Most of us have time tested, hair care regimens we completely totally rely on. These comprise of trusted brands, expert stylists, favourite products and practised routines. But for the newbie it can be quite the daunting task, what with the infinite list of options and the scary terms experts like to casually throw around. Fret not, honey. This is where you can start!
The golden rule ladies – your hair is only as good
as you treat it. This one time a guy friend asked me how much money I spent on
my hair. “It looks like you spend a lot on it and I mean it in a good way”, he
clarified when I gave him a look that conveyed exactly how I felt about his
question! I mean, what a way to phrase a compliment! Men!! Anyway, my hair is
something I take utmost pride in and yes, I do invest a lot in it – money, time,
and effort! It is just like any other investment – you take care of it and the
results will show.
So if you want hair that you can flaunt, you need to give it
the kind of treatment that will make it worthy of flaunting. So again – and I cannot
stress enough on it – PRODUCTS! The right products will win half the battle for
you; the other half is made up of cuts, styling and treatments. Do not take the
power of salon products lightly. When they say ultimate liss, magic mousse,
shine mist or extra strong hold spray, they do not say so lightly! But then, we
are not talking about styling products alone. Anything and everything that goes
on your hair has to have the kind of quality that you want it to reflect.
Just to be clear, when I talk about products I mean only salon products. (Over the counter products in my world, do not even matter and this is how far I go in acknowledging their existence!)
Shampoos: Shampoos are an absolute, non-negotiable part of your personal care regimen. They
cleanse you hair and scalp off the natural oil that collects in it over time,
dust, grime, dandruff and anything else that may have deposited in between your
strands. How often you shampoo depends entirely on the nature of your hair and
scalp. Oily hair/scalp needs more frequent, often daily, washing. Normal to dry
hair can be washed with an interval of 2-3 days. Generally speaking, it is
rather unhealthy for your hair to wash it daily as the process of washing itself
is stressful for the strands. Your hair also needs a day or two revive the
natural moisture it lost in the previous wash. There are literally a million
types of shampoos available in the market – in spite of years of researching
the ideal product for my hair and an extremely specific list of favorites
compiled over time, I find myself tempted on a regular basis to try newer
brands and sub-brands. Anyway, depending on your hair type and what you want from
the results, you can choose a type of shampoo that would work for you.
Conditioners: No, these are not once-in-a-while indulgence products. Conditioners are sequels
to shampoos but are just as mandatory to your hair care routine. There are two kinds
of conditioners – wash out conditioners and leave in conditioners. And these
are not mutually exclusive! Wash out conditioners are imperative after the
shampoo, leave in conditioner is the additional option. So remember how shampoo
cleanses your hair off foreign particles that have settled in it? It also
strips off the moisture from your strands while it is at it. Conditioners provide
that essential moisture to your hair and by doing so, they provide basic
protection. If your hair is dry/frizzy, they help tame it to a good extent. Both
types of conditioners help control the hair, keep in tangle free and prevent
split ends – yup, told you the sun shines out of a conditioner jar! Get this
though – these babies are meant for your hair ONLY, they are not for your
scalp. So what conditioner you pick should obviously depend on your hair type
and what you will want from the results.
Serums: Think of these as the equivalent of the moisturiser you apply on your skin. See how this is another mandatory aspect of your personal care routine that you cannot do without? Serums are rockstars that do exactly that for your hair! The qualities of a serum make it substitutable with leave in conditioners. So again, this one comes down to preference. In a generic sense, serums give your hair protection against sunlight and external damage while also taming it and adding shine to it. There are a multitude of hair serums available under different brands with extra features such as frizz control, shine, thermal protection, volume, texture definition, etc.
Heat Protection products: These products do exactly what the name
says – they protect against the kind of heat that a simple serum would be out
of depth for. These products are to be used before the use of hot tools, be it
a hair dryer, diffuser, straightener or tongs! The kind of damage regular
styling does to our hair is incredible and over time, irreparable. Hair is even
more prone to such damage if it is treated, and I mean even hair colors here! If
you are someone who likes to blow dry your hair after every wash, or are a
stickler for that perfect straight fringe for which you need to grab a
straightener all the time – you ought to pledge eternal allegiance to this knight
in shining armor! Thermal protection products come in serum or spray forms for
you to choose from.
Dry shampoo: Yup, we have all had those days when we were
just way too busy or way too tired or even sick or retuned from a particularly
exhausting trip and had to get straight to work. You get the gist – oily,
matted, unwashed hair and you just cannot hide beneath the covers all
day. You need to get out and face the world – behold the Dry shampoo! This hero
is a savior in a literal sense, it is a powder based product that you need to spray
on your tresses, shake it out and comb for fresh voluminous locks. It might be
a bit of a struggle to find the perfect dry shampoo that does not leave powdery
residue in your hair, but you cannot go wrong with a good brand. Trust me – I was
dead against the idea of dry shampoo and all for washing my hair every third
day! But you know how life gets!
Yea. So we are way past the
stone-age of hair care where shampoo and conditioner alone could enrich your
mane game! Now that you understand the ‘role’ of these products, you can
better appreciate the absolute necessity for them in your life - I hope!
*twirling a gorgeous strand and
smirking*
No comments:
Post a Comment