Hair: From Drab To Fab Secrets

Introduction

Tina Turner

DailyCeleb.com All Rights Reserved.

Forget your drab tresses and instantly trade them in for fab locks. Celebrities and their mane experts have tons of tricks that will prevent any last minute tress disasters.

Believe it or not, celebrities fight bad hair days, dark roots, drab strands without any shine and can be downright follicle challenged. Although Britney Spears shared her hair dramas with the world, finally shaving it all, this is not your fate when your locks are drab.

What are the most common symptoms of drab hair:

1. Lack of shine and/or slightly crunchy 2. Faded hair color or excessive contrasting root growth 3. Limp, flat, zero volume hair 4. Fuzzy, frizzy, fly-a-way tresses 5. Oil slick hair with slimy bangs or roots 6. Dry with funky ends 7. Unmanageable, hair has its own agenda 8. Long-in-the-tooth hair extensions 9. All of the above

When hair transitions into The Dreaded Drab Phase it can drag down your entire image. What causes a Drab Hair Phase? Everyone is susceptible to down cycles for their hair. It can occur for a number of reasons.

Main Causes of Drab Hair

The most common causes of drab hair include:

A. Change Of Seasons B. Hair product build-up or long term product resistence C. Any types of stress D. Depression, emotional distress E. Lack of sleep F. Nutritional or vitamin imbalances G. Chemical treatment (hair color, bleach, relaxers, straighteners, relaxers) damage. H. Excessive or improper use of some styling products. I. Hormone imbalance or fluctuations J. Reactions to prescription drugs K. Excessive consumption of sugar, caffeine, carbs, nicotine, alcohol L. Overexposure to sun, wind, environmental toxins. M. Abuse from frequent use of heat styling tools (hot rollers, blow dryers, hot irons). N. Faulty hair styling tools (sharp edged brushes, combs, hair rollers, pins, clips). O. Too frequent backcombing, teasing. P. Lack of proper maintenance (regular trims). Q. All of the above.

I'm sure there are other drab hair generators that I have not mentioned. One important note is that some illness including thyroid imbalances can cause hair to misbehave. If you suspect that your hair is acting up because of a medical problem, please visit your physician for a complete medical check-up.

From Drab To Fab

Now that we have covered the most common reasons lets look at the best way to fix fried hair:

1. Accentuate The Positive

Spend some time in front of the mirror and contemplate your tresses. Make a list of the things you like best about with your follicles with your favorite characteristic listed as #1.

It's time for brutal honesty. What do you like the best about your hair? If you've got great curls and ringlets have the guts to buck any go-straight hair trends and pump up those sexy curls.

Or maybe you have a dramatic gray streak that frames your hairline and makes your eyes literally pop? Embrace and play up that gorgeous streak.

2. Minimize The Negative

Minimize the negative aspects of your hair and focus on the positive. OK, I'll admit that there are times that I'm hating on my S Waves and hairline curls. On days like that I redirect my attention to my soft face-framing fringe that makes my blue-gray eyes pop. Or I will appreciate my healthy thigh-length tresses and ignore those little curls.

After my fab hair colorist Rose Zuniga turns my hair into lush golden tresses I really feel fine about any S waves that misbehave.

My point? Focus on all the great features or your hair and pump them up. Once you love and embrace your best hair features, the pesky challenges will seem less important.

3. Shine On - Fix Lack Of Shine And Crunchiness

As reported in the book Hollywood Beauty Secrets by Kym Douglas and Cindy Perlman, actress Amber Valletta swears by this instant hair shine generator which also softens and removes that dreaded crunchy feeling from dry tresses:

1. Wet strands with lukewarm water. 2. Towel blot to remove excess drippage. 3. Apply Ponds cold cream on your strands from the top of your ears down to the ends. 4. Wrap hair in plastic wrap or plastic bag (avoid getting plastic near nose or mouth). 5. Let the Ponds soak into your hair for 30 minutes or as long as desired. 6. Rinse the Ponds out of hair with water only. 7. Detangle and apply shine enhancing leave-in products. 8. Air-dry (to maximize shine) or blow dry on lowest, coolest speed. Note: Optionally you may also shampoo your hair to remove the Ponds but use a moisture enhancing formula like Phytojoba or a diluted version. Keep in mind that this formula may not be best for thin or fine hair.

