03 Jun '15

How to care for your Curly Hair

Curly Hair Tips

While many naturally straight haired women yearn to have curly locks, those with those same curls sometimes feel like no matter what they do, their hair can never be controlled. The reality is, no matter if your hair is straight or curly, the secret to getting the hair you love is to learn how it works. There are certain things you should avoid if you want your hair to be beautifully curly and some things you should always do to keep those curls controlled. It's important to understand and love your hair, there's no point in always wanting the opposite. It doesn't matter if it's straight or curly; with the right tools, your hair will always look healthy and amazing.

Do's:

-Do keep your curly hair well moisturized. Curly hair is naturally dry, so using an oil treatment like argan oil will make your curls pop and make your hair much more manageable. I usually apply argan oil to my towel dried, detangled hair. Comb it out to make sure it's spread evenly on your hair, scrunch your hair a bit with your hands, and allow it to air dry. My curls get a serious hydration boost and it leaves my curls defined and shiny.

-Do invest in high quality heat styling tools and heat protecting sprays. I prefer to allow my hair to air dry before using my trusty Victorya flat iron by ISA Professional. By making sure your tools are 100% ceramic (not those cheaper brands that only coat ceramic the plates), you allow the heat to be distributed evenly, avoiding any heat damage to your curly hair. If you prefer blow dryers, invest in a diffuser, which will protect your curls by distributing the hot air (instead of blasting it all over the place).

-Do sleep on a satin pillow sheet or use a satin sleep cap. Cotton can make your curls break out in frizz and leave your hair full of knots while you sleep. Another trick is to use a T-shirt (not a towel) to dry your hair. Get rid of as much water from your hair as you can in the shower, then gently pat your hair to avoid frizz and breakage.

Don'ts:

-Don't use any products that contain silicone. While this may seem impossible, there are plenty of silicone-free hair products to choose from. Even though silicone makes your hair look shiny, its only working on the outer hair shaft. By using silicone products, you don't allow your hair to be completely moisturized, since silicone is a moisture barrier.

-Don't use a brush, stick to combing only. Curly hair is prone to breakage and damage so extra care is needed. Stick to using a wide tooth comb (this protects your curls even more). After you condition, detangle with it in the shower, it also helps fight off frizz!

-Don't forget to get your ends trimmed every 7 weeks. Even if you want to grow your curls out, this step is still important. This is because hair thrives and even grows quicker when you trim it. You will love your curls even more when you see the results of getting a little bit of hair cut off. If you're scared how you'll look afterwards, ask your stylist to trim it dry, not wet.

01 Jun '15

FREE 2 Day Shipping for USA orders over $50

We are happy to announce that as of June 1, 2015 we are offering FREE 2 day shipping for all USA orders over $50.

Simply place your order by 12:00 noon EST and select FREE shipping at checkout.

Note: If your billing address and shipping address do not match there may be a delay in processing.

CANADA

As always, Canada shipping is FREE and Canadian orders are shipped from our Canada warehouse so there are never any duties. Canada shipping is same day if you order by 12:00 noon EST, with delivery ranging from 2 to 5 days depending on your Province or Territory.

Remote Northern Rural areas (inaccessible by road, or serviced by seasonal planes) may be assessed a shipping fee. We will contact you first if this is the case.

INTERNATIONAL

International orders are shipped the next business day. Delivery is usually within 5 days.

26 May '15

Anti Aging Benefits of Vitamin C and Vitamin E

Now that I'm nearing becoming 30, I've started to pay attention to the signs my skin is sending me. I've also started to take more preventive measures with my health, since it is the base of all beauty and well-being. Taking multivitamins and minerals and working out is a great way to take care of yourself, but there are other parts you might want to pay special attention to. In my case, I started paying attention to my skin, to my wrinkles and laugh lines. I started researching on using certain vitamins topically to aid in my anti aging quest and decided to share it here.

Vitamin C Serum

Vitamin C, when used topically, will brighten your skin, giving you a nice and youthful glow. I used to have acne as a teenager which left me with undesirable dark spots, but was happy to hear that Vitamin C would help me clear them up. Another perk to using Vitamin C topically is that it helps diminish wrinkles and laugh lines. Vitamin C is essential to the production of collagen, making it a great choice in adding it to a facial cream or serum. This collagen production leads to firm, youthful skin. I don't know about you, but I don't want to live my life refusing to smile for the camera in order to avoid wrinkles. Life is about smiling and enjoying all the small moments, but if there's a way to make my face look younger, I'm not going to hesitate to try it.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant and anti inflammatory when used topically. It has skin repairing benefits that also helps fight wrinkles, while moisturizing at the same time. Vitamin E helps absorb the energy from ultra violet (UV) light, making it ideal in preventing UV damage to your skin. That means that for someone like me who has been battling under eye circles all her life and lived in a tropical island where the sun's always out, there's still hope. I'd tried everything to make them less puffy, but nothing had ever worked. I was determined to find a beauty product that would help me deal with these issues, and that is when I found ISA Professional's XANADU 24K Gold Vitamin C Serum.

The first thing I noticed when I received my XANADU 24K Serum was the beautiful bottle it came in. The shape is like none I have ever seen before, the gold flecks shining under the light look awesome, and the smell of rose extract is nice, not overpowering at all. The consistency is gel-like so two pumps is enough to cover your entire face and it dries off fairly quickly. I usually apply it as a primer for applying make up and was surprised by how quickly it absorbed into my skin.

