Good hair does not come easy. Seriously, have you seen Chris Rock’s wise-cracking documentary “Good Hair” about the lengths African American women go to for their coif? Hysterical but haltingly serious. Unless you were blessed with a naturally perfect head of hair (lucky you!), odds are that you drop a pretty penny or two on regular hair salon visits. And the last thing you want is your style to fall flat once you leave the stylist’s chair. Here’s the latest wave in haircare products that prolong your style or when all else fails, help you to fake it!
eSalon. It’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, at least in the beauty world — a home hair color line tailored specifically for you. You’ll take a quick and painless quiz, upload a few pictures and decide on your color. A stylist will be in touch in no time and your custom hair color will arrive in the mail. Get started at esalon.com.
Hairdo Clip-In Bangs and Wrap-Around Pony. Developed by celebrity stylist Ken Paves and Jessica Simpson, these hair pieces pump up the glam in minutes. The bangs simply affix to your own hair at the crown with three clips. The Wrap-Around Ponytail easily wraps around the base of your own ponytail and connects with Velcro. Both come in a multitude of hair colors and the Tru2Life fiber can withstand heat up to 350 degrees, making it easy to change the look until heat-styled again. Get it at QVC, ULTA, extensions.com and other select salons, $29-$49.
Toppik Root Touch-up Spray. Quickly, easily and instantly covers roots and grays between colorings. The airbrush applicator provides precise, buildable coverage while flexible color pigments adjust to match hair color. Safe for all hair types including color treated hair. $30.95 at amazon.com.
Redken Style Connection and Curl Bounce Collections. The hair masters at Redken won’t rest until they have a product for every look. From the new Style Connection, Velvet Gelatine 07 goes on before blow drying for a cushioned finish, Matte Sponge 05 goes on dry or damp hair for a roughed-up look and Wool Shake 08 goes on dry hair for a textured finished. Embrace your curls with Redken’s new Ringlet 07 Curl Perfector, Soft Spin 05, Curl Wise 14 styling aids. Buy it at select salons for $12-$20. Visit redken.com for a list of local retailers.
Philip B Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo. This ultra rich hair cleanser redefines luxury shampoo. Dramatically high concentrations of nutrient-rich vitamins and amino acids hydrate hair on a cellular level, leaving it plump and sexy with tons of shine and laced with the luscious scent of exotic botanicals. Work the rubber-like formula into the scalp, drape it through the strands and leave on for up to 5 minutes for an unforgettable shampoo experience. Get it at skinstore.com for $160 (gulp!).
Hair Rules Daily Cleansing Cream Moisturizing No Suds Shampoo. Be kind to your cut with this sulfate and paraben-free daily cleansing cream. Nothing like the typical shampoo, this no-suds (zero suds, nada!) formula encases strands in rich botanicals like honey, awapuhi and hops. Hair is amazingly clean and super soft. Especially good for kinky and wavy hair textures. Available at hairrules.com, $22.
Kairos Acne Care Solutions Hair System. If acne breakouts are detracting from your rocking haircut, meet Kairos — the marriage of healthy skin and hair. Developed by medical professionals, Kairos Acne Care is the first hair care line to address acne-causing factors linked to hair and hair products. The Clarifying Complexion-Clearing Shampoo, Balancing Breakout-Controlling Conditioner and Flex Hold Clear Finish Hair Spray are each formulated without acne-aggravating and pore-clogging ingredients. What they do have are botanicals and natural moisturizers made from “safe oils” that don’t clog pores. The products are $24-28 and available at kairosclear.com.
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