Alterna Hair Care

Winter obviously means its own set of hair issues, and we need to be prepared. To be ready, I got some advice from Michael Shaun Corby, Global Creative Director for Alterna Hair Care.

Michael says the best way to have gorgeous hair this winter is to prepare in advance. Get your hair in perfect shape before the winter months hit, so hair is healthy and able to withstand harsh temperatures and dry weather.

Here are some of his tips:

· Dry, damaged hair is always the worst at the ends, so get a trim. Healthy ends means less split ends, and split ends are made worse by dry, cold weather.

· Don’t leave the house with wet hair. Wet hair is more susceptible to damage and breakage, especially in cold temperatures.

· Static can become a problem in cold dry weather. To combat static, spray your hair brush with a light hair spray, then brush through the hair. This should eliminate any static. A hair serum is also great at reducing static, and it fights frizz. A serum can make the roughest, thickest hair feel smooth and silky and is the perfect static-fighter.

· Condition hair daily. Just like it’s crucial to moisturize your face during the winter months, hair needs a daily moisturizer too. Whether you need a deep, repairing conditioner, or light volumizing formula, conditioning daily will hydrate and replenish the hair.

· Use a deep conditioner once a week. Slather on a rich hair masque or deep conditioner weekly and leave it on the hair for at least 10 minutes (the longer the better) to allow it to penetrate the hair shaft. Alterna’s Caviar Hair Masque is a deep conditioning treatment masque that uses pure Caviar Extract to increase the strength and elasticity of the hair- exactly what you need during the cold winter months.

· Most people take a little more time and effort to style their hair during the holidays. That usually means more styling products and more buildup on the hair. Use a clarifying shampoo once a week to remove this buildup, which will add shine to dull hair.

· Treat hair before you use heat styling tools. Using heat styling tools directly on unprotected hair can cause a lot of damage, so use a thermal protectant that also has hydrating benefits. A great option is Alterna’s Hemp with Organics Spray Leave-In Conditioner; a light leave-in conditioning spray that protects hair from heat styling and color fade.

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Weighty Winter Hair Woes

Clairol

I vaguely see the resemblance, but nevertheless, this has given me a certain degree of kinship to her, and so I was excited to find out she’s involved in a new Clairol Nice ‘n Easy campaign.

In the campaign, Angela plays the role of Gigi or the “Guardian Girlfriend” – a trusted friend who always tells it like it is! The campaign’s mission is to help women get over their fears of at home hair coloring by providing helpful tips and tricks.

As someone who is in constant need of guidance, I’m all over it. And totally not because she may possibly look like me.

My favorite part: Check out the shade palette on Clairol’s Web site where Angela can help you choose your perfect shade! How adorable is that?

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No-Fear Hair Care

Sxc.hu

Conditioning

During the dry winter months, there is little moisture in the air and the hair and scalp tend to dry out more easily. After every shampoo, put a deep conditioner in your hair and leave it in for a minimum of 3-5 minutes.

Roller Setting

If you have medium to long length hair, instead of using a flat or curling iron, set your hair with rollers. The heat from any hair appliance, if used on a consistent basis will leave your hair dry and brittle and more likely to break off and get damaged.

Silk or Satin Scarf or Pillowcase

For any length hair, be sure to tie your hair down at night with a silk or satin scarf. You could also opt to sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase. It will help the hair retain its moisture during the night hours. Also, instead of a wool scarf for outside, be sure to stick to satin or silk. Wool and cotton both have the tendency to snap your hair.

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Winter Hair Care Tips

Alterna Hair Care

Well, over in LA, it’s in full swing, and Alterna Haircare created the hair look for the Kevan Hall this past Saturday.

Held at the Universal Studios Hollywood back lot, theHall’s vintage-inspired, elegant gowns were featured, and Alterna’s Global Creative Director, Michael Shaun Corby, complemented them with modern-day beehives.

To achieve the dramatic, high-fashion look, Corby utilized Alterna’s CAVIAR Anti-aging Working Hair Spray for flexible hold and Hemp Spray Shine for a high-gloss finish.

Here’s the step-by-step guide to recreating this look at home:

1. Mount volume-enhancing mousse, such as Alterna’s Life Solutions Volumizing Spray Mousse, into damp hair from root to tips.

2. Blow dry hair straight with a round brush.

3. Back comb the hair to achieve tons of volume and height on the top of the head, while keeping the sides of the head smooth and sleek

4. Secure the hair into a bun in the back of the head with pins

5. Smooth the top layer of the hair to gently shape the look, combing hair over the bun and securing with a pin, to give a smooth beehive style.

6. Finish with a flexible hair spray, like Alterna’s CAVIAR Working Hair Spray, and shine spray, like HEMP with Organics Spray Shine, for intense shine.

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Modern Beehives at LA Fashion Week

Today, I am wearing not flip flops, but suede boots. And while many of my loved ones are mourning the loss of summer, I couldn’t be happier. Why? Because summer humidity ending means that my hair might just look halfway decent. And that, ultimately, matters to me a lot more than one more beach day.

