Curly and Wavy hair grows in the heat.  Why?  The moisture in the air absorbs into the dry curly hairshaft and can virtually triple the density of the strand of hair….which is why as the days grow longer, there is more time for your hair to drink up the humidity.
 
     

We all know that curly hair is dry. Let me tell you why. Picture a curvy and windy road. Now picture a straight one. How much longer would it take you to drive to the store if you took the windy road VS the straight road?  Getting to the point, your hairs’ best natural conditioner is your scalps’ oils. Straight haired and Keratin Glossed  ladies know that their hair gets greasy fairly quickly (not a bad thing!), and most have to wash/heavily rinsed every day. Picture the curvy road again, it takes 3 times as long for those natural oils to reach those gorgeous strands of yours. In the mean time they are unprotected, dry, and crispy.

       VS    
 

The best way to keep your locks lovely, is to shampoo less, condition more! Two to three times a week at most, if your scalp needs a good rinse, then do so. Re-moisturize (our Aftercare Masque twice a week is amazing!), and rinse lightly with tepid water. Keeping a wide tooth comb stashed in the shower to distribute conditioner, and detangle is a great trick to minimizing tangly manes when styling too!

              

Keep in mind, humidity weakens styling products. You may find that you have a bit of frizz mid-day then late afternoon rolls around….your hair has become twice what it once was. Add a bit of styling product (Daily Smoothing  Serum is incredible) to your palms, emulsify, and add where needed.

   

For those in between shampoo days, several  styles to try….

Adorable fish tail side braid to keep hair off your neck. Keep it on the messy side for a more current updated look.

  

Or go for a straight braid down the back. Keep it simple ladies. Not too high.  We want to look chic, not girl-ish.

     

Hope these tips and tricks help you on your way to a gorgeous summer.
If you would like us to answer any questions, or there is something you would like to see in our blog,
Please email us at [email protected].

As summer is coming screaming in upon us (trust me, i'm not complaining!), and most of the country is buried in a heat wave, we need to provide tools and tips for our clients to have hair success at home! Battling the frizzies, while humidity is in full force is not fun for most women~who mostly would like to have wash-n-go hairstyles, but instead are stuck blowdrying for 30+ minutes, then flatironing into submission. Only to go outside and find their hair "growing" from curl and frizz in the heat, yet again.
Here at Brazilian Gloss, we of course suggest a Keratin Glossing Treatment. It infuses the hair with keratin (which is largely what hair and nails are made of), and smoothes down the unmanageable cuticle of the hair for less tangling, and a faster drying time!
After providing this service for your client, some helpful suggestions to help keep their luscious locks glossy!

Suggest a regularly scheduled trim appointment. Freshly blunted ends make hair look extra healthy and shiny.

Send them home with Aftercare Masque, it is full of yummy panthenol, strengthening keratin, and delicious silicones and coconut oil moisturizers. Keeping the hair palette thoroughly moisturized is essential to controlling dry, frizzy do's. Tell your customer to rinse with cool-ish water to help seal in the Masque. This will keep the oils and keratin in the hair, as opposed to rinsing it fully out, which is like rinsing off lotion after you've put it on.

When your client is at home, have them squeeze, and pat their hair dry. Rubbing hair roughs up the cuticle layer of the hair. Making it slightly unmanageable. We need all the help we can get, Right Ladies???

Adding a anti-frizz product prior to styling is ideal for controlling thick manes of hair, making them manageable waves or silky tresses. Choosing the right one is essential. Obviously I am biased, but i truly love our Daily Glossing Serum. Let me tell you why. It is enriched with tress softening coconut oil. This is a big beauty buzz word these days, essential oils are huge! You must pick the correct one for your hair! Coconut oil is small molecularly, and is very low density, so it can 'get-into' the hair shaft much easier than say olive oil that has a higher density and larger molecule.Daily Glossing Serum also has added keratin to help your Glossing treatment, not only last longer ladies, but to have added 'smoothing power' to your service! All this without that icky, oily, residue filled tresses. Trust me, only delicious waves for you!

When blowdry styling, only dry the hair 'down' the hair shaft, from roots to ends. Blowing upside down, sideways, etc only created wild manes of madness. We want to smooth that cuticle layer, well that involves taking the time to dry 'down' the hair shaft. If volume is needed in a certain area, use a round brush, wrap 90% dry hair around it, and finish drying while stillblowing with the grain of the hair. Drying hair in this way will keep hair continuously shiny and gorgeously Keratin Treatment Glossy.

