Nigel Russell - The Iron Woman

Friday, February 17, 2012 1:52 PM

The hot irons are a revolution but can you over do it on your hair?

The hot iron revolution
It can be done by any one any where
As long as there is a power plug, a comb, a few clips and the right products
You can transform yourself into someone you always admired
The bi polar therapy for hair, all those hours in re hab smoothed away in one gentle wave of the hair Hogwarts answer to the magic wand.

How did it catch on?
What started as a deviation in trends has now become an addiction and just when you were starting to get bored with the polka straight look or the fashion police were telling you to move on , the irons have re invented themselves to become a versatile curling wand so The dependency factor reigns supreme .
No hairdresser worth their salt would be caught dead without a pair
So how did it begin for you?
Here is a fictitious scenario that you may relate to.
Picture this.
One day your hairdresser suggests ironing your hair instead of the standard blow dry you are used to.
You are amazed by the transformation the shine the calming of the mad erratic hat you have been wearing most of your life the instant weight loss, you even look taller.
You resolve to have it done more often but more often becomes every week which soon becomes uneconomical.
You can’t afford your own pair so you seek comfort amongst friends and they take pity on you and the”pre anything iron party” becomes a habit but eventually you simply must have your own pair.

The shear versatility of the hair iron
Sleek smooth for work, weekends its curls, flick up ends ala Charlie’s angels it’s like a whole new world opens up.
What was once an occasional style change has now become a dependency!
 It’s every day and eventually it seems to take a bit longer and the sleek look is harder to achieve no matter how much your iron.
Then one day reality hits YOU HAVE OVER COOKED YOUR BEAUTIFUL LOCKS!!!
What happens is that if you overstretch the hair it will lose its natural elasticity and become lifeless
Too much ironing will create static in the hair so it becomes fly away and is a lot harder to get smooth.

Hair is like most things in life MODERATION is the best medicine.
You cannot expect your hair to stand up to too much of anything so now its time for hair re Hab.

How do you go about breaking the everyday ironing habit?
First you need to be prepared to wear your hair in a different style occasionally during the week to  break the habit
• Maybe tie it back for one day or let it just dry naturally with a heap of leave in conditioner in it.
• Another trick I show my clients is to pull the hair back but leave out the fringe and the front sides and only iron these pieces so from the front it looks smooth.
• Half and half is a good trick whereby you dry the hair with a good curl control product and leave in conditioner and then use the irons just to smooth out some of the random curls so you get a natural but controlled result that is still tidy enough to wear to work

Your hair will always need recovery and repair
Hair needs T.L.C. hair needs to chill out occasionally in fact it needs serious time out
So you can still transform your look but take time out and you might discover a “transient” look that could work in between times.
Always use a pre smoothing lotion on damp hair before you shake dry pre ironing use a protective sheen spray as you iron & smooth down with a serum on the ends once you have finished.

Do a weekly deep intensive treatment and keep those ends trimmed regularly too and you hair will retain its natural bounce and strength for years to come, just think of it as a new BMW you spend the money on it but it needs servicing regularly and you would never use cheap low grade petrol to run it , hair requires ongoing maintenance  as well so treat it well and the benefits will speak for themselves.

Best hair irons
http://www.ghdhair.com/au/
http://www.cloudninehair.com/au/shop/products/cloud-nine-iron/
http://www.harveynorman.co.nz/home-appliances/personal-grooming-and-shavers/?subcats=Y&features_hash=V164&gclid=CPbC5JjFmq4CFYMmpAodwzPVHg


Products I recommend

Pre straightening
Redken smooth down
Holistic hair hydrating conditioner
L’Oreal Lis control
Moroccan oil

Protective sprays
Kerastase Soliel protectur