Gorgeous Shiny Locks

November 29, 2009 by Vanessa Alfano
Filed under Beauty, Featured

Ever wonder how some girls get their hair to be so shiny and gorgeous? While a few may be naturally blessed with those tresses, we all can still attain shiny, healthy hair.

I am not a Hair Stylist or professional, but my years in television and being fortunate enough to have great stylists work on my hair daily (thank you Enrico at WCBS!!), and my own experimentation in trying to tame my naturally curly (and often wild) hair has lead to me a few great conclusions that I must share.

First off, I have say that your hair, skin, and nails are nourished through nutrition. Marissa, our nutrition stylist, says that diet absolutely plays a part in healthy, gorgeous, shiny hair. Healthy omega-3 fats are the primary factor, and certain vitamins/minerals (biotin in particular which found in eggs and milk) aids hair growth and health.

Aside from nourishing on the inside, here are some of my top tips for shiny, healthy hair.

Products make a difference:

This is coming from a girl who used to style my hair with whatever was on sale that week. While some inexpensive products can do the job, I have found that there are products out there that areworth investing in to protect your hair and achieve that sleek look. I love, love, love Redken’s Smooth Down Heat Glide. I don’t even know how I came across this product but I am so glad I did. This protective smoother is a leave-in serum that totally tames frizz and gives an ultra-smooth, glossy finish. It also protects hair from all the damaging heat a blow dryer can deliver.

brush Top tools are Necessary

Buy a GOOD Blow dryer: Again, it’s worth spending a few extra bucks and arming

yourself with the right tools to fight your unruly hair! I spent years buying cheap-o hair dryers that in time would inevitably burn out halfway through blow drying my locks (thick haired girls can you relate to blowing into the nozzle to cool it down in order to finish drying your hair?) Eventually I learned the error of my ways, and invested a few bucks in a good ionic blow dryer. A quality ionic dryer will dry your hair faster, protect your hair better, and won’t fail you half way through.

Ceramic Brushes Smooth: Thanks again to my CBS hair stylist Enrico for introducing me to ceramic brushes. You may say, “Why pay $10- $20 for a brush when you can get one for $5?” I can only answer that you’ll know after the first time you use it. I personally use a large round brush by Ceramic Tools by jilbere de Paris that is fantastic. Ladies, don’t be scared of using a larger barreled brush either. I find the small ones get caught in my hair and are much harder to use. Go big!

Flat Irons Finish: Ok, I have to mention the flat iron because while not a big user myself, so many other ladies swear by them. Yes, a good flat iron will give you a smoothed out look, but beware, too much heat can also dry out and damage your hair big time. It you’re going to pull out the irons, make sure to use a product to protect! Matrix just came out with The Sleek.look Iron Smoother which protects from the damaging, extreme temperatures of flat irons. It also does double duty protection by shielding UV rays.

Natural Oils=Smooth, Shiny Locks

Yes, ladies, our natural oils give us all shinier, smoother hair naturally. If you can read between the lines, I am telling you to stop over washing! Unless you are working in a fajita factory there really is no reason to wash every single day. Haven’t you ever noticed how on day two (or three or four ) of not washing your hair, it actually looks smoother and silkier? So, not doing the daily dose of shampooing is actually better for your hair AND saves you time. Win, Win!