Hair So Silky, It Shines

Photo: Elle

I spend less on hair care than on skin care. That's because hair cells are dead cells, and I don't want to go broke on hair care products.

Nonetheless, if my hair doesn't look good ... I am upset. I bet every woman has cried at least once over a bad hair cut. And, I would guess some men have too! So it all begins with a flawless, percision cut. That's why I will follow Penny, who cuts my hair, wherever she goes.

Since you need to fiddle with your hair every single day of your life, it's only common sense to:

(1) Find inexpensive hair products that really work.

(2) Love the hair you were born with, be it straight or curly. If you make changing your natural texture a daily chore, the hours and money you spend on your hair really add up. Embrace what you have to keep your hair routine simple.

(3) Focus on keeping your hair healthy, clean and neat, and you will always look fabulous!

Photo: thebeautydepartment.com

I have straight hair ... that actually has some wave or body to it, if it is left to air dry. Here's how I style my straight hair to make it shine:

1) Wash it with a nickel-size amount of shampoo. I like TRESemme, a drugstore brand. Using less shampoo cleans hair without removing all the natural oil from your scalp, making hair look its very best.

2) Some sources tell us to wash with lukewarm water, then switch to cold water for a final rinse. I don't think it matters. Lukewarm water feels better than hot or cold. What is important is to rinse your hair and scalp squeaky clean of shampoo.

3) Follow with a rich conditioner suitable for your hair type. My favorite is Pantene Pro-V Beautiful Length's Strengthening Conditioner, another drugstore buy. Use a quarter-size amount, applying most of the conditioner to the ends, working your way up to the roots of the hair (but stop short about an inch, your roots don't need conditioning). Most of us use too much product, which doesn't make hair look any better. It just gets washed down the drain.

4) Towel dry hair removing as much moisture as possible. This shortens your drying time.

5) I spray my damp hair lightly with TRESemme Thermal Creations, a heat protector. If you let your hair dry naturally, you don't need it. I blast my hair with a blow dryer every day.

6) Next, a blow dry: For straight hair use a blow dryer with a comb attachment. To give hair volume and shine, start with a cool setting until nearly dry, then switch to hot to style it. 

The drill: I begin blow drying my hair (on the cool setting) by tilting my head forward and flipping my hair over my head. That way, I dry the under layers first and against gravity. I use the blow dyer with its comb attachment on one side of my hair and a paddle brush to free the hair of tangles on the opposite side. When my hair is nearly dry, I pause ... part it ... switch to hot, then continue styling.

Remember that the cool setting at the beginning adds fullness, and the hot setting near the end produces shine. Drying my hair takes 5 - 7 minutes. 

Most days, this is all I do. Done!

But on days when I notice some hair static, I will either smooth the flyaways with the heat of a (1" plate) flat iron ... or with a tiny bit of body lotion. I think body lotion works as well as a fancy hair smoothing cream. The results are exactly the same, and the fewer hair products you use the better (less build-up). Your hair will look silky clean. Basically, what you're doing by rubbing a tiny bit of body lotion with your fingers on the flayaways is neutralizing the charge (electrons) in your hair. Rub some on the ends too, especially in winter.

Furthermore in my experience, there is no real need to buy expensive blow dryers or flat irons. High-priced brands do not dry your hair faster, style your hair smoother, nor last longer. All blow dryers and flat irons damage your hair if misused, as well as, burn out with frequent use. It hurts less to replace a $22 Conair 1875 Styler than a $125 Cricket Centrix Q Zone dryer.

Likewise, your hair looks the same whether you use a $20 Revlon Cermanic Straightener, or a $100 Farouk CHI flat iron. Usually a well known beauty company will make a good, inexpensive blow dryer or flat iron that gets the job done.

Since I can't give tips on caring for curly hair, I am turning to YouTube. Here's an information-packed clip where four different women tell you how they care for their curls. (The video has a cornball introduction, but stick with it.)

Now go out and have a gooood hair day!

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Are Leave-in Hair Conditioners Necessary?

A leave-in hair conditioner is an extra treatment, as well as, an extra step taken after you shampoo and condition your hair, then raise out the regular conditioner along with excess water from your hair. At this point, leave-in conditioner is applied to damp hair before drying it for the day.

