Look below where someone is telling Oprah Winfrey's beautician that there are so many volumizers/thickeners out there that she can't figure out which one is best.
Ask Val
Oprah's beauty director, Valerie Monroe, untangles your questions about hair products.
Dear Val:
There are a million hairstyling products out there—volumizers, thickeners, molding creams. I feel as if I need a doctorate in hairology to figure out which one to use. Can you help?
Response:
You're bringing up an interesting issue, and it's something I've been meaning to talk about. Suggesting one product would be a little like telling you to wear only cotton knits, never wool or linen or silk. Why wouldn't I want to do that? Because it would severely limit the fun you might have playing around. The next time you're in the drugstore aisle, think of it as a playground—no, wait a minute, that's not right, your bathroom would be the playground—but anyway, my point is to try a less-serious approach. No one I know has had to take orals to defend her position on anti-frizz serums.
That said, hairstylist Kattia Solano, owner of the Butterfly Studio in New York City, offers some helpful information. She says people often come into her salon saying they can't do anything with their hair, and when she asks if they've ever tried using a product, they shrug and say no. But second to a good cut, product is the one thing that can help give you some control over your hair. The right kind can add volume or thicken or smooth frizz or help you get that funky "piecey" look you like.
Basically, there are four types of products that can affect the texture of your hair. A volumizer, usually a spray, works well on fine hair to add fullness and body. Starting at the back of your head (so there's not a concentration of product at the crown, where it could weigh hair down), apply lightly at the roots and work the stuff through to the ends. Most of these products are heat activated, so it's best to blow-dry your hair after applying.
Try a thickener—creamier and heavier than most volumizers—to really beef up your just-shampooed hair, adding weight and texture. Rub a small amount between your hands and work it up from the ends about halfway to the root. Instead of the overall fullness you get with a volumizer, a thickener makes each strand seem fatter.
An anti-frizz product can be useful for nearly everyone, says Kattia, whether your hair is coarse and thick (in which case you'd use a cream or oil) or fine (use a serum or light cream). The silicone in these products smoothes and coats the hair's cuticle, adding shine. Rub a quarter-size amount of product between your hands and apply it from the ends of your hair right up to the root. A little goes a long way; if you use too much, your hair, if it's fine, will look flat.
Use a molding cream or paste on dry hair only. Most of these products are pretty tacky, and you'll feel them in your hair. A molding cream will give short hair plenty of hold; never apply it to the scalp, but instead from mid-shaft to the ends on a few pieces pulled from around the hairline, framing your face or at the crown. To give long hair a day-at-the-beach, unkempt look, says Kattia, rub a small amount of molding cream between your palms and scrunch it through. The most important thing to remember about texturizers is that you can always add more product. Start with the smallest amount, she says. Oh, and feel free to have fun.
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