Guarantee for Healthy Hair

Image by Joanna D R via Flickr

A bad hair day is a sure-fire way of bringing on a black mood. But it’s inevitable that out of the 365 days in the year, there’s bound to be a few when you wake up to hair that’s taken on a life of its own. So, what’s a girl to do? Be proactive and take preventative measures to ensure your hair behaves. Follow these tips and you will get the better of bad hair days-whenever they crop up.

1.Create a hair schedule

How many times have you put off a haircut until the last minute, only to call the salon and discover your hairdresser can’t squeeze you in for two weeks? And in the meantime, you have to endure a hairstyle that’s past its prime-and more prone to letting you down with an off day. To keep your locks in great condition, book your hair appointments for the next six months now. It may sound extreme, but by making a long term plan, you’ll guarantee great hair rather than a series of bad hair days.

Remember, a good cut lasts up to six weeks for short to medium hair, up to eight weeks for longer locks. Think about colour, too-root regrowth can have you back in the salon every four weeks. If all this long term hair planning makes you squirm, make sure you book your next appointment with your hairdresser while you’re there paying for the current one.

Quick tip: Grab your diary and mark all the events like weddings and birthday parties for which you

                 Want to look good. After all, you don’t want to be in between appointments at your best

                 Friend’s wedding.

2. Evaluate your current style

Are you a creature of habit or do you like to reinvent yourself when it comes to your hair? Once or

Twice a year, it’s worth giving your current hairstyle an objective once-over to bring it up to date or        give it a fashion-forward edge. Have a look at some celebrity hairstyles for inspiration and book in for

A consultation with your hairdresser for a chat about tweaking your cut to keep it fresh and modern

and avoid getting stuck with the same look over and over again. Even if you are not planning a huge

makeover, it could be time to re-evaluate your hairdresser. You could be stuck in a rut if the first thing

he says is ‘let’s get you shampooed’, rather than sitting you down in front of the mirror to ask ‘what

are we doing today?’ love your hairdresser? Good stylists are like gold dust, so if you find one you

love, stick with him. But, even if you are happy, it’s good to be unfaithful on occasion, if only for a

consultation.

Quick tip:   Ready to change stylists? Chat to all the friends you think have great hair-even stop strangers in the street-and ask them who cuts their hair. Book a consultation (which should be free) and show up early to watch the stylist in action before you speak to them. When it’s your turn, he should talk about face shape, hair texture and lifestyle. If he asks ‘what do you want?’ without offering any input, walk out.

3. Give your hair a health check

   Test the health of your hair by running a thumb and index finger down a strand from root to end. It    should feel smooth; a sign the cuticle is flat. Healthy hair should also have good elasticity-test yours by gripping each end of a single strand of hair and pulling apart. It should be able to stretch a couple of centimeters.

        With all that party preening, winter winds and dehydrating central heating, winter is the time when hair can really do with a little extra TLT, from boosting your diet with protein-rich foods such as fish, chicken and eggs, to treating your locks to a deep moisturizing mask once a week, such as our award-winning Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Conditioner. Heat protection is a must every time you heat style, so get into the habit of misting your hair before you blow-dry, iron or tong.

   Quick tip:  The ends of curly and long hair are more prone to dryness and damage, so pre-treat your locks with conditioner before shampooing. This trick ensures your ends stay hydrated while the suds get to work at the roots as you shampoo.

4. Covet the ultimate tool kit

A wide tooth comb is great for detangling wet hair and a must for curly hair. Try Vidal Sassoon wide tooth comb.

A bristle brush is less likely to snag your hair than plastic. To create volume go for a round bristle brush. Use a cushioned paddle for sleek locks, day-to-day grooming and light backcombing. Try SPI lonic convex paddle brush.

A 2000w hairdryer is must. Lonic is best for anti-static qualities, a cool-shot button for setting the hair, a concentrator nozzle for smooth styling and a diffuser for curly hair. Try Remington professional compact pro 3000 hairdryer.

Straightening irons that heat up quickly are a must-have styling tool. The award-winning GHD IV styler is hard to beat.

The hidden extras work behind the scenes to create fabulous hair. Blax snag-free pony elastics; tresemme roller kit; boots Kirby grips; and boots hair pins are all hairstyling staples.

Great products are well worth investing in, especially ones that give your hair multiple styling options; from wax to volumiser. Ask your hairdresser about the best products for your hairstyle and invest in a good heat protection spray such as mark hill heat protection spray.

5. Have a back up plan for bad hair days

A hair crisis is often unexpected and always unwelcome, but fear not-here is a few of our favourite fixes for bad hair days.

Dirty hair: If you are running late, reach for a dry shampoo, such as Phil Smith Dry Clean Shampoo. Work in, brush through and pull into shape. If you have a greasy fringe, quickly shampoo and blow dry it to fresh your whole style.

Static: The best way to nip static in the bud is with a leave in product that remoisturises strands, such as Tony&Guy Model. Me Helena Vitamin Protection Spray.

All kinky: In times of kinky crisis, reach for the straightening irons-and don’t forget to mist sections with heat protection spray before ironing.

Windswept: A windy day is tough to fight. The best you can do is applying a product before styling that will help your hair spring back into shape. Try Redken Spray Starch.

Hat head: To uncrush straight hair, flip head over and brush it from underneath. For curly hair, prep your locks by winding sections of hair loosely and securing them with Kirby grips before donning the hat. Remove and shake out once you get to your destination.