The MUST HAVE hair Product for Athletes

November 24, 2014

As a hair stylist I tell my clients that they should not be shampooing their hair everyday. Some agree with me, while others sit there pondering the idea, followed by tons of comments and questions. I hear most often…

“My hair gets so greasy, so I have to shampoo everyday.

But I work out everyday, and get super sweaty…

But you are a runner… Don’t you shampoo after your daily runs?

Do you shampoo after Bikam yoga?”

The answer is simple…

No I don’t shampoo after every workout, run, hot yoga class, etc…

To much shampooing strips the scalp of it’s natural oil, and dries out it’s ends. Natural oils are suppose to be on your scalp, so when they are continuously washed away, your scalp naturally produces more. Also, when you scrub your scalp daily, you are stimulating the sebaceous glands on the scalp causing them to produce even more oil than necessary. The result is a head full of oily hair, and dry ends. (Side note: The result above can be worse, depending on shampoo brand and type. So please seek professional advice for daily hair care regiment.)

I know it sounds scary to stop washing your hair everyday, but it will do your hair some good. Changing up your routine is hard, and it may take some time for your hair/scalp to get use to skipping daily shampooing, but trust me it will adjust.

The key to not shampooing daily is using DRY SHAMPOO.

As a runner Dry Shampoo has become my best friend, I have even used it after Bikram yoga.

Dry Shampoo: is a product that absorbs oil from hair, and refreshes hair on days you don’t shampoo. It comes in a powder or powder spay form.

Wondering how to apply Dry Shampoo? It is NOT hard at all…

Watch this quick Dry Shampoo Tutorial I have made and follow the steps below…

Note: On days I don’t shampoo my hair, I actually don’t wet my hair in the shower. So keep in mind, when applying Dry Shampoo, hair must be DRY, not wet from a shower.

Begin by taking medium sections and spray dry shampoo at the root, section size will depend on how much hair you have.
Leave the section and move on to the next section. This allows the previous sprayed section to dry and absorb oil.
Move down to the side of the head spraying up and down.
Continue to crown of head and nape if necessary.
Go back through using hands to blend product in until it becomes invisible.

If you have dark hair and you are concerned the dry shampoo will make you hair white. Don’t worry, as shown in the video, the dry shampoo that appears white when blended correctly will dry invisible. Also remember for longer lasting hair only focus on oil areas.

Besides absorbing oil, dry shampoo can also give lots of volume on days when hair goes flat. This holiday season, try using dry shampoo to add volume to your holiday up do.

MY FAVORITE DRY SHAMPOOS

I hope this helps. Now stop washing you hair daily, and start using Dry Shampoo. Dry Shampoo should be in everyones gym bag!

What’s you favorite Dry Shampoo? Leave a comment below, for your chance to win one of the Dry Shampoos above.

Alert: Fall Hair Trend

September 17, 2014

When you are not running on the trail or lifting in the weight room, even fit girls need their hair to look good.

And because I am both a fit girl and hair stylist today I am going to reveal to you the latest fall hair trend.

When a new season approaches every client who sits in my chair asks, “What’s trendy? What’s new?”

This season everyone is getting their hair chopped. The long locks that were once “ombré” or beautifully sun-kissed are now dry and parched – they’ve gotta go.

Celebrities such as Emma Stone …

and… Kaley Cuoco have taken the plunge.

(Kaley, however has gone shorter since… But her textured bob Is my favorite on her.)

It seems like every client is asking for this look.

So I got a fresh new look too…

For a while now I have been growing my hair. I also have been some sort of red.

Summer is over and Fall is beginning. So I decided it was time for a change.

Goodbye long hair.

Goodbye red ginger.

Hello short blonde hair…

Hair color: Wella
Hair product: Sebastian Texture Maker

What do you think of my new hair? Do you like this new trend?

my first HAIR FACT FRIDAY post.

October 12, 2013

HAIR FACT: Your fashion magazine is lying to you…

sooo many lies… that I can’t stand to read them anymore.

The other day, my co-worker and I started talking about how much false information is exposed in the pages of some of the most popular highly respected, fashion magazines.

