Tag Archives: shiny

Quick Hair Conditioning

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pic_of_cellophane_hair_conditionerWhat many people do not know is that leave-in conditioners are a hoax. When I say that, I am being super judgemental and opinionated, as my Certified New Yorker Status entitles me to be. But in all seriousness, this product category is normally a way for haircare companies to squeeze extra money out of us. So next time you’re shopping for a quick and easy on-the-go conditioning product, skip the leave-in conditioners and try one of these tried and true options:

Just Leave Your Conditioner… In

This is the easiest and you can do it as often as you’d like. Before you get out of the shower after washing, put some One Condition (or your chosen high-quality conditioner) on your hair concentrating on the ends. Then, only rinse out about 75% of it. You will know when you’ve left enough in because after you’ve hung your head back to rinse it out, feel it with your hands and it should still feel slightly like wet seaweed. Not as soft as when the conditioner is still there full-force. It may take some experimentation to work out the percentage to leave in. I usually co-wash my hair with a cheaper conditioner like Aussie Moist and save the good stuff for my leave-in. Remember: while quality conditioners are pricier, you can use a lot less for maximum benefits.

Spray Oils

Spray oils are great for the busy guy or gal. I’ve used it on my husband’s hair when he complains of dry scalp or hair. My favorite is an Argan Oil version, and I put about a “dime-sized amount” into my palm, rub my hands together, and lightly whisk it through dry hair on my way out the door. You want to use enough to really get the ends, but not so much that it looks greasy. Again, experiment.

Hair Masks

If you want an overnight or few-hour solution but don’t feel like going to the hassle of concocting a full oil treatment or dealing with a lot of mess, use a hair mask and put a shower cap over that before bed or before lounging around the house on a lazy day. You can use as much as you want and rub it into your scalp and hair, and then rinse it out with equal parts lemon juice and conditioner to get it all. I usually do 4 tbsp. of each. There are endless hair masks that you can try, and at varying price points.

Cast-Away Curls: A Gel Story

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Don’t fall prey to the crunchy curls!

It occurred to me yesterday that perhaps a lot of curly girls don’t know how gel is meant to work in our hair. This realization came about when someone asked me why my hair had looked “wet and crunchy” in the morning, and soft and bouncy that same afternoon. Yes, she was a straight-haired woman, but her question reminded me of how many curly girls I see running around with that same crunchy-wet look throughout the entire day.

I’m going to start by saying that it’s fine if you just like the way it looks. If you want your hair to be super tame, tamped down, and orderly, so be it! But to people who like my hair and want to find a way to achieve soft and bouncy curls, I explain that the gel should only be used as a cast while your hair is drying. Let me explain:

When gel is applied to wet hair, a chemical reaction causes the gel to harden as the hair dries; this is called a cast. It is setting your hair and allowing the curls to come together and stay together despite wind, humidity, and other such elemental strains. The longer you leave your hair in its hardened shell, the longer it will remain frizz-free and ready to be released from its chemical bondage. This works to our advantage if, say, we want to wash our hair the night before a big day but don’t want it to get ruined overnight. If you let it dry with the gel still hardened and intact, when you wake up you can scrunch, ruffle, and go with super-shiny beautiful locks. If you want to leave the gel cast in during the day at work so that it will look its best for a first date that evening, that’s yet another advantage.

Ahhh, that’s better.

When you’re ready to break the cast, you just turn your head upside down and scrunch your hair upward in an accordion-like motion. Then you put your fingers at the base of your hair follicles against the scalp and ruffle the roots–as usual, do not touch the hair shafts. This causes curls to separate, but not to frizz. As they’ve dried in their protective shell, they are cool, calm, collected, and ready to face the elements.