Tips to Braid Your Hair with Tools

Braiding long hair is one of the most classic and timeless ways to achieve unique styles for special occasions. Remember, don't use rubber bands! They tear at the hair and damage the outer cuticle layer.

Use only covered elastic fasteners. A paddle brush is good to smooth the hair and to remove tangles when braiding. Have some hair spray on hand and clips to hold portions of your hair out of the way. Two of the most popular hair braiding styles are the simple plait and the French braid.

For a simple plait make sure there are no tangles, then divide your hair in three even section at the nape of the neck. With two sections in your left hand and one in your right, pass the right section over the middle while passing the middle section to your right hand. Then cross the remaining section in our left hand over the new middle section. (Ever go to summer camp and braid a keychain for your Mom? It's the same pattern, just behind your head.) As soon as you cross the right outside section over the middle, your pattern is in the works. Just keep going. When you reach the end of your hair secure the plait in place with a covered elastic fastener.

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For a French braid separate the sides and front of your hair from the back, and then divide the back into three even sections. Begin a simple plait pattern but as you work add extra hair from beneath each section as you cross the hair. This allows the braid to follow the natural curvature of your head. Try to maintain equal tension throughout the braid and remember, you'll get better with practice.

Braiding and plaiting will also allow you to add simple extensions to your hair to add length and volume or to have a bit of fun with a streak of some trendy color like lipstick red worked into your natural locks for a special night out on the dance floor. Hair braiding extensions are available at wholesale beauty supply outlets and department stores. They are made of synthetic fibers that will melt so keep them away from your curling iron and blow dryer.

With any braiding or plaiting technique, you may need to be shown by someone skilled in the technique how to achieve the results you desire. Ask your hair care professional or a friend with long hair if they can help you. Once you are able to braid your hair on your own, you'll be delighted with the versatility it adds to your styling habits.

And You Thought A Brush Was a Brush!

One of the top hair styling tools, necessary as an adjunct to every other implement discussed here, is the brush, but there's a lot more to buying one than just grabbing something off the rack. Not all brushes work equally well with all hair types.

There are four basic types of hair brushes. Vent brushes have openings to allow air flow. These brushes lift the hair from the roots to create fullness and volume. It's an excellent tool to remove tangles or as a man's or child's brush. While good for short simple styles and medium to thick hair, vent brushes are not appropriate for flyaway hair or hair that attracts static.

Brushes with a solid, firm cushion backing are called stylers. They have bristles on one side in a half circle and work best to smooth bob cuts and medium length hair. They provide very little volume, however. In a slight variation on the styler, brushes with a soft cushion backing and bristles in a half circle are an excellent choice for men.

Round brushes are not only used to achieve curl but to remove it and to reach maximum height and volume in instances where the bristles are open. The same brush with dense bristles, however, will smooth and straighten curly hair. Barrel size is also a consideration in choosing a round brush. As a general rule of thumb you should be able to wrap your hair one time around the brush.

This means a round brush with a diameter of less than one inch for short hair, an inch and a half for medium hair, and more than an inch and a half for long hair. Round brushes are often used in conjunction with blow dryers to straighten curly hair and the technique takes practice. Clips work well to hold portions of your hair out of the way as you work on small sections and direction the air from the dryer along your hair from the roots to the tip.

Paddle brushes are flatter than cushion or styler brushes. Paddles work well to smooth straight hair or as a secondary tool for curly or frizzy hair after a round brush has been used to straighten the locks. The most important thing to know about bristles is that plastic bristles general friction and static. Natural bristles are considered to be a better choice.

Given the wide variety of brushes available, the variation of their configuration, and the differing suitability of tool to hair texture and style, it is probably a good idea to talk to your hair care professional about which is the correct brush or brushes for your hair. Depending on materials in the brush, you can pick up something at the grocery store for $5 or pay upwards to $50 (or more) in a salon

With Combs, Smoothness Is Everything

In choosing a hair comb, remember that plastic materials will contribute to creating static in hair that is already fine and fly away. For long hair especially, it is important that the comb be seamless and completely smooth. Any irregularities on the surface of the comb will snag and pull at the hair damaging the outer cuticle layer and adding to breakage.

Many stylists say that women with shoulder-length hair should use a brush as sparingly as possible, relying instead on good quality, wide-toothed combs for styling and removing tangles. People tend to get too vigorous with a brush whereas a comb requires more care and thus is gentler on the hair.

Combs come in all materials and configurations from pick like devices to traditional pocket combs. The important thing is to have a comb that is completely smooth and that will pass through your hair easily without pulling or bunching. As to price, a man's pocket comb is still about a 75 cent purchase but styling combs in materials ranging from wood or metal to plastic with protective tips can easily move into the $30 range and higher.

So, Have Fun!

Armed with an understanding of available hair care implements from deciphering the types of hair curlers out there to choosing a brush that is right for your hair, you can put these top hair styling tools to work for you in creating fun and manageable styles that transform not just your hair but your whole attitude!

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