In one of them, there was an article about how one can cut costs on a hair cut. They advised the reader to go to a more expensive senior stylist to get the hair cut of their dreams. But then to save money, go to a cheaper junior stylist, and tell them to just trim following the lines of the cut they already had.

Let me tell you why this does not work.

First of all let me make this very clear, we are talking about HAIR SALONS, not barber shops, hair cuttery, super clips or anything like that.

So lets get started…

You may be asking what is a senior stylist? A senior stylist is one that has been in the hair industry for a very long time. A senior stylist has years and years of experience, some 30 years or longer.

A junior stylist may be younger and definitely does not have as many years of experience as a senior, but many younger stylists are eager to travel to hair shows and classes. They are the ones that are always determined to know what’s new and hot, always trying to keep up with the trends.

Both are great, professionals!

So back to the magazine article…

If you go to one stylist to get your first hair cut and then go to another stylist to just follow the original cut, it is insulting and impossible. It is insulting because everyone cuts differently, whether it is a senior stylist or a junior stylist, we all have our own creative touch, so please don’t tell us to cut like someone else. Also, we don’t all use the same brand of tools, or products, which is also a major factor.

Also if you have waited more than 4 weeks to get a hair cut it is almost impossible to see what your previous cut is. Hair grows differently depending on your natural hair patterns and hair-line. Also hair is different depending on the seasons. One hair cut that worked amazing for you, in the summer humidity, may not look the same in the dry winter, especially for those that have curls. Another thing to consider is breakage – certain parts of your hair may not grow as fast or may not grow at all, because of breakage. Another factor, to consider is your hair goes through changes, hormones, new medications , etc. can change hair. Your hair may have been at a different state when you got your previous hair cut. So as you can see, it is not as simple as the fashion magazine claims it to be.

My advice to you is to find a hair stylist you love, who can give your your dream hair cut in any season, and stay loyal to her. The better your stylist knows you, the easier it is for her to cut and color your hair. The more your stylist sees you, the more familiar she becomes with your hair and life style. The more you see your stylist the easier it is to speak the same language. The longer you see your stylist the more life changes she gets to experience with you… weddings, baby, etc. When life changes, hair changes.

When it comes to fashion magazines, hair stylists are not writing articles on hair, journalists are… and when it comes to advising you on products to purchase, they are just advertising for the products that pay them to- so when in doubt ask your hair stylist.

Bottom line, for your best hair days, stay loyal to your hair stylist and use fashion magazines to seek inspiration not information.

Stay loyal to your hair stylist and I promise you…

To all my very loyal clients. Thank You!

Hair Fact Friday!

October 11, 2013

As you all may know, besides being a clean eating, marathon running, fitness addict, I am also a licensed hair stylist by profession.

I have always had the desire to write about hair. But I have avoided the idea because I wanted to keep my blog strictly about nutrition and fitness. And although this blog will be mostly about running, nutrition, and fitness. I can’t fight the urge any longer. I am beyond annoyed, I am fed up. I have to share my hair knowledge with you, because there is way too much false info out there.

I love you, and you more than anyone deserve to know the truth. So for now on I will be writing one hair post a week, on this blog, to expose hair lies and clear up any confusion you may have about your hair. My hair posts will be uploaded on Friday, and it will be called Hair Fact Friday!

I hope you enjoy these Hair Fact Friday posts… and feel free to personally e-mail me at sweat1xdaily@gmail.com if you have any hair questions you would like me to address on the blog or comment below.

Lets talk about hair, baby…

January 20, 2013

I know this is my fitness blog, but I am a professional hair stylist and wanted to give you all some advice. You are trying your hardest to be happy and healthy, your hair deserves that too. So this year upgrade your hot tools… It will change your life… I promise.

Ok everybody, lets talk about power tools!

The most common questions I get from my clients is, “How does a professional dryer differ from a generic brand dryer? “Is a professional dryer really better?”

Yes and Yes and here is why…

Most professional hair dryers are tourmaline, ceramic, and ionic.

