Frizz | Hairdresser on Fire

Hair Answers: Products for short hair

Posted in Answers on July 15th, 2010 by Reagan

Tags: answers, beach waves, curl, frizz, product, products, salon stories, short hair, styling

Q by Annie: I have super short hair and am on a never ending quest to find a good quality styling aide that gives me a a textural flexible hold without making my hair look greasy. I play with my hair a lot, so I need a product that won’t break down under my fingers. Come to think of it, it seems that I have my best hair days at the beach; perhaps the sand and saltwater are a factor? Do you know of any products that will help me recreate that same feel every day? Thanks, Annie

A by Reagan: Oh man, I feel you there. Why can’t someone just bottle up salt water for the beachy women of the world? Turns out, salt isn’t all that great for your hair anyway, so I guess it’s better that way…

So, the first two products that popped up into mind were Rough Paste by redken and L’Oreal Professionnel Texture Expert Tendre Forme. Super long name on the second one, but that seems to be the M.O. of the French, oui? I’ve had a ridiculous time finding the second product online (I can only find it on European sites!) so ask your stylist about it if you are having the same trouble that I am. I can get it in my salon for those of you who live in NY and want it.

What I love about these products, are that they are a waxy feel, but a medium hold. They are great for shaping, but are workable throughout the day. Make sure you rub any waxes in your hands (heating it up) before putting in your hair to ensure it’s evenly applied. You don’t want to be the globby haired girl on the block, do you? I know I don’t. Also, since you deal with oily hair, apply from ends to roots.

How’s this for the student teaching the teacher…my own client told me she uses wax on her curly, shoulder length hair. I was like GGGUUUUHHHH-WHAT? YOU DO WHAT? COME AGAIN? Maybe this is going to give me a bad reputation with all of you, but I had never even thought of that before. I love it! I do it (with the second product) when my hair is completely dry. It seals frizz and gives hold and like I said, is very workable. The other other other awesome thing about both of these products, you can share them with any men that you might live with. Jake used Rough Paste for several years before switching to Redken’s Work Hard.

Someone should be paying me for all these recommendations…

3 Comments »

Hair answers: Chemical relaxers

Posted in Uncategorized on June 22nd, 2010 by Reagan

Tags: answers, chemical, curl, flat irons, frizz, hair tools, relaxers

img

Q by Annette:

I love your blog! I wanted to submit a question, or a few questions to you. My hair used to be curly but I have lost the curls with my pregnancies. Now my hair is just wavy but I cant do much with it. I prefer it to be straight so I spend a lot of time straightening it. Do straightening perms work and are they expsensive? I wanted to find out what you would recommend, straigthening it on my own or getting a perm? The other question is what products would you recommend to help keep the hair straight and not frizzy? The last question I have for you is can you suggest straight iron that you would suggest that works well? Thanks!

A by Reagan: Here is how strongly I feel about chemical straighteners (relaxers)…..DONOTDOIT!!!!

Dramatic? Picture this. A great blow dry regular comes to me suddenly with PIN straight hair. She tells me she got it chemically relaxed, and then she says she wants her regular big, full, wavy, Miss Texas blow dry. I say “sorry sister, you wrecked your hair and now it is going to take about 2 years to grow out that chemical treatment.”. She starts to cry. The more time passes, her brittle, damaged hair starts to break off and suddenly she has short hairs all over her head and has more frizz than the initial amount she thought she was getting rid of. Then she cries more. Then I cry because her hair is wrecked and I loved it.

Again, a little dramatic. But let me tell you a few things about chemical relaxers…

~They are the very most damaging of ALL chemical treatments. It is without a doubt, the most harsh thing you can do for your hair.

~They are permanent. The real kind. So, it isn’t going to soften after six months. It is pin straight until it has grown out and been cut off.

~Did I mention breakage galore?

~Yes? Let me remention breakage galore…

~Very expensive. So your stylist will make a lot of money and might try and talk you into it, not really caring that it is going to wreck your hair and make you cry. (I care about you, though. We’re in this together!)

~You have very little options with styling. It is chemically straightened, it wants to be pin straight. And it is going to take a lot of effort to manipulate it any other way.

~When the treatment starts to grow out, it looks really funny. The ends are uniform and straight as arrows, the top is a brillo pad.

I plead to anyone considering a relaxer not to do it. There are very few cases that a relaxer is apropriate, and 99% of those cases are on ethnic hair.

Get a great flat iron! It will cost the same or less as ONE time relaxing treatment and will last a long time! I like CHI flat irons, but I just ordered a new flat iron (different brand) that I’ll disclose as soon as it arrives and is tested out.

