The first thing I will talk about is how coloring or highlighting will effect the cuticles. When your stylist colors your hair with permanent color the chemical lifts the cuticles and deposit the color in the hair shaft. Once the color is shampooed out the conditioner is what helps to closes the cuticles. If you have your hair colored do not re lap with permanent color and NEVER highlight over previous highlighted hair. The only time you will have your hair reapplied with color is if the color has faded and when this is done the stylist should use a demi color that will not lift your cuticles again. The more time the cuticles is lifted the less they will close and your hair will not hold color as well as if it was healthy. Any professional hair stylist should know what color chemical to use to ensure that they do not raise the cuticles . Now if your are highlighted your hair then your cuticles are opened almost to the max, if you have lightener painted on previous highlighted hair IT WILL BREAK.The only way you are going to prevent this is to trust your hairdresser but ask questions and watch if you feel like there is a problem don't just let them do this tell them and if the colorist doesn't want to fix the problem go somewhere else. Also your hair artist will have lots of treatment to help repair the hair ask about them if they don't offer them to you first. These treatment will make your hair easier to dry, hold your color longer and change the way your hair looks and fells. The lesson here is if you don't communicate with stylist and you hair never gets better it is not only the stylist fault but your fault too.
Now we are going to talk about the bad habits that we do at home. These are hot water on the hair, flat-iron and blow-drying the hair. Heat is something that opens the cuticles this is why hairdressers use heat with treatments to open the cuticles and to make sure the treatment go into the hair shaft. When your wash your hair in hot water it opens your cuticle and the color comes out of your cortex. We wash our hair to remove dirt not oils or color. Your water should be luke warm to slightly lift the cuticles but not open them to release color and nature oils. I know some of you are thinking to yourself you have to have water hot but if you don't your hair will be softer, less dry and keep color; also your skin will also fell better. I tell this to my clients because I rather them have great hair to advertise with then to charge them more money to reapply color on there ends because of hot showers. Well lets move on to the blow-dryer when you blow-dry don't use the highest heat the whole time and USE A HEAT PROTECTION which you can get from your beauty professional. The way you should dry your hair is to dry is 85% then style you hair will a round brush,hot rollers, or whatever other blowout style. After styled use the cool button this helps close the cuticles, holds your style longer, and will help create shine. When you are going to flat-iron blow dried your hair 100% and then cool it down before your start and USE A HEAT PROTECTION again. The problem with the flat-iron is that almost everyone keeps it on the highest setting, no one should do this. The first step of flat-ironing beside USING A HEAT PROTECTION is to sectioning out your hair and flat-iron 1/2 section at a steady pace and only one pass per section, if you need some clips to do the sections they are at almost any beauty supply store or ask your stylist if they can get you some for you. Fine hair, highlighted hair should be set at 200F to 270F,medium, colored hair 270F-320F and for course hair 320F-350F. When you do flat-iron try not to do if everyday just try to touch it up and don't wash until dirty. After flat-ironing apply some oil and cool the hair down with the cool button on the dryer.
Changing your habit will help start the healing process your hair, these are just some of the problems that I have noticed and have a lot of impact on the health of your beautiful hair. Once you change these habit your hair will feel better and will get strong, longer and will shine more. Hope this helps all of you and good luck on your HEALTH LOX.
If there is a question that anyone has you can EMAIL me dustinjbrady@gmail.com and I would love to answer any hair related questions them. I will get back to you soon as possible.
-Brady
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