Tourmaline is a semi-precious stone, that when infused into a hair dryer emits maximum levels of ions and infrared heat for efficient drying. Most hair dryers that are tourmaline are also ultra light weight.

Ceramic heats up the hair from the inside out. It also distributes heat evenly, and regulates temperature. It helps prevent bacteria growth, resulting in a healthy scalp. All of this creates longer-lasting healthier hair results. Also a ceramic coil in a hair dryer is stronger than one that is not ceramic. Stronger materials make for a longer hair dryer life.

Ionic hair dryers breaks down positive ions on wet hair, by distributing negative ions, pushing water molecules deep into the hair shaft. This rehydrates and reconditions hair with each use, while smoothing the hair cuticle. Also helps prevent static.

Most professional hair dryers, dry the hair fast, in half the time.

During my career as a hair stylist I have used several blow dryers. My top favorites are T3, Salono, Twin Turbo, and now Taiff!

And this is why…

Lets start with the T3 Featherweight Professional Dryer, because I have tons to say about it. This dryer has won awards, four times in Allure magazine, two times in InStyle magazine. It claims to be healthier then air drying your hair. It is tourmaline. It is ceramic. It is ionic.

But besides all those, my favorite things about this dryer is how quiet it is, the controllable air flow, and how totally weightless it is.

For the Hair stylist: When using this dryer in the salon it is quiet, to the point, that you can continue your conversation with your client. For the Client: When getting ready early in the morning for work you will not wake up anyone else sleeping in your home, it is that quiet.

For the Hairstylist: The controllable air flow is good for new stylists on the floor, but for someone like me who has been doing hair for six years, I actually prefer a more powerful air flow. For the Client: The controllable air flow is perfect for the client. I hear a lot of my clients say they can’t round brush blow dry their hair because they aren’t coordinated enough. Well the controllable air flow helps keep things organized and makes round brush blow drying an easier task.

For the Hair Stylist: This dryer is as light as a can of diet coke. You won’t feel tired after a long booked busy day. For the Client: Light weight dryer is great for travel.

In the end, I loved this dryer for my own personal use at home. When it came to using it in the salon on clients, it just didn’t cut. When I straighten curly, frizzy, poof ball hair I do not want to pull out my flat iron. This dryer was not powerful enough, and definitely was not fast enough. Also they tend to break. I took really good care of both of my dryers but they still just gave out. My first one broke with in a year and my second one broke with in two years.

The SOLANO is known for power. This is the hair dryer that I have been using in the salon for the last two years. I just retired it and brought it home for at home personal use. This dryer is 1875 watts, ceramic, and tourmaline. Compared to the T3 this dryer is much more powerful. Dries hair faster, and hair looks much more smoother and shinier. However, it is loud, and so heavy, that after a long day of clients, my arms feel numb and tired.

The TWINTURBO is the most popular dryer. Right now everyone has this one at my salon. It is an Italian hair dryer, that is 2100 watts, ceramic, and ionic. I have never used a dryer that is so powerful. Buy the green one, it is eco friendly.

The TAIFF Fox Ion TC is my new blow dryer, which is in the picture above. I received this blow dryer after my Sebastian hair training out in LA. I can’t tell you enough how excited I am about this dryer, there is nothing negative to say about it. It is very quiet. It is very light weight. It is very compact and is very fast drying. It has a powerful 2000w engine. It is ionic. It has tourmaline technology and a ceramic grid. I have never seen hair dry so fast. I have never seen curly, poof ball, frizz hair dry so smooth, so straight. When using this drier my clients have amazing shine, and their hair looks like they have received a Brazilian Keratin Treatment.

Please check out the TAIFF TECHNOLOGY.

I hope that answers your questions about hair dryers. Now let me hear from you… which hair dryer do you like best??

Oh and BTW… Thank you Sebastian Professional for such a wonderful gift. I love my new TAIFF FOX ION TC!

Did you know I do some serious hair…

Questions for You…

What is your favorite hair dryer?
What is your favorite “must have” hot tool/hair tool?

Feel free to ask me hair questions at anytime!