Though the holiday season is a wonderful time of year packed with parties, gatherings and festivities, all the celebrating can take a toll on us and our hair. All the blow drying, curling, hot ironing, teasing, pinning, spraying, and combing puts hair through the ringer. So as you spread the love around this season, show a little to your tresses, as well, with a little extra attention.

All the heat and handling your hair is experiencing, in addition to the natural dryness that accompanies winter – drier, crisper air outdoors and heated air indoors – calls for adding more moisture and protection to your hair care routine. We see the need readily on our cracked hands and fingernail cuticles, and as a result may apply hand cream several times a day. Hair strands also have a cuticle, and a similar need for extra hydration during stressful times. Here are a few tips for keeping your hair healthy and shiny from party to party.

Shampoo and condition…

with high quality moisturizing products and resist the urge to over-cleanse. Try to shampoo no more than twice a week, and focus your shampooing on the scalp not the ends. Use your conditioner as a cleanser for the ends, especially with long hair, leave the conditioner on longer than you normally do (again, mainly on the ends), and rinse thoroughly. Caretrico’s Moist Sleek Shampoo and Treatment are rich in emollients and nutrients for your locks.

Here’s an extra pro-tip:

Negative-ion water, such as Vine Care Water, is more absorbent than regular water due to its negative charge, which boosts the effectiveness of conditioners and treatments when they’re used together by helping the treatments penetrate deeper. This wonder water also tames frizz and has a volumizing effect on fine hair. For best results, spray Care Water on damp hair prior to applying leave in-conditioners or styling products.

Use a leave-in conditioner

This time of year is when you should be regularly using a leave-in conditioner. Use after washing when hair is still wet and apply thoroughly to midshafts and ends. Caretrico’s After Treatment Enrich Milk will wrap your locks in a soothing cream and put moisture back where you need it.

Moisturize and polish

Whatever tool or process you’re using to style your hair, be sure to apply a moisturizing styling product for protection, such as Arimino Aqua Moisture, a silicone-based hydration and polishing coating. Aqua Moisture is also great as a finishing touch to smooth flyaways and tame frizz.

You want to look your best for every engagement, especially during December. Help your hair look fresh and healthy by giving it extra nourishment during the winter months.

Happy holidays!

It’s getting cold and with the drop in temperature our body, hair and scalp can become dehydrated and more sensitive and unruly than usual. Recently we focussed on winter skin care tips for the visage. It is also important to modify our body care routine to protect ourselves from the cold, crisp elements that we suddenly find ourselves in the midst of.

Proper Shower Protocol

Let’s discuss a proper winter shower regimen. It is necessary to exfoliate the body at least twice a week during the colder months. The cold weather dries out our skin and leaves loads of dry, dead skin cells that need to be sloughed away. I use Mio Skincare Natural Dry Brush. Use it while skin is dry right before hopping into the shower or bath. Start with the bottoms of your feet and brush all the way up your body in clockwise circles. Focus time on your wobbly bits like the thighs, bum and side of the waist. Brush your stomach clockwise and then up your bust. Start at you hands and brush up your arms – make sure to get under your armpits. You want to brush towards your heart, in the direction of lymphatic drainage. Not only does this help with skin cell turnover but it helps your body expel any excess bloat or toxins that it might be holding onto.

Body Scrubs

Yu-Be Foaming Skin Polish and Mio Skincare Double Buff Dual Action Enzyme Exfoliator are two great choices for all natural exfoliating body washes. Yu-Be Foaming Skin Polish can be used daily and contains fine grains of rice bran and bamboo to gently cleanse and turn over dry, dead skin cells. It also contains ginger root and ginseng extracts to balance the skin. Double Buff can be used 2 – 3 times per week. Massage it into dry skin and then rinse. Both will even out skin tone.

