Lipstick Masala

Do you have wavy hair? Don’t know quite what to do with it sometimes because it’s neither curly nor straight? Then this one is for you. I received an email recently from a reader, let’s call her “A”, asking for advice, and I wish to turn the question to you, my lovely readers. Below are my reply and suggestions, but as this site is a forum for discussion, both Lipstick Masala and “A” would love to learn from all of you. What are the products you love and swear by? Do you just flat iron because nothing else works? Share what products have worked for you so we can all prevent the dreaded “frizz ball” look!

“A”’s Dilemma:

With wavy, sometimes frizzy hair that is both thin and silky, “A” has struggled with what to do with her tresses after a shower at the gym. Blow-drying her hair is not always convenient, so she pulls it into a wet ponytail, a look she isn’t too keen on, especially when she goes out with friends after her exercise session. She asked what product she can use in a pinch that will allow her to simply “wash and go.”

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It’s 8 am. You should have been out of the house fifteen minutes ago, but you slept through your alarm. You are jumping like a madwoman to get one leg into your pants while you furiously brush your teeth and send a message to your colleague on your blackberry. You then run back to your bathroom and groan as you catch a glimpse of your oily bangs in the mirror. There is no time for a cup of coffee let alone a wash and blow-dry. So, what do you do? Do you walk into your meeting your hair plastered against your forehead? No, ladies. Let’s try to avoid greasy hair in the boardroom.

Hair companies have begun en masse to market a product known as “dry shampoo,” basically a glorified form of baby powder that soaks up the oil in your hair/roots upon application. Although the concept has been around for a while, women everywhere have started to spend upwards of 30 dollars on single bottles of this product. After a brief discussion with a group of brilliant ladies on Twitter, I was inspired to pull out my sources to find the best of the wide range of dry shampoos. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: flickr.com/kiran.198globe7

Most of us Desi girls flat iron our hair, including those who already have straight hair. I have no idea why we do it. It’s as if we were born with a genetic inclination to reach for the flat iron before going out. We know it damages our hair, we know that it makes us look like EVERY other Desi girl out there, but we don’t care, we continue to straighten through summer, winter, and split ends. Hopefully all you girls out there with CHIs (or GHDs for our British beauties) in hand are remembering to protect your hair with some kind of product or serum before applying 400 degrees of heat, if not – STEP AWAY FROM THE FLAT IRON!

Photo Credit: www.the-planets.com

In any case, most of us with drier hair, or hair with oily roots and dry ends, feel as though we need a little extra something after flat-ironing to tame the frizzies and flyaway strands and most importantly to add a little more shine – who doesn’t love more shine? This is especially true in the winter. What most people don’t realize is that our hair is like our skin, it loses major moisture when it’s cold. That’s why our hair gets a lot drier and dull looking in the winter months. Just like we wear extra lotion in the winter months so our hands and legs don’t get chapped and ashy, we need to make sure we’re giving our hair the same additional care (masks, oil treatments etc). However, since most girls don’t know this little tidbit, their hair takes on a straw-like appearance or else just looks completely lackluster, particularly near the ends (like Preity Zinta to the right). There are many long-term solutions to this problem, but if you are going on a big date, a work event, or even just a get together at a friend’s house, you need a quick fix. Read the rest of this entry »