No doubt, your hair type determines whether or not you need this extra hair product. Dry, damaged, or curly hair might benefit, but for my abundant mane of straight fine hair, I find a leave-in conditioner to be a waste of money. Despite its lighter formula compared to regular conditions that are rinsed out with clean running water, leave-in conditioner tends to dull and weigh down my hair, making the hair look like I need to wash it again. Certainly, there is no benefit.

On the other hand, I do spray my clean damp hair lightly with TRESemme Thermal Creations, a heat protector, before blasting my hair with a blow dryer every day. Unlike any of the leave-in hair conditioners I've tried over the years, this specific heat protector leaves no residue ... or funky smell behind. Additionally, it seems to untangle the hair and have a taming effect (although the product, itself, makes no such claims). 

If I require anything more to calm flyways on a humid day, in lieu of a leave-in hair conditioner, I apply a tiny dab of body cream on the flyaways or frizzies only and avoid the hair near my scalp. Often I use hand cream to treat dry hands, and before it completely absorbs into the skin, rub my hands through my hair. Voilà, multi-tasking leave-in hair conditioner! Just like a marketed leave-in-hair conditioner, a slight amount of hand cream will neutralize the negative electrons in your hair. Disarm and balance those unruly atoms, and you're good!😂

What do you do? Are you a fan of leave-in hair conditioners?

BTW: All of images of leave-in conditioners on the post are top-rated ones by the editors of Allure magazine. Here's their entire list. What's more, if you have a sharp memory, my interview with celebrity hair stylist, Fashion Henricks, mentioned one of them 4 years ago! Plus SheaMoisture and Garnier Whole Blends are forever Savvy Shopper favorite brands. (You can use the search box to pull up more of my reviews.)

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First Time Ever I Cut My Own Hair

Only blurry selfies to share.😁. They do show you the end result.

Although THE SAVVY SHOPPER tries to save money, in normal times I'd never cut my own hair! A few things, like a good haircut, are worth every penny! After 7 months of COVID, my hair was becoming Rapunzel-like and needed a trim. Longer hair doesn't look horrible on me, but medium-long hair is less work and more polished! So as long as I'm trimming my own hair ... I might as well take off several inches!

But my longtime hairdresser, Penny's job isn't in jeopardy. Truthfully I need her more than she needs me! After cutting my hair for a few years she suddenly left my neighborhood salon (due to an unfair occurrence) after she had worked there for years, and I was crushed! 

My long hair on a good day.

In time, I saw her again and then felt comfortable asking for her home phone number. When she gave it to me, I said, "Ah, ha, now you'll never escape from me again!" A decade+ later, she's become my friend and comes to my home to cut my hair, after her regular job or on her day off from her new salon. Often I have dinner ready so she has something to eat when she arrives. Sometimes she cuts my hair for free ... but I don't let her not charge me too often because she lives way uptown in the Bronx and it requires her time, skills and energy to come to my home to give me a precision haircut. 

Moreover, Penny no longer has other private clients in my neighborhood, and I only need a cut ... not her full services of color or highlighting which would make her travel to my home more lucrative. She really doesn't make enough money coming to my home for just a cut although she's too classy to say so. She really only cuts my hair because of our history.

If I had an event to go to and ask her to come, she'd make time for me, not the scenario with COVID, so I wanted to try cutting my own hair ... once! BTW at her new salon, her boss sets the price of haircuts much higher, and he gets a big percentage of each job/client who comes into the shop. Also, I can't walk there, and I'd rather not take a subway all the way downtown if I can avoid it, limiting the risks of getting COVID whenever possible. (Likewise, I want to keep Penny safe by not asking her to ride the subway anymore than she already must.) 

So that's the backstory of why I cut my own hair. Plus I thought if this pandemic goes on another year -- with spikes of COVID, could I master the skill to do it? The answer is, not as well as Penny!

Yet if you must cut your own hair, too, here are tips ... 

I began by watching YouTube tutorials 1st. (Not all the techniques are spot on. In my non-expert opinion, flipping all your hair over your head is useless if you want to cut straight. Another YouTuber suggests binding your hair in a ponytail at the nape of the neck and cutting an inch or more off to get started. Don't do it! You'll end up with a tress of hair too short in the wrong place that must be fixed!!  

