Category: Uncategorized
Shampooing and conditioning correctly.
Am I shampooing and conditioning correctly? Seems like something we all do and it’s easy to do incorrectly. Using the right shampoo and conditioner makes all the difference. It can be just trial and error to find the best combination of products for your hair because you want your hair to be balanced and hydrated but not weighed down.
Once you’ve found your favorite products, let’s make sure you’re using them
Shampooing Correctly
Soak your hair with lots of water. Use lukewarm to cool water especially if you have color treated hair. Place a small amount of shampoo in your palm and add water because most products are concentrated so you need only a little bit. It will last you a long time! Concentrate on cleaning your scalp, all over the top, sides and nape area. If you have thick hair it can be challenging to get to your scalp! Rinse really well! If you use products to style it can be necessary to shampoo twice. The first will remove the product buildup and then the second will make sure that your hair and scalp are squeaky clean.
Conditioning Correctly
Most of us will find that using a conditioner will help our hair be at it’s best. Avoid your scalp, unless it’s a scalp healing product. Use conditioner about 3 inches from scalp all the way to the ends. Leave on a few minutes so that is can absorb and do it’s job of filing in the cuticle. I’m not a fan of combing it through your hair in the shower because that can pull and snap hair causing split broken pieces. It will do the job just using your fingers. If your hair is fine and gets weighed down by conditioners, just use on the ends and rinse out quickly. Even fine hair can use protection from conditioners. In the winter especially, conditioners will calm down static. Rinse really well again with lukewarm water. Hot water can dry your scalp and cause irritation.
Styling Tips
Wrap hair gently in a towel or t shirt. Never rub your hair or scalp roughly with the towel because this can cause more breakage and fizziness. If your hair tangles easily, it’s best to use a spray detangler on the midshaft and ends. Leave on a few minutes before using a wide tooth comb or pic. Starting at the bottom of the hair strands and working up untangle your hair. Starting at the top of your head just tangles the knots together. I’m also not a fan of using a brush on wet hair. Again it can cause breakage. If your brush has a lot of hair in it that’s a sign that it’s pulling too much hair out.
Let your hair air dry a little to minimize the heat damage. Use your favorite styling tools!
Shampooing and conditioning correctly over time will improve the health and shine of your hair, I promise!
We can help you choose the correct shampoo and conditioner! Stop by! https://www.brookerockwellhair.com
The make up of a Hair Strand
Hair strand. Let’s look at the make up of a hair strand. This will help us understand why damage can happen and how to prevent it.
Hair grows from your scalp and the root or follicle is nourished from our blood. From the blood comes oxygen and other nutrients that feed the root of the strand of hair. If we have bad overall health it will be noticeable in the condition of our hair. The condition of your hair can be the first sign of an underlying problem. The shape of the follicle cells will determine the shape of your hair, whether it’s straight, wavy or curly.
Make up of a single strand. Hair strands are like a straw. There are 2-3 sections.
Cuticle Layer of Hair Strand
The outer section is the cuticle. This is where most damage can be seen. The cuticle looks like shingles on a roof. They lay on top of each other. Heat and being rough with your hair can cause these shingle to lift and separate causing the hair to not be smooth. Eventually it can cause split ends and damage along the length of hair and then break off. Heat can cause damage to the cuticle because it can fray the shingles. Damaged hair can look lighter in color. Hair that has a healthy cuticle layer will have smooth shiny hair.
Cortex Layer of Hair Strand
The cortex layer is located between the cuticle and medulla and is the thickest hair layer. This is where most of the hair’s pigment is found, giving the hair its color. The health of the cortex depends largely on the integrity of the cuticle protecting it. This layer is where color is deposited and perms do their work. This is also where conditioning and protein treatments repair the hair strand.
Medulla Layer
The Innermost layer is the Medulla. This layer may or may not be present. The medulla is in mostly thicker hair types. Many blondes do not have this layer. It consists of a soft, thin core of transparent cells and air spaces.
Some products lay on top of the hair while others can penetrate into the hair. Silicones can lay on top of the hair to smooth. This is usually temporary. Some products have such a strong amount of silicone or parabens though that it can feel like a coating and be difficult to remove. This can hinder changing your hair color.
Do your hair strands need some attention? Book your appointment online! https://www.brookerockwellhair.com
Do I have Covid Hair Loss?
Do I have Covid hair loss? Have you had Covid-19 and are now experiencing hair loss? There are 30% more clicks on websites about hair loss and a 120% increase in searches for hair loss after illness. An increasing amount of people who have been ill from the Covid virus are sharing that they have more hair in their brushes.