My face was smoother and I immediately noticed that my under eye circles looked slightly lighter and less puffy! It did a great job at keeping me moisturized and I'm happy to say that my makeup stayed intact all day despite the tropical heat. It's also a good idea to apply it right before bed so you're skin can get some beauty sleep as well. After using it for a week, I started to notice a change in my laugh lines, they were there, but less pronounced, can't wait to see how it'll look a month from now. All in all, I love my XANADU, this stuff truly lives up to its promise. I am really happy I bought it and have been raving about it to everyone I know.

It's never too early to follow an anti aging routine, there's no shame in wanting to be healthy and beautiful. Just remember to smile, XANADU has you and me both covered.

19 May '15

What Temperature Should You Use With Heat Styling Tools? It's All In The Hair Type

Styling Temperature for Hair Type

When it comes to heat hair styling tools, high heat does not guarantee you the best results. This is because not all hair is the same; what might work for some hair types may not work for others. I used to think I had coarse hair since I had so much of it and it was so difficult to control. I later found out from my hairdresser that I had fine hair, which I was frying with a lethal combo of high heat using flat irons and hair curlers and not enough product. I assumed that the higher the heat, the faster and better the results would be, but experience has taught me otherwise.

Proper Technique

Proper temperature control is key to getting the best results when using heat styling tools but make sure you remember to use heat protecting spray and thoroughly de-tangle by brushing your hair to make sure it doesn't get caught in your flat iron.

Fine Hair

Let' s begin with fine hair types. Like myself, chances are you have breakage all the time and de-tangling your hair is a slow and exact procedure that you'd prefer to do yourself before letting your hairstylist attempt it. Fine hair is very fragile and needs to be deeply conditioned twice a week (I like to use a 100% argan oil soak, let it sit for 10-15 minutes, rinse and style as usual). When using a flat iron, make sure you never crank it to the highest setting. A lower temperature of 250-340°F works best for fine hair types. Try to let your hair air dry before using your flat iron; this quickens the styling process and allows your hair to have less heat exposure. I love my ISA Professional Digital Flat Iron because it has temperature controls that allows you to lock the temperature setting in place by double clicking the power button down twice. This ensures my fingers don't mess with the temperature controls during my styling and my hair always looks sleek and shiny. It's also 100% ceramic tourmaline so it distributes heat evenly and protects my hair even further.

Normal Hair, Thick Hair

For normal, medium hair types, keep the temperature anywhere between 300-350°F. For thicker hair types, your hair can withstand higher heat than fine hair types. Thick hair types have more tools to choose from since they don't need to worry about lower heat temperatures being available. They can also style their hair quicker due to the high temperatures their hair can withstand.

Apply heat styling protecting spray on your hair and lock the temperature to anywhere between 330-380°F. If you have coarse, thick hair then you should stick to 400-450°F for best results.

Everyone's hair is different, so you should experiment to find the ideal temperature for you. By knowing which temperature range you should stick to, you can figure out the best heat setting for your specific hair.

06 May '15

How to Get Voluminous Shiny Hair

Voluminous Shiny Hair

Shiny Healthy Hair ISA Professional

When I was a kid, I disliked my hair. It was always frizzy and my short hair cut would make me look strange since it was also wavy. It wasn't until later I realized that my hair only needed some TLC, and I found different ways to make my waves work for me. Here are a couple of tips to make sure your hair gets the volume you crave, while keeping it shiny and healthy.

Shampoo

When you shampoo your hair, make sure you rub your roots in a circular motion for about 2 minutes. This not only gives you a great scalp massage but also helps build volume in your hair and stimulates hair growth. This is especially helpful if you want to grow your hair out like I did.

Vinegar Rinse

I like to use a vinegar rinse to help tame my waves and get more volume. You should only do this once a week since it is too rough to use more than that. If you have color treated hair like me, don't use apple cider vinegar because it will make your color fade! Use regular white vinegar! Mix 1/3 cup apple cider (or white) vinegar with 1 quart of distilled water. After rinsing off your shampoo, pour the vinegar mix into your hair for a few seconds then rinse with cold water.

Conditioner

You don't have to condition all your hair, everyday. Conditioner weighs hair down, so its application depends on what hair style you want. When I'm in the mood to straighten my hair, I condition all my hair to prep it for my flat iron. If you want volume, only apply conditioner on your tips, this will help moisturize them without weighing down the rest. I also apply 100% Argan Oil after lightly towel drying my hair, at least 3 times a week. This leaves my hair looking shiny and frizz free, which is a must with any hair style. Sometimes I leave it in without using any hair tools, resulting in soft waves with no fuss.

Drying

Letting your hair air dry is a mistake if you want volume, since it will also weigh your hair down. I hang my head downwards, with the tips of my hair pointing to the floor and use a blow dryer to dry it from the roots down (if you have curly hair, use a diffuser). Let gravity help you work less, make sure you completely dry all your hair, then apply cold air to help it keep its hold. Flip your head up to see all the volume you've achieved. At this point, I like to use my Victorya flat iron from ISA Professional to seal my tips and bangs, making them smooth, shiny and frizz free. I find it completes the look, making sure there is no frizz, only a clean finish.

Now that I know how to control my wavy, unruly hair, I love pumping up my hair without looking like a frizz ball. Hopefully, these tips will help you do the same, love your hair for how it is and give it the TLC it deserves to look your best!

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