Friday, February 4, 2011

FYI Friday!

It's FRIDAY!!!!!

It's icy and rainy here in Charlotte, NC and it's good to be inside and cozy.

I had an amazing time in Phoenix this week at Arizona State University and soon I'll post pics on my facebook page. If you haven't "liked" that page yet, then go HERE!

Pictures will be up later today.

Let's get to Today's Questions!!!!


Q: I need help in styling my hair. It is naturally straight and thin but I’d like it to be wavy. I’ve tried lots of tutorials on youtube but nothing I’ve found ever seems to work. Help!

A: When your hair is straight and thin like you say it is, it’s challenging to make waves but you can do it with some work. Try rolling your hair with electric curlers and watch the waves appear! I’ll bet you know someone who has a set hidden away in the bathroom drawer somewhere. Borrow them to see if you like the outcome. If you can’t get your hands on the electric kind, buy some inexpensive foam rollers (a couple of bucks) from a drug store. Wash your hair at night, then put the rollers in while your hair is still wet.
You’ll wake up with the waviest hair ever!
Spray it lightly and go!



Q: I have a big problem with my hair. It's naturally curly, which is fine, but I prefer to straighten it. About 3 years ago, my cousin wanted to give me a hair makeover, so we box-dyed it a tiny bit darker and had a lady cut it.

It was fine at first, but after a few months, I noticed something very strange. My hair was growing, but wasn't lengthening. The reason I knew this was because I could see my roots by about an inch but my hair was still the same length as when I had just gotten it cut. Three years later, I'm now fourteen and in high school, and my hair still has only lengthened approximately half a centimeter since I got it cut. The biggest problem is, when the lady cut it, she cut it in very odd layers (almost a mullet if you will) and now the entire front part of my hair is about 1-1 1/2 inches shorter than the back. I have gone months without straightening or blow drying to try to heal it, but that hasn’t worked. Since then I have tried numerous vitamins, supplements, and other dietary things, as well as buying an extremely expensive straightener and hair products to try to reduce the damage. I even dyed my hair completely brunette (I'm naturally blonde) to reduce the lightness of it and all to no avail. I'm getting older and it's becoming nothing short of a nightmare since I'm forced to wear my hair in a ponytail every day because it looks so bad when I wear it down. It's really hard since I've tried so many things and spent so much money on it and it still will not lengthen at all. Why is this happening and do you have any advice?



A: The reason your hair is not accumulating length is because it is breaking off on the ends. This can be due to a number of things so here are a few things you can do to get it back in shape:



· Get a really good haircut to remove the fragile ends. This sometimes means going a bit shorter than you want, to “start over”. But it’s a necessity.

· You can use a good moisturizing, deep conditioner, but NOT a reconstructor. A reconstructor conditioner will only dry out the hair and cause it to break more. You need to find a good daily conditioner and use it every time you shampoo your hair. You said your hair is very fine, so you may have to opt for a spray leave-in conditioner until your hair thickens some. Do not use products for fine hair or for volume. These products will strip the hair to “fake the volume”.

· Use a wide comb when your hair is wet…do NOT use a brush. Also, don’t wrap your hair in a towel after shampooing. Your hair should not feel squeaky clean after rinsing with a conditioner. If it does, you have rinsed out the conditioner too much. The only words I know to describe the feeling it should have when wet is “slippery” or a touch “slimy”.

· Wearing a ponytail every day will also cause it to break.

· When straightening your hair: If you are using a flat iron, you need to pay attention to the temperature settings. If your flat iron’s temperature is not adjustable, do not use it, because your hair probably needs a low setting. Also, I highly recommend a flat iron heat protector product. This will be either a spray or a serum. Use this just prior to straightening your dry hair. Especially on the bang area and sides.

· Find a really good Hair Stylist who you feel is confident in working with your hair and that you are comfortable with. In a few months, you should feel great about your hair. You might see results after the first haircut!

· You also mentioned coloring your hair to a brunette shade. A good stylist will work with you to get you back to your natural color and in good condition!

Q: I have really dark hairy arms and I don't know what to do. I don’t want to shave them but I’m so embarrassed by them.
What can I do to fix this problem?

A: Each one of us has something we wish we didn’t have and for you it’s your dark arm hair. I’d like to first remind you that it’s a part of you and I hope you’ll come to embrace it. Just because you don’t like it, doesn’t mean it’s unattractive. If you still insist on wanting to cover it up, you might try a good bleaching system like Sally Hansen Extra Strength Cream Hair Bleach for Arms and Legs. It has excellent reviews and is said to cover even the darkest of hair. It’s inexpensive, too, costing about $5.99! You can find it at most drug stores like Walgreens.

 
OKAY girls! That's it for today! Have a fabulous Friday and I'll see you back here on Monday for another magnificent makeover!

Love you!
Shari

4 comments:

jacque said...

Just a note on the first question. I don't know how "thin" your hair is but mine is very straight and fine. I'm never happy with it. It doesn't hold a style very well. I have a square face and need a little wave so I decided to bite the bullet and invest in a perm. It was soooo worth it. I'm going to try and keep up with it every 6 months or so. I used to wear a perm when we were first married and my oldest was a baby. It helped then that my best friend had just finished beauty school and needed someone to practice on! I feel so much better about my hair when it's a little fuller. Might be something you'd want to consider too. I told the hairdresser that I wanted nice soft curls, no poodle perm! She did a great job. Good luck to you!

Libby said...

Nice tips!

Kate said...

All these questions about hair raised some of my own! haha :)
I have really thick hair that has a mind of its own! Some say it is wavy, some say curly, but I think it is just kinky. It comes halfway down my back. I'd love to straighten it with a flat iron, but because I have so much hair, I have to have help, and the job takes about a hour. Do you have any suggestions on how to straighten it quickly

Anonymous said...

@ Kate

Do you split your hair up into sections when you straighten it?

That helps me do my hair faster, I have a lot of hair too, and it's wavy naturally.

Do you spray it with iron guard or anything else? I would say to rub in an argan(sp?) hair oil. It's one product that does it all, and you don't have to have a ton of different products in your hair. That lessens your time if you don't use a lot of products, for frizz, iron gaurd, shine, conditioning...etc.

Also, I don't know the style you are going for, but I get my hair thinned at the bottom, because I don't like the look of thick chunky hair at the ends. My hair is long too, half way down my back or longer. The thinning at the bottom, and long layers help reduce the super thickness. I also have some "flyaway" pieces tapered around my face, which is about 1/3 of my hair, so that has cut down with the thickness and added some volume to the top of my head. For my hairstyle, think Kim Kardashian or any long layered, Victoria's Secret, bombshell look...maybe not your thing, but for thick, wavy, long hair, I think it's a great option for style! :)