Archive for August, 2011

Looking After Your Curling Iron

Published by on August 31st, 2011

A styling tool works well according to the use it has been given, which means that a little maintenance is involved. If you’ve paid quite a sum for a good quality curling iron, it’s because your intention is to use it for a long time, right? You don’t want to throw away an expensive curling iron because of lack of care.

If you want your styling tool to remain durable and efficient, there are a few things you can do to maintain it properly. Since curling irons work on your hair, the barrel can accumulate dirt and debris, even residue from hair styling products, which can affect the curling iron’s performance. Just cleaning your curling iron often can help, but a lot of the curling iron cleaning solutions available are expensive and contain harsh chemicals. However there are ways you can clean your curling iron using home made cleaners that you can find in your kitchen cabinet.

Keeping it Clean

Leaving the barrel of your curling iron spotless is the best way to ensure the product’s durability. Avoid the accumulation of styling products and rust along the barrel, this can easily damage your hair as well in the long run. The best way is to wipe your curling iron down with a damp cloth (not wet) after each use, making sure the tool is unplugged and cool, though slightly warm to clean off the residue easily.  Also, try not to keep your curling iron in places that are damp like beneath the sink or anywhere in the bathroom.

Baking Soda

This is a very effective cleaner and has many advantageous properties. The best part is you can find it in your very own kitchen! With the curling iron unplugged and completely cool, use a thick past of baking soda and water (or baking soda and lemon juice), smearing it over the barrel of the curling iron and leaving it there for about 30 seconds. With an old toothbrush, scrub the barrel clean, and remove the residue of the paste with a damp cloth only. Wash out the cloth and wring it so that it’s not completely wet, then wipe the curling iron down. Keep going until there’s no baking soda left on the barrel.

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How to Look After Your Hair Dryer

Published by on August 30th, 2011

To keep your hair dryer in excellent condition so that it can last a lot longer, you need to do some maintenance on it. Now by maintenance we’re not talking about taking the thing apart and switching wires around, we mean simple measures to ensure your hair dryer is safe to use.

1. Checking the hair dryer

Always give your hair dryer a once-over before starting. Make sure there are no wires sticking out of the body or the cord, no holes or tangles. If everything looks like it’s in order, then it’s safe to continue.

2. Cleaning the lint trap

A lot of hair dryers come with a removable back that protects the motor and sometimes it also features a lint trap. It’s preferable to buy one of these hair dryers because it makes it easier to empty the filter out, but if you don’t, then a regular Q-tip can do the trick. A lint trap can fill up in about two weeks of daily use, so get a Q-tip to remove the lint. If you don’t clean the filter, the lint can build up and cause the motor to become overheated and stop working.

3. Hair dryer use

The way you use your hair dryer also makes a difference. Avoid positioning the hair dryer too closely over one spot because it can damage your hair and overheat the hair dryer. Always include plenty of movement to help dry your hair quicker and prevent the dryer from burning out.

4. Handling

Stay away from water when using your hair dryer, contact with liquid can make the dryer fry and can get you electrocuted, so be careful when blow drying in the bathroom. Make sure every surface you use is dry. Keep the hair dryer away from desk and counter edges also, to avoid bumping against them and causing damage to the product.

5. Power

Some hair dryers use up lots of electricity and can even knock out surge protectors. Plug in your hair dryer into a wall socket or simply avoid overloading your surge protector.

 

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How to Look After Your Flat Iron

Published by on August 29th, 2011

Did you know that the way you look after your flat iron reflects almost directly on your hair? It’s not just about plugging it in and using it on your hair, there’s also some maintenance work involved. You’ll notice that after quite some time and frequent handling, your flat iron will start to accumulate gunk from various styling products. This accumulation on the hot plates needs to be cleaned, otherwise you can risk the health of your hair and the functionality of your flat iron. Replacing a flat iron doesn’t exactly come cheap, so here are a few tips on how to take care of it.

