8 HAIR STYLING PRODUCTS YOU ARE USING WRONGLY -

In this blog post, you will learn the 8 hair styling products you are using wrongly, and how to pick (and utilize) the ideal style tools for any task, whether it be a set of sectioning clips or a last mist of shine spray. Additionally, you will learn what the experts consider to be an absolute must in their toolkit.

Products designed specifically for styling hair are essential for accomplishing (and maintaining) almost any style, from the most basic ponytail to the most intricate updo. You’ll find something here that will suit the bill, whether you’re looking to tame frizz or give your hair more body, volume, and shine. In addition, you’ll discover a few strategies to get the most out of whatever you choose to use on your hair.

Mousse

Modern mousses are far from the stiff and sticky foams they formerly were, making them one of the most adaptable style aids available. An excellent mousse, in addition to adding volume and hold, may fatten up fine hair, define curls, add shine, and prevent frizz. The formulations and amount of hold available might range to suit various hair types. Extra advantages to check for include UV light protection, conditioning characteristics, and colour-boosting or colour-depositing properties.

Tip for Using Mousse

Apply a ball of mousse to the lengths and ends of newly washed hair before styling for volume and grip.
Apply after towel drying your hair, when it is still moist but not pouring. Even though current mousses are light and flexible, don’t overdo them or your hair will seem rigid, flat, and unclean.
Begin with a golf ball-sized quantity and gradually increase as required. You’ll find something here to suit your needs in terms of volume and shine –
Apply mousse to your hair by smearing it over your hands and fingers, then combing through with a wide-tooth comb.
For more volume, massage a tiny ball of mousse into your roots, tilt your head forwards, and direct hot air from your drier into the roots in a downward direction before flipping back up and continuing to dry your hair as usual.
Massage into the roots and dry with a hair dryer as described above.

Hairspray

A hairspray’s impact may range from a natural, barely-there grip to a rock-firm finish. Lightweight formulas are good for controlling frizz and may maintain a basic blow-dry smooth and static-free without impairing its softness and flexibility, whilst firm-hold hairsprays can assist keep complex updos in place. Some sprays may be used while style (as well as after) to offer grip and definition right from the start and protect your hair from the high heat of curling tongs or straighteners.

Tip for Using Hairspray

In addition to misting directly onto your finished style, hairspray can also be applied with a brush (this helps you distribute your spray lightly, evenly, and exactly where you need it), or with your fingers or hands (great for twisting through ends and tendrils or smoothing over the sides of a finished updo).
Understand the difference between ‘holding’ or ‘finishing’ sprays and ‘working’ or styling sprays.
Styling sprays may be used with hot tools and are fantastic for preparing and setting hair while curling or straightening, or for adding thickness to thin hair, whilst finishing sprays are used to keep completed looks in place.
A lightweight spray with weather-protective characteristics may keep your hair from frizzing up or sagging down on humid or wet days.
Hairsprays cannot provide the body, grip, and malleability that a mousse or thickening spray can. Use both for optimal results.
Some pump-action sprays might leave a lot of product on the hair.
Most hairsprays will brush easily out of your hair at the end of the day, eliminating product build-up and allowing you to start fresh the following day.

The build-up of a product: Myth or Reality?

Most styling aids are made so that product build-up doesn’t happen. They should come out of your hair easily with water or a brush, leaving no residue behind. Try a clarifying or detoxing shampoo (see page 54) if your hair starts to look unusually limp or dull. You could also try a different brand of styling product or one that is made for your hair type. You may also be using too much product, so don’t put it too close to your roots or use more than you need.

Shine Spray

Good shine starts with how you style, colour, and take care of your hair, but a light mist of a shimmering, light-reflecting spray can give your hair a patent-leather shine and keep frizz and flyways in check.

Shine spray can also be quicker and easier to use than a gloss-giving serum, especially if you already have your hair in an updo that you don’t want to mess up. However, a little can go a long way, so use it sparingly until you get used to it.

