it truly didn’t transfer as much of the scent as I had hoped.  Thankfully, the industry stepped in with all the new products that came out.  One line that I am particularly excited about is Goldwell’s line of Kerasilk Hair Perfumes that I have been using lately.

The line consists of four different scents: Control, Color, Reconstruct, and Repower.  Each is lovely in its own right and can also be worn on the skin, if you want to take more of its beauty with you.

Kerasilk Control is a warm and sensual mix of oriental and wood notes.
Kerasilk Color is a romantic blend of rose and sexy musk that is hard to resist.
Kerasilk Reconstruct is a feminine chypre floral sensation of magnolia-jasmine and patchouli and those haunting notes of amber, tobacco and musk.
Kerasilk Repower offers a freesia and lily against citrus for a sort of airy freshness like those notes are floating on water.

Besides leaving a light, but enticing scent that lingers on the hair, there are other wonderful advantages to Goldwell Kerasilk Hair Perfumes.  They also help give the hair extra shine without making it to feel tacky or hard.  Furthermore, they won’t clash with your regular perfumes.

I really loved them all, but I have to admit that Repower was my favorite.  This is the perfect time to start thinking of the holidays to get yourself ready for those special occasions or just to put on your gift buying list.  

A full-size 1.6 oz. bottle retails around $28 in the USA.  For more information, visit Goldwell.  Check them out!

How to Pick Out the Right Brush for Your Hair in Order to Best Bring Out Its Beauty

Your choice of hair brush matters.  Do you know the best one for your hair type?

In the past, women would regularly brush their hair with many strokes before bedtime to distribute and smooth the oils for that healthy shine.  This is no longer needed due to all the advances in hair care products that benefit the hair in almost the same way.  Now we can just pick the right brush for our hair’s texture and maximize the style and volume. Here are some hair brush selection tips to keep in mind.

A round brush is what you want to help build volume at the crown or bending the ends when drying.  This type works with any hair texture.  Consider the size of the barrel and the length of your hair first.  The shorter the hair, the smaller the barrel should be. Barrel size increases for medium to longer hair.

The cushion brush is the kindest method for detangling hair of any length into a smooth style.  This is especially helpful for anyone with fine, straight or wavy hair.  The reason this is the best brush is because the cushion limits any forceful tugging to damage it.

On the other hand, a wet brush is similar to a cushion brush, only with wider pins.  This is especially helpful for fine, straight or wavy hair to use when wet before drying. Using this type of brush better protects fragile wet hair from being ripped.

The paddle brush is great for most hair textures except thick or curly.  This type is the one ideal for creating straight, smooth one length style.  This is not the brush that will help if you have layered hair.  

Those with a lot of thick, coarse hair need a vent brush.  The holes in the design help with getting the tangles but also speed up blow-drying.

Thermal brushes are what you want for locking in more enduring curls when drying.   Material such as ceramic or titanium of its inner core is what heat the brush up almost to mimic a curling iron.  

If you keep these different hair brush designs in mind, you’ll more likely have better luck with your hair.  

How to Give Your Fine, Thinner Hair Extra Volume When Drying

This beauty found a better way to boost hair volume.

Though I have thick hair now, this was not always the case.  Believe it or not, I used to have thin hair that was straight instead of the same natural curl that I have today.  I don’t have any idea how my hair became thick and the natural curl decided to spring up, but it changed soon after I got a very short haircut as crazy as that may sound.  Therefore, I thought you would appreciate a hair styling trick that I used to do to boost my former thin hair’s volume.

I would use a round brush for this only.  The important thing to remember is to lift up the roots with the brush once you begin blow-drying through each section of the head.  This lifting will help the hair from falling flat and create more movement to the style.

In an earlier post, I shared another hair volumizing trick that you also might want to try.  If you do, I promise that your hair will appear to gain more volume!

Meet the Holy Grail of Hairspray and My Current Hair Obsession: Keune Design Society Extra Forte

*Disclaimer:  This post has been compensated through a free product (s) or monetary payment.  Opinions are solely mine. All links are "no-follow" links.**

Once you try this hairspray, you'll understand why this formula has been going strong for almost 100 years!

One of the reasons that Keune Haircosmetics has been a leader in the hair care industry is due to their innovative, quality products.  One example is their Design Society Extra Forte Hairspray, which happens to be one of the best formulas in my opinion that you can trust your hair too.    

I have reviewed a lot of hair care products and hairsprays, but this is one that I can always count on for keeping my hair in place.  This hairspray dries fast, has UV protection and keeps your style without turning the hair hard, sticky or limp on humid days.  You can even run a brush or comb through it without worrying your hair will fall flat.   

It is no wonder that this hairspray formula has been around for 95 years with how ideally it works.  The only way that you’ll be convinced is if you try Keune’s Design Society Extra Forte Hairspray ($22) for yourself. Right now, there is an illustrated Limited Edition can by Amsterdam-based fashion illustrator Sjoukje Bierma that is just as lovely for your dresser or vanity as it is useful for your hair.  Check it out or visit the company's website to learn more!

