If you're over here on Penniless Socialite often, you may have noticed that I cut my hair short again about a month ago. This was not voluntary. Well, no one held me down and chopped off my hair. But, when I went to get my hair cut, my stylist Jenny told me much of my hair had to go. I trust Jenny's hair judgment. One side of her head is shaved and the other side is a lons cascade of platinum blonde locks with a black streak through it. I assume any one with a hair-do like that MUST know about hair. She also has giant gauges in her ears, a Marilyn Monroe piercing and sleeve tattoos. I also think amount of tattoos and piercings is directly proportional to hair styling ability. But I digress. Jenny took one look at my hair and said, "Most of this has to go." My hair was crispy and literally crumbling in her hands. I hadn't changed my hair routine or any products. I have no idea what happened. So, Jenny chopped off my locks and took me to hair college.
First, she told me to change my shampoo. Most shampoos you find in the grocery store have wax in them, which weighs down and damages your hair. You know how great your hair feels the first time you use a new shampoo? That's the wax. And then it eventually builds up on you. Also, I have pretty fine hair and it gets greasy. Even greasy hair needs to be moisturized. So, I've thrown out my Garnier Fructis and upgraded to John Freida.
Second, Jenny told me that if I was going to blow dry and straighten my hair every day, I needed to get a heat protector. Enter this magical substance:
It's a bit pricey at $18, but I've had it for a month and haven't even used half the bottle. You use a quarter-sized amount and massage it through your hair. My hair has never been so soft and frizz free after blow drying.
Third, Jenny told me I probably needed a new flat iron. Most ceramic flat irons use metal plates that are coated with ceramic. The ceramic can chip or wear down over time, exposing the metal, which is damaging to hair. Guess what....I went home and looked at my (very expensive but a few years old) straightener, and there was the exposed metal. And as if by some psychic connection, Misikko contacted me about reviewing the Hana Pro 1" flat iron. within one week of my new hair revelations.
Don't quote me on this, but I think the Hana Pro has 100% ceramic plates. (If it doesn't it's got more layers of ceramic over the metal than my former hair iron.) So, the Hana Pro isn't frying my hair. It glides through easily and leaves my hair shiny. I was not in love with the fact that it's only 1". I've always used wider straighteners in past and was worried it would take longer to do my hair. However, with the Hana Pro, you don't need all that extra width. It straightened my hair perfectly with one or two passes. It heats up fast and compensates for any heat loss. Marie Claire voted this the best flat iron, and I have to agree. For a full list of the specs, go here.
And Misikko provided me with a few other (much appreciated) goodies.
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