Tip for Using Spray Shine

Shine spray is a finishing touch, so use it at the end on dry hair.
Too much shine spray can make your hair look oily and flat, so don’t spray it right on your roots and keep the nozzle at least 15 centimetres away from your hair.
Try spraying your product into the air and walking through the mist it makes. This will help you avoid your roots. Or, turn your head forward and spray into the middle lengths and ends.
If you have fine or flat hair, a spray without oil won’t weigh it down as much as a heavier one.
If your hair is always dull, think about how your diet, environment, or the way you care for and style your hair may be affecting its health.

Thickening Lotion

Thickening lotions, also called blow-dry lotions or sprays, can be used instead of mousse. They add body, volume, and texture to your hair to make it feel fuller, and they often have treatment properties that make your hair stronger and better conditioned. Like mousses, they should be worked through towel-dried hair before blow-drying, but unlike mousses, they don’t give your hair as much texture and hold in the end. Instead, their main appeal is that they are soft and flexible. Salt sprays are also in this group. They make your hair thicker and give it a beachy, tousled look like you swam in the ocean and let your hair dry in the sea breeze.

Tip for Using Thickening Lotion

To get a lifted look without a lot of volumes all over, lift damp hair piece by piece, spray directly on the roots, and dry as usual.
To thicken from root to tip, apply as above but continue to spray all the way down to the tips, or use your hands to scrunch and massage into the lengths and ends.
Salt sprays will leave your hair looking matt rather than shiny. Mix up the look by twisting a small amount of shine cream through a few mid-length and end pieces.
Spray salt spray on wet or dry hair and let it dry naturally or with a diffuser.

Five More Ways to Increase Fullness

Colouring your hair may make it seem bigger and fuller by expanding the hair follicle and relaxing the cuticle layers on the surface. In addition to adding depth and dimension, a mix of highlights and lowlights may give the impression of thicker, fuller hair.
Suggest getting a cut with additional layers to your hairdresser; this can help you lose some of that extra bulk and make your hair seem thicker and fuller.
Apply conditioner from below your ears to the ends of your hair if it’s really limp. Avoid having conditioner weigh your hair down by keeping it away from the roots.
Get a fringe-trimmed, attempt a zigzag part, or do away with your part ultimately to make it seem like you have more hair.
Roughening up the cuticles, as in the processes of back brushing and backcombing, and blow-drying temporarily thickens your hair. Inverting your head and blowing hot air into your scalp is another way to make your hair seem thicker and fuller from the roots up.

Dry Shampoo

Often referred to as hair powder, may be used to add volume at the roots, give the appearance of intentionally matted, lived-in hair, and make newly washed hair—which can be soft and slippery—easier to style. Dry shampoo was formerly a backstage trick employed during photo sessions and fashion shows, but it has now been embraced by several companies and is now readily accessible. Try out a few different products until you discover the one that works best for you. Others may sometimes leave a white residue on darker hair and some can produce more of a matte and powdery effect than others.

Tip for Using Dry Shampoo

Always use on dry hair, raising individual strands up to spray into the scalp and roots.
Allow the product to absorb any extra oil or moisture for a minute after application.
Use a natural bristle brush to sweep through any extra powder, or use your fingers to fluff up your roots.
You may add additional volume by rubbing the product into your roots after using it, or you can tilt your head forward and use a hair dryer to create volume.
The majority of dry shampoos provide a matte look. Apply a shine spray on top if you want a glossier appearance.

Serum

To manage frizz and flyways, define curls, and enhance the effect of a straightened do, use this clear fluid. It excels when you want a sleek, high-shine finish. As serum covers the exterior of the hair shaft, it may be helpful in shielding your hair from the weather or from the heat produced by electrical styling products (particularly if it has a UV filter). For a lovely shimmering look, some additionally include shimmer.

