beauty
101
Water
safety
Hong Kong
must-have
Award-winning
hair stylist and
make-up artist
Rennie Fensham
is well-known
for her passion and skills. Her
glamorous background spans 30
years of working in beauty, fashion
and TV, in South Africa, the US and,
for the last seven years, in Hong Kong.
Check out her salon, Hollywood Hair,
at 23F, 1 Duddell Street, Central.
To minimise damage, after a swim always rinse your hair with
clean water to remove all salt and/or chlorine. If a shower is
nowhere in sight, simply pour a bottle of non-carbonated mineral
water over your hair.
Joico Humidity Blocker Finishing Spray
This weightless, light-hold aerosol spray delivers protection from
volume-deflating humidity, eliminating frizz and keeping your
volume and curls intact all day.
With summer in full swing, here are a few tips for protecting your hair.
Block the sun:
Don’t forget that your
hair needs sunblock, too, just like your
skin. There are many sunblocks for hair
available and any brand will do: just look
for one with an SPF, which will protect
your hair’s moisture and colour.
Take it easy:
Too much brushing,
teasing, or vigorous shampooing will
eventually fray the cuticle – the outer
layer of the hair shaft that protects the
fragile inner filaments. The result? Hair
breakage.
Instead, “Treat your hair like it is the
finest silk,” advises Rodney Cutler, owner
of New York City’s Cutler Redken Salon.
Use the tips of your fingers to gently
cleanse your scalp – there’s no need
to scrub. Dirt, oil, and debris will float
away as the lather passes over the hair.
After conditioner, but before you rinse,
detangle your hair in the shower with a
wide-tooth comb.
Let it flow:
It’s tempting to pull your hair
up into a ponytail all summer long,
but the pressure of a rubber band
can wear away the protective
cuticle and cause hair to
break. Anything that
puts tension on the
hair follicle for a
prolonged period,
like braids or
extensions, can pull hair out by the roots,
causing traction alopecia (balding),
which is sometimes permanent.
Instead, let your hair hang loose
more often – it’s summer, so casual, loose
styles will be right on-trend. If you do
pull your hair back, use one of the many
hair-protecting band types available. For
those of you with braids, if the braids feel
tight as they’re being styled, ask the stylist
to start over.
Turn down the heat:
When exposed to
high heat, the cells of the hair’s cuticle
separate and break off, exposing the
delicate filaments within. Your hair
is apt to snap where the cuticle is
missing, explains Paradi Mirmirani, MD,
a dermatologist at Kaiser Permanente
Vallejo Medical Center in California. Hair
loses its smoothness and lustre, too, when
the cuticle is damaged.
Never blow-dry sopping-wet hair.
Instead, after rinsing, squeeze your hair
gently with a towel: don’t rub. If you
shampoo daily, use a leave-in conditioner
designed to protect blow-dried hair.
Direct medium-heat airflow down
the hair shaft in the direction that the
cuticle’s cells are layered; blowing hair in
all directions adds to frizziness. Turn off the
blow-dryer when hair is almost dry, and
then lightly brush to style it.
24
Playtimes