Your Hair Dilemmas, Solved!

Q. Why does my hair look totally fabulous one day but crappy the next, even when I style it the same way?A. Just like snowflakes, no two hair days are identical. Subtle switches in your styling routine plus the weather can change the way your do looks from day to day, says Scott Rottenberg, stylist at Tiffani Kim Institute on the Park in Chicago. While it's obvious that humidity causes frizz, you may not know that really dry air can also make your hair puffy. Plus, when your body heats up (like on a hot day), your scalp perspires slightly, and as a result, your hair can look flat. As for styling, keep consistent by making sure you're rinsing out all of your shampoo and conditioner and using the same blow-drying technique and amount of products every day. Q. More hair than usual is coming out when I shampoo (the shower drain is totally clogged). Am I going bald?A. Don't panic — most likely you are not losing your hair for good, assures Christopher Mackin, resident trichologist at Gil Ferrer Salon in NYC. You normally lose between 70 and 120 strands a day. Altering your diet, starting or ending a medication, or experiencing a lot of stress in the last three months can cause more to fall out, but that type of hair shedding is only temporary. If there isn't any obvious reason why you're losing strands, visit your doctor to rule out a thyroid problem. Regardless of the cause of your hair loss, start massaging your scalp every time you suds up. Doing so increases the blood flow to your follicles and promotes healthy hair growth.Q. I had my curly hair blown out pin-straight at the salon. It looked fantastic, so I bought the same brush and styling products my stylist used, but I can't manage to re-create the look. What's up?A. "You brought the brushes and products home with you but not the stylist," says Ric Pipino, owner of the Pipino salons in New York City and Miami. Beyond the fact that a pro gets more practice than you ever will, there are several advantages that your stylist has over you. "Since we stand above you, we're able to work at a downward angle, which is ideal for straightening hair," says Pipino. "It allows us to create the tension to stretch out the curl." Since you can't work on your own head from above, you should keep the nozzle aimed down the hair shaft so the cuticle lies flat and reflects more light. Finally, your stylist doesn't have to hold his arms up in the air like you do, so he doesn't get tired after five minutes. To avoid wearing out your arms, keep in mind that pros spend the first 80 percent of the styling process just blow-drying haphazardly before they begin the meticulous sleekening strategy, says Rottenberg. "Don't bother starting to straighten when it's still sopping wet — that takes forever."
Q. My hair gets so staticky this time of year. What can I do to tame it?A. Static strikes your strands when they become electromagnetically charged due to a lack of moisture in the air. Vigorous brushing and wool hats make it worse. Try switching to a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner during the winter, and follow up with a leave-in conditioner, says Dianna Sandonato, director of product testing at Matrix. Try Biolage Ultra-Hydrating Shampoo, $11.99, and Balm, $15.99. Another flyaway fighter: Spritz Static Guard onto your brush, let dry, then give strands a few swipes. Also spray some on the inside of your hat before you wear it to prevent a static attack. Q. Can taking vitamins make my hair healthier?A. Getting enough of certain vitamins, especially B vitamins such as biotin and folic acid, is essential for having strong, healthy hair. You should be able to get plenty of these nutrients from a balanced diet that includes such B-rich foods as salmon, eggs, and dark, leafy greens. But if you're not certain you're getting enough nutrients from your diet, you may want to take a daily vitamin pill to ensure that your strands stay in shape, says Audrey Kunin, MD, president of Dermadoctor.com. Look for multivitamins that contain at least 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin B. Try Olay Vitamins Complete Woman's Multivitamin, $9. Q. Is it possible to heal damaged hair? If your strands are already dead, how can you feed them nutrients?A. Since your locks don't have a digestive system, it's impossible to feed them nutrients from a bottle. What shampoos and conditioners can do is help stressed-out tresses look healthier by coating the cuticle and even filling in holes with ingredients like fatty acids, proteins, and silicone. This will make each strand look shinier and feel softer, says Mackin. The best way to repair dry, damaged hair and prevent future breakage (other than cutting it off) is by using an intensive deep conditioner once a week. Look for one that contains proteins or acids to help strengthen weak strands and moisturizers to hydrate and soften. We like Frédéric Fekkai Protein Rx Reparative Treatment Mask, $52, and Garnier Fructis Fortifying Deep Conditioner, $3.99.
Q. How does snipping split ends help your hair grow from the root?A. Cutting your mane doesn't make it grow, but frequent trims ensure healthy locks. Frayed ends will continue to split up the hair shaft, making your hair weak and vulnerable to breakage. Trims prevent that breakage, so even when you're aiming for longer locks, you need to cut off a quarter of an inch every six weeks. Oh, and if you're thinking of cutting them on your own, don't you dare. "If your scissors aren't sharp enough, you can end up making the split ends even worse," says Pipino. While frequent snipping may make the growing process seem longer, it'll be worth the wait since your hair will be full and strong when it does reach your desired length. Q. I've been using at-home color kits for a year, and now my ends are darker than the rest of my hair. Why is this happening?A. Since the bottom inches of your hair are drier than the rest of your mane (especially since you've been chemically treating them), they absorb more color and require less time to process than the rest of your hair, says Monika Sullivan, owner of Studio Biba in Atlanta. That's why it's a good idea to deep condition your ends the day before you dye them. Also, if you apply hair color to your whole head every month or so, you'll end up coloring the older hair (the ends) much more than the newer hair on top, so over time, the ends will get darker. To fix: Apply a semipermanent hair color in the shade closest to your ends to your root area only.Q. I've heard it's bad to brush your hair a lot. Is this true?A. Teen beauty queen Marcia Brady may have followed the 100-strokes-a-day rule, but then again, she also worshiped Davy Jones from the Monkees! In reality, overbrushing can actually hurt your hair by wearing off the outer cuticle and overstimulating your scalp's oil glands. But the right amount of brushing will dislodge scalp flakes, get rid of product buildup and increase shine. All you need are 10 to 20 strokes a day with the proper brush. "The best brushes have a mix of synthetic and natural bristles, which gently distribute the oils down from your scalp," says Pipino. Two to try: Sephora Smoothing Hair Brush, $48, and Denman D81, $21.