Blog

Hair can make or break one’s look, and few things can do more to upgrade any look than big, bouncy curls that beautifully frame the face while adding a fun, carefree edge. However, if your hair is naturally straight, it can be a bit difficult to truly create those long-lasting curls we all desire. Follow our steps below for the best curls of your life, and you’ll be an expert at hair curling in no time!  Step One: Apply Heat Protectant Heat protectant spray is a must whenever using a heat styling tool, but especially when one is trying to create curls. Too much direct heat can be extremely damaging and drying on the hair strand, and the process of curling one’s hair requires extended heat application. When combined with the twisting and amount of manipulation required to alter the hair strand, it’s imperative that you first pre-apply a moisturizing spray that can prevent moisture loss while also providing a small barrier from the heat of the curling iron. One particularly effective product is Sutra’s Heat Protector, which includes argan oil, panthenol, and quinoa extract for a product that nourishes and enhances hair health while also offering strong heat protection.   Step Two: Secure Sections with Hair Clips With the hair properly treated with a heat protecting spray, the next step is to section off your hair to prepare for the curling process. It’s important to work section by section as you curl your hair, but this process can be quite difficult if you have long and/or thick hair to work with. Thankfully, a quality hair clip can help free up your hands while keeping sections of your hair tucked away while you curl on other portions of your hair. Sutra’s Hair Crane Clips are a great option, as they firmly yet gently secure sections of the hair thanks to a premium double-hinged arm design. To use, part the hair vertically and grab the back portion of hair behind your head, then clip with the crane clip. Continue doing this until you have 1-to-2-inch sections of hair unclipped on your left and right sides of your face. Step Three: Use a Curling Iron Now for the final step, the curling process. To begin, you’ll need to make sure you have a high-quality curling iron tool, like Sutra’s Infrared Curling Iron, which utilizes infrared heat to evenly and gently apply heat to the hair strand to prevent moisture loss and damage. With your hair sectioned off, grab one section of hair and open the clamp of the curling iron as it faces upwards. Open the clamp slide the section of hair in it, releasing the clamp halfway through. Then, curl the clamped section of hair way from the face, holding for 5 seconds and then releasing. Move on to the next section of hair, continuing as desired until your hair is beautifully curled!

So much of our focus, at least when it comes to hairstyling, is place on expensive, high-powered tools like blow-dryers and flat irons. Much of this focus is well-deserved, as these heat styling tools are necessary to achieve the kind of show-stopping, head-turning hairstyles we see in magazines and fashion shows. But while great hair can be amplified by a blow-dryer that costs several hundreds of dollars, few realize that one of the most important tools for your hair health is something that costs less than $10! What we’re referring to, of course, is that handy dandy hairbrush that has always been by your side through thick and thin. While a fancy styling tool may have come and gone, your favorite hairbrush has stood the test of time, helping to detangle your hair while keeping it organized and smooth. But what you may not realize is that as helpful as a good hairbrush can be for improving your hair, so too can a bad hairbrush be incredibly harmful to your hair. To keep your hair looking its very best, its vital to find a hairbrush that matches your specific hair type. Read our guide below to find the perfect hairbrush fit for your hair! Thin, Straight Hair If your hair is on the thin and straight side, you’ll want a boar bristle brush. A good boar bristle brush uses genuine boar bristles to create an extremely soft yet fine brush that can smooth and straighten the hair in a gentle, non-abrasive manner while still providing an extremely fine grip to sort through a large amount of thin hairs. To make things better, a boar bristle brush helps to distribute the hair’s natural oils, making it more moisturized and softer. Thick, Curly Hair Hair that is thick and curly and/or textured needs a brush that is strong and rigid yet wide enough to untangle the hair while brushing. The perfect brush for this hair type is a wide tooth comb, which has wide enough teeth to pull the hair without tugging or tangling. While thin, straight hair would be largely unchanged by this brush type, a wide tooth comb can properly sort and organize the hair in a gentle, easy manner. Flat, Limp Hair For hair that is lacking in volume and body, you’ll want a brush that helps to lift and raise the hair while styling with a blow-dryer. There are two brushes that are perfect for this purpose, the first being a vented round brush, which has vents to allow for maximum air flow, while the round shape can help to curl and pull the hair to lift it from the root for increased body. The second brush is a wide paddle brush, which has grippy, flexible bristles that can help pull and grip a large surface area of hair, allowing you to lift and raise it from the scalp while styling for increased volume, body, and overall “oomph” for your final look! Featured in Watch our Video