If you have any questions on these tips, or need ordering information, Please call us at 855.GET.GLOSS

November 10, 2010  was a big day for my hair. I finally got the Brazilian Gloss treatment done! It was an amazing experience with an easy and quick process that created a result that I absolutely love!

First, I want everyone to know what kind of hair I have. To give you a little background, mine is as virgin as virgin hair gets. I’m talking about no flat-ironing, hardly any blow drying, no use of creams, mousses or sprays, no perming, nothing. The biggest damage I ever inflicted on my locks was a wave perm in 7^th grade which I regret so much. I have had a huge fear damage since then and my hair was literally dead for probably two years. But I’m in what, 14^th grade now? I occasionally curl my hair but that happens maybe once every two weeks. It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything to my hair. Point is my hair was in pretty good shape already.

But my hair did have its flaws and the flaws that my hair had really did bother me. My ends were extremely dry and felt dead. The natural color of my hair started black at my roots and faded into a brown at my tips. I hated that. To me, my hair looked like I hadn’t gotten my hair colored brown again when in reality I’ve never colored my hair in my life. At my tips, my hair the natural shine and lacquer was nonexistent. My tips were basically extremely damaged and held a lot of frizz and tangle. I guess you can say the change I really wanted to see after the Brazilian Gloss treatment was the end area of my hair strands.

When I was told I was getting the treatment done I was ecstatic! I started out by shampooing my hair twice to take out impurities and excess oil. My hair smelled so good already. Then I had my hair blessed with the gloss and blow dried then flat-ironed to seal the gloss into my strands. To be completely honest, this is the hardest part of the process. For the stylist, blow drying the entire head of hair, for the client, just sitting there waiting for the next step. Right after the flat-ironing is complete, I washed my hair then applied the masque and voila! The wait was definitely worth the end results!

I was so surprised. I really wasn’t expecting much because my hair is virgin. But now my hair finally has shine from root to tip. My hair has more density and body which I really wanted and needed! My hair is softer and smoother to the touch and view and the color is completely consistent. As an intern, the results I’ve been tweeting about, Facebooking about, and blogging about now finally mean something to me.

The Brazilian Gloss experience I had was amazing! I love my hair so much and I cannot recommend or praise about it enough! Brazilian Gloss is love!

By Tammy Lee
Brazilian Gloss Public Relations Intern 

There are many different causes for damaged hair and Brazilian Gloss is here to break it down for you. We hope you ultimately figure out what may be the specific cause of damage for you and how to help you get rid of it!

First of all, damaged hair must be dealt with at the root. The most important location for curing damaged hair is the root because it is the starting point for hair’s growth.

The hair is composed of three layers. Starting from the innermost layer is the medulla, the cortex and then the cuticle. The cortex is the strongest and most dense layer of a hair strand. However, if you want to get a real solution from damaged hair, you need to repair your hair all the way to the strand’s medulla.

 One of the most common causes for damaged hair is that the hair is chemically treated. Examples of this kind of harsh damage is bleach, color treatments, perms or relaxers. Chemically treated hair is so harmful because it ruins the health of the cuticle and destroys the strength of the protein bonds.

 Another common cause for damaged hair is heat damage. Examples of this kind of damage is use of blow dryers, curlers, flat irons or straighteners frequently throughout the week. Using a heating tool does create great results after use, but it is very unforgiving because it literally fries the proteins and creates split ends.

 The last cause of damaged hair is physically related. The over-grooming of hair or the use of a rough brush can ruin the structure of the protein. In addition, sun exposure can be extremely harmful to hair because chemically processed hair does not act well with ultraviolet rays. The sun can also cause the hair’s protein bonds to weaken.

To help battle against your damaged hair, it is important to know the source of your damaged hair. Once you know the source, change up your routine or use hair repair products. Always choose the right tools and make sure to moisturize! 

*GLOSS TIP* For a once-a-week damaged hair treatment, try Coco de Soleil Hair Masque. This ultra-hydrating hair masque conditions the hair so it regains natural shine, reduces frizz and feels so smooth and soft you can run your hand through it without a snag or tangle. 

Sometimes shampooing your hair too much can take away essential oils.

*GLOSS TIP* In order to keep your hair full of nutrients and essential oils, use shampoo that is sodium chloride and paraben free. This way, you can get a nice squeeky clean feel WITHOUT stripping away all the good stuff. Try using Coco de Soleil High-Gloss Shampoo and Conditioner. (They are also highly enriched in keratin to create that shiny smooth effect you thought only celebrities could achieve!) 

 Other times you can use more conditioner or for longer. Even eating foods with good, fatty acids will moisturize your hair such as salmon or flaxseed oil. It’s all about being aware of what damage your doing to your hair and taking action to prevent it in the future. 

