What do you need in your styling arsenal? Browse our list of easy to find tools and products that every woman needs for a great hair day every day!
Duckbill clips
They’re inexpensive, easy to use, and oh what a difference they make when it comes to styling your hair! With clips, you can divide and pin your hair into sections, making it easy to focus on just one segment at a time. This is the key to successfully curling, flat ironing, or blow dry styling like the pros at a hair salon. When shopping, look for clips in various sizes so that you can manage both large and small sections of hair. Also choose a clip design that will not damage, dent or leave an impression on your strands.
A Good Set of Brushes & Combs
With all the brush options on the market, it can feel like sensory overload trying to find the perfect one. Your best bet is to get a variety so that you’re prepared for creating just about any look.
Here are some of our favorites at the salon:
Boar Bristle Brush: Boar bristles are great for almost every hair type. The bristles are natural frizz fighters, very soft, extremely gentle, and they help to distribute natural oils from the scalp to the ends as you brush. The only type of hair that does not work well with a boar bristle brush is hair that is naturally very thick. Flat Paddle Brush: On days when you want to blow dry your hair straight, a paddle brush is what you will need. It will keep your hair smooth and sleek as you dry. Look for one with a cushiony base and flexible bristles.
Round Brush: When paired with a blow dryer, the round brush can create killer volume and amazing blowouts. Look for one made of natural boar bristle, or choose one that has a ceramic base and synthetic bristles with rounded tips.
Wide Tooth Comb: A wide tooth comb is excellent for detangling your hair in the shower during the conditioner phase.
Rat Tail Comb: The pointed tip of a rat tail comb is perfect for creating a straight part. Use the closely spaced teeth to tease or backcomb sections of hair at the crown to get lift.
NOTE: A brush can be your hair’s trusty friend or its worst enemy. A good brush will keep static at bay, distribute natural oils, and smooth and detangle without tugging and breaking. A bad brush can cause friction, damage the hair cuticle, and create a frizzy mess. For a complete run down on how to choose the RIGHT brush, click HERE to view more brush tips.
Shower Cap
A shower cap is handy to have for your “no-shampoo” days. Of course, there’s always the basic no-frills shower cap like the complimentary kind that you find in hotels, but you’ll also find some caps with fun designs in the beauty section of most stores. Using a shower cap and washing your hair every other day (instead of daily) will make highlights and hair color last twice as long.
Dry ShampooDry shampoo (like L’Oreal Fresh Dust that we use at the salon), will refresh your hair between shampoos, so it’s an essential for your beauty tool box. Just spray at the roots on the days that you skip shampooing, and the product will absorb excess oil from your scalp and leave your hair with a nice scent.
Velcro Rollers
Velcro rollers are a great way to create volume and lift and get waves without using heat tools. To get a fast blowout, wind strands of hair around rollers, spritz with hair spray, and give each section a quick blast of air from your dryer. Let hair set and cool for about 10 minutes and then remove rollers for amazing volume. Be sure to unroll your hair gently without pulling to make sure your style stays intact and hair stays undamaged.
Flat Iron
There’s nothing like a flat iron to smooth away frizz, straighten curls and waves, and get luminous shine. For best results, choose a high quality tool with ceramic or tourmaline plates, as well as a temperature dial that allows you to adjust the amount of heat being used. When styling, apply a heat protectant first, and make sure your hair is 100% dry before straightening.
Conical curling iron
Conical curling irons are perfect for enhancing natural curls (if you have curly or wavy hair) or adding curls to hair that is naturally straight. Always use a heat protectant on your hair, and make sure your hair is 100% dry before touching it with the iron. Curling wet or damp hair can cause serious damage to the cuticle.
Volumizing MousseMousse can be the best pal of hair that is fine or thin. It creates thickness and shine and lifts fine hair without weighing it down. At your next visit to the salon, ask one of our stylists for a recommendation, and we can help you choose the best product for your hair type, whether you need just a little extra body or full-scale super model volume.
Heat Protectant
Think of a heat protectant as a force field or shield for your hair. A good heat protectant seals the outer cuticle layer and protects it from damage. It’s a must before blow drying or heat styling. When there is no protection, the raised cuticle of your hair exposes your strands, and damage and breakage occur. At the salon, we love Mythic Oil Seve Protectrice. It coats your hair with a nourishing and protective veil for heat protection up to 446 degrees.
Blow Dryer with a Diffuser & Concentrator
A good hair dryer is a staple in any styling tool kit. For healthy hair, you’ll want a quality dryer and not a cheap device that will leave your locks fried and damaged. A great dryer will have variable temperature settings including a cool-shot button that blows cool air, as well as ionic heat which helps to cut down on frizz and keep your locks looking sleek and smooth.
Just like the name implies, a Diffuser is a blow dryer attachment that “diffuses” the stream of air from the dryer so that it does not damage your hair. This is a real essential for safeguarding hair that is delicate, wavy, damaged, or curly. A diffuser also keeps curls intact during blow drying, which is great on those days that you want nice defined curls, but you need the help of a dryer to speed up the styling process.
The Concentrator attachment is the opposite of the Diffuser. It’s a nozzle with a flat end that “concentrates” the stream of air from the blow dryer into one specific spot. The concentrator works well for blow dry styling with a brush. Always point the nozzle down the hair shaft to the ends as you’re drying to smooth your hair and give it shine.
Hand Held Mirror
Your beauty arsenal is not complete without a hand held mirror. You’ll need a large one, preferably about 12 inches wide (or more). With this size, you can face away from a large bathroom or bedroom mirror and use the hand held mirror to see the back and side views of your head using both reflections. No more missed spots in the back of your head!
Finishing Spray
While some styles don’t require hair spray, many need a light mist to control flyaways and keep those strands in place. At the salon, our stylists use a variety of L’Oreal finishing hair sprays that range from light & flexible to super hold. They’re amazing for keeping your look together without feeling sticky, stiff or tacky. At your next visit, we would be happy to recommend exactly what you’ll need for your at-home styling needs!
Need more styling tips? We love sharing tips for styling at home. Call or visit us at our hair salon in Vero Beach FL today, and we’ll help you select the exact products and tools that you’ll need for gorgeous hair every day.