Image credit: Asili Chi Salon and Spa

However, it’s just a vision of things to come: summer still has a few weeks of strength left, and for many of you, the humidity ain’t going anywhere. That doesn’t mean you all cannot still look fabulous.

Kim Shackelford, owner of Asili Chi Salon and Spa agrees, “The most important thing to know is how to use the tips and tricks for your hair type. If you have curly hair, the same tips would not apply for someone with straight hair. And in the end it’s all about confidence, you need to feel good, even if it’s throwing your hair back in a cute beachy style. You have to feel comfortable in your own skin.”

So what are the best tips for your hair type? Kim gave us a bit of guidance!

Curly

My hair is naturally curly, so I can especially commiserate with this one. If y our hair is naturally curly, the humid weather will only enhance the natural curl. So instead of straightening it out and getting the frizzy look; embrace the curls!!! Sport the look by adding a layers which will accentuate the cute curls.

Straight

Even girls with straight hair are effected by humidity, no matter what they say! Smoothing serum is your best friend during the humid summer months. Almost every different hair product has a smoothing serum line as well. Simply finger the serum through your locks when it’s wet, blow-dry as you normally would. To finish it off add a smoothing cream to the bottom of your locks to ensure that the frizz will stay away.

Ethnic Hair

Yes, we know – summer can be really trying and drying on ethnic hair. It’s best to keep your hair hydrated all the time, use lots of conditioner and avoid straightening your hair too often as it is very drying and draining on your hair.

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Humidity vs. Hair: The Battle Continues

My boys – 17 and 18 – had the opportunity to try a couple of products from Axe’s girl-approved hair line. They tried the Primed Just Clean shampoo and the Clean Cut Look Pomade.

The shampoo has a great scent and it’s great for removing product build-up. The pomade gave Max control without greasiness. That kid has a ton of hair. Both boys love smelling good and looking great with help from Axe.

Image credit: Michelle Smith

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Girl-Approved Hair Care For Men

According to their results, the average woman’s daily hair-care routine takes 35 minutes, 30 of which are spent on damage causing activities!!! Even if your hair LOOKS good, it may actually be falling apart.

Here’s some of our habits that are sending our hair to hell:

Hair Brushing: 82 percent of women brush their hair daily or more, which can cause up to 23 percent more damage to hair

Ponytail Holders: Nearly half of women hold their hair in ponytail holders once a week or more, which can cause up to 20 percent more damage to hair
Heat Styling: 60 percent of women heat style (includes blow dryers, curling irons and flat irons) their hair once a week or more, which can cause up to 33 percent more damage

Quite obviously, it’s because bad things happen to our hair that we have bad hair days! Whether this is split ends, breakfast, frizz or even “blah”, it still royally is a pain.

Image: Sxc.hu

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The Cycle of Hair Damage

Handy Pearson Hair Brush

Furthermore:

The distinctive design incorporates spired, uneven tufts of boar bristle and nylon mixture in the pneumatic rubber pad that enables each individual tuft to penetrate through the scalp and maximize the health and appearance of the hair and scalp. This hairbrush is designed with six stiff rings of boar bristle and made especially for fine to normal hair of short to medium length.

Well if they put it that way, I guess it makes sense that it’s $169. Right? Buy it at Bed Bath and Beyond.

(Image : BBAB)

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$169 Hair Brush

I have, just twice, and both times made me really wish I could stay. And right in the heart of it all, in Beverly Hills, is Stuart Gavert’s Gavert Atelier.

Even in the most fashion forward and opulent of  hoods (you may be familiar if you ever saw an episode of 90210), it’s a recession. During these harder financial times, Gavert created some techniques of helping his clients stretch times between visits. He was awesome enough to share them with us, and I think they are ones you should go armed with when you visit your own local salon!

TWILIGHTS

Gavert was in charge of the color for the stars of the movie Twilight, so there’s no shock that he went on to  create a color technique called “Twilights.”

“Twilights” achieve dimension and depth by adding strands of color on single processed hair color. Because it is applied just off of the part, the re-growth is not noticed as quickly as other methods.

CASCADING BALAYAGE

Balayage has been around for a while, but the salon’s Color Director, Kazumi Morton, created a balayage technique that takes about thirty minutes and is done on wet hair  and creates dimension to single processed hair by applying a slightly darker shade underneath.  This lets you go longer between salon visits!

PRECISE DRY CUT

When hair is cut dry, the stylist is able to work with the natural texture and flow of the hair. As the hair grows out, the style lasts longer as a result!

Image: Sxc.hu

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Saving Money at the Hair Salon

A compact with a mirror and  pop-up brush. Perfect for traveling, work place, or when you’re out on a date with someone or your friends. The size fits any night time clutch. So if you feel like giving your hair a small touch up brush, you could very well do so. That’s for the hair. The mirror is for checking your face or the newly brushed hair too.

It comes in either fuchsia or tangerine colors. $8 at Sephora.

(Image : Sephora)

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Sephora Moroccan Sunrise Pop-Up Travel Brushes