Other quick shine enhancing tricks include:

A. Wear hair straight since light reflects better off hair that has minimal texture. B. Always finish final shampoo with cool/cold water rinse. Hairdressers violently disagree to the value of this rinse step but for me, it never fails to add shine. C. Apply a shine enhancing detangler or leave-in conditioner like Phyto 7, 9 or Rene Furterer Balm. D. Allow hair to air dry to prevent heat damage that robs natural shine. E. Apply a light shine spray or similar product to instantly crank up the shine.

3. Turn Up The Lights - Fixing Faded Hair Color

Any hair, no matter how dull, faded or drab instantly looks better with highlights. Turn up the lights in your hair by adding some simple highlights around your face line which shows up your gorgeous face and is relatively quick.

Or grab a few clip-in extensions in lighter or contrasting hues and pin them in for instant fabulousness. Consider hot pink for blonde tresses or stark white for your chocolate tresses. Be inventive.

4. Go Into The Shadows - Fix Root Outgrowth

Many celebs like Jessica Simpson and Kirsten Dunst "cheat" hair roots with a simple application of matching eye shadow. Select a powder in a hue similar to the majority of your hair and dab away to cover any roots.

This method also works along the hairline.

Other quick fixes include wearing your hair without a part to hide obvious lines or popping on a cute wide headband that neatly covers your roots. Viola, you look instantly glam and no one is the wiser.

5. Plump Up - Fix Limp, Flat, Zero Volume Hair

Head for your nearest root activator and pump it up. For super root building, start with a root building shampoo.

6. Fuzzy, Frizzy, Fly-a-way Tresses

7. Give Your Hair Your Agenda - Fix Your Unmanageable Strands

8. Pony Up - Fix Long-in-the-tooth Hair Extension

If you are wearing semi-perm extensions applied with rings, shells or other fusion methods, there comes a time when the extensions need to go. If you can't find your way to your hair extension pro for removal, play with a series of styles that camoflauge your extension challenges. Cute side ponies, back twists or even braids can buy your some instant hair glam and hide any extended challenges.

Other Drab To Fab Instant Hair Options

Go Hollywood

It has been wildly reported that today's celebrities treat their hair like interchangeable accessories. Which explains why Jessica Simpson and her peers switch hair colors like shoes. How do they do it? A series of fun wigs, clip-in hair extensions or temporary hair strands applied with tape or individual clip-in strands.

Follow their lead and instantly go from drab to fab by clipping in an extension piece that allows you to instantly go longer or shorter or a different color.

Note: To check out the Jessica Simpson clip in hair extensions created by Ken Paves go to: http://mp.hairboutique.com/hairdo.asp

Whether you use clip-ins to cover newly shorn locks (after you have the fried strands removed) or use them to cover your current damage, consider taking advantage of this great option.

Accessorize

Celebrities, both men and women, understand that the right hair accessory or headwear will instantly turn them from drab to fab. Even Ashton Kutcher employs a series of bandanas, baseball and newsboy caps to look edgy. He may be hiding a bad hair day but instead he triggers a new trend.

Have fun with headbands, barrettes, clips or caps to create your own signature style and crank up your tresses in an instant.

Make It Up With Cosmetics

Celebrities, both men and women, understand that the right hair accessory or headwear will instantly turn them from drab to fab. Even Ashton Kutcher employs a series of bandanas, baseball and newsboy caps to look edgy. He may be hiding a bad hair day but instead he triggers a new trend.

3. Shampoo Less Often

When possible shampoo less often than more often. If you feel you must shampoo every day either use gentle shampoos or dilute your shampoo to minimize the potential to dry out your strands from harsh shampoo chemicals and the water. Yes, the chemicals in water can do as much damage as the shampoo ingredients.