Here's what works ... I parted the hair as if you are making pigtails, leaving it untied, bringing each side forward and cutting it section by section from front to back. I kept combing and comparing sections to the corresponding sections (stains of hair from side to side, as well as, the left side of the head to the right side of the head). I used a handheld mirror to look at the back hair and sometimes brought locks forward to snip. Also, micro-conservative snipping is best! Never cut too much hair at once. Go back and snip the same section over if needed -- little by little rather than cutting off too much length at one time. You don't want to do this -->😱

As my Facebook friend, Patti, says a DIY haircut "takes a bit of tweaking! One side then the other and then the handheld mirror to see the back! Then the fine-tuning!" She's absolutely right. It's a time-consuming process achieved by tiny snips at a time ... use a slow, steady hand. Nothing drastic.

Another tip is to only use real hair scissors. I had a pair because decades ago I wore bangs that I trimmed in-between salon visits.

I learned cutting your own hair is not easy! This could've gone very, very wrong!! I cannot wait to see dear Penny again! Add hairstylists to society's list of most important people.

Update - January 28, 2021: Third time's a charm. In a year like no other, I'm ready to retire as my own barber!

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New Hair Tools: Crimpers, Curlers and Making Waves

In life there are many things a person has little control over, somethings it's your adult children, a stubborn parent, or even the daily happenings in an anxious country. To make up for the many annoyances, every day should be a good hair day. Right? At least give us that!

1) In the 1990's I crimped my long straight hair a few times a month. I still like the look and still have the crimper, but as an older model, it takes about 5 minutes to heat up. The Bed Head Little Tease Crimper is light, slim, ultra fast and easy-to-use. It gets hot in 30 seconds. Do you have 30 seconds of patience? Why ... yes!!

The crimper has toumaline/cermamic plates to protect the hair against heat damage. Using the tool adds volume to straight hair, which can go flat at the end of a long day.

2) The Kiss Instawave Automatic Hair Curler heats in seconds to create beautiful soft curls without tangling. The ceramic ionic technology delivers shiny, frizz-free hair. With it, you can also control the direction of the curl.

3) For natural beach waves, wrap sections of hair around the double barrels of the above Remington hair CI52FO Wrap to Wave Styler in a figure 8 shape. It has 30 different heat settings, so the fork-shaped gizmo works on any hair type.

4) The Revlon Shine Enchancing Hot Air Kit is a 2-in-1 hair dryer and styler with ionic technology to dry hair faster, reduce frizz and add volume and shine. This model comes with 3 heat settings and 2 brush sizes to create waves and curls.

Frankly, in styling my hair straight sans frizzies, a blow dryer (with an attached comb), plus a flat iron to curl the ends under is faster. How the Revlon Enchancer helps is by adding volume to the hair when used at the end of the blow dry. Place the roller-brush under your hair to finish drying, and it lifts the hair up, as well as, smooths flyaways.

Not only do customers give these 4 hair tools high ratings, they are priced between $18 and $35. Because ... it shouldn't take much time, effort or money to have a good hair day. So at least a gal can be in control of her locks!

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Trendy Rapunzel Hair 2024

 

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let Down Your Golden Hair

Have you noticed how long celebrities are wearing their hair lately? I've noticed the trend for several months on actresses of all ages. Sunday's Golden Globes showcased both beautiful gowns and extremely long locks. The hair of some attendees is so thick and long they must be wearing hair extensions and/or hair pieces. Call me naive but it was only after the death of Michael Jackson in 2009 that I caught on to the fact that show biz people wear hair extensions and pieces, as well as, false eyelases, and their lush hair and eyelashes are often not natural. Before my epiphany, I never really thought about it.

Recent photos of Brooke Shields, Rosamund Pike, Amy Adams, and Rihanna. Globe photos: Top - Jennifer Lawrance, Bottom - Taylor Swift and Margot Robbie

Occasionally I've sported long locks myself, and I know longer hair tends to be easy to style, but you spend more time conditioning it to maintain its health and luster. I also kept it trimmed for a clean line free of split ends.

Although I've had long hair, it's never been Rapunzel length which I think is rarely possible without the help of hair extensions, not to mention stylists and a slew of hair products and accessories.

Soon after this (not the greatest quality) photo was taken, I cut my hair to shoulder length. Shoulder-length hair isn't necessarily easier to maintain, but it is lighter, bouncer, and you don't find long strands of hair all over your home -- the annoyance and reason I usually cut it shorter. Argh, I've never had hair any longer than in this photo.

