How to Get the Most Out of Your Hair Products
When it comes to selecting styling and cleansing products for your hair…
...why don’t you just grab any old shampoo or mousse bottle off your drugstore shelf?
Why are you willing to drive to a faraway salon...or scour the Web for the creme de la creme of styling ease?
It’s because you know, when you purchase that special shampoo, or order that distinctive spray…
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT A HAIRSTYLE
“Finding the right hair products for you is a matter of care, consideration, and desire for superb style!”
No. That premium container comes with some extra ingredients you won’t find in that drugstore brand:
Spirit-boosting confidence...time-saving peace of mind…
...and hair that is truly ready to always deliver any style of your dreams!
But then…after all that care and attention to find exactly the products your style craves...
WHAT IF YOU’RE NOT HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS?
Sad but true:
Even when you choose the very finest salon-grade products available…
...there is still a small but nevertheless very real possibility the hairstyling results you achieve will fall short of your desires.
If that’s the case, it’s time to consider a piece of classic wisdom...
“It’s not what you use...it’s HOW YOU USE IT!”
So, we asked a team of expert professional hairstylists:
“What are your technique tweaks for the best results from your styling products?”
You may never have considered their tips before…
...but once you read them, we’re sure they’ll become a permanent part of your styling routine!
PUT A LID ON IT
Our first pro tip comes from Aviva Perea, an LA-based celebrity stylist whose clients include Mandy Moore, Zoe Saldana, and Brittany Snow.1
And it’s a suggestion so obvious, you’d think no one would ever need a reminder.
Nevertheless, it’s all too easy to overlook in that ten-things-at-once morning hairstyling rush.
“Nine times out of 10,” says Perea, “when I go to my clients’ houses, I notice their shampoo and conditioner caps are left open.”
Perea calls this a “huge pet peeve”...and with very good reason!
That’s because, when you leave the caps of your shampoo and conditioner bottles open, it exposes those sensitively formulated ingredients to too much air.
This will oxidize the active ingredients, sapping them of their cleansing and nourishing strength.
“Leaving the caps sealed on your cleansing products ensures that when it’s time to wash, they’ll always be at their most potent”
So, Perea advises you to always have your cleansing products’ caps securely fastened or closed when you’re not using them.
That little half-second twist of the wrist just might make a huge difference in your satisfaction with your shampoo!2
ENDING UP AT THE SEA
When it comes to treating your tresses to a revitalizing blast of texture, nothing beats sea salt spray.
Its ability to add depth and dimension to fine hair, and enhance the lustrous hold of beachy waves, makes this kelp-extract-infused formula an ideal stylist’s finishing touch.
But that’s just where the issue may lie, says Jerome Lordet, the style director at New York’s Pierre Michel Salon.
“A lot of people make the mistake of applying the beach spray first,” before they style, says Lordet.
“But it should be applied after hair is styled,” he suggests, “and after all other styling products.”
“Sea salt makes the perfect final note in your symphony of sumptuous style!”
Lordet says the best results come when you apply the spray from the middle to the end of your locks…
...then scrunch the pieces with your hands, to “press” the texturizing ingredients into your hair.
He also advises against applying sea salt spray directly to your roots, saying it will “grease up” your scalp and leave you with a less-than-fresh look.
So, think of sea salt spray like a gently refreshing good-bye kiss…
...sending you out to enjoy your day with a final grace note of full-textured flair!3
THE UNIVERSAL STYLING PRODUCT
Women’s hair is like snowflakes:
No two textures and styles are alike.
But when it comes to creating the perfect look, there’s only one product everyone uses.
And we don’t often think of it as a styling product at all.
That’s because you won’t find it for sale in the hair care aisle...at a salon...or on a beauty site.
In fact, all you have to do to find this product…
...is turn on your shower!
“The right approach to dampening and drying your hair can make a real difference when it comes to your style”
Frankly, we were stunned how many of the stylists we spoke to offered detailed tips about using water to harness your hair’s full potential.
Here’s just a few of their great suggestions for proper water hairstyling use:
- “If you’ve just worked out, rinse off with cold water before you get out of the shower - this will help cool your body down, so you don’t start sweating again when you break out the blow dryer.” - Charles Baker Strahan, celebrity stylist for Blake Lively and Amy Poehler4
- Toronto-based stylist Leland Olson also recommends turning off the hot water right at the end of your shower, for what he calls an “Arctic rinse”: “I know it sounds unpleasant, but this instantly seals each cuticle...so it reflects natural light more easily and provides optimum shine and radiance.”5
- Kristin Ess, whose clients include Lucy Hale and Lauren Conrad, also vouches for water as a quick touch-up detangler for curly hair: “A superfine mist from a spray bottle can loosen curls without fully rewetting the hair, and it air-dries in seconds.”
And, when you’re looking to fight frizz, don’t underestimate water as the perfect helper for your favorite leave-in conditioner.
That’s according to Hadar Leibovitz, a stylist with Salon AKS of New York.
“Applying smoothing products while your hair is damp allows it to dry with the weight of the product in it,” says Liebovitz, “which keeps the cuticle down and the frizz at bay.”7
In short, water is not just for rinsing off shampoo or product build-up.
When you use it at the right temperatures, and the right times...it can be one more forcefully effective tool in your home styling repertoire!
IT’S IN THE WAY THAT YOU USE IT
When you take the care and make the effort to choose the finest styling products available…
...it’s important to remember that using superior products is only half the hairstyling equation.
It’s also vital to use them the right way...for shine, volume, and stylability that lasts all day, every day.
So, thanks to our gifted professional stylists for their insight and cultivated wisdom.
Adding their tips to your styling regimen will ensure you get the best out of your styling products…
...and they bring the best out of you!
CITATIONS
- Swartists. “Aviva Perea.” Starworks Artists, www.starworksartists.com/hair/aviva-perea/.
- Morris, Jeannine. “How To Use Hair Products - Best Hairstyling Tips.” Refinery29, www.refinery29.com/how-to-use-hair-products.
- Leal, Samantha. “You're Doing It Wrong: 7 Ways to Use Your Hair Products Like a Pro.” Marie Claire, Marie Claire, 29 Mar. 2018, www.marieclaire.com/beauty/news/a13981/how-to-use-hair-products-correctly/.
- Peng, Chelsea. “60 Epic Hair Tips, Tricks, and Secrets.” Marie Claire, Marie Claire, 29 Mar. 2018, www.marieclaire.com/beauty/tips/a12866/pro-hair-tips-youve-never-heard-before/.
- “50 Best Hair Tips From Around the World.” InStyle.com, InStyle.com, www.instyle.com/beauty/50-best-hair-tips-around-world.
- Suico, Kat, and Graham Pollack. “The 25 Most Genius Hair Tips the Pros Have Told Us.” Allure, Allure Magazine, 16 May 2018, www.allure.com/story/best-hair-tips.
- “7 Surprising Hair Secrets the Pros Swear By.” Redbook, Redbook, 28 Feb. 2018, www.redbookmag.com/beauty/hair/a49971/expert-hair-care-tips/.