(A pre-warning, get a lovely cup of tea, or a beverage of your preference, a nice snack, and relax, because this is a LONG post!)
It always a constant battle that we have to fight : How to I style my hair, with heat - whether that be with just a hair dryer, or straighteners, curlers or all three! - but still keep my soft and not looking like straw? It's a toughie, but I think I have found some products and methods that can at least
help to keep that damage at bay!
Now I know a lot of people's answer to this question is- Well just don't use heat? But some people who perhaps have thick hair, curly hair, thin hair, frizzy hair etc whilst still using a few non-heat methods, do still need to, or feel more comfortable, using a hair dryer or a pair of straighteners to tame that darn frizz!
I have very curly, long, sometimes frizzy hair, so it's safe to say that I have had my fair share of figuring out ways to keep my my hair soft, shiny and smooth with out the damage that sometimes comes with it! Now that doesn't just mean that the methods I write are only aimed at curly-haired people! I think these methods will work for anyone with one of the hair types mentioned above!
Phew, that was a long introduction- so anyway!
So! I have devised a list of methods for each option : Non-heat methods, and Heat methods! For each method I'll choose a tool and product(s) which are good for it!
Let's start with the Heat methods:
1- Tool: Diffuser
Why? Diffusers are good for curly hair because they control the amount of air that comes out the hair dryer and the speed at which it comes out, this means that your hair will be less frizzy at the end because it hasn't been blown around to vigorously! It also allows you to scrunch your hair, which means you get more defined curls- with less frizz.
Products: Garnier's Hair Oil - I purchased this in Germany, and I don't actually think this is available in the UK, so I also like to use the L'Oreal Paris, Elvive Extraordinary Oil which is available in the UK! Hair oil's smooth the hair and help to repair any damage that may have already occurred, I put mine on when my hair is damp, and if it needs that extra bit of smoothing, after drying it too!
Trevor Sorbie Beautifully Straightened Smoothing Balm- Even though this products is most likely designed to be used on hair that's going to be straightened, I think it's great to use just for blow-drying as well, because the ingredients are designed to prepare the hair for straightening it keeps the frizz at bay and smooths the hair!
2- Tool: Round Brush
Why? This tool helps to create volute at the roots of your hair and also smooth it out. It's best used on small - medium sized sections of hair, start at the roots and lift it upwards whilst focusing the heat of the hair dryer onto that particular section!
Products: Umberto Giannini Volume Blow Dry Spray: I love this product! It creates really nice volume when sprayed into damp hair at the roots and body of the hair!
Tresemme Heat Defence Styling Spray OR Aussie Take That Heat Balm: Both of these are absolutely brilliant heat protectors! I think even though heat protection is necessary for
all styles, this one especially requires it because the heat is much more concentrated on your hair than, say, just blow-drying it! Both also help to smooth and de-frizz hair (especially the Aussie product!).
L'Oreal Elnette Hairspray: There are quite a few variations of the Elnette hair sprays, and I'm sure all of them are brilliant! The ones I usually use are the Volume one and the Flexible Hold product! It's important to hair spray this style after to keep your do' in place all day, keep it smooth, and minimise frizz!
3- Tool: A Curling Wand, The Babyliss Pro Curling Wand is very good
OR a heated roller set The Babyliss Heated Roller Set is also very good! This method of styling is great for curl and straight hair! For straight hair it great to add some body to hair, and if you fancy having some tight ringlets you can curl small, frequent strands of hair, whereas if you're after loose waves just take bigger sections! For us curly-haired girls, they're great for just defining those curls that go a little flat or frizzy overnight!
Another tool that is brilliant for when you curl your hair, is a natural bristle brush, ever wonder how celebrities get their hair to look like this?
Quite often is it by either curling the hair with a wand or rollers, then brushing it through with a bristle brush (and a whole lot of skill). I'd say this type of brush is still great to use on curly or frizzy haired people, because is smooths it, as opposed to making it static. I can use it on my hair, and it usually just goes puffy when I brush it!
