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Hair Expert advice for hair styling, hair care, hair growth. Hair growth research. Best Ingredients for Hair. Hair oiling, miracle hair products.

Hair: Curlfriends Tame Smoothing Serum

August 15, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Curlfriends Tame Smoothing Serum

Back in the 1990s, it was easy to get defined curls. But it took a LOT of product.

These days my hair has mellowed from the corkscrew curls of my youth to a loose curl with some waves. So it takes some products to restore my hair to its previous bouncy, tight curls. My hair has also changed consistency as well. It used to be as silky as could be, but now it needs a little smoothing.

I had previously tried the Curlfriends line, and was quite impressed, but I hadn’t tried Curlfriends Tame Smoothing Serum until now.

I first tested the serum on a day that it was boiling and humid, and as the day progressed, there were torrential downpours. I had set my hair in curlers just to try to tame them a bit, but my hair started to get frizzy as soon as I took out the last roller. I applied the serum and was pleasantly surprised to see that my hair not only smoothed down but was incredibly shiny and bouncy. It stayed that way all through the downpours that afternoon, all without hairspray.

A tip on how to use it: you don’t need much of the serum. My hair is nearly waist length, and I used less than a dime-sized amount. Run the serum between your hands to warm it slightly, and then slowly start picking your curls up from the ends and working your way up. I used the remainder to smooth off the crown and add some shiny volume. Going slowly is the key: if you go too fast, you will just end up tugging at your curls and end up with needless frizz.

I’m a big fan of the ingredients in this serum as well: Wheat Protein and Aloe Vera to add volume and plump the shaft of your hair, and Rosemary, which has some backing for its ability to fight hair loss. I’m also a fan of what it doesn’t have – no alcohol to dry out your hair!

I love the smell – somewhere between a light bubble gum and candy flavor, but not adolescent scented. It’s just a nice, fun scent that fades in about an hour. I am typically pretty hard lined about hair products being scent-free, but I really like the scent of this product.

Find it at Amazon.

I received this product in exchange for testing and review purposes.

How to Use Hair Cutting Shears by Marks Gouger

August 9, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I like to keep my hair in optimal condition, and I’m a firm believer in regular trims to keep hair looking healthy. Since my hair grows very fast (I’m not complaining), going to the salon for trims would be quite costly, so I learned to trim my hair myself. The one absolute necessity for at-home hair trims: a fantastic, top of the line set of cutting shears.

Marks Gouger just launched an amazing set of hair tools, and I was eager to try their cutting shears since my previous set had been getting less precise. I am thrilled with this new set.

Hair Cutting Shears by Marks Gouger

The shears come packaged in a lovely case. The case keeps the shears from getting damaged. I like that there are multiple points to keep the shears from moving in the case: a snap to keep them in place, as well as a well-crafted sleeve for the pointed edge. It also comes with a soft cloth to clean the sheers after each use.

Hair Cutting Shears by Marks Gouger Case

The Japanese Stainless Alloy is a strong and sturdy material that makes the shears feel substantial but lightweight. The shears are easy to maneuver. The handles are comfortable even when I’m trimming at odd angles, which makes the task a lot easier and faster.

Hair Cutting Shears by Marks Gouger

I am very enthused about the adjustable tension hinge. The problem with my last pair of shears was that the hinge came loose and made precision cuts difficult. With the ability to adjust the tension, I’m comfortable that I won’t have any goofs due to the shears being unstable.

One of my favorite uses for these shears is trimming off split ends all the way up the hair shaft. Splits don’t just happen at the absolute end of your hair, they occur all the way up. The way I take care of that is by taking very small sections, twisting the length of the section tightly, and then trimming off the splits and frays that occur all the way up. This technique does indeed take a lot of time if you have a lot of hair like I do, but hair looks so much better if you take the time to do it! The cut is quick and precise. If you have a blunt cut or blunt bangs that you trim yourself, these are the perfect shears!

Here is a video of how I trim splits:

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbPzv9RsknA[/embedyt]

Find them at Amazon.com.

I received this product in exchange for testing and review purposes.

Primiracle Natural Replenishing Hydrating Conditioner

June 9, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Primiracle Natural Replenishing Hydrating Conditioner

Hair conditioning is crucial for those who color or highlight, use hot styling tools and irons, spend time in seawater and chlorine or just have longer and thereby older, weaker hair. PriMiracle Natural Replenishing Hydrating Conditioner is a compliment to the PriMiracle shampoo, using complementary natural ingredients to hydrate and treat hair.

INGREDIENTS
PriMiracle conditioner contains several quality ingredients for both hair and scalp. I like that in a conditioner so that it can be used even as a Co-Washing (using conditioner as a good massage for the hair and not using Shampoo) since it won’t make the hair oily or greasy.

Aloe Vera is well known for its’ skin soothing properties but also is a natural treatment for the scalp and conditioner for the hair. It doesn’t leave hair greasy or dull. Some research into Aloe Vera shows that its’ protein contains 18 of the 20 amino acids found in the body plus Vitamins A, B, C, and E. Aloe gives intensive hair nourishment and adds shine.

Aloe Vera has a similar makeup to hair keratin, so it can provide nutrients to the hair, giving it more elasticity and add strength to prevent breakage. If you are considering a Keratin treatment for your hair, there are possibly dangerous chemicals and at times, accidental hair loss and breakage. Aloe Vera is a very safe way to enhance your hair’s keratin.

