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ISSUE: Long Hair With Breakage at the Bottom

December 31, 2008 | Damaged Hair, Dry Hair, Fine & Limp Hair

Dear Philip,

My hair nearly reaches the bottom of my back. A day after I shampoo, I find that it’s oily at the top but dry from the mid-section down and the ends break. I have virgin hair and am wondering what products you would suggest and what care regimen I should adopt. I came to the site to order the Shea Butter and Peppermint & Avocado shampoos which I use alternately. I don’t use a conditioner or a rinse as they weigh my hair down, leaving it flat and lifeless.

This is easy. Step 1: Invest in a really good, natural bristle brush and use it before you shampoo. Make sure to brush from the scalp out to bring your natural oils to the rest of the hair shaft. (Even if you have an oily scalp, its conditioning effects usually don’t penetrate beyond the first five inches of hair without help.) And a bonus: Proper brushing helps to normalize the scalp. Step 2: To nourish the lower half of your hair, use my Four Step Hair & Scalp Facial Treatment Kit. The light plant and flower oils will condition the ends from the inside out without added weight; they’ll also soften the natural oils from your scalp. From there, the Peppermint & Avocado Shampoo washes away any excess oil to leave your hair and scalp squeaky clean, and the conditioner and pH Restorative Detangling Mist in the kit help ensure that your hair has the same level of moisturization from top to bottom. Step 3: On a regular basis, the Peppermint & Avocado Shampoo or Scent of Santa Fe would be ideal for soothing and normalizing an oily scalp. (If you have any flakiness, you can integrate Anti-Flake into your regimen too.) Finally, a Katira Masque once a week would be wonderful to keep your roots and midshaft healthy, and to give your hair natural volume and bounce.

ISSUE: Alternating Shampoos

December 10, 2008 | Color-Treated Hair, Dry Hair

Dear Philip,

I’d like to know the appropriate way to use the truffle shampoo. Do I use it for 2 or 3 consecutive days and then alternate with another shampoo? Or can I use it every time I shampoo? Also, regarding the new hair mask: Should I use it on wet or dry hair for better absorption? (My hair is dry and color treated if that helps.)

You can use the supergentle White Truffle Shampoo almost on a daily basis. But after every second or third shampoo, you might want to use a clarifying shampoo like Peppermint & Avocado to release any styling-product buildup. No need to be aggressive: Just go in with a light lather and rinse well. From there, you can use the moisturizing White Truffle Shampoo or Conditioner. As to your other question: the Katira Masque works best when it’s applied to wet hair and left to dry. Since your hair feels parched, I suggesting mixing a small dollop of Lightweight Deep Conditioning Crème into the Katira jelly. Comb it through your hair, let it dry hard and rinse well. For best results, finish with a spritz of the pH Restorative Toning Mist – it detangles and gives you a nicer finish to work with.

ISSUE: Relaxed Hair

December 10, 2008 | Damaged Hair, Dry Hair, Fine & Limp Hair

Dear Philip,

I relax my hair and it’s thin and dry from over-processing. Which line do you recommend for my hair type and why?

All together now: Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo. It’s an amazing rejuvenator for fried, overworked hair. Alternatively, a Four-Step Hair & Scalp Treatment would do wonders for you, too. Use it once a week and on the morning of your next salon appointment: Women all over the world have told me that they’ve gotten better results and far less breakage when they apply my Rejuvenating Oil (part of the Four-Step treatment) right before they have their hair relaxed.

ISSUE: Chemically relaxed hair

December 2, 2008 | Dry Hair

Dear Philip,

I’m black African with chemically relaxed hair, and I struggle with extra dry hair, especially during the winter months. My hair usually breaks off at this time. Do any of your products work well on black hair?

Many thanks,

MIre

Dear Mire,

We make products that are fabulous for black hair. Our light, plant- and flower-based Rejuvenating Oil treatment and African Shea Butter shampoo and Lightweight Deep-Conditioning Crème Rinse (also make with wonderfully hydrating Shea Butter) come immediately to mind, as does our ultra-nourishing Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo. Any combination of these products will address your breakage during the winter months – and probably forever. But considering the degree of breakage you’re dealing with, I’d start with Katira Masque. One application will in all the damaged areas in the hair cuticle, so each strand is automatically thicker, shinier and more elastic. Even after you rinse it out, the masque leaves a weightless film on the hair that protects it from heat styling, too.

ISSUE: Oily scalp, dry ends

November 11, 2008 | Dry Hair

Hi Philip B,

I have highlighted blonde hair and it’s so greasy that I need to wash it everyday. Still, the ends get really dry. I’d love to grow my hair out but I want it to look healthy and shiny – not dry and dead. What should I use?

Thanks,
Vanessa

P.S. I tell all my friends about your products!

Dear Vanessa,

The oils from your scalp are a natural conditioner, but even if you brush well, their effects don’t usually stretch beyond the first 4-5 inches. It’s a common problem: the top of your hair is moisturized, but you’re starving the ends. The best way to fix this is with my botanical Rejuvenating Oil. Apply it from the mid-section of your hair to the ends, and heat it up with a blow dryer: The heat thins the oil so it can slip under the cuticle of the hair and nourish it from the inside out. Then wash your hair – twice – with my Peppermint & Avocado Shampoo. Start at your scalp and gradually work the lather over the ends. Once you rinse it out, your hair should feel squeaky-clean: The oil is absorbed inside each strand, plumping it up without leaving it slick or heavy.

I’d use the oil at least once a week. In the meantime, use a conditioning shampoo like Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo, to load your hair up with amino acids and shine. And if you want to feed it something extra, use our unique Katira Masque. It lends a special kind of moisture and volume that oil and shea butter can’t give.

Another tip to keep your hair from splitting: Every time you get it wet, even if you’re not shampooing, put some conditioner on the lower half of your hair, comb it through, rinse and mist on a bit of my pH Restorative Toning Mist to tightly seal the cuticle for a smooth, shiny, frizz-free finish.

And thanks for telling your friends about the products – I really believe in them, too!