Here are the do’s and don’ts for those who style their hair often
With the festive season around the corner, experts tell us the dos and don’ts of styling your hair often.
With festivals such as Navratri and Durga Pooja around the corner, people are gearing up for several days of celebration. While such events give us a chance to show off our best looks, the continuous styling, at times, can be harmful for our tresses. So, what’s okay and what’s not when it comes to styling one’s hair for days on end?
According to Tanya Mukherjee, style director, Jean-Claude Biguine Salon and Spa, India, “It is alright to style your hair back-to-back for up to nine days. One just needs to ensure that in case of a greasy scalp, wash it every day, preferably with a mild sulphate-free shampoo. Also, use a good product to protect the hair from the dryer’s heat.”
However, city-based doctors — Dr Apratim Goel, cosmetic dermatologist and laser surgeon, Cutis Skin Studio, and Dr Umaira Shaikh, MD (alternative medicines), Tvam Clinic — say continuous styling, especially the ones that require heat, are a complete “no-no”. The safe route to take would be to style your hair every alternate day. “Give your hair a messy look or leave it open. Scrunching your hair with mousse or diffuser to give it texture is also okay as long as you don’t use heated tongs or blow-dry it often,” says Cherag Bambboat, makeup artist, Magical Makeover Academy. Here are a few expert tips for a fuss-free styling season.
Pre-event care
Strengthen your hair roots and scalp by nourishing your body with adequate protein. Consume food items such as fish, avocado, soya, eggs, chicken, nuts, etc. Make sure your protein supplement provides you with all the nine essential amino acids that are well tolerated by your body. Also, consult an expert before taking any protein supplements. Choose the right shampoo and conditioner. You can also opt for a good haircut, which suits your face, to make styling interesting and easier.
Care during styling
Straight hair: This hair falls smoothly, but tends to flatten at the top, and also gets greasy quickly. Use a small-toothed comb to distribute the natural oil to the ends of the shafts. Blow-dry your hair upside down with a round brush for maximum volume. Fine and thin hair, too, get flat and mundane-looking, since some products are heavy and add to the ‘bogging down effect’. Opt for light-weight styling powders, which are applied to the roots, especially on the crown, to add volume and texture.
Wavy hair: It is the perfect blend of straight and curly hair. This hair has ultimate flexibility, and is easy to manage. However, it can get greasy on the top, dry up at the bottom, and frizzy in a jiffy. During your pre-styling routine, dab on some leave-in conditioner to keep your hair from frizzing.
Curly hair: They are lively, vivacious and full of volume, but most often fine and dry. Use a heat-protection spray. In case they frizz up again post styling, use hairspray. You can also apply a few drops of argan oil during pre-styling to moisturise the dry strands.
Coiled hair: They have the most intense curls, generally dry, and absorb loads of products. They also require maximum heat and time to style. However, use as little heat as possible. Apply a coat of pre-styling spray always before blow-dry, and follow a consistent daily haircare routine inclusive of deep conditioning, festival or not.
Post-event care
A good hydrating moisture-infused hair spa is a great idea. Also, a hair-strengthening treatment is advisable to maintain the integrity of hair. A good ‘scalp facial’ is also recommended to remove any kind of follicle clogging caused due to perspiration, dust, products, etc.
Quick tip
If your event has required your hair to be exposed to extreme temperatures in short spurts of time (from an air conditioned venue to outdoors) or has caused you to sweat a lot (outdoor dancing) or both, take extreme care while washing it. Rinse the hair by using a good conditioner for five to 10 minutes. Later, apply any argan oil-based shampoo.
Do not go for heavy styling if
* You have dry, damaged and brittle split ends
* You suffer from dandruff, psoriasis, dermatitis or scalp eczema
* You are losing more strands than usual
* You lose more than 100 strands of hair while washing.
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