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How to Take Care of your Gorgeous Blonde Hair

Beautiful blonde locks from highlights to platinum blonde hair requires maintenance to keep that brassiness away. Meet your new best friends; toners, silver shampoos and many different hydrating and protein based treatments to add the moisture that the bleach rips away. Following is a compilation of products that are tested and proven to work for your blonde hair to keep it an ash tone as opposed to that dreaded brassiness.

Toner

• Goldwell 10P toner or Goldwell 10V toner, which one you chose depends on which shade of blonde you prefer. It is quite a good product to keep your hair from going brassy and lasts up to 3 weeks. Your hair must be bleached quite pale to notice the effects of this product. Mixing the Goldwell 10P and the 10V together can also give beautiful results
• Iceflower toning mousse by Schwarzkopf for a platinum blonde produces quite good toning effect and cuts out brassiness
• Ultra White Minx water rinse by Roux
• Napro Live Silver Toner has a very pretty color and lasts about 8 washes. It is a good cheap toner that you can get in most drug stores or supermarkets
• Fudge Paintbox’s ‘Lighter Shade Of Pale’

Shampoo and Conditioner

• Matrix shampoo- So Silver
• Matrix Earthy Tones conditioning tube- Violet
• KMS blonde shampoo
• Wella Bonacure Silver Reflex
• Alfaparf silver shampoo is very good. A trick with these shampoos is to leave it on for about 20 mins and it will act like a toner.
• De Lorenzo Silver Color Care Shampoo can be used once a week to maintain your perfect blond color
• Paul Mitchell Strength Range is good for bleach damaged hair to restore its strength

Treatment

• Redken All Soft
• Redken Smooth Down Butter Treat
• L’Oreal Techni.art Liss Control is great for fine hair
• Paul Mitchell Strength Super Strong Treatment

Leave in

Masque

• L’Oreal Absolut Repair mask
• Kerastase Masquintense
• Matrix Moisturising Mask

How to get Perfectly Straight Hair

Japanese Hair Straightening – Thermal Reconditioning

Curls, movement, waves and body… no matter how hard hair stylists try to tell us that they are in fashion, the majority of women still dream about straight hair. I am talking about the kind of straight hair that is wash and go, not one that requires hours of brushing with a hairdryer or ironing with a hair straightener. The type of hair that laughs in the face of humid weather. The big cosmetic companies know of our plight and have infinite hair products on the market that promise to make our hair sleek and smooth and straight, but rarley do the job alone without the help of heat appliances if at all.  So then we start thinking about permanent hair straightening, the perm of our times… Thermal Reconditioning a.k.a Japanese Hair Straightening, ionic retexturing, rebonding, yuko system and bioionic straightening.

How does Japanese Hair Straightening work?

Protein and heat is used to restructure the hair bonds covering the hair in an anti frizz film that leaves it smooth and silky. The treatment takes between 3 to 8 hours to achieve and will leave your hair wonderfully straight for between 3 to 8 months. The beauty of this process is that you don’t run the risk of ending up with porous or kinky strands. You should not wash your hair right after the treatment; wait for at least 2 – 5 days. The result is smooth, pin straight, silky hair without the need of dryers and you can give up your GHD to more unfortunate friends.

Things to be Aware Of When Getting Your Hair Straightened

It is very important to go to a hair stylist that comes highly recommended for this procedure as the end result is dependent on their level of skill. You should really do your research and ask around. Thermal Reconditioning will cost you between $300 to $900 with hair length being the deciding factor on price. Make sure that you get a free consultation from your stylist of choice as not all hair types are suitable. This includes some hair that has been colored, lightened hair (sorry you girls out there with platinum blonde), hair that has been straightened already with a sodium relaxer, henna treated hair, previously chemically treated hair permed curly or wavy and African hair (this hair is very fragile and cannot tolerate the heat involved in the process).

Looking After Your New Straight Hair!

Once you have had your hair straightened you have to take extra care of it by applying deep conditioning treatments 1-2 times a week to avoid dryness. Getting your regrowth done depends on how curly your hair is and how long you feel you can go without it. If your hair is quite long you can go longer as the long hair weighs down your roots.

Following are some examples of Japanese Hair Straightening:

The Basics of Hair Care

The Basics of Taking Care of your Hair

Following this basic guide you will see results in the improvement of your hair immediately.

Always use the right hair products for your hair type. If you are unsure of what your hair type is ask your stylist.

1. Always wash your hair when it is dirty.
2. Trim your hair every 6 to 8 weeks.
3. Very hot water damages your hair, wash your hair with warm to cold water.
4. Towel dry your hair with care.
5. Make sure you use heat protecting products on your hair designed for use with your flat iron or hair dryer. This will greatly reduce the damage done to your hair.
6. De-tangle and brush your hair delicately, remember that it breaks easily. Use a comb on wet hair.
7. Use brushes made of natural bristle. They are quite expensive but it is a one off cost as they last forever and are very good for your hair.
8. Apply an intensive hair masque once a week. Make sure it is suitable for your hair type.
9. Let the hair dry naturally whenever possible.

Taking Care of Different Hair Types

Normal Hair

Normal hair has natural volume and is easy to brush as it molds easily and has elasticity. It is neither too thick nor too fine.

• Use a ph neutral shampoo.
• Wash your hair every 3 days or only when dirty. It is not necessary to wash it everyday.
• Pay special attention to the ends of your hair when conditioning it.
• Apply a deep conditioning hair masque at least once a month.

Dry Hair

Your hair is dry if it is very hard to brush and knots and breaks off easily. Dry hair has a dehydrated and opaque look, it lacks shine.

• Use a hyrdating shampoo especially formulated for dry hair.
• Always apply conditioner to your hair. Use conditioners for dry hair with hydrating oils like olive oil or almond.
• Use a deep conditioning masque for dry hair at least once a week. A good idea is to keep it on for a few hours and place a shower cap or plastic wrap over it. This will help the proteins penetrate the hair.
• Try to avoid whenever possible the sun, chlorine and saltwater.
• Use a silicone serum at the ends of your hair to keep them smooth.
• If you are going to use a hair dryer make sure you use the lowest setting.
• Always brush your hair with extreme care.

Oily Hair

Oily hair appears dirty very quickly. It does not keep hairstyles very easily.

• Wash your hair frequently.
• Avoid aggressive hair products and use shampoo for oily hair.
• Adding highlights or dying your hair will help dry it up a bit so that it appears less greasy.
• Add astringents to your hair to help regulate the oil in your hair and give you a natural shine.

Great Hair Galleries:

Layered Hairstyles

Bold Hair Color

Beautiful Brunettes