Ionic Hair Dryers and Negative Ions

If you walk into any salon right now and look at the blow dryers they are currently using you will see that they prefer ionic hair dryers to the many other types. Traditional hair dryers release positive ions as they dry hair that ends up exposing the hair to more heat damage since they do not effectively and quickly dry your hair as newer ionic models do. These positive ions also open the hair cuticles up which promotes frizzy dry looking hair as opposed to the negative ions which leave your locks looking luxurious and healthy.

The negative ions which are emitted from the ionic blow dryers break water molecules down which speeds up drying times and exposes the hair to less hot air resulting in significantly reduced potential for hear damage. Other benefits of these units are tightened cuticles, which mean no frizz or dry out of control hair and less time and heat needed to get that hair dry quicker. With benefits like these every woman should be using a ionic hair dryer to dry their hair each and every day. Though they cost more than the traditional hair dryer what you will save in styling products to keep your hair healthy that you will no longer need make them well worth the money.

Shopping For Cheap Ceramic Hair Straighteners

If you are shopping for cheap ceramic hair straighteners than you need to be careful that you are getting a quality unit that will do a great job on your hair and will not end up causing damage frustrating your attempts at getting this popular look. Many poorly made ceramic models will only be ceramic coated which will eventually come off and expose the real metal that is underneath the plates and cause heat damage to your hair. While a better-built model will have solid ceramic plates which will not be susceptible to chipping and peeling so your hair will only come into contact with ceramic.

Causes & Prevention of Dry Hair

At one point and time just about everyone gets very dry hair and though it happens to just about everyone it can also be prevented. Common caused for very dry hair include heat damage, stripped hair, and way too many chemicals. To prevent some of these issues from causing so much damage to your hair that your hairstyles do not turn out looking their best then give your hair a few breaks for a while. Let your hair have a chance to regain its health by forgoing chemicals such as dyes and perms. Also many women wash their hair way more than it really needs done. Cut back on the shampooing and whenever possible only use professional hair tools to style your hair.

How do I keep my hair straight?

Many women are asking how to get their hair straight and have it stay that way. There are chemical ways to accomplish straightening that after long periods of use can cause considerable damage to the hair. Don’t get me wrong, some people are born with the advantage of strong hair that can be processed, ripped through, tugged on, heat ironed, curled to death, and blow-dried daily with minimal damage, however most of us don’t have this luxury. Many of us have weak hair where after processing of any kind can cause us to one day look in the mirror and want to scream.

For those of you who have the stronger, healthier type hair, I would suggest chemically straightening. A good stylist will be able to help you once looking at your hair and determine if this is for you. If this is not a route you want to take, a professional hair straightener is a great option. Hair straighteners give you the versatility of different heating temperatures as well as having the choice to go curly, wavy and of course, straight. There are hair conditioners and sprays that you can use to protect your hair from the heat elements for the more frequent user.

For the ones with weaker hair, chemically straightening is not preferable. I would choose a good hair straightener along with a good heat styling aid to help protect your hair from heat damage. Look for a hair iron with various heating temperatures and be sure to use a lower heat temperature with fine thin hair. To help maintain straightening results use a straightening product that helps to relax hair and then use the appropriate styling aids that are specially formulated for after hair straightening. Both salons and drugstores give you different options of products to use with straightening your hair.

Using these methods will shape your hair for the next couple days. I have heard many women tell me that after using straightening products before hair straightening, that even after a full night’s sleep their hair would still be straight! Women I talked to who did not use any kind of product before straightening found that even after a few hours of being out that the “flyaway’s” had already started. This was usually women who were out dancing or in a windy environment.

What most of these products will do is activate during the blow-dry process to help relax coarse, curly or wavy hair. Your hair will look smoother, shinier and silky while being protected and conditioned.

For best results use only small sections of the hair, start from the bottom pinning up the rest. I recommend starting all around the bottom from ear to ear. When you are finished section off a small portion again from one side to the other until completely finished. Ensuring your hair is completely dry will do less damage as well.

Advances in Hair Straightening Irons

Getting straight hair has gotten easier over the past few years with major advances in professional hair tools. Of course the biggest steps has been the creation of ceramic plates for hair straighteners. These ceramic hair straighteners are less damaging to the hair than old metal plates, which did not heat up evenly and damaged the hair. Most hair straightening tools utilize these ceramic plates now, but the difference between the professional hair straighteners and the cheaper models is how the ceramic is used on the iron. Professional straighteners are solid ceramic or even tourmaline ceramic hair straightener while the lesser models are only ceramic coated. This ceramic coating can come off the straightening iron easily which will expose the hair to the metal underneath and potentially damage it.

