I left the 'aging' in the today's blog post title, but we'll do a bit of talking about my dear daughter's hair, too, and she's nowhere near aging!
You know how the older generation just loves to say, 'back in my day!' or, 'you guys have NO idea how good you have it!' Well, I can honestly say this applies to haircare. In the almost 50 years of my life, I have seen such changes, particularly in the area of home haircolor and conditioning. Where once we had to strictly rely on going to a salon for top quality products, now we can often find just as good product over the counter.
That being said, I will start this off by saying, NOTHING will replace a good haircut. There are many ways to save money, but if you want to look current and stay on top of those pesky split ends, do yourself a favor and find a great hairstylist, and quit crying over the cost. Hey, if it's so easy to do, CUT YOUR OWN!
Then, Instagram the results. Snort.
If you want healthy hair, you need to take care of it. You need to keep it trimmed. You need the proper shampoo and conditioner for your hair type. You need the right brush. And, you need to make sure you're using the right haircolor and treatments. It's worth taking the extra time to do your research and make sure you're buying the right stuff. The payoff? Beautiful, lustrous locks.
I used to use whatever I could find in the way of brushes and combs. One was as good as another, right? Actually, no. Especially since my hair is color treated, I needed to find a brush that was gentle. The boar bristle brushes are truly kind to your hair. So, are the brushes with widely spaced bristles. You want to eliminate the chance of snagging and breaking your precious strands, so choose wisely. I also use a special comb made just for combing out wet hair after shampooing. Just using those two tools have made a huge difference in the quality of my hair.
After shampooing, I do very little blow drying. Color treated and dry, my hair needs every break I can give it. I only blow dry my crown and bangs, using a round, natural bristled styling brush. I dry it to the 'just damp' stage. I also only wash my hair two times a week. It's amazing, as we age, how little we need to cleanse those follicles!
If you're my age, I recommend a hairstyle that takes minimal heat styling. The first day after I shampoo, I do the whole 9 yards as far as straightening and curling. Then, on the days after that, my style needs very little upkeep. I have long layers that hold their shape nicely. I will wash my hair tonight, but this morning, as I was getting ready for work, I bent over, touseled my hair with my fingers, smoothed it out a bit, and sprayed it. I use Elnett spray, which at $13.99 is NOT a bargain price, but it is gentle on my hair, doesn't feel sticky, yet holds exactly as I like it. I consider that a bargain!
As far as shampoo and conditioner, I like the Pantene line a lot. I use the Pantene Intense Moisture conditioner. For shampoo, Sally Beauty has their ION line of products, and I'm using their Intense Moisture shampoo. L'Oreal does a great job of putting coupons in the Sunday paper for their products, so I can always find one when I'm needing Pantene. I belong to the Sally Beauty Club, which for $5 a year, I get discounts every time I buy something, not to mention emails and special gifts. We seem to be going to Sally more and more, as Claire will be starting cosmetology school in a less than a year (ZOINKS!) and she's always wanting to check out the makeup and haircare products. She uses the Biotera line for shampoo and conditioner. At $6.99 and $10.99, Sally's shampoos and conditioners are much less than the usual salon product, yet are just as superior.
I have been coloring my hair since high school. I remember being a freshman, and having my mom pull my hair through those little bitty holes in the color cap when I wanted 'frosted' waves. Oh, the pain we endured! When I was a senior, I decided I had had enough of my ashy, mousy brown haircolor, and asked my mom to make me a blonde! I have been 'augmenting' my haircolor ever since. In the old days, when you colored your own hair, the consistency was like that of a Barbie's hair.....strange and stiff. Going to have my hair professionally highlighted eliminated that, but it was also much pricier. I paid as high as $150 for professional highlights (ah, the good old days???).
During my divorce, I could no longer get my hair colored professionally, so good ol' mom came to my rescue. I started using L'oreal Preference, and it's truly a superior product. One box every 3-4 weeks keeps my roots in good shape. Because I use blonde, it's unnecessary to color my whole head, and it's much easier on my ends when I don't. Blonde doesn't fade like other colors, and even though it's not peroxide based, it's still harsh on my hair, so not coloring my whole head helps a great deal. You can also coat your ends in conditioner when you color, for extra protection.
After coloring, I try to wait at least 4 days before shampooing.
My darling Claire seems to be following in mom's footsteps, as far as coloring her hair in high school, but she goes for sexy, vixen red! The L'Oreal Feria Intense color every 4 weeks does the trick. Red DOES fade, so for that added oomph, we do Claire's whole head (yes, I color it, I'm paying it forward from my mom!). Since she still has oily hair, she must wash it every night, but she waits at least 2 days before washing after applying color. She also watches the heat styling, often opting for free, natural waves, or putting it up into a cute topknot. You can get away with that when you're young :P
Both Claire and I receive compliments on our color, so we must be doing something right! I don't claim to be an expert, but after a lifetime of playing around and finding the right products for my 'do, I think I've finally nailed it. Claire wears her hair very long, but she swears by regular trims to get rid of the crispy split ends. Especially after a play or musical, where she must subject her hair to nightly torture sessions with 1000's of bobby pins and about a ton of Aquanet!
I am looking forward to my darling daughter's foray into cosmetology. I'm sure we will both benefit from some added, professional advice!
No comments:
Post a Comment