Hair And Scalp

Despite the dozens of articles you’ve read claiming that you should only wash your hair three times a week, it’s just not true. Just like you wash your face (and hopefully your body) each day, you also need to wash the skin on your scalp. You can keep the shampooing concentrated on scrubbing the scalp area but the skin on your scalp gets dry just like the rest of the skin on your body and needs to be exfoliated and cleansed. I have dry, thick, curly hair that I bleach blond, so I use a leave in conditioner all year round, but during the winter all hair types can benefit from using a light leave in treatment. Caretrico After Treatment Enrich Milk contains hyaluronic acid that gives your hair the extra added moisturizing protection it needs to ward off the wind and cold. Apply it after showering just before your styling product. Wait – one extra layer: Make sure to use a moisturizing hair mask at least once a week. Philip Kingsley’s award winning Elasticizer was formulated expressly for Audrey Hepburn. This intensive moisturizing pre-shampoo treatment (hair mask) delivers elasticity, bounce and shine for everyone from fine to thick curly hair – Elasticizer is nothing short of a miracle worker and much needed during the cold winter months.

Aprés Shower

Mio Skincare A Cream Firming Active Body Cream is the Mr. T treatment of body care. I’m embarrassed to say that until I was introduced to Mio Skincare I was not a body care person at all and was extremely skeptical about body firming products. This moisturizer is the perfect texture – not too thick, not too liquidy. It’s powerful combination of moisturizing omegas, powerful antioxidant and vitamins create a soothing shield to combat dryness and the elements as well as boost elasticity. When used in conjunction with regular exercise and mindful eating – it makes a difference.

By: Alyssa Barrie Weiss, Twitter: @AlyssaBarrie

I have always had thick, curly hair. Growing up in New York City in the 90s when stick straight hair was en vogue, I always felt like the odd woman out.

Strong anti-curly cues

Many women of the curly persuasion seem to feel societal pressure to straighten their hair or even worse, pull it back in an effort to hide it. It’s as if a message has been communicated that straight hair is preferable. Is curly hair not good enough? I have observed this phenomenon in all types of woman: Caucasian, Afro-Caribbean, Asian, Hispanic…the list goes on. This message is so strong that demand has created not only straightening balms, industrial strength blow dryers and flat irons, but also more permanent solutions, like hair straightening processes – some taking 6-7 hours.

Today, on the precipice of 40

I have learned to appreciate my curly situation. Every day is a little different and even if you have the best products – you’ll always have a day where a little frizz infiltrates the system. That said, there is very little maintenance involved. I never have to blow out my hair; just wash, scrunch and go. Make no mistake, when dealing with thick, curly hair, curating the right product selection is a process and finding a hair care expert that is intimately familiar with cutting curls and how they behave is an imperative. At the end of the day my curls are never a surprise.

Let your hair be

The best way to care for any type of hair is to let it do what it does naturally – if you are forever straightening your hair, it will never look as good straight as it would if you let it do its thing. Commit to who you are naturally and let your hair be. As soon as you start going with the flow of your hair texture, working with it instead of against it, your hair will look superb. Finding the right products is a huge piece of the puzzle, especially as we move into summer.

It’s all about the products

Finding the right products for curls can be akin to a science experiment. You have to be patient and willing to try different combinations of products to see how they work together with your hair. I have tried so many different products in so many different categories. To some extent, I tweak my regimen depending on the weather or season and recently due to new product finds.

I’ve just revamped my regimen and wanted to share.

Shampoo daily

I typically use Caretrico’s Type H Shampoo. Give your scalp most of the attention in this step. Do let the shampoo run down the length of your hair though and give your scalp a 5 second massage. Twice a week I alternate with Christophe Robin’s Cleansing Mask with Lemon. This line has been around for years. Christophe Robin is a world renowned, Paris based, hair colorist to the stars. His client roster includes Natalie Portman, Catherine Deneuve, Tilda Swinton, Kylie Minogue, Kristin Scott Thomas and my mother. I stumbled upon this particular product last month while in St. Barths. I have not changed any part of my hair regimen in 7 years – so this is a monumental occasion. I leave this in for at least 15 minutes before I get into the shower and use it as a shampoo. Once in the shower, apply a little bit of water and mush it around your scalp and hair. Carry on with your shower routine and then add a little more water to the hair, scrub it around and rinse. This product leaves hair silky and smooth, which any curly cue will tell you, is an oxymoron.

