Styling Tools, Tips, and Products That Will Change The Way You Style Your Hair!

Hey Glams and Geeks! Today’s post is all about how to style your locks without frying them, as we take a look at some great tools and products that will help you during the styling process! There is nothing better than completing your look with a sleek, bouncy blow out, or gorgeous, frizz-free waves, or a shiny up-do. But nothing kills your look more than those super obvious flyaway’s from broken strands, or those very scorched ends. What about that super stiff look your hair gets from all the products you used to hold your hair in place? Well, no more! Today, you will read about products that will save your hair while you style it! So, let’s begin!

I’m about to share with you the most important piece of information that will be a life saver for your hair. The key to preventing your hair from frying while styling is to ALWAYS apply a good heat protector to your hair prior to using any styling tools! This is a must-do step in hair care, as you’re applying direct heat to your hair, damaging your hair shaft, which then leads to other concerns such as split ends, dry hair, dull hair, etc.  

So, here is something to keep in mind when you know you will be styling your hair. It is best to apply a heat protector to your hair after you get out of the shower. The reason for this is your hair is clean, and your hair shafts are open and still soaking in the moisture from your still-wet hair. At this time, you should apply a dime to quarter sized amount of product, depending on thickness and length of your hair, of heat protecting serum, running it through from root to tip, ensuring that your strands are completely coated. By doing this, you have created a protective barrier between your hair, and the heat. I suggest letting this product really settle into your hair, maybe 5 to 10 minutes, to allow it to saturate your hair and fully protect it from heat damage.

There are a few variations of heat protecting serums. There are cream based protectors, silicone based, oil based, and many other formulas. My favorite is a cream based formula, as the others leave my fine hair somewhat oily. I use Got 2B’s Smooth Operating Lustre Lotion. It is infused with cashmere, and leaves hair feeling super soft and adds immense shine to your hair! It retails for about $6 in drugstores or wherever Got 2B products are sold.

Now, let’s take a look at some styling tools that will assist in keeping your hair healthy and beautiful.

Blow dryers are an essential styling tool, and without them, our hair would be a frizzy mess. But, as great and as useful as they can be, they also are part of the cause to our dry, split ends. Some advice when drying your hair with a blow dryer is to always keep the nozzle on as this will give some distance between your hair and the heat, so that it will not burn your scalp or hair. I’m sure this is something most of you already knew, but I feel that it is so important for people to not forget this step.

Now, if you’re in the market for a new blow dryer, then take notes on this next section. If you suffer from frizzy, lack luster, dull hair, then you should definitely consider switching to an Ionic blow dryer. These dryers will give you that salon dried hair that you love so much, leaving your hair soft, shiny, and sleek, free of frizz and burnt ends. Ionic blow dryers release heat that contains negatively-charged ions, meaning that as you’re drying, the heat constricts the cuticle layers in your hair, and allowing for your hair to absorb moisture as it seals it in. This is what prevents your hair from becoming frizzy as you dry. A great ionic blow dryer that won’t hurt your budget is the Infiniti Pro by Conair 259X Hair Dryer. It retails for $29.99 at Walgreens.com.

The next tool we’re going to talk about is straightening irons. These are the most harmful to your hair, especially your ends as you are consistently passing it over your hair to achieve sleek, straight hair. But, I have found a new take on this tool that may save your hair from becoming damaged: Oil Infused Flat Irons! There are a few types of these oil based irons on the market such as Argan oil, Keratin oil, Macadamia oil, and a few others. I think these are great as they provide nourishment as you style your hair. The irons are coated with the oil, releasing the oil as it heats up. It is not excessive, nor does it leave a residue. It just moisturizes and shines your hair as you pass the iron over it, leaving hair sleek and luminous. An iron that received great reviews from various owners is the Conair Infiniti Pro Oil-Infused Ceramic Iron. It’s infused with Argan oil and comes with a free bottle of the oil as well. This product is sold at Target.com for $28.

The last tool we will talk about is pearl infused curling wands. These wands are awesome as you can achieve loose, high shine curls with minimal effort. No more tight, old-fashioned curls, or having to hold your hair with tons of spray to maintain your curl, you just wrap the section of hair around the barrel, hold for a few seconds, and ta-da! Amazing hair! The benefits of using a pearl-infused barrel is that you can get super soft, crunch free curls without damaging your hair. The other benefit is that the ceramic barrel does not singe hair when wrapped around the barrel. Instead, it enhances shine in your hair, giving you soft, touchable curls. The iron that I absolutely love and use on a constant basis is the Remington T Studio Curling Wand, Pearl Ceramic, 1-1 ½ inch barrel. This product retails for $22 at Walmart, and various sizes are sold.

Now that we’ve talked about styling tools, let’s move onto some styling products that are less likely to damage your hair.

So, as I’ve mentioned in my previous hair posts, the main ingredient in hair products that really takes a toll on your hair are ones filled with alcohol. Now, this isn’t the only ingredient that does damage, but it definitely is the most used ingredient in gels, hairsprays, and mousse. So, I have done some research to find the best affordable, alcohol-free brand that you can find almost anywhere!

The brand that offers a full line of hairsprays, gels, mousse and any other hair essentials that are alcohol and paraben-free, 100% vegan, and resistant to frizz is L’Oreal’s EverStyle Alcohol Free line. This line is available almost anywhere (Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, etc.) and each product retails for under $10. I think it’s great that we have cleaner products available to us as such affordable prices, as these little changes can really make a difference in the quality and health of our hair. So, when you run out of your hairspray, or gel, consider making the switch and see the difference.

 Thanks for reading the 4th post in my 5-post hair series! Check back tomorrow for my last post in the series: The Inputs for Outputs- How Inputting Vitamins Can Output Results!