A happy and sunny Friday to everybody! Our Fan Mail Fridays question for today is from Amy and it's all about hair care. She asks:

Hi Ms. Martha!

I saw you in Eastwood before. You were strolling with your BF (I think? Hehe) and I couldn't help but notice how healthy- looking and pretty your hair is, which leads me now to my question: What's your daily or weekly hair regimen? I think we have the same hair type (fine and straight, am I right?) and I don't know how to make it healthy- looking like yours. I shampoo and condition everyday, and I use hair masks once every two weeks but I'm still not satisfied with the way it looks. Hope you can share me your secret methods and products to fabulous- looking hair, and maybe you can recommend some affordable products too. Thanks and more power! I love your blog!

P.S. I will seriously approach you and ask for a picture when I see you again!

Amy

Hello Amy!

Thank you for the compliments! I truly appreciate them! Yah, next time, we should have a short chat! :D

You're right, I have fine and straight hair. They say it's a dream to have because it's the type of hair that does not need a lot of effort, but not until it undergoes chemical treatments. (Read: Hair Color. I'm a sucker for this!) You see, my (our) hair type requires extra care because it's very susceptible to hair damage, most especially frizz, flyaways, dryness, and split ends because my strands are very thin so I make sure that the products I use have extra nourishing, moisturizing, and protective ingredients in them, and I follow my hair care regimen religiously.

So here's how you come up with a sound hair care regimen:

1. DETERMINE YOUR HAIR AND SCALP TYPE

Hair Type: Straight and Fine? Straight and Thick? Curly? Kinky? Wavy and Thin? Wavy and Thick? Extra Fine?

Scalp Type: Oily? Dry? Flaky?

2. DETERMINE YOUR HAIR AND SCALP CONCERNS:

Hair Concern: Dryness? Limpness? Dullness? Brittleness? Oiliness? Frizz? Flyaways? Split Ends?

Scalp Concern: Dandruff? Oiliness? Sensitivity? (e.g. Itch, redness)

3. MAKE A SUMMARY OF YOUR HAIR AND SCALP TYPES AND CONCERNS

Here's a mine: My hair is straight and fine, and my scalp is oily. My hair concerns are brittleness, limpness, split ends, dullness, and flyaways.

4. FIND THE PRODUCTS THAT WILL ADDRESS YOUR HAIR AND SCALP CONCERNS

Since my scalp is oily, I choose a light, semi- runny shampoo--one that does not have so much silicone ingredients in them so as to not aggravate its oiliness. For my hair, I choose a rich, emollient conditioner, most especially on the midsection and roots of my hair. I do not condition my scalp anymore because its natural oils will do that for me. Since my hair is color- treated, it has become dry and I use a leave- on treatment to keep it smooth and healthy- looking all throughout the day. Twice a week, I use a hair mask for color- treated hair to help prolong my color, and alternate it with a nourishing mask for deep conditioning.

Here's a small chart where I've written some of the common hair and scalp combinations, and hair concerns plus the corresponding products:
Whoops! Typo: Frizzy Hair, Mask section, that's SMOOTHING-not smoothening. I can't edit it because I forgot to save the word file of this table! :D

Click READ MORE for the products I use!
DAILY: PUREOLOGY PURE VOLUME SHAMPOO

Since my hair is limp, I use a volumizing shampoo to give it a little lift. Pureology is also a good hair cleansing and conditioning line for color- treated hair. But since this is pricey, my cheap and favorite alternative for it is L'Oreal's Elseve shampoo and conditioner for colored hair.

DAILY: KERASTASE ELIXIR ULTIME

My favorite leave- on product for hair! It smells so nice, and it really keeps my hair-most especially the roots-healthy- looking and moisturized. It's weightless too!

WEEKLY: KERASTASE CHROMA CAPTIVE HAIR MASK

I swear by this product because not only does it prolong the life of my hair color, it doesn't aggravate my oily scalp as well. It softens my locks effectively too, most especially after I have my hair color treatment. I use it once a week, and I alternate it with this:

WEEKLY: TRESEMMÉ SMOOTH AND SHINE HAIR MASK

It's cheaper, and it helps me prolong my Kerastase Chroma Captive mask hehe. I also love this product because it moisturizes effectively too.

If I have time, I use Kerastase or Tresemmé along with a hot towel: I wrap it around my hair and let it stay for 15 minutes, then rinse it off with cold water. The heat emanating from the towel opens up the hair shafts, thus allowing the nutrients in the product to penetrate hair easily. The cold water seals the hair shafts quickly and traps the product deep within the hair strands for better reparation. This technique is a salon secret by the way. :)

That's it! Here are some cheaper alternatives:

Taken from L'oreal Philippines' Facebook Fan Page

L'OREAL ELSEVE SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER LINE

The Elseve line is a favorite of mine, most especially this and the one that Anne Curtis is promoting. (the one that repairs 5 signs of hair damage? LOL. Forgot the name) I'm not sure if it's still available, but Elseve also has a line for color- treated hair. You can check that out if you want something that will keep your hair color vibrant for a long time-I used that a lot too.

BLACK BEAUTY HAIR SERUMS

This stuff is cheap, but works fine. My personal favorite is Protect because it has UV Protection.


Taken from L'oreal Philippines' Facebook Fan Page

L'OREAL ELSEVE NUTRIGLOSS SHINE SERUM

This one is more targeted, and it's good for you if your hair lacks brilliance. You can check out the other leave- on serums Elseve has to offer. 

L'OREAL MYTHIC OIL

Or if you can spare a few bucks for a good hair serum/leave- on treatment, try L'oreal's Mythic Oil. I have it too and it nourishes, repairs, and protects hair at the same time, but without the greasy, heavy feel. Between Kerastase Elixir Ultime and L'oreal Mythic Oil, I'd still choose Kerastase anyday because it has better ingredients. :)


Taken from L'oreal Philippines' Facebook Fan Page

L'OREAL ELSEVE HAIR MASK

Elseve has pretty good hair masks too. This is one of my favorites from the line. It smells so good, and it's a fab on-the-go product. :)

TOOLS

Little did people know that the hair tools they use can greatly affect the overall look and texture of their locks. Here are some of the hair tools I've been using. I must say, I've seen a great improvement in the texture of my hair when I've changed my tools!

Wooden Hair Comb

I'm using the one by Acca Kappa. Wooden hair combs lessen the friction in your hair during combing, as opposed to using plastic combs. It's also great for detangling damp or wet hair because it minimizes breakage.

Photo credits: myhairstyler.com

PADDLE BRUSH

This kind of brush is good for long hair. I use it when my hair is dry and most especially before I go to sleep because it's great for smoothing long hair, and helps get rid of grime in my scalp. It has a massaging effect too!

There you go, Amy! These are my secrets to healthy- looking hair. Hope to see you soon! I hope my readers have learned something useful today too! And oh, please do share your personal tips and tricks to achieving fabulous hair in the comments section below. Looking forward to reading them! :)

**Got a burning question about makeups, skin care products, beauty, dieting, and health tips, relationships, and whatever? Just send them to martha.stabarbara@yahoo.com or shoot 'em up at The Beauty Junkee's FB Fan Page via the MESSAGE button and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. (Please, do not send me Math- related queries. :D)

Your friendly beauty guru,

The Beauty Junkee