Straightening oils and syrems are going to do the trick for you, my friend. You might not get away with creams like many. (I know Annette personally, so this question is a little easier to answer, keeping in mind I can visually picture her hair as I type away..). I don’t have one on the top of my head, but this is the type of thing that every single proffessional line has. And I’ve liked every one I’ve tried out.

Good luck Annette, I hope you don’t get relaxed!

5 Comments »

Hair Answers: Sleeping on wet hair

Posted in Uncategorized on June 9th, 2010 by Reagan

Tags: answers, beach waves, blow dryers, dry shampoo, frizz, wet hair

Q by Lea: Reagan, I love your blogs, and your hair. I have wavy hair that’s just past my shoulders (similar to yours) which I like to wear natural. I know how to style it with a diffuser to wear it curly. My problem is that I prefer to *wash and style my hair at night (mornings are way too hectic), but sleeping on it flattens my hair and makes it frizzy. Is there a way to keep a naturally wavy style overnight so I don’t have to wash it every morning?

A by Reagan: This is a tough question. It is so hard to change your routine when you are used to it. But after I have just answered a question about wearing a hairstyle for multiple days, I am wondering why you *shampoo every day? It would really cut out on time, effort and product if you started to stretch your style out longer. You’ll be a changed woman. Quote me on that!

Your question is actually in a way very similar to Julie’s, even though I think I got your question first! I would recommend that if you absolutely prefer 100% to *shampoo your hair at night, then you should just do a 5-10 minute touch up in the morning. The same way I suggested to Julie, i.e. spray with a little water, use a little product, do a little scrunching, maybe a little defusing..voila! It works for me, and I am a crazy sleeper. I don’t know what I do in the night, but I have wanted to video myself sleeping just to get some lifelong questions answered about what goes on there….

I so hope this works for you, because I am not about to tell you to change up your beloved routine. I lift weights every morning at 7 am while I watch re-runs of saved by the bell. Nobody in the world could convince me to change that.

Love,

Reagan. Your neighborhood hairdresser on fire.

*We wash dishes and shampoo hair

4 Comments »

Hair Answers: Best Blow Dryer

Posted in Uncategorized on June 4th, 2010 by Reagan

Tags: answers, blow dryers, frizz, hair tools, ionic

Q by Maggie: Which is a better hairdryer: Chi or Wigo? Mo is in the market and I find that I like both. We need professional input! And does the Ion thing really mean anything?

A by Reagan: Great question coming from a great friend (awww). Ok, to start off, I am not personally very familiar with Wigo. It is one of those knock-off proffessional brands. Like Babyliss is a knock-off of T3, Wigo is a knock off of Chi. I would go with a Chi. Even though I have never used a Chi blow dryer myself, I have friend stylists who have. You would probably be ok using either, since (unlike me) you wont likely be running your blow dryer for up to 8 hours a day. I can burn through a motor pretty quickly. For me, my two favorite blow dryers are FHI and the Twin Turbo. Jake and I call it the Twin TurBLOW, get it? Also, I like the twin turbo because the names of their dryers are like Turbo Power Mega 4000 (Literally). That probably turns people off because you might be like “I’d like to buy a blow dryer, not a super soaker.”, but the name doesn’t take away the fact that it is an amazing tool. In a long round about way, you’d probably be ok with a “knock off”, but I would still go with the more expensive, hotter, more powerful and glamorous blow dryer. In my experience with blow dryers, more money almost always means better. EXCEPT FOR T3. Some people swear by T3, but for me, it is just not enough power. It is the hottest blow dryer (and lightweight) I have ever used, but like I said, the air flow is just too wimpy. That was way more of an answer than you asked for, my dear mags. Sorry.

Ionic. Ionic is no balogna. The Ions break up the water molecules in your hair so it dries faster and smoother with less damage. Period. Can’t argue with Ions, right? I wouldn’t want to.

I almost forgot! A nozzle on your blow dryer is vital! I never leave home without it!

PS I am soooo behind on this blog. I think I have a hundred questions to answer. Be patient, because I looooove this blog so much and I want to keep it up, it is just hard to get to for some reason. I have some big ideas for this baby. Just you wait my little hairies!

10 Comments »

There are worse things than frizz

Posted in Uncategorized on May 16th, 2010 by Reagan

Tags: Celebrity Hair, frizz

Ok, let’s talk about frizz in a different way. I have to tell you, every single question I have gotten has been about how to tame frizz. I never knew people hated frizz so much! I am not sure exactly why, but frizz has never really bothered me much. I guess it just comes with me so often wearing my hair naturally, and frizz is natural. I just took this picture with my phone about 9 seconds ago. There are equal parts hugeness, frizz and wave. I’m used to it, and in fact, I like it. This picture doesn’t really even show very well how much frizz is there.