It’s no secret that one of the biggest keys to achieving healthy, beautiful hair is keeping your hair hydrated and moisturized. When hair is dry and dehydrated, it lacks the structural integrity needed to hold shape and create the kind of full, bodacious hairstyles we crave. Additionally, when hair is dry, it begins to lift its outer cuticle layer to absorb more moisture, leading to hair that feels rough and bumpy to the touch while looking dull and lifeless due to losing its natural sheen and shine. While many of us automatically correlate moisturized hair with thick, oily products like a hair oil or a leave-in conditioner with heavy butters and waxes, one underrated class of hair hydrators is the humectants. While oils and butters work as emollients by sealing the cuticle layer to hold in moisture while filling in the bumps and cracks of the cuticle layer, humectants work by penetrating the hair shaft and drawing moisture into the hair strand and causing it to swell. One of the most popular ingredients in this category is glycerin, which is an extremely effective and cheap ingredient for attracting water and moisture into the hair and skin. However, glycerin can be quite sticky and have a negative skin feel, and many hair types react negatively to glycerin in humid climates. Thankfully, a trendy skincare ingredient used for attracting moisture is also quite effective when used in hair, all without the sticky feeling and negative reaction of glycerin. Say hello to hyaluronic acid! What is Hyaluronic Acid? Hyaluronic acid is known as a natural moisturizing factor (NMF), meaning it is a naturally moisturizing ingredient found within our skin. This sugar molecule is extremely important in maintaining the health and hydration of our skin, from ensuring water is attracted to the epidermis along with keeping it looking supple and smooth. The secret to hyaluronic acid is in how incredibly efficient it is at attracting water, with studies showing that this magic ingredient can absorb up to 1000 times its own weight in water! Much like a sponge, hyaluronic acid pulls a massive amount of moisture from the environment and draws it into your skin, causing it to swell and look supple. Hyaluronic Acid and Your Hair So we know how effective hyaluronic acid is for your skin, but what about your hair? Much like with your skin, hyaluronic acid, when applied to the hair, can pull water from the air and draw it into the hair strand, causing it to plump and swell. The result is hair that looks thicker and fuller, allowing for more body and volume. Additionally, hyaluronic acid typically has a high molecular weight, meaning that rather than penetrate the hair strand, the acid molecules coat the outer cuticle layer, allowing water to pass through while sealing the outside and keeping the cuticle smooth. To use hyaluronic acid on your hair, you can use the same hyaluronic acid product that you use on your skin, applying it to damp hair after shampooing and working it from roots to tips. The result? Hydrated, moisturized hair that looks fuller and healthier!