Sarah Jessica Parker in Elle magazine

What do you think of the trendy very long Rapunzel hair length in the media? Stylish or too much of a good thing?

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Fashion Hendricks' 5 Must-Have Products For Summer Hair

Today we are in for a treat! Fashion Hendricks, celebrity hairstylist and owner of Manhattan's popular NYC Weave Studio, is sharing 5 of her favorite hair products for the summer with the readers of THE SAVVY SHOPPER.

Ms. Henricks is passionate about making clients look and feel beautiful! Her trendy salon has glowing reviews from tons of returning customers; and the distinguished hair stylist has appeared on television shows, such as Jerseylicious, The Nate Berkus Show and Tyler Perry's Meet The Browns.

Here are Fashion's 5 picks to tame and style your tresses all summer long. They are suitable for every hair texture to counter the elements of the dog days ahead, including: sun, humidity and heat.

1) Watermelon Love Drops (by Fashion Hair Solutions) - A humidity frizz buster and heat protectant. With a light scent of watermelon, it adds a clear shine to dry hair. Won't weigh hair down and protects hair from sun damage. Fashion says, be sure "to bring this little bottle of awesomeness to the beach!" 

2) It's A 10 Minute Styling Serum (available at any drugstore) - The serum protects colored hair, seals the cuticle and resists humidity.

3) Shaper Plus (by Sebastian) - This is Fashion's go to light hair spray, which she says is a must! Even after lots of brushing, this light spray still holds a style!

4) Bee Mine Luscious Balanced Cream Moisturizer (by Bee Mine Natural & Organics) - This moisturizer will single handily restore your hair to good health "after abuse from the sun, heat styling and saltwater," according to Fashion: "It repairs ends and strengthens hair from root to tip."

5) Got2b Ultra Glued Invincible Styling Gel (available at drugstores, Walmart and Target) - For vertical styles and smooth, sleek ponytails. Fashion likes this gel because "it's not sticky and won't disappoint. It keeps every strain in place! Talk about taming, this one is it!"

Well, lucky SAVVY SHOPPERS, you now have the wisdom of a hair professional! These hair products really work ... without breaking the bank. Many thanks, Ms. Fashion Hendricks, for your awesome recommendations! Here's to a summer of good hair days!

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L'Orèal's Air Dry It Hair Series

I wash and blow dry my hair every day, but sometimes I get tired of the ritual, and even with heat protecting conditioners, it's healthy to give hair a break from heat. Unfortunately avoiding electric stylers and heat usually leaves your hair untamed and messy. A sad, unappealing sight that can now be remedied! L'Oèal has launched an exciting series of styling products to give hair: body, shine, smoothness and texture, sans the heat, i.e. by letting it air dry naturally. Best of all, the new stylers do their work without leaving your hair, sticky, flaky, crunchy or stiff. The end result is soft, touchable hair that has fullness, hold, shine and texture.

L'Oèal's Advanced Air Dry It hair stylers include:

1) Ruffled Body Mousse - Perfect for curly and wavy hair. Creates a soft, ruffled look. Extra tip: Flip head upside down and scrump the ends with your figures to add volume.

2) Undone Style Cream - Perfect for straight or wavy hair. Gives an undone, soft and shiny look. Extra tip: Apply to the ends of the hair for added smoothness.

3) Waved Swept Spray - Perfect for all hair types. Produces a natural , textured, wavy look. Extra tip: Spray on wet and braided locks of hair for extra waves.

These new hair products save time: Natural, effortless, shiny, full, smooth hair ... minus the heat. Wow, envision going away without packing your blow dryer, straightener or curling iron! Each product costs under $5.


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Hot Tools Black Gold Charcoal Infused One-Step Blowout

A bulky blow dryer in the hand.

For one week I used Hot Tools One-Step Blowout dryer (price $80). Other retailers have a blow dryer wand including: Revlon ($59), Conair ($48) and Dyson ($500). The Hot Tools unit is marketed as a blow dryer used by professional stylists.

Did I like it? Yes ... but not as much as my Conair 1875 Watt 3-in-1 Styling Hair Blowdryer (see photo below; cost $20). If you already have a blow dryer you like, you definitely will not need a wand (also called a hot air brush). My Conair Styler does everything the new wands do better! There is no rod to wrap your hair around, but it doesn't matter!

