Posted on November 23, 2009 with 2 Comments
With cold, dry weather comes the annual mecca for frizzy hair help. We, our customers, and co-workers see a dramatic increase in questions about how to deal with hair that is overcome with frizz, static electricity, and damage.
Tame Frizzy Hair
For most of us in the industry and for most anyone who is fairly serious about their hair, we know that dry air (lower humidity), wind and cold depletes oils and moisture. The dryness makes hair less resistant to humidity, decreases moisture content, and becomes harder to control, style and manage.
Frizzy Hair Help - For Beautiful Hair
There are several things we can do to reduce frizz and get your locks the help they need.
- I always recommend switching to a moisturizing shampoo during the fall and winter if you do not use one on a daily basis. Shampoo/conditioner combos generally work well but are often hard to find - at least good ones that don’t weigh down your hair or leave it feeling “too silky”. Most folks’ hair works well with a good emu oil shampoo for improving moisture. We’ve written several blog entries for emu oil, its impact on the follicles and scalp, so I won’t go into detail (though there is a link above). As a side note, its good for scalp health and works well for treating any flakiness or dry scalp you may be having also.
- Watch the use of heat appliances. Flat irons, blow dryers and curling irons can wring the moisture our of most styles very quick. Besides the resulting frizziness, this is one of the leading contributors to hair damage. Weakening the follicle shaft causes breaking and split-ends. Use a thermal protectant. Most are leave-in conditioning sprays that can be used before heat is applied. They help coat the follicle shaft and make the shaft “slippery” so they don’t snag on flat irons and break. They also help seal-in moisture.
- Try an oil treatment. A couple of good ideas are Jojoba Oil, Argan Oil and Emu Oil. I recommend using Argan Oil. Argan oil is natural (unless combined with something not natural) and increases drying time and conditions. For the money, its a great investment for treating dry, frizzy hair - you don’t spend as much time styling and you get conditioning and protection. MoroccanOil is a very popular name-brand as is Marrakesh Oil, and Agadir. All are 100% argan oil and/or have been supplemented with Vitamin E or Hemp oil. On a personal note, Marrakesh is my favorite…I love the smell.
- From a styling perspective, you can cut-down on frizz and fly-away using styling aids. Gels, hairsprays, mousse, pomade, et al are good for holding a style in place. Make sure they don’t contain alcohol and that you don’t allow product residue to build-up. This can increase dryness and promote scalp problems like psoriasis, dandruff and associated symptoms like scalp flakes, scabbing, inflamed scalp tissue and itchy head.
Getting successful frizzy hair help is often just paying attention to how and when your hair frizzes. Noticing time of day, products you are using, temperature, can give you some clues as to how to tame frizz and get your hair behaving.
Posted on July 13, 2009 with No Comments
Innovation has never been the strong suit of the hair care industry. Instead, companies rely mostly on taglines, bylines, smooth talking salesmen, pretty commercials, and emotion-based marketing tactics to promote their wares that, more often than not, use the exact same formulas and chemicals.
Moroccan Oil
Strip away all the hype, cover your eyes, randomly pick a shampoo, and you’d end up with exactly the same product with only slight differences in ingredients more often than not.
Therefore, the introduction of the Moroccan Oil® brand and its “Series” of products is a refreshing change in a market swamped with bland, over-hyped shampoos, oils, treatments, conditioners, 2-in-1 shampoos and conditioners, and many other miscellaneous formulas that offer the same end via the same means. However, could it be that Moroccan Oil® itself is an overrated product as well? We’ll find out in this review.
One of the things that separate Moroccan Oil® from other brands is its manner of dosage and treatment. In order to get a natural, silky softness that whole generations of hair care brands claim to provide, you need only apply a few small drops (Argan Oil) to clean, wet hair from its roots to its tips. Say goodbye to the greasy feel of other serums that weighs down.
Moreover, this truly revolutionary product line works its concentrated magic by nourishing your scalp with valuable antioxidants like Vitamins F and E, penetrating deep into the roots and repairing all its split ends in one fell swoop. Considering that it does all this in just a few drops, it may not be an exaggeration to refer to this product as a super serum of sorts that works well on all types - especially for shine, faster drying and improved smoothness.
One of the things I think is now so great about their line is that in addition to their best selling Argan Oil treatment, they have now introduced the “Moroccan Oil Series” that includes: a Moisture Repair Shampoo and Conditioner, an Intense Curl Cream, Gold Glimmer Shine, and a Restorative Hair Mask - all with Argan-based formulations or with the use of unique and pretty effective ingredients.
The true test to Moroccan Oil®’s mettle is, of course with its shampoo, how it handles two extreme types—the coarse, dry ones and the thinning, breakage-prone ones. Considering its potency, it won’t really help in restoring follicles that have begun to shed, especially considering the fact that it contains no DHT blockers in its formula.
Furthermore, it caters more to the latter dry type because untangling knots and curls is its specialty. It can be used on any hair type, but the puffier and more unruly, the better it performs.
As for the drawbacks, its subtle, incense-like smell may not be for everyone, especially those who prefer a tropical aroma over its spicy Caribbean coconut smell. Although its benefits reach panacea-like proportions (it protects against ultraviolet rays and pollutants, leaves no build up or residue, and so on), its results may vary from person to person.
Regardless of its shortcomings, Moroccan Oil® remains styling and hair care products of choice for types ranging from thin, (but not thinning) normal to thick and coarse. As such, until a better product comes along, it gets a nigh-perfect 9.5 out of 10 star rating.
Tags: Argan Oil, Conditioner, damaged hair, fast drying, hair damage, hair product review, Hair Products, healthy hair, improved shine, moroccan oil, morrocan oil, review, Shampoo, shampoos, styling damage
Category: Damage, Dense, Thick & Coarse, Shampoo, product reviews
Posted on April 19, 2009 with 3 Comments
We recently reviewed Moroccan Oil along with several other products that contain Argan Oil. Our review will be published in the coming week.
Argan Oil is derived from the Argan plan (bush, shrub?) indigenous to Morocco. Marrakesh Oil and “Miracle Oil” are also names you will see, but they all have their primary base in Argan.
We found drying times to be reduced by as much as 50%! That’s a lot. It reduced blow drying time significantly. Our test stylist said…
I was stunned by how fast hair dries, it was softer, and made the hair shine more! My clients love it and have begin using especially with long and curly hair. J. Brown - Stylist and Salon Owner
This isn’t a sales pitch, but rarely do we come across a product that works so well and actually does what it says - in a way that is immediately noticeable. While quicker drying time has the obvious benefit of shortened styling time, the greatest advantage is its’ ability to help avoid heat damage caused by dryers, flat irons and curlers. We see many clients, customers and some stylists use tools to style and dry; while this is part of their use, over-styling can lead to split-ends, pre-mature breaking and tearing of the follicle shaft.
If you interested in trying some of these products, follow the “Hair Products” link to the right and type in “Argan Oil” in the search bar. Or, purchase at HealthyHairPlus.com by clicking on this link >> Moroccan Oil.