Use a leave-in conditioner or leave your conditioner in

This particular step is one that many hair care professionals will not advise. But if this is wrong, I don’t want to be right. My favorite absolutely can’t live without hair product is Caretrico Privy Treatment Slim Through. If your hair is on the medium to finer side, try Caretrico Treatment Moist Sleek. Ishi introduced this line to me. It is meant to be used as a conditioner or 10-20 minute hair treatment. Since there is not enough moisture for my hair, I leave it in, and once applied, run a Du-Boa Scalp Massager through my hair to distribute the product and rid my scalp of any excess product residue that may have built up.

Priming products

Start with a quick spritz of Vine’s Care Water. This boosts the efficacy of all the styling products that you use subsequently. It also adds moisture, defrizzes and adds volume to fine hair! If it’s good enough for NASA, it’s good enough for me! Next I apply 3 – 4 pumps of Caretrico After Treatment Enrich Milk. This is a leave in conditioner that is light enough for even fine hair. It contains hyaluronic acid and infuses the extra dose of moisture that dry, curly, bleached hair needs. This can be used as a styling product for men or those with short hair.

Styling products

Another Christophe Robin must have for thick and/or curly hair is the Intense Regenerating Balm with with Rare Prickly Pear Oil. It’s magic! It is almost the texture of a thick facial cleansing balm with a little more of a pomade feel yet not so vaseliney. It is all natural and is meant to be used as a hair, body, cuticle, feet and lip balm. I use it as a styling and moisturizing product. Take a quarter size dollop (use less if if your hair is medium thick), warm it up between your hands and scrunch it in your hair while standing upright and then repeat with your head flipped. I follow this with a nickel size of Ouidad Climate Control Heat and Humidity Drops. Just scrunch that on right on top.

Believe it or not, this is the paired down version – I’ve cut out a number of steps.

By: Alyssa Barrie Weiss, Twitter @AlyssaBarrie

Sometimes it seems there is no end to the list of products that everyone says you simply MUST be using on your hair.

Shampoo
Conditioner
Mask
Leave-in Conditioner
Defrizz Serum
Volumizer
Curl Enhancer
Dry Shampoo
Moisturizing Gel
Protectant

You get the picture.

So what’s the truth? The truth is that everyone’s hair is different, has different needs, and therefore everyone has to discover what is best for his or her own hair.

There are some basic facts that are true of all of us.

Here’s a piece of information that may help your understanding of hair health: every strand of hair on your head is technically dead. That’s right. It’s all dead. By the time hair emerges from the hair follicle on the scalp the cells that make up the hair have completed their life cycle. They’re hardened protein, which gives hair (and nails, incidentally) their durability. But this means hair strands aren’t continuing to receive nutrients or moisture from the body to build them or repair them. Hair continues to grow and hair strands lengthen, true, but because of new hair being created in the follicle and pushing old hair out.

Here’s another bit of data that is generally true about hair:

It grows at a rate of about half an inch per month.

Do the math. A strand of hair that is just 6 inches long is about one year old. If you have a mane that falls below your shoulders and is more than 12 inches long, the hair at the end is more than two years old. And it’s been dead for two years. With your hundreds of shampoos, blow drys, curling irons, and flat irons, together with sun, wind, and dirt, it’s taken a beating.

And that is why hair needs all the support you can give it to keep it looking fresh.

Dryness is the main culprit.

Dryness leads to a rough, scaly cuticle, a brittle texture, and a damaged look. Therefore, products that replace moisture, that protect the hair from drying out, are very important to maintaining healthy looking hair.

Conditioning hair after shampooing is good. Very good. Saturated hair allows the conditioner to penetrate better. But you’re still rinsing most of it out.

Styling products offer some protection, they’re good for supporting the hair and achieving desired looks. But they don’t necessarily add moisture or conditioning.

You need to be using a leave-in-conditioner.