Ionic technology has also made hair straightening tools much easier on the hair and more effective at creating long straight locks of hair. Hair straighteners which utilize this ionic technology block harmful negative ions from your hair, and this leaves your hair smoother and dries it out less in the straightening process. The more you can minimize the heat damage to your hair with ionic hair straighteners the better your straight hair look will be on you and the more often you can perform the process without long term damage to your hair.

How to Use a Hair Straightener

I wanted to do a quick post on how to use a hair straightener because I get quite a few emails from customers asking how to get the best results from their Karmin Professional Flat Iron. Also, I occasionally come across someone who has never used a hair straightener before so this is for those of you who want to know how you can use your hair iron to it’s fullest potential and get the best results every time!

*It is important that you know a few things before using your hair straightener, such as having clean hair and using a heat protectant to prevent from heat damage.

Once you know what you need to do before you start, you’re ready to use your flat iron! Turn it on to the desied temperature and as it heats up follow step 1.

Step 1. - Section clean, dry hair and pin up with hair clips.

Step 2. - Taking your flat iron in one hand, grab a 1″ section of hair from the first layer and starting as close to the roots as your are comfortable with, put the section of hair between the plates clamp your iron onto the hair. Slowly glide the iron down the section until you reach the ends of your hair.

Style tip - If you have super curly hair blow dry hair straight before using your flat iron and follow hair straightener on the section of hair with a comb to help smooth hair as you straighten it.

Style tip - If you want a super straight look, keep the iron straight and let the ends come out from the iron. If you want a bit of a flip at the ends twist the iron in a flipping motion either direction when you near the last inch of hair. Twisting the iron out will flip hair out, whereas flipping it in will flip hair under.

Super Straight Hairstyle

How To Flip Hair

Flipping Hair Out

Flipped Under Hairstyle

Flipped Out Hairstyle

Step 3 - Continue Step 2. over the rest of your hair, section by section. After completing one layer, let down the next and so on.

Step 4 - When you have completed your entire head of hair you can touch up any needed areas.

Step 5 - When you have your desired look set hair with an anti-frizz shine serum or flexible hold hairspray.

Style Tip - If this is your first time using a hair straightener and you are a little intimidated, try using the iron with the heat off or very low to get a good feel for the iron.

How to Straighten Curly, Thick, Coarse Hair
How to Curl Your Hair Using a Hair Straightener
How to Get Super Shiny Hair Using a Flat Iron
Cleaning Your Hair Straightener

Hair Care - Healthy Hair

When it comes to taking care of your hair many of us do not realize that for truly healthy hair we need to work from the inside out. Proper nutrition, vitamins, minerals and overall good health are essential to healthy hair growth.

When starting a new vitamin or mineral regimen it normally takes about 2-3 months to see results so patience is key. ALWAYS talk with your doctor or pharmacist before starting any kind of new supplement so you can be prescribed the correct dosage.

Vitamins for Healthy Hair Include;

Vitamin A - Antioxidant, produces healthy sebum in the scalp. Found in foods such as milk, cheese, broccoli, eggs, carrots, peaches and apricots.

Vitamin C - Antioxidant, maintains healthy hair and skin. Found in foods such as tomatoes, pineapple, citrus fruits, kiwi, strawberries and dark green vegtables.

Vitamin E - Antioxidant, boosts scalp circulation. Found in foods such as raw seeds and nuts, leafy green vegetables, soybeans and dried beans.

Minerals for Healthy Hair Include;

Iron - Prevents hair loss. Found in foods such as fish, chicken, eggs, dried fruit, green vegetables and whole grains.

Silica - Strengthens hair and prevents hair loss. Found in foods such as green vegetables, soybeans and rice.

Calcium - Promotes healthy hair growth. Found in foods such as dairy, tofu, nuts and fish.

The above lists are not all of the vitamins and minerals which help promote healthy hair growth. Be sure to check out vitamins and minerals for healthy hair for more information and dosage recommendations.

Besides nutrition and supplements there are simple things you can do to help maintain healthy, beautiful hair.

1. Avoid using heated styling tools everyday and be sure to use a heat protectant styling aid when you do to protect hair from heat damage.
2. Use professional hair styling tools as they are designed to cause less damage on your hair.
3. Do not brush your hair when it is wet, use a pick or wide tooth comb.
4. Get a trim every 6-8 weeks
5. Use hair care products recommended for your hair type.
6. Avoid sleeping in hair accessories.
7. Avoid styling products which contain alcohol (found in many hair gels) to avoid drying hair out.
8. Use hair elastics that are designed not to pull and snag hair and avoid wearing them too tightly.
9. Be kind to your hair! Give it a break from styling, coloring, perming and let it rest every now and then.