How to Prevent Your Hair From Revealing Too Much About Your Real Age!

These hair care steps can hide age. 

Aging shows us little mercy when it comes to our appearance.  Besides faint lines deepening just a little each year or suddenly adding to your wrinkle collection, the hair also undergoes unwanted changes. Graying is one thing, but the hair also gets much drier.  It also seems to lose its former shine.  In order to keep your hair more youthful, there are some steps that you need to take.

Since older hair is thirstier, you need to help it drink.   However, you don’t want to wash it daily because it will only steal more moisture from those already hungry strands.  Instead, wash older hair only every other day.

In addition, give the hair plenty of moisturizing nourishment by feeding it a protein-rich or antioxidant-rich conditioner or treatment following that shampoo.  Doing so, strengthens those dry, weak strands and helps return the shine.

If you already use hair coloring, you probably stick to a schedule when to refresh the color.  The chemical process does change its texture, but it also can be damaging done too soon, especially the longer-lasting permanent variety. Another approach may work better to your advantage.  Try stretching the time for your next hair coloring out a bit by only  retouching color at the roots where new growth appears over doing the entire head. This lessens the chemicals that you are exposed to that also can harm your hair.

Your choice of color might need to change and lighten somewhat.  Try a softer shade of hair color because the darker color that you may have been born with now may appear too harsh against an older version of you with wrinkles and paler skin.

A new style with more movement over a stiff hairdo can also help people guessing about your real age. Page through magazines, check online beauty sites and ask your stylist for recommendations for what would best compliment your facial structure.  Maintaining the same style through the years keeps you in a time rut that can signal others to a particular decade.

How to Give Your Skin, Hair and Nails a Beauty Overhaul

This beauty is doing everything right with how she glows.

Perhaps, you’re not as proud of your complexion, hair and nails as you would like to be.  Despite the best beauty products available that you may have tried, nothing seems to give you the changes that you had hoped to see by now.  However, have you ever considered that the reason for the disappointing way your skin, hair or nails may appear could be from a vitamin deficiency?

Since we are composed of what we eat, then you need to take into account that the skin renews itself every thirty days.  Hair grows on an average of half an inch in that same amount of time.  Nails take months to repair their condition, but even a damaged nail you lose can grow back in about six months.  Therefore, it is a logical assumption that your body may not be receiving enough of those essential nutrients to affect how those cells are growing.

To help skin, hair and nails thrive, concentrate on nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids that can deal with inflammation.  You find it in walnuts, tuna, salmon, nuts, and olive oil to name just a few.  

Coenzyme Q10 or ubiquinone is another antioxidant beneficial for the skin that you might want to include more in your diet.  This fat soluble nutrient offers protection from harmful free radicals.  Rich sources are found in foods such as organ meats, beef, chicken, herring, mackerel, peanuts, spinach, and cauliflower.

Selenium also is vital.  This mineral also acts as antioxidant to help defend the skin against the sun.  Without enough of this nutrient, you could be losing more hair than you like or finding your hair doesn’t seem to grow to overly white nails.  Walnuts, tuna, wheat, and rice are good to add to your diet.

Biotin is another B-complex vitamin (B7) that is important not to neglect for beautifying skin as well as vitamin B complex also in general for improving nail strength and thickening the hair.  Looking to foods such as peanuts, milk and dairy products, almonds, and egg yolks can help.

Vitamin A can help the skin repair and regenerate itself.  It also helps assists with sebum production in the scalp to keep hair properly lubricated instead of drying out. Nails need their ample share of it to keep from turning brittle and cracking.  You’ll find leafy green and yellow vegetables wonderful sources.

Two antioxidants that shouldn’t be taken lightly are vitamin C and E when it comes to giving skin, hair and nails a beauty boost.  Vitamin C is easily found in citrus fruits, strawberries, grapes, blackberries, etc. Sunflower seeds, spinach, avocado, and sweet potato can provide vitamin E.

Beauty and health do start from within.  Here’s hoping that this information will help change the overall balance within your own body so later it can manifest on the outside for those beautiful results that you are looking for. 

How to Clean Curling Irons of Hair Styling Product Residue

This DIY cleaning tip works perfectly to remove all stickiness!

Think of all the products that you use when styling your hair.  Those gels, waxes, mousse, texture creams, hair sprays, etc. can accumulate on your hot styling tools like your curling iron to become a sticky mess over time.  However, there is a way to clean off that product buildup easily that I want to share with you.

What you do is to take a little baking soda and mix with enough water to form a paste.  Get a clean cloth and carefully rub this mixture over the sticky area of your tool.  Rinse your cloth so it is not too wet, then wipe the paste off.  Dry your tool with another cloth and test how it feels.