Flat irons often fail to include complete instructions on how to clean them. Not to worry though, a lot of people have found effective methods to keep their products free of gunk and ready to use again.

One method is to put some alcohol or nail polish remover on the plates using a wad of cotton to rub the substances onto them gently. Then, clean the plates again with a damp cloth to remove any residue. You can also use a damp cloth on its own to wipe off the plates after each use.

Another method is to warm up the flat iron and then switch it off, allowing it to cool for a while. Wipe down the plates with a warm cloth and notice how styling products are removed easily.

There are additional products you can find on the market that are specifically made for cleaning these appliances. If you believe these products are too expensive then just use the methods mentioned above.

Your flat iron was bought with the intention of being a durable styling companion. In order for it to accomplish this, you must constantly look after it so that you can enjoy healthy results for longer.

 

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Sexy Styles with a Flat Iron

Published by on August 26th, 2011

Styling with a flat iron is so much more than plugging it in and passing it over your locks. Before you even start, you have to shampoo and condition your hair first, so that you’ll have manageable hair that can respond well to styling and remain healthy afterwards. Use hydrating shampoos and conditioners that will prepare your hair for sexy styles, and while your hair is still wet, use a thermal spray or heat protectant to place a buffer between your locks and the heat.

Next blow dry or air dry your hair completely before getting your flat iron out. You can now move on to straightening, flipping or curling your hair.

What’s the best temperature? If you have thick, course or curly hair, a heat setting of around 350-400° F should work great for you. However if your hair is fine, damaged or chemically treated use a temperature of below 300° F, though you should start with the lowest setting and work your way up as you go along. For normal hair, 300-380° F is recommended.

For flipping your hair, use the same technique as you would for straightening except that when you’re nearing the tip of the section, turn the flat iron in the direction you want the flip to be and slide the iron along. For curling, you’ll need a flat iron with rounded or curved plates, like the Karmin G3. First clamp a one inch section of your hair close to your scalp with the flat iron and give it one and a half turns in the direction you prefer. Hold the angle firmly and pull the flat iron through the length of the strand while keeping the iron in position. Now just repeat for the other sections!

Remember, you can practice and experiment as much as you want as long as you take care of your hair and your flat iron at the same time. Keep it clean from hair products so that it can last longer without damaging your hair.

 

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How to Scrunch Straight Hair

Published by on August 26th, 2011

There are lots of things you can do with straight hair, like scrunching into sexy styles. How can this be done?  Hair texture and the kinds of styling products you use can influence the outcome, but here are a few easy steps you can follow for lush waves and great volume:

• Wash your hair and wrap it up in a towel. While it’s still quite wet, remove the towel and part your hair where you want it.

• Brush your hair to get all the tangles out, then section it off into four parts. Two parts down the middle at the back of your head  and then halfway through the top, leaving you with a section on the top and one on the bottom.

• Apply mousse to the first section, the bottom one, without spreading it to your roots because your hair will look greasy. After the mousse, apply gel to the same place, making sure it’s curl shaping gel with extra strong hold.

• Braid the section, making it as tight as possible. Repeat the previous step and this step with the rest of the sections.

• Once all of your hair has been braided, give each braid a thorough application of hairspray, avoiding the roots to prevent them from greasing up.

• Perform the steps overnight, spraying before going to sleep. When you wake up, take the braids out and you should have waves in your hair. Scrunch it up using mousse and hairspray to get it ready for the day.

You can also try wetting your hair and pulling it into a French braid overnight, using hairspray before going to bed. Take out the braid when you wake up and use mouse to scrunch up the waves. Apply some hairspray to hold the style for longer. If you need more root volume, scrunch your hair with your head upside down.

Messy buns can also work, so put your hair in one overnight and add some hairspray, making sure your hair is slightly damp so that it can dry in the bun (or braids). Take your hair out of the bun in the morning and you’ll experience smooth waves.

For best results, use curl-defining mousse or gel to your hair or define the look with a curling iron.

