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HairCare-related stories

Dry on the Fly: Tips and Tricks to Dry Your Hair Fast

Fit beauties don't have time for this nonsense every morning! Photo: Ted West, Central Press/Getty Images

As the temperatures dip, drying your hair before leaving the house becomes more important than ever. Hey, I remember the days of watching my wet hair freeze while waiting for the bus as a kid. Not such a big deal in the third grade, but when you're an adult on your way to work? That's a look you want to avoid.

If you work in your workouts before heading to work, there are a few tools and products that can cut your drying time down significantly.

When it comes to the dryer, Sedu is tough to beat. Sarah James of Hair Thursday says, "I love my Sedu 4000i Hair Dryer. It cuts drying time in half, and actually isn't that big, given how powerful it is. Total lifesaver when you're in a time crunch!"

Get Your Skin and Hair Ready for Winter


For many, winter is in full swing. The question is, have you taken care of your hair and skin as the weather changed? Temperatures dropped and with the heater going and everything, your house has probably gotten a little drier, meaning you need to take some extra precautions in order to stay your beautiful self!

For winter-friendly hair care, think about adding a weekly deep conditioning treatment, like Biolage's Ultra-Hydrating Balm. It smells yummy and helps get your hair back in shape. And, on a daily basis, think about a leave-in conditioner or detangler, like Healthy Sexy Hair's Soy Tri-Wheat Conditioner -- I swear, my hair has never been as soft as when I've used that.

As far as skin goes, different products should be used for different parts. Of course, you should always use a lotion with SPF 15 or so, just for daily sun exposure, but you should also consider treating your face with something soothing -- after all, your skin is dealing with a lot of changes with winter weather. Renee Rouleau offers a lightweight Stress Recovery Lotion that works for all skin types, ridding you of redness and uneven color. VedaMama has a fabulous Scrumptious body cream that's ultra moisturizing (and all natural) for the rest of your body, but if you're looking to save some cash, I've always had good luck with Eucerin's line of products.

Giveaway Reminder - AloSun Trial & Travel Collection

Reviews & Products


Have you entered the AloSun Trial & Travel Collection Giveaway yet? If not, you'd better get a move on -- you only have until this Wednesday to do so!

AloSun has long been known for quality hair and skin care products at reasonable prices, and this is your chance to try a variety of their pampering products. Whether you want to treat yourself right now, plan to take a vacation somewhere sunny soon, or you just want to have these products on hand when springs comes around next year, you really ought to enter.

And, with this contest, we'll have five winners, so you have a better than normal chance of being a winner! All you have to do is go to the contest page and leave a comment. So, go -- now!

Fit Beauty: Five tips for healthy, beautiful summer hair

It doesn't seem quite fair -- summer is when everyone is having the fun parties, and you want to look your most gorgeous, but between the sun and heat and humidity, it's hard to convince your hair to do what you want it to do.

That doesn't mean you're forever confined to bad summertime hair, though -- we've got some tips (partly thanks to our friends at Fitness Magazine) to help you get the most out of your 'do this summer. Check them out, and be sure to let us know about your best summertime hair trick or product in the comments!

5 Tips for Sexy Summer Hair(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Leave-in conditioner with UV protectionSkip the blowdryer and find a new summer 'doCover it up!Try a dry shampooRinse!

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Life Fit Chat with Laura Lewis: What Your Hair Is Telling You?

Life Fit Chat with That's Fit Life Fit Expert Laura Lewis brings conversation provoking tidbits to your table, served up with a touch of spice! Byte-sized information that pack some punch, brought to you every Wednesday and Thursday!

You may not realize it, but your hair is actually communicating with you. Read on to learn what your hair is trying to tell you.

Snow White. What causes hair to turn white? White hair is the result of a decline in melanin production at the root; and, while your hair cannot go white overnight, a physical or emotional trauma can impact your hair. The illness or stress of a traumatic event will cause actively growing hair to go dormant. After several months, this dormant hair will begin to fall out. If you lose dark hair but retain the white hair, you will appear to have gone "white overnight." Typically, the age at which a person goes white or gray is genetic. So, barring and traumatic events, you should expect to gray at about the same age your parents did.

Shedding. While finding wads of hair in the sink drain cause be rather disgusting, it is not a red flag that you are suffering from a terminal illness--or any illness for that matter, Believe it or not, it is perfectly normal to lose about 100 strands of hair everyday. We actually have at least 100,000 hair follicles, so we all have plenty we can safely shed without worry of losing your luxurious locks. Unless your are experiencing visible thinning of your hair or bald spots on your scalp, chances are the loss is just everyday shedding.