Normal hair loss is about 80-100 hairs a day. Being sick and/or stressed the body becomes more sensitive to inflammation which can causes hair loss. This can accelerate hair loss-sometimes up to several hundred hairs per day.
Hair loss can be a common side effect of drugs that are used to treat Covid-19, like steroids and Remdeivir.
Check out more info on Healthline story about Covid-19 hair loss! https://www.healthline.com/health-news/covid-19-survivors-are-losing-their-hair-heres-why
Treatment for Hair Loss
The good news is that this hair loss is temporary and will resolve within 6 to 9 months.
Here are some tips for treating hair loss resulting from stress or covid:
- Treat your hair and scalp gently. You should avoid harsh products and scalp scrubs. Nioxin shampoo and conditioning products are great for keeping your scalp clean and healthy.
- Try to spend 10-30 minutes in the sun a day. The sunshine keeps our vitamin D levels normal that prevent hair loss. A blood test will let you know if you may need to use a supplement.
- Use blow-dryers and thermal tools sparingly and on low heat settings. Start with the lowest settings and increase if need be.
- Avoid wearing tight hair clips that can put extra stress on hair and scalp.
- Eat good healthy foods, exercise, get enough sleep and do your best to manage stress. Isn’t this what we hear for all total well being!
Stayed tuned to future blogs on treatments for hair loss. https://www.brookerockwellhair.com/
Tame frizzy, unruly hair with Progressively Smooth!
Tame frizzy, unruly hair with Progressively Smooth! This is the time of the year when your Brazilian Blowout needs refreshed! The humidity is rising and no one wants to spend more time than necessary using a blow dryer. Brazilian Blowouts can take about 3 hours and cost up to $400. Framesi is the premiere color company that we use in the salon. They have created a new smoothing product! Color Lover Progressively Smooth! This is a product that you use at home and costs a fraction of the blowout cost.
This product is amazing!!!! Used over time it will smooth your frizzy curls and make your hair more manageable! This product works from inside the hair shaft to strengthen your strands as well as protect your hair color. Progressively Smooth used as little as 3 times will show you incredible improvement. You’ll see less frizz, more smooth ends and quicker styling time. It helps tame those stubborn grays too!
It is used on freshly shampooed and conditioned hair. Just a few sprays, work it in and then blow-dry. A flat iron is not necessary. It can feel a bit heavy if you use too much!
Progressively Smooth can also be sprayed on dry hair to tame frizzy flyways.
Once your hair reaches an optimal amount of smoothness you can use Progressively Smooth just once a month. This will depend on how often you shampoo your hair. One bottle should last almost a year! The suggested price is $40. Mention this blog and receive $10 off!
Check out www.Framesiprofessional.com for more info!
Covit-19 Reopening Plans
The opening date keeps moving, but we are ready as soon as we get the ok!
As a licensed cosmetology salon in Pennsylvania since 1993, we have always upheld high sanitation standards. Each hairstylist has been certified by Barbacide in the best practices of sterilization. Barbacide has been in the business of protecting consumers in the beauty industry since 1947. You may have noticed the bright blue liquid, Barbacide, that we keep our combs in. Barbacide will be used to sterilize everything in the salon. It can be used as a soak, spray or wipe. You will see it in the salon: at the front desk, stylist stations, shampoo sinks, and bathroom.
We understand your concerns, so we have outdone ourselves in preparing our salon for you! The safety of our staff and our clients is essential to us, so we have and will continue to:
- Clean and/or disinfect all surfaces and implements
- Launder and/or disinfect all capes, and towels
- We have removed any non-essential items from the salon
- Initiated contactless methods of scheduling and payment
- Acquired appropriate personal protective equipment to be used when necessary. We will wear masks and have extras if you need one!
- Discontinued the practice of hand shaking, hugging and other non-essential contact
- Re-trained our staff on essential infection control and hand hygiene practices
Feel free to ask any of us at any time about all that we do to provide for your safety.
Here are some more ways our salon, with your help, will be protecting you:
As always if you are not feeling well… please reschedule your appt.
During this time of social distancing we will be spacing appointment times so that there are no more than 6 people in the salon one at time. Our stations are always more than 6 feet apart.
We will only take appts, no walk-in appts will be honored.
We would like to keep the sitting area free of clients waiting to be helped. Please arrive on time for your appt and please don’t bring anyone with you.
Please bring your own beverages and reading material.
We will encourage you to wash your hands when you arrive and wash your hands before you leave.
There is not much need for you to touch anything in the salon.
Our credit card payment center will be wiped down after each use. If you can tap your card on our reader and not sign that would be most helpful. If you can pay from your phone, you don’t even need to touch anything.
Hopefully our Covit -19 Reopening will be soon!
