No More Poofy Hair Pity Parties
Dealing with frizz makes my hair difficult if not impossible to manage. Hair requires moisture to maintain elasticity, or it becomes damaged and unmanageable. Growing up in the frizz capital of the world Houston, with thick hair I was the brunt of many jokes and had almost given up and just accepted poofy hair was going to do a part of my life that I couldn’t control. The reason frizz is so terrible in our area is our humidity. How many wasted hours I spent fixing my hair only to walk outside and have it wrecked by the weather. In order for your hair to stay healthy and strong it must contain moisture or else it dries out and becomes brittle, this I could accept but when the moisture in your hair connects with the outdoor humidity it’s a frizz frenzy. This is why so many of my girlfriends had given up and just embraced the poof, but I didn’t quiet have the same mentality so in an effort to not lose the hair wars I learned to get a leash on my once unmanageable locks. Today I manage my hair instead of it managing my morning routine, so if you are a fellow Houstonian struggling and looking for help, there is hope to end your poof pity parties
What causes Frizz
When moisture from your hair collides with humidity from our subtropical climate it loses every time because the level of humidity in the air is more overbearing. When we blow dry out our hair there is still moisture left in your hair follicles, but moisture isn’t a bad thing. Your hair needs moisture like plants need the rain, without water there is no growth. But step outside at 7:00 am to leave for work when Houston humidity is over 90% and big hair is bound to happen. Since we cannot control the weather, you must control the frizz. But humidity isn’t the only battle we are up against as women. If you are like 35% of all women over the age of 18 who enjoys coloring your hair you may have frizzy hair especially if you bleach your hair. As a brunette I have always enjoyed having my lightened up, but this can be more damaging so while they claim that blonds have more fun, now I don’t think this is the case. Still, I prefer adding high lights or low lights to change things up from time to time. What fun is hair if you can’t change it? If you are partial to your long locks the way I am then cutting your hair is out of the question, so I turn to color as a from of expression. There are thousands of different shades and color combinations and I am working on trying them all except I may have to pass on the Ombre colors of pinks, blue, and green and use a more subtle form of expression like the current sun kissed balayage I am currently wearing. But as a color hair connoisseur head my warning, there is a risk to all this hair color changing fun. FRIZZ! Anytime you color your hair, you are stripping away some of its natural oils that act as a protective barrier against frizz. This is one reason that I keep a small bottle of hair oil in my purse when I am on the go. Hair oil is a must for any woman living in humidity hell – okay maybe humidity isn’t hell but I could live without it especially when summer rolls around.
My go to product to replenish the oils in my hair is garnier fructis sleek & shine anti-frizz serum not only is it compact enough to squeeze into my purse but this product is far less expensive than some of the other hair serums and oils on the market. If you are in the other 70% of women who do not use chemicals in your hair and still find yourself struggling with frizzy unmanageable hair it could be from over using your heating tools such as flatirons or curling irons.
Heat is harsh
While over a third of women use highlights, lowlight, Ombre or balayage to color treat their hair even more use harsh heat to dry, curl or straighten their hair and many use these tools without using proper conditioners. Using a conditioner that is rich in moisture such as coconut oil, avocado and Aloe Vera conditions will protect your locks from losing protein and add to the moisture you hair needs to look its best. Now you can use coconut oil for your hair in one of two ways, both work wonders. You can use a conditioner that already has coconut oil in the ingredients, or scour through your pantry in the kitchen and use it straight out from the jar. Coconut oil is a great way to maximize the conditioner you are already using.
Another helpful hair tip that I learned for my dry hair is to put the oil in my hair, wait about an hour and then shampoo it, however if you have oily hair I do not recommend using coconut oil as it can add to your oily hair struggles so instead, you may want to skip the coconut oil entirely and apply an avocado hair mask. This is the best avocado hair mask recipe I have ever found to aid in your hair war against frizz especially if you have curly hair. In addition to properly conditioning your hair after you swim or shower you want to use a good detangler along with a wide tooth comb.
