HairBoutique Blog

When I started HairBoutique back in 1996-1997 I promised myself I would continue to try all the products that HairBoutique.com sells in their Marketplace.  With that promise in mind I recently did some user testing of Leonor Greyl’s fabulous Huile De Palme.

(Image of Leonor Greyl’s  Huile De Palme - Courtesy of HairBoutique.com and Leonor Greyl - All Rights Reserved).

HairBoutique.com has been carrying the complete Leonor Greyl line for some years now but I tend to get lazy and not want to swap out from my regulars that I have been rotating through for many years which are cherry picked from Phyto, Rene Furterer, JF Lazartique, Paul Mitchell and L’Oreal.

Yes, there is a recession right now and I am watching my pennies like almost everyone else but because my own hair is naturally wavy/curly and naturally dry, I have been diluting or Conditioning Only (CO) washing my hair for many years now.

I also do regular oil treatments but when one of my faves was discontinued I decided to create my own - HairTopia oil - which I used on a daily basis alternating the oil with the mist.  I love jojoba oil for my hair but it is not for all hair types and textures.

Which brings me to the Leonor Greyl Huile De Palme.  I love all the Leonor Greyl packaging because it is clean and pristine.  Even before Gwen Stefani the No Doubt group made Leonor Greyl product line their hair care of choice for their 2009-2010 concert tour, I loved the company, their customer care and the results the product delivers. (more…)

Comedian Chris Rock has encountered both rave reviews as well as snickers and boos in response to his new documentary, Good Hair.  While some people have enjoyed the film, others are not as happy with Rock’s viewpoints.

Chris Rock on the other hand is gleeful about shining the light on secrets, which he says are “bad for the human spirit.”

(Image of Tracie Thoms - Intermix - 09-25-07 - DailyCeleb.com - All Rights Reserved)

As a result of his own daughter’s angst about not having “good hair” he set out to examine the African American history around having good or bad hair.  As Chris as explained in interviews with the media African American hair has been burdened by the twin legacies of slavery and racism with strong pressure to compare their hair to Caucasian hair.

Historically in the African American community, “good hair” is categorized as soft, smooth and manageable. “Bad hair” is typically called short and “nappy.”   Traditionally when trying to alter bad hair and transition it to good there has been the adoption of chemicals and hair weaves. (more…)

Winter is the season of the year which causes the most challenging conditions for wavy, curly and coily strands.

Once Fall changes into Winter waves, curls and coils are assaulted by brittle winds and frizz-producing rain, ice and snow (depending on the part of the world you live in) and dry dry conditions.

(Image of Conair Collapsible Hood Hairdryer - All Rights Reserved).

Waves, curls and coily kinks just don’t have a chance unless they are well-prepared to deal with the onset of Winter Winds.

You can win against all the winter texture enemies by adopting an excellent hair care program.  It is more important than ever to use only the very best quality products for your strands. (more…)

Some curly hair experts and girls disagree about the appropriateness of forehead fringes worn on the curl endowed. However, if you dream of having a well mannered fringe, curl expert Barbara Lhotan offers tips from her curly hair client bag of tricks.

(Image of Sophina Brown from CBS Numbers - All Rights Reserved)

According to Barbara, who practices her curl magic by traveling to select salons in Dallas, New York and Washington, DC the biggest mistake curly girls make when trying out a fringe is going way too short. Barbara explained “curly hair can be cut into a forehead fringe when the section is long, side-swept and appropriately layered.”

When the bangs are “cut too short, they will naturally shrink and creep up towards the hairline. When the bangs are longer, they’ll likely shrink less and can be finger styled to merge seamlessly with the rest of the curls.”

I pressed Barbara for more details about her naturally curly bang secrets. She explained she has “several curly girls as clients who understand “fringes aren’t easy to create and manage on their hair textures” but Barbara has “figured out some methods to create unique fringes for them.” (more…)

If you love your natural curls but your curl formation is overly soft and only lasts for one day without cleansing with shampoo or similar formula, you still have options to maintain your curl pattern longer without daily cleansing.

(Image of Gary Sunderland - British Hair Awards - All Rights Reserved).

Soft curls which compress easily after a short period of time can be a challenge curly haired people may encounter but can be overcome.

Maintaining a well formed curl pattern without daily shampoo or related cleansing treatments is definitely possible if you know the tricks.  Over cleansing can leave delicate curls dry and crunchy.  Curly hair always requires moisture, moisture and more moisture.

Even if some or all of your curls regularly “fall out” at night while you’re sleeping you still need to protect your strands by sleeping on a satin or silk pillowcase or by wearing a curly friendly sleep cap.

Although you may need to reapply products on a daily basis to help you maintain the curl shape, it’s possible to use products which do not smother the delicate strands and do allow them to breathe. (more…)