 

 

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How to Buy a Professional Flat Iron

Published by on August 24th, 2011

 

Buying a professional flat iron implies a long process that includes researching, determining your own styling needs and finally selecting one flat iron out of the hundreds of brands available. Buying a professional flat iron requires more than choosing the first and most expensive model you see, there are many factors that must be checked out before the final purchase.

What sort of factors? The first one you should consider is quality. A product that uses the finest materials available is perfect to entrust the health of your hair to. There are many to choose from, just make sure the plates are made with pure materials and not merely coated in them. Mediocre flat irons, though more economic, will turn out more expensive and time-consuming in the long run, since you’ll need to spend on nourishing treatments to repair the damage in your locks after going over them over and over with a flat iron using cheap materials. A professional flat iron will not only take care of your hair, it will last a lot longer tan a mediocre product.

Professional flat irons have even heat distribution, temperature settings and state-of-the-art heating technology. Of course, not all of this is cheap so be prepared to spend a little more on quality. This doesn’t mean you should buy the most expensive model you can find because that means it HAS to be good, make a budget and search around, compare prices and benefits. A professional flat iron can cost up to $150 or more, but you can also find quite good ones at $60 to $80, perfect if you don’t use a flat iron often. If you can’t live without a flat iron, consider a genuine ceramic or tourmaline model, to guarantee your hair’s safety.

Last but no least, your own styling needs. Is your hair thick and curly? Or thin and straight? The size and heating capacity of a professional iron can influence the results depending on hair type and texture, so take this into account.

Which professional flat iron should be included in your list of options? The Karmin G3 is one, featuring effective tourmaline ceramic heating technology and pure ceramic tourmaline plates for a smooth finish and salon style results.

 

 

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Best Hairdressing Shears for Professionals

Published by on August 23rd, 2011

As a stylist or hairdresser you have to be on your feet all day creating new styles for your customers, and getting the job done quickly with the finest results possible is your goal for keeping a customer happy. A good, professional pair of hair shears can help  and finding the best shears available will guarantee superior results, functionality, convenient use and of course, a trusty styling tool.

With so many professional hair shear brands available on the market today, it can be tough to choose one to match your own needs perfectly. Not everyone can use any pair of professional shears, the final purchase depends on a variety of factors including hand size, steel quality, blades, types of steel, whether you need a leftie model or right handed one,  and of course personal choice. Some stylists want a no nonsense pair of shears that are meant specifically for cutting, conservatively designed, highly functional and capable of keeping up with heavy workloads without fault. Others like hair shears that express their own individuality through funky, attention-grabbing designs, while being functional at the same time.

After determining what you need in a pair of professional hair shears, you can go on to choosing your own, but you’ll still be left with quite a few options. So which model is the best? One pair of professional shears that can be found at the top of the list is the Saki Katana Hairdressing Scissor . It features a minimalist and stylish design, very comfortable to use and super easy to work with. The blades are hollow-ground, triple honed and made from quality Japanese stainless steel, that’s durable and sharp. The convex edges allow you to cut wet or dry hair and the extra long crane handle with ball-bearing screw makes cutting extra smooth and soft.

 

 

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Best Texturizing Shears and How to Find Them

Published by on August 22nd, 2011

Also called thinning, chunking or layering shears, texturizing shears are used to decrease extra volume in thick hair, create layers or to simply add texture. How can texturizing shears accomplish all this? The key is in their blades, the serrated edges make it easier to texturize hair without altering the style dramatically. The blades’ ‘teeth’ permit them to be much more functional when used to remove more bulk in a single snip. Some texturizing shears can remove from 20%- 50% bulk to decrease volume.

If the hair is too thick and curly, a pair of texturizing shears can easily tame the additional volume and increase manageability. They’re also excellent for blending layered hair without making it look too choppy. Texturizing shears are not recommended for people with fine or thinning hair because they’ll want to conserve the thickness and volume they already have and using texturizing shears on their hair can make it look even thinner.

