Get Shiny, Healthy Hair

Regardless of how long, thick, or curly it is, every celebrity I work on wants one thing for her hair: the look of health. It almost sounds absurd to call this a trend, but that's the one common denominator to every style I'm doing right now. When hair looks shiny and strong, it makes you look younger—a lush head of hair is so luxurious and sensual. The problem is that everything you can do to your hair—color it, iron it, blow it dry—harms it. Here's how to bring yours back to life (or at least fake it).

HOW TO FIX IT

Identify the damage. When your hair is clean and dry, pull it in front of your shoulders and look in the mirror from a few feet away. Check for the line of demarcation: There is usually a ring that runs around your head, a few inches up from the ends. If you can't find a line, look for the white dots that are the mark of split ends. The more damaged your hair is, the higher the line or white dots will be.

Get a cut. It's the only thing you can do to get rid of damage. Ask your stylist to cut up to the line of damage or as high up as you're willing to go. Six to eight weeks later, get another trim to dust off the split ends that the first pass missed. The second cut is also a good idea if you were too freaked out to take a lot off the first time.

Take it easy. Don't wash your hair every day, because that can dry it out. If you shampoo your hair a few times a week, try a gentle one like Kérastase Nutritive Bain Satin 2. It's a good idea to condition the hair every day with a moisturizing conditioner like Davines MoMo and use a hair mask or treatment, such as René Furterer Carthame Gentle Hydro-Nutritive Mask, once a week.

Lay off the styling. That's what got you into this mess in the first place. Limit blow-drying and flatironing to once a week, and stretch out the times between styling. Usually hair looks better one or two days after you blow-dry it anyway.

Color carefully. Only color or highlight the hair that hasn't already been colored. Recoloring the hair is very damaging, and the hair looks more natural if the ends are slightly lighter. If you're a brunette or a redhead, use a nonperoxide color (which won't last as long but doesn't weaken the hair as much), and try a glossing treatment to make the color richer without hurting the hair.

HOW TO FAKE IT

If your hair is damaged, and you don't have time to nurse it back to health, there are ways to cheat. I don't recommend this on a regular basis—only when you're in a pinch.

Leave it in. When the hair is damp, comb a leave-in conditioner through the ends of the hair. Then scrunch a palmful of Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam from roots to tips. It's a conditioning foam so it makes the hair feel soft even if it is brittle.

Blow-dry carefully. Your blow-dryer is part of the reason you have damage, but it can also help hide it. Stand up and look down at your feet. Part your hair in the middle so half of the hair falls over each shoulder. Blow-dry the hair only at the roots until they're dry. Let the ends air-dry.

Avoid frizz. Damaged hair is more prone to frizz, so if your hair is curly, skip the blow-dry and comb a lightweight conditioner like Kérastase Nutri-Sculpt through damp hair. Then scrunch the ends, and let hair air-dry.

Hide the ends. If the damage is really bad, spray the bottom half of the hair with Sebastian Laminates Anti-Frizz Hair Spray to protect it, and wrap the ends, section by section, around a wide-barrel curling iron. As a last resort, you can rub a few drops of John Frieda Frizz-Ease or Oscar Blandi Olio di Jasmine Serum through the ends to smooth them. A dab of pomade works, too.

Stick a pin in it. If the hair is too frayed to wear down, pull it up. When the hair is dry, pull it into a ponytail in the middle of the back of the head and wrap it around itself. Once you have a bun in place, push long, narrow bobby pins in from every direction so it stays put. This look works if the hair is smooth or if it's messy. As long as the ends are hidden, the hair looks healthy. If you have bangs or layers around the face, leave them loose. Bangs never look damaged.


SOURCE: Allure.com
(http://www.allure.com/magazine/2008/12/chris_mcmillan_healthy_hair)
Author: Chris Mcmillan