Mr. (or Mrs.) Clean. Baldness can either be a genetic gift from your parents or it could signify a health problem. While androgenetic alopecia (the medical term for genetic baldness) is permanent, Alopecia areata is caused by an autoimmune disease that is treatable. Once treated, the hair will typically grow back.

Flaking Out. While some people may suffer from a dry scalp that causes flaking skin, real dandruff has nothing to do with moisture control. The medical term for dandruff is seborrheic dermatitis. This is an inflammatory condition of the scalp that can cause redness and flaking in areas of the skin that contain a lot of oil glands. Psoriasis and eczema can also cause dandruff when they occur on the scalp. There are numerous shampoos on the market that are medicated and will provide relief both in comfort and by reducing flaking.

Handle With Care.
People who suffer from dry, brittle or dull hair may think they need to stamp a handle with care sticker on their hair brush. Your frazzled, frizzy and dry hair may simply be a symptom of too much hair drying, flat ironing and coloring. All of this abuse destroys the hair cuticles and leave hair vulnerable to damage. Pony tails can also cause stress and breakage. Unhealthy hair may also indicate a poor diet. Hair requires a diet with adequate protein in order to grow strong and be resilient to everyday abuse. Essential fatty acids (found in fish oil supplements, wild salmon, and flax seeds) are equally important in maintaining strong and shiny hair. If your hair needs some nutrients, make the necessary changes in your diet, but this will only impact new hair that is growing in. So, you won't see changes overnight.


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Jumpstart Your Fitness: Learn how to read your hair

Alternative & Green Health

The relationship we all have with our own hair is the ultimate in love/hate for most of us, and although you may be blaming those bad hair days on harsh winter weather, humidity, or styling products gone wrong, have you considered that it may be your health that's really the problem? You can't have healthy hair if you don't have a healthy body, so if you're dealing with hair that's dull, dry, frizzy, flaky, or falling out, it's worth a closer look to make sure it's not due to something bigger than just using the wrong shampoo. From genetics to your current nutritional state, learning to read your hair can tell you a lot about your overall health.

Here are some common hair issues and what they could possibly mean:

How to read your hair(click thumbnails to view gallery)

FlakesDry, brittle, and breakingGoing graySheddingThinning or Balding

Going gray
Going gray is a genetic issue, so you're pretty much stuck with whatever you get in that department. Some people start noticing stray grays as early as their 20s while other lucky ducks keep all their color until retirement.

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Survive the summer with your hair intact

Alternative & Green Health

Ugh, summertime is the worst for me when it comes to taking care of my hair. In theory, winter should be rougher because of the dry air, but the constant indoors/outdoors of summer activities combined with sun exposure and humidity makes it practically impossible to figure out a good haircare routine and get through the season without some kind of hair damage or issue to deal with. Common summer hair problems include sun scorching, for which leave in conditioners or hair SPF products are best. Another mistake people often make is having chemical texturizing treatments done in summer, which when combined with chlorine and sun damage can leave you with locks like wheat sticks! Sadly, often the only remedy for this is a haircut and lesson learned.

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Staying safe and healthy at the salon

Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss

Going to the salon to get a manicure, pedicure, or your hair colored is a luxurious experience that most people love. Having somebody wait on you hand and foot (literally!) is something that rarely, if ever, happens for us in our regular day to day lives. But we've also all heard horror stories about infections and health hazards, and here are some answers to the most commonly expressed health concerns when visiting the salon:

  • Can I get an infection from a manicure or pedicure? Although it rarely happens, being aware of the possibility of getting an infection -- particularly HIV or Hepatitis -- is essential anytime instruments capable of breaking the skin are involved, as they are when doing nail care. Make sure your technician follows the appropriate guidelines and the risk will be minimal.
  • Can hair dye increase my risk for cancer? Many studies have been done on this topic in relation to the risk of developing blood cancers and breast cancer, but all have been inconclusive.
  • What services should I avoid when I'm pregnant? Pregnancy is such a complicated and delicate state that the best thing to do is consult your physician before receiving any salon services that involve chemicals, herbs, or other remedies -- even if they're "all natural." And some other services, like certain massages, can post risks during different stages of pregnancy and should also be avoided.

Click here for a more in-depth look at some of these concerns, plus a few others!

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