How do I take care of my newly colored hair? 

Color treated hair has special needs. Follow these tips to keep your hair looking great:

• Use a shampoo created especially for color-treated hair (eg henara or henne)
• Wear hats or hair products with sunscreens to prevent your color from fading and drying in the sun
• Dampen your hair with bottled spring water before getting into a chlorine pool (it will help dilute the chlorine)
• Condition regularly
• Don't brush hair when wet -- use a wide-toothed comb
• Blot your hair dry -- don't wrap it or roughly dry it with a towel
• Avoid overdrying -- blow dry until hair is almost, but not entirely, dry
  

Hair care tips for great looking hair

We are a people in love with hair. Men and women alike spend a fortune each year on getting and keeping great looking hair. We cut it and color it and style it and perm it and weave it and on and on. The easiest way to great looking hair is to take good care of it. Damaged, dry, over-processed hair is what we want to avoid. Here’s how:

1. Avoid heat and sun. Blow dryers and styling appliances damage your hair. They dry it out and make it brittle. Whenever possible, allow your hair to air dry instead of using a blow dryer. Have your hair cut professionally to minimize the amount of styling required to get the look you want. When you must be out in the sun, keep your hair covered if you can. Heat and UV rays from the sun will do damage to your hair. Try to stay in the shade; your hair and your skin will thank you for it.

2. Be gentle with wet hair. Your hair is most vulnerable when it is wet. It is more likely to break and cause split ends. Avoid combing or brushing wet hair. Don’t twist your hair up into a towel when it is wet. Instead, gently squeeze the hair with a towel to remove excess water.

3. Avoid styling products that contain alcohol. Alcohol will dry and damage your hair. Check the ingredients of your mousses, gels and sprays to see if they contain alcohol. Your stylist can recommend products that aren’t damaging.

4. Have your hair cut regularly. Most people will need a trim every six weeks to keep their hair shaped the way they want it. An excellent cut will go a long way towards making your hair look its very best.

5. Your hair needs moisture, just like the rest of your body. Even oily hair needs occasional moisturizing. A hot oil treatment at home once a week or at least once a month will keep your hair glossy and prevent dry, split ends. Use a conditioner for your hair type on a regular basis for in between treatments.

6. Wash your hair gently. Use a gentle shampoo and about once a month, switch to a clarifying shampoo to remove residues. Using a clarifying shampoo for three to five days a month will help your regular shampoo do a better job. When you wash your hair, massage the shampoo in gently. Don’t scrub or twist the hair. Remember, it’s most vulnerable when it’s wet.

Having great hair may take more than these basics for some but all people will benefit from taking good care of their hair. The less damage you have to overcome to achieve the look you are after, the better. Keeping your hair healthy will make it less expensive to take care of, too. Be gentle, keep it moisturized, avoid heat and sun. Doing these things will keep your hair as healthy as it can be.

What can I do about gray hair?

No, it's not your imagination. Some gray hairs -- especially coarse hairs, prematurely gray hairs and gray hairs around the temples and hairlines -- are especially resistant to color or quicker to lose color than other gray hairs. Try the following suggestions:

• Apply color to gray areas first. (This gives resistant gray hairs more time to absorb color.)
• Leave color on longer. (Adjust your timing and try it first in the strand test. Grays could take up to 45 minutes to color.)
• Increase your hair color level. (If your grays still show up even after you've adjusted the timing on your semi- or demi-permanent color, you might consider going up a level.)

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