Split ends are every woman’s nightmare. We’ve all been there…. One day you’re just casually running your fingers through your hair and suddenly you reach the bottom of your locks and a look of disgust and horror spreads across your face…. The dreaded split end syndrome has attacked yet again!

Split ends can be caused by a variety of factors. A few being……

• Over exposure to sun
• Excessive shampoo-ing
• Using a wrong type of comb or brush
• Too much chemical treatment
• Heat damage from styling tools

But don’t lose hope! There are also many solutions to combat this notorious hair disease…

• Trim your hair every 6-8 weeks
• Protect your hair when heat-styling (Try using leave in conditioners or any other keratin enriched products such as the Brazilian Gloss After Treatment Masque)
• Avoid brushes with plastic bristles
• Avoid “cheap” shampoos that contain excess silicon which tends to strip the hair of its natural oils and nutrients

The rule of thumb, when it comes to your hair, is: less is more. Instead of shampooing your hair every day or heat styling every day invest in quality shampoos/conditioners, such as the Coco de Soleil collection, that will keep you hair naturally sleek and healthy!

Stylists, imagine this...

It is another day at the salon and a client comes in asking for a keratin hair treatment, you mention Brazilian Gloss and they get super excited. They also mention they want their hair trimmed so you decide to trim her hair before performing the keratin treatment. You sit her down and reach down for your handy-dandy scissors and don't think twice about it. But maybe, you really should.

Quality really does matter.
So be sure to check these things before you pick a scissor (after all it is the tool you will use the most throughout your day!) -

1.  Do the shears open and close smoothly?
2. Is there good tension control? (You don't want scissors that are hard to open or close, or that can feel 'loose')
3. Is there a warranty?
4. Is it authentic? It is a well known standard that Japanese scissors tend to be the best so salon owners always perk their ears up when a sales person says their scissors are from Japan, but be wary of these sneaky sales tactics! Sometimes, the scissors may say JAPAN on them but really they aren't from Japan. Use your instincts and best judgment and don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions to the sales person.
5. Is it 440 or 330 stainless steel? (440 is always best but 330 isn't too bad either but anything lower is considered lesser quality)

Stylists everywhere can agree that a good cut is what will bring clients coming back. However, you cannot give a good cut without a good pair of scissors. Clients are always very protective of their hair and so excellent attention and care must always be made! Even though they might not notice, you will know when you are using quality professional scissors because of the ease and quickness it will provide!

If you notice when cutting your client's hair that they have an abundance of split ends and damaged locks, make sure to suggest the Brazilian Gloss treatment to them! This keratin hair treatment can do wonders by adding keratin back into the hairs and filling the damaged pores to create a healthier and shinier look! Keratin is a vital protein found in hair so Brazilian Gloss' keratin enriched formula is really what helps to enhance the gloss in hair so it is frizz free and easier to manage!

There are many factors that go into the causes of damaged hair. Some things are out of your control, like weather conditions, and others are very well in our control like flat irons and perms. Since our hair is made up of 88% protein, when that protein breaks down, then the hair becomes very susceptible to breakage and becomes course and extremely unmanageable. To ensure your hair stays as beautiful as possible here are 3 easy tips of how to keep healthy hair. 

1) Let your hair dry naturally instead of using the blow dryer. I know we live in a society of instant gratification, but just wake up a few minutes earlier and shower so you can allow some time to let your hair dry out while you get ready in the morning! A lot of people avoid this though because they want to make sure their hair dries nicely and without any kinks. One simple way to let your hair dry naturally without it becoming untamed is to let it dry halfway, twist your hair into a low bun and clip it until the rest dries. Once the rest of the hair is dry and you undo the clip, you will have wonderfully smooth and sleek (and slightly wavy) hair! 

2) Use a wide tooth comb to untangle your hair. Although it may be a habit of yours to brush your hair right when you get of the shower, try to avoid this and simply use your fingers to comb through your hair instead of trying to get every single tangle out.  Hair is most vulnerable to damage when it is wet so at least wait till it’s dry before you comb it. Also, make sure when you do brush your hair that is made of natural fibres.

3) Eat more food with fatty acids! Believe it or not what you eat affects how healthy your hair will be. Fatty acids help keep hair strong and full of protein so be sure to include food that have high quantities of fatty acids into your diet. This is probably the most delicious and fun way you can keep your hair healthy! Essential fatty acids can be found in tuna, salmon and mackerel as well as seeds, nuts, olives and avocados.

Follow these easy 3 steps and you will be well on your way to having beautiful, healthy and glossy hair.