Olive Oil is frequently used as a deep conditioner for hair because it repairs damage and adds shine. It is especially effective on coarse and unruly hair to make it softer and more manageable. The moisturizing properties of Olive Oil are undisputed, but on normal to thin hair, it can make hair appear weighed down and limp. While direct hot oil treatments are common and effective, it is often difficult to fully rinse the Olive Oil from the hair, so Olive Oil as an ingredient within a conditioner is an efficient way to get this benefit without excessive rinsing, weight or dullness from residue.

Rosemary Oil promotes the growth of strong, healthy hair and reduces hair loss and imparts shine.

Grapeseed Oil address problems such as weakened hair, hair loss, and dandruff making hair stronger, healthier, more attractive hair. Grape seed oil contains Vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps to build tissue, and linoleic acid, a fatty acid which promotes hair and skin growth.

Several of these ingredients are not only moisturizing to the hair but are also hydrating and beneficial to the scalp. For example, Rosemary, when teamed with Olive Oil, helps minimize dandruff. Peppermint Oil normalizes the production of scalp oil, balancing the scalp’s pH level. Peppermint also combats dry scalp and dandruff and assists with hair loss. Aloe Vera reduces dandruff and helps maintain the scalp’s pH balance.

USE
Scented, emollient and thick in consistency. After massaging it into my scalp and hair. I tend to leave it in for 5 minutes to allow it to penetrate well. It washes out easily without feeling greasy. The scent does not last after rinsing. I found this conditioner also makes for a good pre-shampoo conditioner, leaving it on for about 30 minutes as a hair masque gave my hair a nice soft feel and shine.

RESULT
My hair is soft but not oily, there is no dulling residue, and my hair feels strong, clean, lush and full. Typically I use some leave-in treatment in my hair since my hair is fairly unruly without some sort of product to tame it. But after using the PriMiracle Shampoo and Conditioner, I let my hair dry naturally with no leave-in treatment to exactly what the conditioner did. I did not have to add any volumizing product to my hair to make fuller, my hair just felt naturally thicker even at the more fragile ends. There was a beautiful shine. To tame my wild mane into acceptable for the office appearance, I only had to touch up my hair lightly with a hair dryer and brush after it dried, and a quick run-through with a flat iron would have worked just as well. I was very pleased to find a conditioner that my hair felt thicker and soft without being greasy.

The PriMiracle conditioner is Peta Certified, not tested on animals, cruelty-free and Vegan.

Primiracle Natural Replenishing Hydrating Conditioner

Primiracle Natural Restorative Moisturizing Shampoo

June 9, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Primiracle Natural Restorative Moisturizing Shampoo

It seems shampoos often accomplish just one goal, whether it protects color, or it is clarifying, leaves hair volumized or shiny, reduces dandruff or helps stimulate new growth. Natural Restorative Moisturizing Shampoo packs in several shampoo objectives into one product by having a slew of natural ingredients that are great at hair care multi-tasking.

Like many people, I have a go-to shampoo intended towards certain objectives: I have one that clarifies, one that helps my hair color or new highlight retain their vibrancy, another that treats my scalp to moisturizing ingredients that give an invigorating scalp massage and encourage lush hair growth. The combination of ingredients in Natural Restorative meets many of my shampoo objectives.

INGREDIENTS

Aloe Vera: My Grandmother kept an Aloe Vera plant in her kitchen to treat burns and abrasions by cutting a leaf and applying the gel inside. Long used in skin care, Aloe Vera is also very useful as a non-chemical based treatment for dandruff and to keep the scalp healthy. It also contains proteolytic enzymes which repair dead skin cells on the scalp. It promotes hair growth, prevents itching on the scalp, reduces dandruff and conditions your hair.

Peppermint oil is used for hair growth and scalp stimulation. It feels cool and invigorating while giving the scalp a good lather. It regulates the pH balance of the scalp skin, which quells yeast and dandruff on the scalp. Peppermint Oil binds to hair follicles which increase blood flow thereby encouraging hair follicles to grow hair. It is rich in fatty acids, so it can treat the scalp without drying hair, which is a perk over many dandruff shampoos. It also makes hair smell fresh and clean.

Rosemary Oil is a blood circulation stimulant that is hair-growth inducing. In addition to clearing up an oily scalp without excessively stripping the hair, Rosemary has Antioxidants to combat pollution and harsh chemical products. It is also antibacterial which helps reduce dandruff production.

Argan Oil gets a fair amount of press as a hair conditioning ingredient. While it has hair softening and conditioning properties, it is most useful for conditioning the scalp and keeping hair follicles in optimal condition.

Don’t you love getting a long, relaxing scalp massage during a shampooing at a salon? Massage your scalp the same way with this shampoo, because each of these ingredients are valuable assets in natural hair care, and I found my scalp benefits from allowing the shampoo to stay on my hair an extra minute or so after a good massage to encourage blood flow, get my hair clean and release tension. I usually wash the ends of my hair out first, then my scalp and then the whole length of my hair.

SCENT
The scent is suitable for men and women, primarily a fresh scent of the Aloe, the Argan with a hint of the Peppermint and Rosemary.

APPLICATION
The shampoo lathers after working it into the hair a bit, and rinses clean.

RESULTS
I had just colored my hair a few days before, and the first shampoo after coloring I am always concerned about stripping the color. The shampoo did not strip my color but still left my hair feeling very clean and fresh. It has been difficult for me to find a shampoo that both protects my hair color but can remove styling product or deep conditioner residue from the hair, so I am glad to see a product that accomplishes both.

Primiracle Natural Restorative Moisturizing Shampoo

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