4. Practice Good Suds-ings

Consider the following good suds-ings shampoo steps:

A. Use only warm water. B. When possible wash hair in shower or sink instead of tub (dirt residues can settle in over porous strands). C. Get hair very wet before applying shampoo. D. Dilute shampoo (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon in 1 clean quart bottle filled with lukewarm water and shaken to form suds). Drizzle suds over top of head and let suds flow down over rest of the strands. Gently pat into hair to avoid rubbing or pulling damaged strands. Lightly massage scalp with finger pads and not fingernails. Even better, wash without shampoo. Just rinse hair with water, apply a rinse-out conditioner and let hair rest from shampoo stress. E. Only shampoo one time except in unusual circumstances (extremely dirty hair or hair that has been soiled with unusual substances). F. Rinse well. One of the biggest causes of dull hair is shampoo that is not properly rinsed out. G. Follow with a good rinse-out conditioner. Slather from top of ears to ends. Allow to stay on hair for up to 5 minutes. H. Rinse well and finish with a cool/cold water rinse that helps close the cuticle. Not all hair experts agree on this step but many find it beneficial. I. Towel blot, never rub, until excess moisture in eliminated. J. Finish with a spritz of conditioning detangler or leave-in conditioner. K. When possible let hair air-dry by plopping, wet Bunning or rolling in rag curlers. L. Avoid hot tools such as blow dryers, hot irons, hot rollers except on special hair events. This will give your fried hair time to heal.

5. Deep Condition

In response to the popularity of hot irons, relaxers and other chemical straightening treatments, the major hair care companies have released a series of deep conditioners designed to help with fried hair conditions.

While a deep conditioner won't completely reverse any damage, various conditioning ingredients will make hair easier to detangle and will help provide necessary moisture balance.

Listed below are some of the best deep conditioning products available on the market. Included after each product is a brief description of their benefits.

Phyto's PhytoKarite This is a fabulous treatment mask that contains hydrolyzed keratin that actually coats the hair. Vitamin E, a known antioxidant, will help protect hair from future stress factors such as heat, environment and related fried hair risk factors. Using this formula will help replenishing hair and allow it to be soft, shiny and supple.

Rene Furterer Karite Nourishing Conditioning Cream Karite nourishing conditioning cream revitalizes very dry and damaged hair. Using natural ingredients such as "shea butter" it deeply nourishes the keratin fiber, leaving the hair full, lustrous and alive. It repairs and protects, detangles and softens. Besides shea butter this fabulous product includes quince seed and Vitamin E.

Phytospecific Intense Nutrition Mask Intense nutrition mask can be used after every shampoo depending on the dryness of the hair. Plant marrow has an instant untangling effect and deeply nourishes the hair shaft.

Rene Furterer - Okara Restructuring and Protective Radiance Mask The mask optimizes the life of your hair color. This mask repairs your hair giving it body and bounce. CPF 70, 70+ color protection preserves color intensity due to anti-fading action. Color is protected and hair feels soft and luminous. This mask protects color, repairs the hair and provides shine. This includes key ingredients such as Extract of Okara, UV Filter, Vitamin E and B5.

Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Mask Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Mask is designed to help dehydrated hair. It will revitalize your locks with moisture by deep conditioning. Restructures without weighing down.

Rene Furterer - Okara Repairing Treatment Mask Okara Repairing mask maintains the elasticity of your hair. This mask repairs the hair, brings shine and includes the key ingredients of Extract of Okara, Vitamin E and B5.

Phytocitrus Soin Vital Radiance Mask For color treated or chemically treated (perm, straightening) hair. Phytocitrus mask combines grapefruit extract with shea and illipe butters to regulate the hair's pH and smooth the cuticle, imparting brilliant shine.

Rene Furterer - Carthame Gentle Hydro-Nutritive Mask This mask protects the hair and provides it with exceptional suppleness and softness. Its creamy texture leaves the hair light and luminous. It helps detangle.

