10 Hair Care Products & Tools Every Woman Needsby Julyne Derrick
Essential Hair Care ProductsAre you overwhelmed by all the mousses, gels, irons and other hair care products vying for your attention? What you really need boils down to 10 basic tools. Here are the hair care products and tools every woman should have on hand.
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A good brush.
The higher quality your hairbrush, the healthier your hair. The best brushes have rubber bases. These allow bristles to flex, cutting down on the damage to your hair.
The right shampoo for your hair type.
Shampoos clean hair by lifting dirt & oil. Picking the correct shampoo is all about the ingredients. Extra tip: More shampoo is not better. All you need is a quarter-sized dollop, perhaps a bit more if you have long hair. For more information, see Best Shampoos & Conditioners for Hair Types.
Conditioner.
Unless you have baby fine hair that goes limp at the sight of creamy conditioners, you need to a conditioner. Hair pros will tell you conditioner can help repair heat- & chemical-damaged hair. The truth is conditioners protect your hair from these things (& harsh brushings). Conditioners are fortified with moisturizing agents that coat the hair leaving it tangle-free. Want to spend less time brushing out long wet hair? Condition the ends. Your comb will zip right through.
- A wide-toothed comb.
Never, ever, ever, never use a brush to comb out wet hair. That’s why they call it ‘combing out’ – a wide-toothed comb is the only equipment that should touch your wet head.
- Shine serum.
Here is where you may say, “what?” But really, who would turn down a shiny mane if promised one? These shine serums really do work. If you have fine, straight hair, forego the serums for the spray & don’t use too much. Shine products will weigh down fine hair, so a quick spritz will do you. If your hair is thick, try the serums, which help smooth the hair & give it an added gleam, or just use more of the spray.
- Dry shampoo.
These shampoos are great for absorbing oil in between washings. Don’t want to splurge on the fancy stuff? Here’s what I do (having tried the fancy Bumble & Bumble powder): talcum powder.
- A blowdryer.
Never underestimate the power of a good blowdryer. The more powerful your dryer, the better. A strong blowdryer will speed drying time which reduces your hair’s exposure to damaging heat. If you have thick hair, you’ll want a dryer with at least 1,875 watts. Those with finer hair can make do with 1,500 watts. For information on what features to look for in a dryer, click here.
- Volumizing mousse or spray OR straightening balm.
Volumizing products are a Godsend for those of us with fine hair. Bend over & spray it on your roots & voila! all of a sudden you have volume. Got coarse hair, skip this product & buy the balm, which will calm down those frizzies we straight-haired girls would love to have to battle every now & then.
- Rollers OR straightening irons.
If you’re like me, you spent many a night as a teenager sleeping with those fuzzy pink rollers wrapped in your hair. These worked great, but they were so painful. Rollers have come a long way since then. Even coarse-haired girls can benefit from a good set of rollers. And remember, the longer your hair, the larger the rollers need to be. Don’t like rollers? Try a good curling iron. Curly girls, of course, can skip the rollers & invest in a high-quality straightening iron. Find one designed for your hair texture & flatten away.
- Hairspray.
Hairsprays are a must for holding your style in place while also protecting your hair against humidity or even heat & UV rays. Don’t want helmet head like my Grandma (I call this look 'Grandma head') who still gets her hair done every week at the salon leaving it perfectly curled & fluffy for 7 days? Go for a flexible, soft-hold formula. For extra body, lift sections & spray close to the roots |
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