| 10 Things you didn't know about |
| BLOW DRYING AT HOME |
| By Hansa Makhijani |
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| Always struggling to get salon-style hair? We show you how to style those tresses effectively – all without leaving your dresser. Styling tools appropriate for your hair type and desired results make styling at home a cakewalk. |
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Going to a hair salon every day for hair care or styling is neither feasible nor advisable. But taking care of hair at home is no rocket science. Here are a few tips to not just handle your hair but also style your tresses.
1. First things first:
It is important to protect your hair while styling them, especially if it involves exposure to extreme heat. A heat protective serum, spray or cream is essential when you are blow drying, straightening, crimping or curling. Try Kerastase Ciment Thermique or Schwarzkopf Osis+ Flatliner Spray. These products protect your hair against |
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| dryness and heat up to 200 degrees, says Najeeb Ur Rehman, national technical head, Schwarzkopf Professional India. |
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| 2. Customise: |
| Look for styling products that work for your hair texture specifically, advises Rehman. So if your hair is oily, go for something that is dry in nature to give a neutral effect, for instance sprays, matt wax and the like. If your hair is dry, choose one that adds shine and helps you enhance manageability. |
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| 3. Get the gear: |
| Styling tools appropriate for your hair type and desired results make styling at home a cakewalk. For example, if you have limp and flat hair, it will be a good idea to invest in a blow dryer with a vent brush attachment to help you volumise. And if it's wavy, a diff user attachment does the trick. It's good to have section clips, a straightening iron, blow dryer, tail comb, Velcro rollers, paddle brush, detangling comb, round thermal brush and a styling comb in your hairstyling arsenal. |
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| 4. Less is more: |
| Don't go overboard while using styling products, and control the quantity. Too much of it and you end up with sticky, limp locks. This is especially true if you have fine, silky hair. The ideal way is to take the product in a small coin-size quantity, says Rehman. You can always take more if required, he adds. Also, remember to rinse your hair well after a wash – conditioner residue prevents you from styling them well. |
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| 5. Psst: |
| We'll let you in on a little secret – don't wash your hair the day you wish to style them. Shocked? According to ace hair stylist and colouring whiz Josh Wood, dirty hair styles better. Now, we're not asking you to give up on shampoo totally – just use it a day before you do something elaborate with your hair. This is because just-washed hair has too much static energy. |
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| 6. Snip, snip, snip: |
| Keep your tresses in good shape by trimming your hair every six weeks. If your ends are frayed and unhealthy, they will not be able to hold any style well – whether they are curls, a blow dry or poker straight strands. |
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| 7. Make mine XL: |
| The easiest way to create volume? Towel-dry your hair after washing and apply a little bit of hairspray on damp hair. Loosely tie a top knot and when you feel the hair has dried, open them up and scrunch with your fingers, reveals Rehman. |
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| 8. All about technique: |
| For a salon-style blowout, technique makes all the difference, says Rehman. After washing, condition your hair with a cream or aqua-based conditioner, like Schwarzkopf's BC Moisture Kick Conditioner, towel-dry your hair and apply a heat protection formula. Next, bend your head and blast-off . Part your hair in two sections, and divide them further in two more, use a paddle brush (diff user if you have wavy hair) and run it along the length of the hair with the dryer and turn the hair inwards at the ends, he adds. |
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| 9. Anchored: |
| When making any kind of bun – whether it is at the side, top or nape of the neck – always start with a ponytail. This will give a strong base to the bun and it will last much longer. |
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| 10. Rescue and recover: |
| You probably just want to wash-off stiff and coarse hair after too much hairspray. Ideally, after your hair has spent a lot of time in hairspray (or other heavyduty styling products) you should either apply a serum (preferably an oil-based one) or hair oil. Use it for sometime before you shampoo to make sure your locks stay lovely. |
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| EASY LOOKS WITH A STRAIGHTENING IRON |
Did you know that one hair straightener can help you create several types of hair styles?
1. Spritz a little bit of hairspray, gather and twirl all your tresses and use your straightening iron along the length of the twirled braid, inch by inch for five seconds per section. Loosen the hair and fingercomb them. You'll get beachy waves in no time.
2. Create beautiful vintage finger waves by taking sections of hair, spraying it with hair spray and sliding your straightener in a back-and-forth 180-degree rotating motion along the length.
3. You can even create curls and ringlets with all modern 360-degree straighteners. Take a section of your hair and starting two inches away from the roots, clasp your hair in between and rotate the iron full circle so that your hair loops the straightener. Slowly pull the iron down and you're set. |