Washing hair everday, blow dryers, & curling irons

OK people I need help once again.. bear with me here.

I know I`m supposed to wash my hair every other day.. BUT if I don`t wash it everyday it gets greasy!! (yuck)

Also... I go to college so of course I want to look my best so I blow dry my hair (if I don`t its all flat and nasty) and I curl my hair (if I don`t curl it it sticks out every which way)

All those are bad for my hair.. but I don`t know how to do without.

Any suggestions that would helpful?

Thanks Diana... can anyone add to what she said?

I`ve tried just conditioning my hair on the next day but it gets these oily patches in it. I end up getting back in the shower and washing my hair again!

I know what you are going thru. I went thru the same in high school and college. I also had a perm to help give it "lift" which also meant it was higher maintenance...higher maintenance=higher damage.
My hair was jerked around every morning -- touched up between classes if necessary (I had a curling iron in my locker, and a butane one in my purse) and if I was going out, I usually washed and started over again when getting ready at night.

Yes, I went thru a lot of product, and Yes, I am a child of the 80s. ;)

So here is my two cents...or three or four....

Washing....
Gentle shampoo and LIGHT conditioner. That`s the funny think about hair and skin. If you use something too harsh and strip the scalp (or skin) then it produces more oils to try to balance itself. In turn, you end up with a greasy head. Thinking you have oily hair, you use something for oily hair and only make it worse.

Professional, Professional, Professional... I cannot stress this enough. The products are concentrated so you use less....more often than not there are no harsh chemicals. And do a little research. Just because they slap the word "professional" on the label doesn`t mean they are. I am not talking about name brands here, I am talking drug store stuff. If you need help with reputable brands, Karen is good at picking them. I have a really limited market here so I order online or order thru my beauty supply store. Also talk to the stylist that cuts/processes your hair if you have a good trusting relationship with them. They have the best idea of what will work with your hair... I say trusting relationship because if you get a good one, they will tell you what works, whether they sell it or not.

Blow-dryers....use the lowest setting....first use styling products etc that are for resisting heat damage from styling tools. When done blowdrying give it a blast of cold air, helps lay those angry cuticles down.

Curling Irons...P word again.... Professional.... I swear by the Hot Tools line. I would go thru 1-2 curling irons a year because I would burn them up. I don`t consider 2 heat settings safe for hair. I am sure we all can`t be split into just two categories of hair. Hot Tools (personal experience) require less time in the hair to set a curl and it actually stays. Its an even heat, so you don`t get hot on one end and cool on the other, or hot on the ends and cooler in the middle. Bear in mind that these are professional tools, and if you turn it up too far, it can melt your hair. I leave mind on a setting of 3 out of 10. (higher settings are for ethnic hair, and my hair is fine, but thick). I have 4 of their spring curling irons and the blow dryer. I have not had any cracks in the plastic and the thumb thing has not come off at all and I have had these for about 6-8 years. I have managed not to burn up my blow dryer either (I use it to dry out the inside of my kid`s boots inthe winter time ;) )

My little sister was always in my stuff -- she is six years younger. I told her and mom told her to leave my curling irons alone and of course she didn`t listen. Cranked the curling iron up to 10 and curled her bangs. Only her bangs melted off her head and stuck to the iron. It`s a wonder she didn`t burn her scalp. She never touched my stuff again. She also didn`t have bangs for months either.

;)

So, I hope my ramblings help. Maybe something in here strikes a chord with exactly what you are looking for.

Trix

PS. I have experience with EP, Paul Mitchell, Redken, Vavoom, Matrix, Biolage (Awesome), Back to Basics, Rusk, Sabastian....just to name a few.... and now I am trying out Giovanni and Mine.

Forgot the link for hot tools. They are made by Helen of Troy.

They run about $20-40 a piece so dont` have sticker shock. But they are well worth it, I actually save money since I don`t have to keep replacing them. They heat up fast too...so no waiting... Salons here use Marcel Irons, mostly because it is what they have been taught with here, and find they are easier to use. And they stay plugged in and on all day -- day in and day out.

http://www.helenoftroyusa.com/products/ht/

Here are the ones I have and I have collected them over the years. The newest one is the Hot Air Brush since my Revlon one died. I am not coordinated at all with a brush and blowdryer. I want to replace my blowdryer with a new one, but I can`t get it to die...lol

Professional 1700 Watt AC Motor Dryer with Pik Attachment -- Model 1080

The Big Bumper 1-1/2" Professional Spring Iron with Rubberized Handle -- Model 1102R

Mini 1/2" Professional Spring Iron with Rubberized Handle -- Model 1103R

Midi 5/8" Professional Spring Iron with Rubberized Handle -- Model 1109R

Jumbo 1" Professional Spring Iron with Rubberized Handle -- Model 1181R

Hot Tools® Professional 800 Watt Thermal Hot Air Brush -- Model 1073


Wishlist: Hot Tools® Anti-Static Ion Professional Dryer -- Model 1035

OK, here is a link with a breakdown of the features....
http://www.folica.com/appliances/ht_spriron1181.htm

Amber, I suspect you`ll find once you get to a certain length, you won`t have to wash your hair every day any more. But even if you do, just use the most gentle shampoo you can find and use a good, rich conditioner, only on the ends! Not on the scalp! Oh- and condition your hair every time you wash, even if it means you have to use a very light conditioner.

If you can afford it, I think you should also try to get a really good cut that doesn`t require you to blow-dry and curl your hair every day. But then, I`m low-maintenance, so I have never kept up with a hairstyle that requires lots of tools. Give me an elastic and a barette and I`m happy.

Oh, yeah, and use conditioning styling sprays and creams. And let your hair airdry as much as possible before you blowdry it.

I hope this helps.

my doesn`t get greasy very easily!! if wanted to i could go without washing my hair for a week and it would still not be too greasy!! but don`t worry i wash my hair every other day!!

Hey Amber,
I feel for you. I got to WVU too (junior), and I know that if you dont blow dry your hair some mornings you run the risk of it getting frozen into a hair popcicle. Try washing at night and letting it dry while you sleep. You can put a light amount of styling gel on it before you go to bed or put it up in foam curlers (eeek, so very 50`s-ish). My roommates make fun of me, but my hair looks pretty good every morning and it`s not too damaged.