Give Your Hair Its Own Vacation
With summer just weeks away many of us may already be planning our vacations but what about giving your hair the summer off. During summer when outdoor temperatures reach their peak as does humidity we often run for help from the frizz to our flat irons. This summer instead of using a tool that is known to strip away your hair cuticles opt for a more natural look, your hair could use a break and with our close proximity to the gulf having a weekend in Galveston " beachy hair" look may just do your hair a favor. This may mean more time having to properly blow dry your hair and if life is simply too busy with summer activities to maintain your unruly locks and unruly kids who are out of school, there is another alternative that will solve all your hair dilemma's and has made my Houston lifestyle and hairstyle so much easier. As the dreadful owner of poofy, frizzy hair I have become a huge fan of having Jayne Garcia provide me with a Brazilian blowout. I could hardly call myself an empathetic frizz friend if I did not share my experience with this desirable hair treatment.
Forget the Frizz with A Brazilian Blowout
Brazilian blowouts are heaven sent for women such as me who deal with daily frizz while living in a sub-tropical climate. While they say everything is bigger in Texas it’s my belief hair shouldn’t be included so I thank Rose Cannon for doing what no other woman would and creating the blowout. Instead of placing women under a blow dryer which was common in our grandmother error Rose decided to follow in the footsteps of what she witnessed a barber in her town doing for his clients. Rose put away those blow drying chairs and garbed for a blow dryer and hair brush. Now you may think but wait "what’s the difference between a blow dryer and a blowout?" The magic as Rose discovered was in the power of a thermal round brush. When you are having your hair professionally dried by a hair stylist she is not using just any blow dryer to achieve your sleek and shiny hairstyle. Instead, your hairstylist is using a dryer specially create for a Brazilian blowout dryer coupled with a thermal round brush to shape and sculpt your hair as she blows it out. If you try using just a traditional blow dryer not designed for a Brazilin blowout you will still need to apply heat from a flatiron to make your hair straight thus increasing your chance of damaging your hair but with a Brazilian blow out that’s not the case. Not all brow dryers were created equally. In fact, the professional graded dryer for the treatment comes with a staggering $4500 price tag, maybe this is why a blowout cost a pretty penny but trust me ladies its worth every cent especially if you have hair like me. Consider it an investment in a stress-free morning routine. Instead of fussing with my frizz I can enjoy my morning coffee knowing I have freedom from the frizz at least for the next twelve weeks. In addition to taming my trestles there is no downtime so as soon as Janey is done with my hair, I can carry on with my normal routine.
Benefits of A Brazilian Blowout For Frizzy Hair
The biggest benefit is enjoying sleek hair all summer long but in addition there are a few other benefits such as it protects my hair. Yes it uses heat but as someone who sends much of the summer outdoors having a blowout means my hair stays healthier from the suns harmful UV rays, chlorine, and salt water that I expose my hair too. The serum my stylist uses used during my treatment uses ingredients such as berries found in the Amazon rainforest to keep my hair rejuvenated and nourished. If I happen to miss my next hair appointment once the blowout has ran its lifecycle the conditioner will continue to fortify my hair until I can get into the salon for another treatment.
Extending Your Brazilian Blowout
Again, having a Brazilian blowout done on your hair is a little pricey and while its worth the cost I want to do my part to make sure I stretch out my treatments as long as I possible can so here is a few tips I learned to do just that.
1. Wash your hair every other day or three times a week
2. Steer clear of salt and sulfate shampoos
3. Stay out of the pool for 72 hours
4. Use a hair care regiment if you’re an active swimmer
5. Rinse your hair after every swim
6. Highlight or color your hair before your blowout
If you feel you want to experience the joy of no more poofy hair pity parties this summer I suggest contacting my stylist Janey Garcia at J Hair Salon in Katy TX. She is amazing and keeps my hair picture perfect. Here are the directions to her salon or give her a call at 832-524-8967