We spend so much of our time and focus on perfecting and maintaining our hair health, and for good reason. Our hair is what makes or breaks our look and style, and its visibility means that much work and attention go into making it look its very best. However, much like an iceberg, so much of what goes into making your hair look great involves a great deal of work under the surface. You see, while few people may realize it, a huge factor in proper hair growth and hair health is the condition of our scalp and hair follicles. When our scalp is inflamed or irritated, it can create a cascading effect that can eventually lead to hair loss and a breakdown in the strength and structure of our hair strand. Clearly, keeping your scalp healthy and happy is a must for great hair. The Dangers of Scalp Inflammation Did you know that the leading cause of hair loss and improper hair growth is scalp inflammation? When the scalp is irritated and inflamed, it leads to circulatory issues that causes the hair follicles to improperly function. The result? Hair that grows out poorly and creates weak, brittle strands. To prevent this, you’ll want to avoid anything that will cause irritation to your scalp, such as scalding hot water or an ingredient that causes your skin to react poorly. Additionally, make sure to provide your scalp with proper hydration and moisturization, taking steps such as applying an oil directly to the scalp to prevent dryness. Buildup and the Hair Follicle Buildup of residue on the scalp, whether it be from dry skin flakes, product residue, or excess oils, is a major no-no for a variety of reasons. For starters, this buildup can be extremely uncomfortable to deal with, causing the follicle to look greasy and unsightly. Additionally, this buildup can fall off our scalp and onto our clothes, creating an embarrassing look for many of us. However, the worst risk associated with buildup on the scalp is the way in which the buildup can block the hair follicle from properly growing, preventing proper hair growth. To prevent this impediment, you’ll want to make sure you are consistently cleaning your scalp when washing your hair, working your shampoo into the roots and scalp. If this isn’t enough, you can also utilize a specialized brush that can loosen the debris from the scalp, as well as a detoxifying and exfoliating shampoo that contains ingredients like clay or charcoal to increase cellular turnover. Feed Your Scalp with Nutrients! Lastly, when it comes to babying your scalp and keeping it at tip-top shape, you need to think of your scalp much in the same way that you think about the skin on your face. Much like your face needs to be washed, moisturized, and provided specialized treatments and serums, so too does your scalp! Supplying your scalp with things like vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids can do wonders in improving your overall scalp and hair health. To do this, apply a product like Sutra’s Hair Cocktail, which includes marula, argan, and rose petal oils to infuse the scalp with maximum nutrition! Featured in Watch our Video

So you’ve come home from a long day at work, you take a shower, and you’re faced with a dilemma: should you take the time to dry off your hair, or should you jump straight in bed? We’ve all been there, and for many of us, we’ve opted for the latter. While going to bed with wet hair isn’t the worst thing in the world, there are certainly a number of risks you run into when it comes to your hair health after a night of sleeping on a wet head of hair. Follow our guide below on the dangers of sleeping with wet hair, along with some valuable tips for what to do if sleeping with wet hair is unavoidable. The Cons of Sleeping with Wet Hair Let’s get one thing straight: if you can avoid it, you should never fall asleep with wet hair. For starters, wet hair is inherently more porous and less structurally sound than dry hair, making it much more susceptible to breakage. When you toss and turn your head at night, the friction of your hair against your pillow can be a recipe for damaged, broken hair. As if that weren’t bad enough, when you fall asleep with wet hair, the warmth of your head against the pillow combined with the dampness of your scalp leads to the perfect breeding ground for fungi and bacteria. The result? Sleeping with wet hair can be a recipe for frustrating scalp conditions like dandruff, dermatitis, and eczema. How to Sleep with Wet Hair Safely Despite the negatives associated with sleeping with wet hair, there are times were doing so is unavoidable. With that being said, there’s a number of precautions one can take to make sleeping with wet hair as safe and risk-free as possible. Sleep with a Silk Pillowcase Silk pillowcases have seen a recent boost in popularity over the years, and aside from being excellent for your skin, these smooth materials provide a frictionless material to prevent your hair from breaking and tangling while tossing and turning at night. As an added bonus, these pillowcases are exceptionally breathable and cool to the touch, helping to prevent any bacterial or fungal infections from a hot or humid environment in the scalp. Tie Your Hair Back To keep your hair from being tangled and knotted, one of the best things to do with wet hair is to tie it back in a knot and away from your face. Doing so will keep your hair organized and tucked away, free from getting twisted and pulled in your sleep. Apply a Leave-In Conditioner To keep your hair protected and coated while you sleep, apply a rich leave-in conditioner that seals and coats the outer cuticle layer to keep it soft and smooth, allowing it to glide against your pillowcase to prevent breakage. To make things even better, sleeping with a leave-in conditioner can provide the sort of intense boost of moisture that dry hair types crave! Featured in Watch our Video