Products: A hair Oil (again)
.... And of course HEAT PROTECTIOOOONNN (Again!)
Another product which is also great is the Umberto Giannini Curl Friends Natural Curls Styling Spray, this is great to create that natural curl in your hair before you blow dry it, and it will also help to hold the curl for longer in the day!
Okay! So that's the heat methods! Now onto the heat-free methods!
- Tool: First up is my recent discovery and thus, obsession! I discovered this beauty one day while walking through the Bullring Shopping Centre in Birmingham, when I was stopped by a lady at one of shop-stands which was called 'Aria Beauty', she told me about this hair curler (the 19mm Curling Wand) that used Negative ion technology and far-infared heat, this basically means - NO HEAT DAMAGE (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Or very little (basically none!) Now I know this sounds absolutely ridiculous, but I can vouch for this, when you use this curler on your hair, it actually feels smoother and softer after you've used it, like seriously, I have used this for about a week now, not long I know (I'll do an update in a few weeks time), and my hair is in great condition. Can we also talk about the fact that it literally takes seconds to curl all your hair, like seriously, by the time you have finished wrapping your hair around the barrel, you take it off and you have the most amazing ringlet EVER. AND the curls stay in place all day, and I know a lot of brands claim this, many a time have I thought "Oh great!", only to find that curls have gone by the end of the day, but this doesn't happen with the Aria Curling Wand, even in RAIN (which would usually end in a frizzy, puffy disaster for me) they lasted perfectly fine! So basically, this curler is perfect.
This curler, is of course perfect for both curly and straight hair! I use it on my curly hair to define my curls and smooth them, as well as make them last longer!
Products: Even though the risk of heat damage is minimal, I still like to use protectant! Just for that comfort! Really, now I don't really use anything else on my hair, I don't even blow-dry it any more, I simply wait for it to dry naturally, use a little bit of hair-oil, and then spray my hair with with the heat-protectant, and voila! On with the curling! And perhaps a bit of hair-spray to hold the curls in place! I like to do this the night before and sleep on the curls over night!
2. Second is a way of getting some nice smooth waves in your hair over night!
Tool: A hair-band, and possible another pair of hands.... This method is quite basic! It's a plait! If you like to get some nice waves in your hair, without the heat, then a really good way of getting those heat-free waves, is by plaiting your hair over night! For curly hair, I would recommend plaiting your hair in a tight, normal plait, however for straight hair, I would recommend plaiting it in a French-braid (it will help to curl it more). If you have straight hair, you can put your hair in a French-braid either dry or wet, but if you have curly hair I would recommend plaiting dry hair.
Products: A good spray to use after letting the plait set is the VO5 Give Me Texture Dry Texturing Spray, OR the Schwarzkopf Got2b Beach Matt Salt Spray, to get that nice just-came-from-the-beach-look!
3. Tool: Velcro rollers! Now this is not one that I personally would recommend, but it has been tried many times by my best friend! She usually semi-dry's her hair and then puts her hair in rollers overnight; using big sections for a straight, wavy-ish look, and smaller sections for a voluminous-beachy-wavy-awesome look, she takes the section and rollers it under! If you're a bit unsure of the grip of the roller while you sleep, you can a bobby pin to secure it in place! It looks really nice, but the only thing is that it's not very comfortable to sleep on (If anyone has a good suggestion of how to do this method, and still sleep comfortably, then please comment how!) Some good rollers are the Superdrug Self Stick Rollers, in small or large!
Products: For a way to keep those waves smooth in the morning, I recommend a hair serum, Tresemmé Salon Smooth Serum is a good one! Also, it's a good idea to hair-spray your hair when it's in the rollers, for extra hold and style!
So there we have it! PHEW that was a big post! I really hope you enjoyed it, and if you tried, or like me, really like any these methods, let me know! Also, what methods do you use? Let me know!!!!
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