The Hot Tools hot air brush is easy to use and has good heat output to dry thick hair quickly just like my Conair Styler. But as I said, my type of blow dryer performs several functions better! Moreover it only costs $20 versus $80 for the new Hot Tools wand.

The Hot Tools Blowout is heavier and bulky, while the Conair Styler is sturdy, yet light and compact. The Conair blow dryer has 3 attachments, which are detachable. Not so with the Hot Tools' (or Revlon's) blow dryer wands, which have a single non-detachable brush. If after time and use, the bristles fall or wear out, you must buy a new blow dryer. You can replace my Conair Styler's 3 attachments as needed like you can with the Conair and Dyson wands. But jeez, look what you're paying for the Dayson wand ... $500!

I expect the new one-step wands to be more advanced, as well as, more convenient to use over my Conair Styler, but, their bulky bodies make them less so in my experience. The fact that I can twirl my hair around a rod isn't an advantage. The motion doesn't add greater volume, or body to my hair over the Conair Styler, nor do I end up with curls at the ends with staying power. It seems I get the same, if not more, volume with my reliable Conair Styler by blowing out my hair upside down (i.e. with a downward tilted head).

And too, my Conair Styler adds more shine and smoothness to my hair than the Hot Tools wand type. I think this is due to using a comb attachment, as opposed to, going through my hair with the bristles of a brush. And as mentioned, with the Hot Tools wand, you only get one option, a non-detachable brush to blowout your hair. The Conair Styler's comb tames frizz better.

Surprisingly, Conair's comb attachment is gentler on my scalp also. Even though the Hot Tool's brush doesn't scratch my scalp, it leaves it raw ... and I'm unsure if this would feel more severe over a longer period of use.

Still the champion!

Finally the Conair 1875 Styler blow dryer dries my hair in less time (under 5 minutes). Its compact body allows you to move it through a full head of hair faster and with more passes. The Hot Tools wand (i.e. hot air brush) is more of a workout to use, requiring more turns of the wrist to pass over and through the hair. Its bulk makes it slightly awkward to use.

Don't get me wrong: Hot Tools One-Step Blowout does its job of drying the hair straight with less frizz. Everybody on the Internet is loving the new blow dryer wands. Yet they are not comparing them to the Conair 1875 Styler blow dryer, and I am. 

The verdict is in: The Conair 1875 Watt 3-in-1 Styler is still the champ. Better performance for less cash! To straighten long,  medium, or short length hair, I highly recommend it over the hot air brushes ... at least for now. Wait for the next generation of wand blow dryers to become slimmer, cheaper and come with detachable combs and brushes.


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BondiBoost Hair Care From Australia

BondiBoost is an Australian hair care company that formulates salon professional shampoos, conditioners, treatments, and tools to improve the hair's strength, thickness, texture, length, volume, and luster. The merchant claims to use the highest quality ingredients. Everything is made in Australia, parabens-free silicone-free, sulfate-free, and cruelty-free. A multitude of hair products address a multitude of personal hair issues while smelling great and delivering unfailing results. The purpose-driven company also strives to make the world a better place.

As you might expect, BondiBoost is priced higher than your average drugstore brand of hair products, yet if you try, you can score discounts by looking for special promotions, joining the website's rewards program, or buying its starter kits at 20% off.

The company's Infrared Bounce Brush promises to penetrate the inner layers of the hair with gentle heat of negative ions to neutralize the positive ions found in damaged hair resulting in smoother, shinier, less frizzy hair. I haven't tried the brush, but its many 5-star reviews from happy customers pique my interest.

Frankly, I get smooth, shiny, frizz-free hair with my Conair 1875 Watts Ionic Blowyer (costing $24) by using its comb attachment, which I use every day without damaging my hair. The Infrared Brush sounds fantastic too, yet at $99, is 3 times the price. What's more, I've tried and reviewed the hot air brushes that were popular 5 years ago and discovered they require more wrist-turning for the same or less smooth, shiny hair I achieve with my blow dryer. I look for more ease or better results if replacing a tool with one costing more money. You can decide for yourself.

Nonetheless, we should put BondiBoost, an excellent hair care brand,  on our radars so we can grab a good deal. At times, salon brands land at T.J. Maxx, so be on the lookout!

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