To give your hair the moisture it needs, throughout the day, every day, and help it look it’s best, you need to be using a leave-in conditioner. As the name implies, this product is applied after you get out of the shower and is left in until the next time you wash your hair. Apply to damp hair and style as usual. If you’re fighting frizz or fly-aways you’ll find this step really helps.

Arimino’s Bamboo Moisture Veil and Caretrico’s After Treatment Enrich Milk are proven as a leave-in conditioner, defrizz lotion, and detangler, formulated for all hair types and never too heavy. This may just be the secret you’re missing.

Find Brent Lockhart on Twitter and Instagram @brentlockhart

Family beach days are always fun. The post-beach showers where you try to remove 5 pounds of sand from your child’s person? Not so fun. This post is therefore particularly pertinent now, as the tools and tricks outlined below all work wonders for removing all that sand, sunblock and who knows what else that accumulates on your kid after a day à la plage.

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Any parent knows there’s not enough lavender oil on earth to make bath time/bed time the relaxing occasion it’s portrayed as in commercials. If you happen to have a kid with long and/or curly hair, you know that bath time can be nothing short of a horror show. This was my situation until I crafted this no more tangles, no more tears hair care routine, featuring Caretrico Treatment Moist Sleek, S-HEART-S Scalp Brush Mini and Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence.

Proper Hair Care = Tear-Free Kids

You may think proper detangling is conditioner-dependent, but much can be accomplished in the shampooing step. Start with the best shampoo for your child’s hair type (we have one for everyone). I prefer Caretrico Type S for my daughter’s hair.

It’s important to really saturate the hair before shampooing; don’t just quickly dip it in water. When hair is very wet, it allows shampoo to suds up optimally, providing the best clean and allowing the brush to move through the hair with the greatest of ease. Wait…did you say brush?

Brushing Up on Hair Products for Kids With Curly Hair

Here’s where you get to break a hard and fast beauty rule: brushing wet hair!

The S-HEART-S Scalp Brush Mini is specifically designed to be used with shampoo. Once the shampoo is in the hair, you brush with the scalp brush, starting at the scalp and running through the length of the hair several times. Here is why we LOVE this deep-cleansing, scalp massaging brush:

• It’s 376 round-tipped nylon bristles are specially designed and shaped to remove dirt, buildup and excess oil from the 40,000 follicles on the scalp.
• These bristles gently massage the scalp as they clean, promoting circulation and giving a deeper and more invigorating cleaning than can be achieved by fingertips alone.
• Although this brush delivers a heavy-duty cleaning, it does so with the gentlest touch, so hair is never yanked or broken. Welcome to tear-free detangling that your child can do all on her/his own!

After thoroughly brushing the hair, rinse out shampoo completely. You will immediately feel a significant reduction of tangles. Of course, this brush can be used by the whole family; I love it as much as my daughter does. It makes my hair more smooth and manageable (especially during the high-frizz days of summer), and makes styling infinitely easier.

In Perfect Condition Thanks to Caretrico

I used to use leave-in conditioner to do most of my detangling dirty work. However, after using the S-HEART-S Scalp Brush Mini, you will see (and feel) that most of that work is already done. After rinsing shampoo, squeeze excess water out of hair and apply conditioner to the bottom two thirds. Caretrico Treatment Moist Sleek has been a lifesaver for my family. Even before I discovered the S-HEART-S Scalp Brush, this conditioning treatment did a fabulous job of perfecting my daughter’s curls…not to mention the way it completely transform the condition of MY hair after highlighting!

A Spray A Day to Keep Tangles Away

The finishing touch to the routine is Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence. Created as a leave-in heat styling spray, a few pumps provide light yet effective conditioning. I use this in the morning to take care of any tangles that may have happened overnight. (If your child’s hair is long and extremely tangle-prone, I recommend braiding it loosely before bed.) Daily Damage Defence will tame any unruly wisps of hair that are sticking up and unravel any knots, though after brushing and conditioning, these will be minimal. I use this on my son’s short hair as well, to pat down any cowlicks that sprang up during sleep.

On the beach or off, enjoy these last days of summer!

By: Claire McCormack, Twitter & Instagram: @clairemcmack