If you notice any more stickiness, you can treat the tool again with more of the paste.  Repeat the process until you get a smooth feeling surface.

Allow your styling tool to thoroughly dry before attempting to plug it into your electrical outlet.  Honestly, you will be surprised at how wonderfully this little trick works to restore styling tools like a curling iron back to its former glory!

Some Valuable Hair Care Tips to Remember When You Plan to Spend Time in the Sun

If this beauty took more precautions, she wouldn't need to keep testing the condition of her hair.

Most of us always remember to protect our skin with sunscreen when planning to spend a lot of time in the summer sun.  However, we can often forget all the damage our hair can suffer if we don’t care for it properly. If you want to keep it healthy, there are some preventive measures that you should take.

A hat is great, especially one with a wide brim.  You’ll save your hair from potential brittleness and help your face from aging at the same time with an extra layer of sun protection.

A Summer Hair Tip to Guard a Pulled Back Style or Updo From Flyaway Strands

This hair tip can give you more control.

Here’s a trick that can help save you a lot of trouble when you plan to style your hair in a tight, pulled back ponytail or higher on the head in an updo like a bun.  My hair used to be a lot longer than it is now. Occasionally, I would wear it in a ponytail or an updo, but I always hated how those few hairs would like to escape. Therefore, I want to show a quick way to keep those escapees from annoying you and spoiling your look.

Usually when I would style my hair in an updo, after I did the crown area,  I always sectioned and sprayed the individual sections of ponytails first before finishing and pinning.  Some people don’t bother with the hair spray, but I found it gave me more control.

However, the hair spray on those sections didn’t stop that tiny bit of a few wispy hairs that would like to escape until my neighbor suggested something that her teenager taught her.  What you do is to take a clean toothbrush and spray with some hair spray. This targets the  fine, frizzy hairs and pulls them away like a magnet.

The next time that you’re going to wear your hair up, I hope you give it a try.

Are You Confused With All the Various Types of Hairsprays Which Ones Are Best for You?

Understanding each hairspray variety enables you to be happier with your purchase.

Did you ever notice that every time you go shopping for hair and skin care products that besides new brands or offshoots of a particular brand that the products like hairsprays just as quickly can have different functions?  Though you may know the strength of desired hold or how you want that spray dispensed such as aerosol or non-aerosol, you still might be wondering how to determine the right variety of spray for your needs.  

Finishing sprays usually give the finest mist and firm hold for the entire head.  Many are in aerosol form and now also will help your hair shine.  This type of spray isn’t meant to keep spraying misbehaving pieces of hair. Otherwise, the hair will stiffen into a hard mass.  Consider this spray only more for keeping the style intact.  Those with fine hair want to avoid finishing sprays since these are better suited for normal or thick hair texture. 

On the other hand, working hairsprays can give you more freedom for styling your hair and can benefit all hair textures.  These are ideal for building in texture with hold, especially if you have layers or waves in your hair that you play with.  The great thing about this type of spray is you can brush and comb after initially using it without worrying that your style will suffer.  If you find your hair starts to droop, working sprays allow you to just spray again to touch up without fear of excessive stickiness or becoming a helmet head.

Then again, you may want your hair to have movement instead of merely locking it somewhat in place.  If so, then flexible hairsprays have less hold and are very light when they touch the hair to provide the most natural hold.  This type is especially good for those with fine hair because it won’t bog the hair down to make it look flat.

Volumizing hairsprays can help give fine or thin hair a bit of lift, the closer you spray toward the roots. However, normal to thick hair won’t benefit in the same way.

Shine hairsprays differ from ones labeled shine sprays.  Shine hairsprays are also finishing hairsprays but will be the ones to guarantee a maximum shine.  The hold on these can range from medium to a firm hold. Anyone with thick or curly hair would find these helpful for styling, but not if you have fine hair.  Instead, shine hairsprays will only make your hair look oily and dirty.

Hopefully, the information I provided will help clarify these hairsprays for you.

Why Your Choice of Brush Matters When Blow-Drying!

If you value the condition of your hair, use the right brush when exposing it to heat!

Before you blow-dry again, you may want to examine the brush that you are about to put in your hair.  I happen to use round brushes with ceramic cores to minimize heat damage.  However, if you use just a regular round brush that has a metal base, then you could be making your hair suffer, especially if you forget to apply a protective thermal serum.

Due to that metal core, the heat alone intensifies enough to fry the hair.  Besides risking your hair to that frightening possibility, the bristles of typical metal round brushes are usually sharper to cut up hair at the cuticle.

A better alternative is to play it safe with one designed specifically for blow-drying.  It could have a ceramic, wood or cork core.  Boar or soft synthetic bristles are also preferable when making a selection being less likely to tear up hair that is more vulnerable when damp.

Changing that metal brush for a safer version definitely helps make keep hair stronger and healthier!