As I’m sure you’ve noticed, Harrisonburg weather can be a bit unpredictable. One day you’re relaxing on the quad, the next you’re pulling your Uggs out from your closet. With the constant change in temperature, humidity, and precipitation, your hair might need a little TLC. Try out these tips to combat frizz, breakage, and bed head.
Dry your hair with a T-shirt
Finally, a use for all those free T-shirts you’ve been collecting since FrOG week! If you’re used to wrapping your wet hair up with a towel, you might find it’s more prone to split ends and brittleness. That’s because the thick, scratchy terrycloth of the towel can actually irritate and damage your tresses. So ditch your towel and raid your T-shirt drawer next time you step out of the shower. The soft cotton of the T-shirt will absorb excess moisture without roughing up your hair. Just be sure if you have dyed hair that you’re using a T-shirt you don’t care about, as you might stain the fabric. Trust me on this one, I have red hair dye marks on a fair amount of my clothes…
To try this method out, wring out your hair in the shower and blot dry with your T-shirt so your ends aren’t dripping wet. Then flip your head over, bending at the waist, and pull all your hair through the neck hole of your shirt. Then, like you’d do with a towel, twist the remaining fabric up, turban-style.
Finish your shower with a shot of cold water
This tip is for those brave hearted souls out there. As much as we all love steaming hot showers, try finishing it up with a cold rinse. When you use hot water on your hair, it helps to open up the hair’s cuticles, meaning your shampoo and conditioner can really do their jobs. But to seal in that moisture and shininess, cold water helps to close the hair cuticles, which can also help avoid split ends. So by braving a quick chill at the end of your shower, you can help your hair products do their jobs.
Measure hair products with your fingers
Speaking of hair products doing their jobs, I can’t be the only one that never knows just how much to use, right? When it comes to mousses, leave-in conditioners, and detanglers, I either seem to overdo it or underestimate how much product I need. At least that’s how it used to be before I learned this foolproof trick. To determine how much hair product to use, gather your hair into a low ponytail. Then with your thumb and index finger measure the ponytail’s thickness. Voila! The size of the circle you form with your fingers is the exact amount of product you should disperse onto your hand before working into your hair. No more guessing and ending up with a mess on top of your head!
Static Guard is your hair’s best friend!
You’ve probably just seen Static Guard in the laundry room at your parents’ house. Y’know, that blue aerosol can your mom sprays on clothes after they’ve come out of the dryer? Well, now your socks and your hair have something in common. If you find your hair gets frizzy and static-y during the day, spray your hairbrush down with Static Guard. When you brush through your ends, a little bit of the product will transfer onto your hair, keeping those annoying fly-aways at bay. So next time you make a Walmart run, make a pit stop in the detergent aisle—it should be shelved right alongside dryer sheets and fabric softener. It’s the best $3 you’ll ever spend on your hair.
Texturize your hair with a straightener—two ways!
This last tip might not be a huge secret to a lot of you—girls everywhere have been curling their hair with their straighteners for a while now. But nonetheless, it’s worth mentioning again for those of you who have never tried. Plus, there are two ways to do this, depending on how much texture and curl you want!
For more traditional, uniform curls, start with a 1-inch straightening iron. Then, grab a small amount of hair (no one than one inch in width) and clamp toward your roots. Then, simply flip the iron over while your hair is still clamped in the same spot. As a good rule of thumb (pun intended), when you first clamp your hair, your thumb should be facing upward; when you flip the iron your thumb will be facing down. Next, just like you would when straightening your hair normally, pull the iron down to the ends of your hair at a slow, consistent speed. When you release, you’ll be left with a soft, pretty curl. Repeat this same process over your entire head and use hairspray to set. I promise, this makes a lot more sense once you actually whip out the straightener and try it for yourself.
The second way to add body your hair with a straightener leaves you with soft, bohemian waves as opposed to big, bouncy curls. With this method, braid your entire head of hair into one to two-inch sections, securing each braid with a small elastic or a bobby pin. You might look a little bit like Medusa at this point, but I promise the end result will be totally worth it. Once you’ve done that, simply run your straightening iron over each individual braid—no unbraiding or loosening at this point! After you’ve successfully ironed your entire head of hair, you can go ahead and unravel all those tiny braids; you’ll be left with mermaid-esque texture that will last all day long, especially if you lock in the waves with a little bit of hairspray.
So I hope you’ve enjoyed these tips and consider trying a few of these out as you and your hair make the transition from winter to spring. Your locks will appreciate any extra love and attention they can get.