Hair Tips from Styling Souls

As Personal Care Specialists, we are often asked tips of great hair and Skin.  Here are some of our favorites for all around great hair and skin.  Article Written by  Rev. Christie La Valley, Personal Care Specialist.

Basic hair tips:

Don't rip your brush through snarls. If you don't have detangler spray, wet the area and generously apply conditioner and work it through evenly. Brush gently with a Vent Brush and slowly work the tangles out.

 DO NOT wash hair too often : It will dry your hair up and may cause greasy/oily looking hair. If you have dry hair, use a hydrating shampoo.

Always use cool water, after shampooing your hair rinse and condition it out. This will seal the cuticles and prevent frizz and dryness.

Use large tooth comb when applying condition or combing your hair.

Opt for a baby brush for smoothing the edges of dry hair. 

Air-dry whenever possible. Try to minimize the use of blow dryer as the strong heat tends to damage the hair, also the moisture lost makes them look rough and lifeless. Give your hair a break from that blow dryer, those curling irons. When you are kind to your hair, it rewards you by looking and feeling better. Choose a hairstyle that will let your hair fall naturally. A great cut makes all the difference
Get your hair trimmed on a regular basis (approximately every two months). This is especially important for growing out layers and/or bangs to reshape and make each stage of growing hair out a style.

  

All Natural Products for Healthy Hair:

Try rubbing lemon juice or apple cider vinegar into your roots: This encourages a  beautiful, shiny look and prevents greasy-looking hair and frizz.  Use caution if you have dark hair when using lemon juice, it can lighten your hair color if you stay in the sun with it in your hair

Coffee not only wakes you up but can wake up the hair. Brew some regular coffee. Make sure to let it cool down  to avoid burning yourself, but make sure it is still warm. Pour it throughout dry hair then twist your hair into a bun and cover with a plastic cap. Let it sit for 30 minutes then rinse out and use your usual shampoo and conditioner.  Coffee is very acidic and will leave your hair cuticle smooth and shiny. This will also enhance color. (Use caution if you have blonde hair, darkening may occur)

Mayonnaise and avocado oil: Depending on how long your hair is, use about 1 cup of mayonnaise and add 2 tablespoons of warm avocado oil. Mix up the ingredients and spread through hair as you would with conditioner. Use this home-made conditioner when you have free time because you will have to leave it in for about 3 hours. If possible, you can wrap your hair with plastic and leave the conditioner in overnight for deep conditioning. Rinse thoroughly and use your regular shampoo and conditioner.  Smothering the hair with Mayonnaise is also a treatment for lice management

Apple Cider Vinegar:  Shampoo your hair with your usual shampoo and rinse your hair thoroughly with warm running water . Measure two cups of apple cider vinegar and one cup of water and rinse hair carefully with the mix. Leave vinegar and water mixture on your hair for fifteen minutes. Rinse the vinegar off your hair with clean warm running water until the vinegar smell dissipates. You will surprisingly find your hair is now detangled, healthy looking and manageable. Repeat process every week or less if desired. Apple cider vinegars acidity level is close to that of natural hair. Not only does it detangle but, it's also an effective germ killer.

If you don't have detangler on hand, you can mix up some yourself. 

• Fill a spray bottle with the following detangler mixture:

8 ounces distilled water
1 teaspoon aloe vera gel
10-15 drops grapefruit seed extract
1-2 drops glycerin
1-2 drops essential oil (e.g., lavender, jojoba, chamomile)

Tips to Sleep on:
Get good quality and a correct amount of sleep to help with the natural rejuvenation process
Your hair is like your skin - it can repair itself overnight. There are great natural products or products you can make that when left overnight can leave your hair healthy and shiny.
It is highly recommended to sleep on a silk pillow case as opposed to a cotton one. Silk helps prevent tangling and dullness in your hair. The benefit of silk is your hair slides across the pillow case, whereas on cotton pillow case it catches and tangles”
Sleeping with your hair in a bun or braid may make it easier to brush in the morning, and will control some of the frizz.

Eat and drink your way to healthier  skin and hair:

Drink plenty of water [7 to 8 glasses] water.  Always keep your body hydrated.

Eat foods that are rich with iron. Iron is very good for hair and skin. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Vitamin E is very useful to get shiny the hair. Eat more foods rich with Vitamin E Add brown rice, nuts, wheat germ and leafy green vegetables in your diet.

Interesting Hair Tips:

• Rub tangled dry hair with a dryer sheet : prior to combing it out.
• Erase Hair color stains left on the skin:,  Simply use a regular tube of toothpaste or cigarette ash. Apply a small dab to your finger and gently rub the toothpaste over the stained area of the skin.  Rinse with lukewarm water.  Repeat until the stain is removed.
• Tame with Chapstick: put a little in on your fingertips and smooth it over baby hairs.
• Use Mascara to temporarily cover up gray hair:  Chose a shade close to your own hair color.