Healthy-looking hair usually comes from a few steady habits rather than a shelf full of products. This category covers cosmetic care, styling, cuts and at-home color for women’s hair, along with the products and tools that go with them. Whether your hair is fine, thick, wavy, curly, coily or going gray, the aim is to find what works for your hair and your budget.
Getting to know your hair before you buy
Most disappointing hair purchases come from buying for the wrong hair type. Think about the thickness of each strand, how much hair you have, and whether it’s straight, wavy, curly or coily. Then consider how it’s been treated, because colored or heat-styled hair often wants something different from untouched hair. Your scalp matters too, since an oily scalp and dry ends may need different care.
Caring for curly and textured hair
Curly, coily and textured hair often does better with extra moisture, gentle handling and a wash schedule of its own. Fine curls and thick coils can respond very differently, so advice for one curl pattern won’t always suit another. Be willing to adjust amounts slowly, since many curl products work best when you start small.
Using heat without regret
Hot tools can do a lot of good for a hairstyle and a lot of harm to the hair itself. Use a heat protectant, start with the lowest temperature that works for you, and let your hair dry before you pass an iron over it. Fine or color-treated hair usually needs less heat than thick, coarse hair.
Deciding what’s worth paying for
A dependable drugstore shampoo may do the same basic job as a salon bottle, particularly since it spends so little time on your hair. Hot tools are often a better place to consider spending more, because you may use them for years. For anything you use daily, compare the price per ounce rather than the shelf price.
The main sub-topics in hair
This category is organized around seven main sub-topics, which cover everything from choosing a cut to washing it at the end of the day.
Best Hair Styles For Ladies
Best Hair Styles For Ladies gathers ideas for short, medium and long hair. It pays special attention to cuts that are easy to live with, including styles for women over 50, over 60 and beyond, and styles that work well with glasses or thinner hair. A picture is a great starting point for a talk with your stylist, but your hair’s texture and your daily routine should have the final say.
Hair Color
Hair Color covers at-home dye, gray coverage and low-maintenance ways to manage your roots. It also looks at temporary options for anyone not ready to commit. Always follow the allergy test and strand test directions in the box, and never use hair dye on your eyebrows or eyelashes.
Styling Products
Styling Products sorts through the creams, sprays, oils and heat protectants that promise to tame hair. It also takes in styling tools, with particular attention to frizz, humidity, fine hair and air-drying. Usually the trick is finding the right small amount of one product, rather than layering up several.
Shampoo & Conditioner
Shampoo & Conditioner helps you choose a wash routine for your hair type and goals. It covers sulfate-free formulas, curly hair, dry and damaged hair, and hair that’s prone to frizz. This sub-topic ranges from budget drugstore bottles to professional lines, so you can compare what you’re actually getting for the money.
Hair Brands
Hair Brands takes a closer look at well-known names in hair care. It’s useful when you’ve seen a brand everywhere and want to know who its products suit before you pay for them. Look at each individual product and not only the brand, because even a favorite line can include some that won’t suit you.
Routines & Tips
Routines & Tips brings together the everyday habits that keep hair looking its best. That means how often to wash, how to handle wet hair, and how to build a routine you can maintain. Small changes here are often cheaper and more useful than buying another product.
Curling Hair
Curling Hair covers curling irons, wands, straighteners and heatless methods. It includes techniques for short and long hair, as well as tools that suit fine hair. Practice with the tool turned off first, keep hot barrels away from your skin, and set your hair down gently while the curl cools.
What this category leaves out
This category covers cosmetic hair care and isn’t medical advice. Medical or prescription hair-loss treatment isn’t covered, and neither is men’s grooming. If you notice sudden shedding, bald patches or an irritated scalp, please see a doctor or dermatologist. For polish, gel and manicure help, you can head to Nails.