Tips for Using Serum

Smear the serum into your hair after rubbing it between your palms. This warms it up and makes it simpler to apply (particularly if it includes silicones, which accumulate unevenly if they’re not applied properly).
Read the back of the container before using a serum since some may be difficult to apply to dry hair. Some serums should be applied to wet hair (after blotting and before blow-drying), while others can be spread over dry hair.
If your hair is already fine or naturally oily, avoid putting serum too near the roots to prevent your hair from seeming limp, greasy, or flat.
Serum absorption varies depending on hair type, so use extra as necessary if your hair is curly or thick.

Five More Ways to Increase Shine

After washing your hair, finish with a cold rinse to seal the cuticles and provide a smooth, reflecting surface.
Use a sizable natural bristle barrel brush to blow-dry your hair, directing the nozzle down the length of your hair as you go.
Look for straighteners with ceramic plates since they operate more quickly than metal plates and do less harm to your hair while improving shine.
Use a hair mask once a week to counteract the drying effects of hot equipment. Search for components like jojoba, olive, and coconut oils.
To keep your hair from becoming dry, brittle, and dull, increase your diet of vitamin E and good fats (try nuts, cold water fish, avocados, and green leafy vegetables) and drink lots of water.

Styling Creams, Lotions and Balms

Styling creams define ends, produce texture, and separate hair when waxes, putties, and pastes are too thick for longer hair. A lightweight cream may also be used in their place to add shine and smooth the surface of fine hair when silicone-based serums overpower it. Some styling creams and lighter lotions contain heat-protective characteristics and may be applied before straightening and curling for softness, sheen, and manageability. Styling creams and lighter lotions are also excellent alternatives for defining delicate curls that might droop when overwhelmed with mousse. Many are also moisturizing and conditioning—think of them as moisturisers for your hair—and are ideal for Afro and dry hair types since they might include nutritious ingredients like Shea butter.

Tips for Applying Creams, Lotions, and Balms

A variety of style creams may be used on wet or dry hair, either by spreading them over the mid-lengths and ends to add shine and tame frizz or by twisting them through the tips to separate the hair.
To spread cream through longer hair evenly, massage it between your hands and fingers, draw your hair back as if you were making a ponytail, twist it like a rope till the ends, and then untwist.
Straightening balms help control frizzy hair by smoothing the cuticles when applied to wet hair. They are a fantastic technique to get a clean, slick finish.
Continue to prevent overloading and applying too close to the roots.

Thermal Protectors

Your hair may become dry, lifeless, and prone to breaking with frequent usage of hot tools. While all styling products shield your hair from heat to some degree by creating a barrier, several also contain thermally protective qualities (the packaging will tell you if this is the case). If not, you’ll need to add some kind of safeguard, particularly if you often heat your hair. Apply your thermal protection last if you’re stacking products, then proceed to use your dryer, curling tongs, or straighteners. To achieve an equal application, just spritz on or smooth through with your fingertips, working section by section.

Tip for Using Thermal Protectors

Reduce the number of products you use by searching for thermal protectors with other styling benefits. For instance, a volumizing thermal spray may let you use less mousse, while a straightening serum may protect your hair before style and give it shine.
If you’re curling or straightening your hair, spritz or smooth your product through the portion you’re going to work on rather than attempting to disperse it throughout your whole head of hair before you start. These products may be simpler to use section by section.

Pro Tip: Applying your style products in layers will boost thickness, texture, and hold while preventing over-application.

The cleaner your hair is, the more product you’ll need to add texture and grip.
If you’re using a styling product all the way through your hair instead of section by section, massage it into the layers below and at the back of your head first. Blow-dry, then add another layer and dry again. By doing this, you will have less product on your fingers when you reach the hair on top of your head and around your face, making it less likely that you will overload those areas where it will be more noticeable.
This works nicely if you’re applying finishing products to dry hair.

With the correct use of the above mentimentioned styling products, we get to see great results.

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