So come on girls, how much do you value your hair? If the pictures of hair damaged by heat styling abuse on myhairstylingtools.com are anything to go by, clearly not a lot! But if you do, there are some simple steps you can take to limit this type of damage and prevent you, and your hair, from ending up in a seriously distressed state.

Blonde Curly Hair

Hair Rescue Programme

Your hair isn’t referred to as your crowning glory without good reason and the way it looks and feels can have a profound effect on your sense of well being. Terry Calvert, award-winning hairdresser, President of the Fellowship for British Hair, founder of the Clipso Salon Group, all-round Mr Gorgeous and hair guru says: “Whatever you do to your hair, it’s important that you put back what you take out. Hair is made up of approximately 80% protein (keratin) and 20% moisture. If you have your hair coloured your stylist will prescribe regular doses of a protein treatment like Redken Extreme Deep Fuel or Redken Extreme CAT to keep it strong and healthy.” Terry continues: “If you blow dry, straighten or curl your hair using heat styling appliances you’ll need to replenish the moisture content to restore and maintain elasticity and shine. Kevin Murphy’s Luxury Rinse, Redken’s All Soft Heavy Cream or Neal & Wolf Harmony Intensive Care Treatment are excellent for rehydrating parched locks.” He stresses that if you’re a heat appliance junkie AND you colour your hair, you’ll need to use products that contain a balance of protein and moisture to replenish strength, moisture and elasticity. “It’s not rocket science!” he adds and recommends investing in Alterna’s nourishing Caviar Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner, which have recently come out tops in clinical trials that prove its efficacy and that it’s worth every penny.

Invest In The Best

So how much should you spend on your haircare? As with most things in life, you get what you pay for and although most women don’t think twice about splashing out on skincare, it seems you’re tempted to cut corners with your hair! Terry believes that if you can afford the best you certainly won’t be washing your money down the plughole, because the more expensive brands are concentrated with highly effective conditioning ingredients, which mean you don’t need to use as much product and it lasts longer. He explains: “If your hair is in okay condition and you don’t do very much to it, you can get away with using average products, but if it’s coloured, damaged and becoming increasingly unmanageable, then using cheap, harsh shampoos will only make the problem worse because they tend to strip the hair of its natural oil, leaving it dry and brittle.” Natural oil is there for a reason; years ago Redken was called upon by the Alaskan authorities to provide a cleanser to remove oil from the fur of the seals, affected by a major oil disaster. The authorities realised that conventional detergents were too harsh and they needed something to remove the damaging oil, without stripping the fur of its natural oil, which provided protection from the freezing temperatures. Terry says: “If you use high end brands like Redken, Alterna, Neal & Wolf, Kerastase or Kevin Murphy you’ll notice the instant benefits because quite simply, they perform better.”

Luxe Locks Begin With A Good Shampoo

There are some super-restorative shampoos, conditioners and treatments available that will help keep your hair in tip-top condition but if you can only afford to invest in one product, Terry’s advice is to buy the finest quality shampoo. He explains: “Cleansing is the first step to creating shiny, manageable, healthy hair and if you get this right, you’re half way there! There’s no point applying a good conditioner to hair that hasn’t been thoroughly but gently cleansed - it would be the equivalent of wall papering over the cracks and you’ll just end up with build-up and lifeless, lack-lustre hair.” The other big advantage about a consultation with a professional stylist is that it will ensure you buy the right products for your hair type and condition and you won’t be left to make potentially the wrong choice from an overwhelming supermarket selection. Terry says: “A good shampoo is kind on the scalp and gently cleanses without leaving any unwanted residue, removing dirt, oil and build-up caused by styling products and mineral deposits. It also contains some conditioning ingredients and will go a long way towards improving the look, feel and manageability of your hair.” We recommend Kevin Murphy Angel Wash, Pureology Hydrating Shampoo, Kerastase Resistance Bain de Force and Alterna Caviar Moisture Shampoo. If you’re blow drying your curls, apply Senscience Curl Activate Energising Crème or Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious Defining Crème to damp hair before putting in your Curlformers. The Candy Addicted online store stocks many of these and more and is a great place to shop for some of the best haircare products around.

Ditch The Styling Irons

So what to do if constant heat styling abuse is taking its toll on your hair? First up, stop using the offending weapon - especially if it’s a pair of straightening, curling or flat irons - and preferably ditch it altogether! Then make an appointment at a professional salon for a damage assessment and hair rescue programme. It won’t necessarily mean maxing out your credit card and it WILL be worth it. Invest in the best quality shampoo, conditioner and treatment you can afford to help restore your hair to its former glory, and of course if you want to create soft bouncy curls along the way, that’s easy to achieve thanks to Curlformers, which are creating ripples around the world as women and professional stylists are discovering the variety of sexy spirals, glossy curls and tousled waves they can achieve - without a damaging heat styling iron in sight! As we’re in the grip of the wedding and prom season – not to mention a Sex and the City 2 and World Cup WAG-fest, Curlformers are the ideal way to recreate celebrity curls.  If you insist on using straightening irons to curl or smooth your hair, always apply them to hair that has been freshly washed with moisture-rich products and apply the best thermal protector you can afford.

