Girl Stuff

So I've been thinking about hair lately, maybe because it's starting to pick up here and I'm doing more hair now. (For those of you who don't know, while I was working and before we had Cash, I decided to become a hairdresser on the side so I could work from home when we had kids.) So anyway, any of you who have been around me or had me do your hair already know a lot of my hair philosophies, but I've decided to put some of my favorite tips and tricks on here, as well as some of my favorite products.

1. First and foremost - less washing. Very few hairdressers I know actually wash their hair every day. It just dries you hair our and makes your scalp produce more oil. And your hair will get used to it. I used to wash every day, then I went every other day, then eventually I could go more than that (sometimes far too long - I'm just lazy!) Anyway, I always advise people to spend more time doing it well once or twice a week instead. I shower with a towel on my head - I find it works better than a shower cap for me. You can also try using a dry shampoo (listed below). I will sometimes hit my hair for maybe 30 seconds or so, just dry, on a day when I'm not washing it - the heat and the brush seem to work out any sleeping kinks that seem too conspicuous.

2. Number 1 also leads to this point - you are more likely to do more interesting styling if you don't have to start from scratch each time. I love using hot rollers or putting in a few large curls with a curling iron, but that's a day two or three event for me. No way am I going to wash, dry, and then curl it all in one day. Hot rollers take me 5 or 10 minutes to put in and give it a great boost when I feel like the style is fading. I just read in a critique of hair at the Emmys that they predict that hot rollers and curling irons will be the thing of the season. (Um, hasn't it been that way for the last few years?) Day two or three is also a good time to get creative with headbands, scarves, etc.

3. I often like to style my hair with some movement, not always perfectly straight. I blow some ends under, some back, some flipped up. That way it's easier to fake when you sleep on it weird - I just put some product in it and it just looks like I have a messy sort of wave on purpose. Or after I've curled it, I leave it with curls for a few days for same reason.

4. Velcro rollers. These are great for most people. I often just do a couple in the top after I dry it while it's still warm, then I put on my makeup or something while it cools down. It makes it take a nicer form and look more finished than I can do myself. They also work magic for people with very fine or straight hair that need some lift or body.

5. Masks and treatments. I would never have believed it if I hadn't tried them myself (although expensive products may have made the difference). You can do them once a week or once a month as needed. I have very dry hair and do them pretty frequently. Sometimes I'll wash my hair at night and then towel dry it and put a mask in and just sleep with it and wash it out in the morning, or I will wash it in the shower, towel dry it, put the mask on and then just put on a shower cap and leave on for a few minutes while I shave, wash the bod, or whatever. Some people recommend putting a hot towel on your head after, although I've never gone to the effort. I have a few product recommendations below.