Phyto Plage After Sun Repair Mask With Rush Nut Oil This special "after sun" hair mask contains Rush Nut oil which is known for its nutritious and emollient properties, to soften the hair. Shea butter, rich in essential fatty acids provides deep nourishment for the hair and restores shine. Keratin hydrolysate coats and protects the hair, and boosts volume, while Rapeseed and Cellulose derivatives smooth out tangles. Pro Vitamin B5 provides moisture and revitalizes the hair.

Rene Furterer After Sun Repair Mask This after-sun repair mask deeply restructures hair damaged after sun exposure. This product nourishes and restructures the hair shaft, detangles instantly and includes key ingredients of Shea butter and essential oil of sesame.

6. Pre Condition

PHYTO Huile D'Ales Intense Hydrating Oil Treatment A unique compound of castor plant oil and essential oils of sage, rosemary, juniper berries and lemon. Huile D'Ales was specially formulated to moisturize and restore shine to dry hair.

HairTopia Beautiful Hair Oil A synergistic blend of pure organic jojoba oil, essence of flowers, vibrational elixers of gems, pure essential oils of lavender, bergamot, grapefruit, rosemary and lime designed to moisturize dry hair and scalp.

Rene Furterer - Complexe 5 Regenerating Extract with stimulating essential oils Essential for healthy scalp and beautiful hair. Its unique concentration in orange, lavender and verbena essential oils stimulates microcirculation and invigorates the scalp to favor the growth of beautiful and healthy hair.

Note: All of the Phyto and Rene Furterer Products can be purchased through the HB.com Marketplace.

7. Air Dry

Towel blot, never rub, until excess moisture in eliminated. Finish with a spritz of conditioning detangler or leave-in conditioner. When possible let hair air-dry by plopping, wet bunning or rolling in rag curlers. Avoid hot tools such as blow dryers, hot irons, hot rollers except on special hair events. This will give your fried hair time to heal.

8. Wear SPF In Your Hair

Before you go to the beach or hit the pool be sure to apply a hair product with SPF in it to protect your follicles along with your hair color. Keep in mind that you can always make your own SPF protection product by mixing distilled water, regular sunscreen and leave-in-conditioner in a clean spritz bottle.

Another great tip is to rinse your hair with bottled water before emerging hair in salt or chlorine. Hair absorbs chemicals much easier when it is dry. Rinse immediately upon leaving pool. When possible, wear a protective swimming cap.

9. Maintain Your Hair Religiously

Prevent hair from day to day damage by using great products, taking necessary care precautions and by getting a trim regularly. Most hair experts recommend you get a trim every six to eight weeks. If your hair is prone to serious damage and frizz, go more frequently such as every four to six weeks.

When in doubt talk to your hairdresser.

10. Be Fashionable In Hot Weather

The blazing hot sun can take a serious toll on delicate strands. It can cause delicate hair hues to fade faster. Wear a sassy baseball cap or other cute headgear to protect your precious strands from the sun.

11. Avoid Products With Too Much Alcohol Or Silicone

Yes, some products can build-up on your strands adding to the frizz factor and making hair look and feel fried. These products usually have a strong alcohol or silicone base. Read any labels to make sure your hair is adequately protected.

12. Moisturize From The Inside Out

When the body is dehydrated the scalp and tresses will suffer. Drink plenty of water. No, frozen margaritas don't count. In fact, minimize alcohol and caffeine consumption to allow less stress on your liver which will pay you dividends in healthier hair.

13. Eat Right And Take Your Hair Vitamins

When hair is fried it needs all the help it can get. Hair Vitamins will strengthen hair and provide much needed nutrients that will allow hair to regain its natural sheen. Eating right is also important for healthy hair.

Summary

Although fried hair can be a bummer, there are many things you can do to prevent it from happening or fix it once it does occur.

Note: All of the products listed in this article including the entire Phyto and René Furterer product lines are available at HairBoutique.com in the Marketplace.

If you want to talk more about this or other hair care articles on HairBoutique.com or anywhere else, please post a message on HairBoutique.com's Hair Talk Forums.