You can find these types of shears in many presentations, it depends on your specific styling needs and personal preference. Some arrive in different shapes and sizes with blades of diverse lengths that cut in varying thicknesses. Like hairdressing shears, you should choose a pair of texturizing shears that you can be comfortable with and that can adapt to your personal rhythm while being convenient to use, and also be capable of delivering the very best results.

A good example of a pair of superior texturizing shears can be found in the Saki Katana Hairdressing Scissors Set which arrives with two pairs of shears, one for cutting and the other for texturizing or thinning. The blades are made from quality Japanese stainless steel and the shears themselves are designed simply yet efficiently. Very easy to manage, the shears cut  smoothly and deliver results of maximum quality, making them a popular choice.

 

 

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Best Flat Iron for Damaged Hair

Published by on August 20th, 2011


Styling damaged hair with a flat iron can only makes things worse but only when you haven’t taken the necessary precautions or finding the best flat iron for damaged hair to nurse your hair back to health. The best thing would be to avoid heat styling tools while your hair recovers but if this is impossible, start looking for a professional heat styling tool that won’t cause damage to your locks.

If we’re talking about a flat iron, the most important thing is to find one that contains only the finest quality materials in its heating elements, anything less can put your hair’s well-being at risk and that’s something you want to avoid if your locks have already suffered. Temperature is another factor to consider. Exceedingly high temperatures can be disastrous for your hair unless the flat iron produces an even heat combined with advanced technology to minimize damage and reduce styling time. Ceramic is universally known to be gentle on hair and provide moist heat so go for a flat iron that includes ceramic technology.

One recommended flat iron for damaged hair is the Karmin G3 Salon Pro, which uses ceramic tourmaline technology and 100% tourmaline ceramic plates. With its ultra high heat (up to 450°F),  it’s not actually as damaging as you might believe. Thanks to the tourmaline ceramic heating elements, your hair is gently styled, no matter how high the temperature gets. If your hair is already damaged though, it’s best to avoid high heat, and the Karmin G3 also offers the benefit of adjustable temperature settings, so you can style at a setting that best treats your recovering locks. The ceramic elements penetrate the hair shaft with moist heat, sealing the cuticles and reducing frizz to give you shinier, healthier results.

Also, remember to use thermal protectant before you use any heat styling tool, this creates a buffer between your hair and the heat of the flat iron and therefore minimizes the damage.

 

 

 

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Best Curling Iron for Straight Hair

Published by on August 19th, 2011


Trying to curl straight hair without the right styling appliance to assist you in your attempts can be depressing and time consuming. Curling your straight locks can also prove frustrating especially if you work long and hard at it only to be left with flat results in the span of a couple of hours. If you want all-perfect curls, the key is finding a high quality curling iron to do the job for you.

Don’t give into cheap, mediocre curling irons! If you value your hair’s health and general well-being you’ll avoid this like the plague. You can cause damage to your hair by using discount curling irons, and produce a frizzy mass of hair instead of bouncy, flowing curls.

Since we’re talking about curling straight hair, we need to consider temperature. A curling iron must reach high temperatures in order to curl hair and keep it curled, but with fine hair, you only need about 300°F to produce a good, natural looking curl. If your hair is straight and thick, you’ll need higher temperatures, about 400°F or more in order to get a lovely, sturdy curl.

Many people prefer the Karmin Salon Pro Clipless Curling Iron because of its superior performance and optimal results. featuring a sleek and stylish design made for comfort and convenience, this curling iron is very easy to use and offers a safe, swift styling process. Great for straight hair, it reaches temperatures of up to 410°F, heating up quickly and reducing styling time, produce beautiful curls fast. What sets this curling iron apart from the rest is its ability of creating shapely, smooth curls that last throughout the day thanks to the high grade ceramic heating elements. The ceramic heat gently styles and locks in moisture to product shiny, luscious curls out of sleek straight hair.

 

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