Curly Hair Wedding

Blow Dry Boot Camp - The Alternative To ‘Frazzled’ Straight

If you value your hair but you’re addicted to ‘straight’, there are a number of salons now offering a ‘blow dry boot camp’ and the chance to learn how to create your own super-sleek locks without reaching for the straightening irons. To aid the process, apply a good quality styling product to lock in moisture and banish frizz - Alterna’s Hemp with Organics Straightening Balm (insert jpeg image – being sent under separate cover here) has to be one of the best around and the beauty editors love it. A good quality barrel brush and a powerful hairdryer are also essential pieces of kit. Collexia is a powerful new hairdryer available online from www.lookfantastic.com that has a double motor to cut drying time in half, but best of all it gives you the option of putting a treatment ‘pod’ in the nozzle, allowing you to repair your hair as you blow dry. For the finishing touches, smooth hair down by wearing a hat for as long as possible - you’ll be amazed at the difference this simple tip will make - and you’ll end up with the best hair ever, thanks to a little investment and some TLC.

Alterna Straightening Balm

If you have never been faced with losing your hair, you may not know how debilitating the feeling can be. Imagine constantly going out in public wondering if others are looking at your head, imagine having to wear hats and other head covers so that people don’t see your receding hair line and bald spots, and imagine watching movies and TV with envy every time you see a movie star with a full head of glorious hair.

This is what people who are experiencing hair loss go through on a daily basis. There are many commercials on TV and there are products sold at  your local stores that claim to be the cure all hair loss treatment that will help stop hair loss or they even claim to help you regrow your hair. You may not notice these commercials and products if you’re not facing hair loss, but the people that are facing it certainly do notice them. Do these hair loss treatments work and, if they do, how much do they cost?

Both Sexes Suffer Hard From Hair Loss

If you’re not facing hair loss, you can think that it’s only a male problem. Women, after all, are blessed with never experiencing hair loss; right? That couldn’t be further from the truth. Women all over the world face hair loss. They may have receding hair lines just like men or they may be losing their hair in splotches which leads to embarrassing bald spots. For men, sometimes it’s trendy to go bald. Some politicans and good looking people are bald: Vin Diesel for example. However, for women, hair loss can be especially devastating. Women view long, luxurious hair as a sign of beauty and femininity. That’s why women hair care products do so well in the market place. So if you think hair loss is only a male problem, you should think again.

Treatments

If you’re looking for hair loss products, you’ll find creams, gels, pills, vitamins and more that claim to stop or cure hair loss. They have hair clubs, and hair hospitals that you can join that will help you regrow your hair so that you can once more look younger, healthier and so that you can feel better about yourself. Do these treatments work? Scientists are torn between two camps. Some claim that baldness is genetic and that there’s not much you can do about it except to get hair plugs, get a toupee or have hair transplants. Others say these products can work and they do work and they have proof in actual human testing guinea pigs to prove it. However, it’s sad that there are still many snake oil salesmen out there who will gladly take advantage of someone going through hair loss to make a few bucks. Some treatments may work but there are enough scams out there to give the entire industry a bad name.

If you’re experiencing or facing hair loss, it’s recommended that you do deep research before you spend a dime. You could go broke falling for scams, following false promises and hanging on to false hopes. However, you must realize that it’s what’s on the inside that counts and that hair loss is not the end of the world. You should learn to be happy with yourself the way you are right now. If you can accomplish that, you’ll be a much happier person; even if you are a man or a woman losing your hair.

There are many important issues to discuss when it comes to hair care and treatments, one of the most important of all being laser hair care. Many people want to remove unwanted hair from their body and this is the laser hair care treatments most common use. Laser hair removal offers results that last months or even permanent hair loss, unlike shaving, that lasts for a day or two.

There are providers of laser hair care services and one is the New Hair Institute in San Jose, California. This institute offers top of the line services in hair transplants as well. They have been in business since 1992 and are truly a world leader in innovating hair transplant techniques, performing clinical research, and in teaching these various different techniques to the hair transplantation community.

Another excellent laser hair care provider is the TLC Dermal Laser Clinic, which is based in Vancouver. They have long been considered to be among the best hair removal professionals in the area. This treatment is very personal and treated in a professional and confidential manner at the centers.

The best idea, for anyone considering any sort of laser hair care procedure, is to speak to their doctor first. Of course there will be qualified professionals working at the laser hair center as well, but when a person speaks to their own doctor first this is always the best idea. After all, there may be certain risks or dangers to the particular procedure that the person was not aware of.

The doctor will be able to work together with the person and help them to determine whether or not this is the best option for them, and discuss any possible side effects or other dangers with them. There are certain medications that should not be used when undergoing laser hair care treatment, so advise your doctor beforehand.

There are many other options available as well that do not involve lasers, and the person should make sure that they are aware of all of these before making any decisions. Everyone wants to have the healthiest, most beautiful hair they can, and this means making the right hair care decisions. Fortunately there are many great inexpensive hair loss treatments available so you can make the decision that is right for you.