I have long hair, and I love having long hair, but there are many times my hair is in desperate need of help. I stumbled upon this article on Yahoo and love the tips. Check it out!
The secrets to rescuing your brittle, over-processed strands might just be in your refrigerator.Let's face it: Lustrous hair can take a lot of upkeep. Even if your stylist doesn't make house calls, fear not. "You can give your hair the TLC it needs to look its best by using items you have at home," notes Lorri Goddard Clark for the Privé Salon in Los Angeles, whose clients include Reese Witherspoon. Here, she dishes on her tried-and-true recipes for getting — and maintaining — healthy hair.
Feed Your Head
"You can’t have full, bouncy hair without a healthy scalp," says Goddard-Clark. To reduce excess oil, dampen a cotton ball with witch hazel, dab it along your hairline and part, and rinse hair with cool water. Fight flakes weekly by adding five drops of tea-tree oil to your favorite shampoo as a booster. Skip conditioner, though, and apply a detangler only to the ends of your hair — your scalp may be sensitive after this treatment.
Marie Claire Tip: Before any type of scalp treatment, check for burns from hot tools that could be easily irritated.
Add Volume
Lifeless strands got you down? in a bowl, mix one egg yolk, a half cup of honey, two tablespoons of olive oil, and two small, ripe avocados. Apply the concoction to the entire head and leave on for one to two hours, until hard. Shampoo and condition as usual. "This is a miracle cure," notes Goddard-Clark. "And for extra-bouncy, nonfrizzy curls, Drew Barrymore taught me to blot ringlets dry with paper towels."
Marie Claire Tip: Short on time? Apply this mask only to bangs or small pieces around your face. These areas are the most abused by heat styling.
Boost Shine"Dull, overstyled hair benefits from regular olive- or jojoba-oil masks," explains Goddard-Clark. Starting at the roots, brush a quarter cup of natural oil (synthetic oils don't work as well) through dry hair and leave it on for an hour. Blast the ends with a dryer for five minutes to help oil penetrate deeper. Skip the roots — the scalp emits enough warmth on its own, and applying extra heat could lead to greasy textures later.
Marie Claire Tip: Cut washing time and add shampoo to strands before they get wet to dissolve the oil faster.
Preserve ColorMinerals in the water system can cause brassiness for blondes and redheads. A quick fix? Mix a quarter cup of distilled white vinegar with a half cup of filtered water and pour it over hair before rinsing with cool water. Graying brunette beauties need to be careful, too. "Peroxide-based dyes give darker shades a reddish hue," warns Goddard-Clark. Use a toothbrush to paint boxed dye over individual strands.
Marie Claire Tip: to neutralize the scent of vinegar or harsh hair dyes, add a few drops of an oil essence, like lavender.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
