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Few hair types have become more revered in pop culture than the big, “bombshell” look. You know the look: hair that is long, bouncy, and impossibly full and bodacious. However, not everyone realizes that big, thick hair can be quite an undertaking to maintain. Aside from being incredibly tangle-prone, thick hair is notorious its susceptibility to dryness and frizz, especially in humid climates. Thankfully, nearly all of these issues can be easily prevented by following a couple of basic tips! Tip #1: Moisturize, Moisturize, and Moisturize While dry hair can be a problem for practically any hair type, the effects of dryness are incredibly pronounced when encountered in thick hair. You see, when hair becomes dry, it reacts by raising its cuticle layer in order to absorb moisture from the air. This causes the hair to lose its weight and shape, leading to annoying flyaways and frizz. In thinner hair, the effects may be more subtle and easy to cover up, but in thicker hair, the result is an explosion of frizz that can seem impossible to tame. To combat this, the obvious answer is to feed your thirsty hair the moisture that it craves, especially when travelling to humid climates. One suggestion is to opt for a no-rinse conditioner like Sutra’s Leave-In Conditioner, which continues moisturizing your hair long after showering rather than being rinsed out. For a more intense treatment, look for a rich, hydrating treatment, such as Sutra’s Hair Mask, that includes oils and fatty acids to help close the cuticle and prevent frizz. Tip #2: Invest in a Good Brush Dry brushing and detangling are common habits for just about anyone with longer hair, but thicker hair requires a bit more brushing than most. Unfortunately, this excess brushing not only means that styling and straightening takes significantly more time, but it also opens the door for potential breakage and damage. To combat this, the solution is to invest in a brush that is not only strong enough to grip and control thick hair but is also smooth and gentle enough to avoid tangling and snagging. A perfect brush that checks all of these boxes is Sutra’s Flexi Brush, which features smooth, flexible bristles and an adjustable control bar to lock in comb teeth.  Tip #3: Faster, Gentler Blow-Drying Let’s get this out of the way: thick hair can take FOREVER to dry. Anyone with a thick mane of hair can tell you how long and frustrating the heat styling process is, which means countless time spent holding a blow dryer up to your hair. Sadly, all this extra styling time can easily translate into heat damage, as even the gentlest heated styling tool can damage the hair if applied too long to your hair. The key is to look for a blow dryer such as Sutra’s IR BD2, which uses a powerful motor and infrared heat to reduce drying time and prevent damage. Featured in Watch our Video

As we’ve covered before, hair damage refers to hair whose cuticle layer has become raised or stripped, leaving it unable to maintain moisture or structural integrity. This is caused by a variety of factors, including harsh chemical treatments and excessive heat styling, and common symptoms include split ends, shedding, and hair texture that is rough and uneven to the touch. It’s an incredibly common yet frustrating condition that leaves our hair dull, lifeless, and impossible to manage and style. Thankfully, hair damage is only temporary, and after following our steps below, your hair will be back to its beautiful, healthy self in no time! Gentle Washing First and foremost, you need to completely rethink your hair washing routine. Damaged hair tends to be incredibly dry, rough, and easily tangled, and excessive washing will only make things worse. Try to limit the amount of times you wash your hair, shampooing only every-other-day or just twice weekly, and switch to a gentle, hydrating shampoo like Sutra’s Replenishing Moroccan Shampoo to prevent further dryness and damage. Mindful Brushing We tend to overlook the importance of brushing in our hair routine, and yet when our hair is damaged, few things are more harmful to the health of our hair than rough, improper hair brushing! For starters, make sure to NEVER brush your hair when its wet. In fact, this advice applies to healthy hair, as well, as wet hair is incredibly porous and weak, and brushing hair in this state is the quickest way to severe breakage and damage. While it would be ideal avoid brushing damaged hair altogether, your next best option is to use an extremely gentle detangling brush with smooth, snag-free bristles like Sutra’s Flexi Brush. Moisturize and Hydrate Given that damaged hair lacks a closed cuticle layer to maintain moisture, it is almost a guarantee that your hair will be incredibly dry during this stage. Thankfully, the symptoms of hair dryness are relatively easy to treat and infusing the hair with oils and hydrating ingredients will help to seal the cuticle and restore the hair’s natural softness and shine. When washing your hair, rather than using a traditional rinse-out conditioner, instead opt for a product like Sutra’s Leave-In Conditioner, which exerts its moisturizing, hydrating effects long after you’ve showered. To take things a step further, make sure to apply a rich, intense moisturizing treatment like Sutra’s Hair Mask at least once a week to really lock in that moisture and hydration. Sun Protection We all know the importance of protecting our skin from sun damage, but few of us realize how important sun protection is for our hair, as well. UV radiation can be incredibly rough on dry, weak hair, and a day out in the sun might be the absolute worst thing for your hair during this time. If spending time outside is unavoidable, make sure to apply a product with UV protection like Sutra’s Hair Cocktail, which contains coconut oil for a natural SPF of 8. Featured in Watch our Video

For a hairstyling enthusiast, few terms are more terrifying than the words “hair damage”. Although countless among us have splurged on products that claim to treat or prevent hair damage, how many of us really know what damaged hair looks like? To help identify hair damage, we’ve included some tell-tale signs to be sure to look out for. What Is Hair Damage? “Hair damage” is a rather broad term, but essentially it refers to hair whose cuticle layer has become severely degraded. The cuticle, our outermost hair layer, is responsible for sealing in moisture and maintaining the integrity of the hair shaft. Due to a variety of causes, this cuticle layer can become raised and damaged, resulting in hair that is unable to maintain moisture and loses strength and structure. Testing for Hair Damage Now that you know what hair damage is, the next step is to identify whether or not your hair is currently damaged. The first thing to do is try the “hair elasticity test”. After showering, grip a thin strand of hair with two fingers and gently pull away from the root. Healthy, undamaged hair stretches to nearly double its size before returning to its original length. If your hair is damaged, not only will your hair not stretch, but it may actually snap or break. If you’re still unsure as to whether or not you’re suffering hair damage, here are some other notable signs: Rough Texture When hair is damaged, the cuticle layer is raised, resulting in uneven, rough texture as opposed to the smooth, soft texture of healthy hair. Take a small strand of dry hair and run your fingers down the length, taking your time to really feel for texture consistency. Split Ends One of the most obvious signs of hair damage is an abundance of split ends. Hair that is damaged is often thicker towards the root and thinner at the ends, indicating a significant loss of the cuticle layer. If the ends of your hair look frayed, it’s likely that you’ve suffered from major hair damage. Loss of Shine Healthy hair has a flat, even cuticle layer that reflects light, creating shiny, luminous hair. Damaged hair, due to a raised cuticle layer, absorbs light, creating the appearance of dull, lifeless hair. Shedding Its normal to find hairs in your brush or on the shower floor, but if you’re noticing excessive hair loss, then it is likely that your hair has been damaged. Hair that has been damaged due to chemical treatments, excessive heat styling, or over-manipulation becomes broken and lacks the structural integrity to properly grow out. As a result, damaged hair is likely to fall out at an accelerated rate. Color Loss No color treatment lasts forever, but any treatment that fades after just a few days is cause for concern. Damaged hair lacks the cuticle layer needed to seal in color, allowing quick fading to occur. Featured in Watch our Video

Picture this: you visit your hairstylist and show a new hairstyle you want to try out. You sit in your chair, equal parts excited and nervous to see the results, and you finally turn around to view yourself in the mirror. To your shock and utter horror, the cut is WAY shorter than anything you had envisioned. While your first impulse may be to run home and hide from the rest of the world for the foreseeable future, the unfortunate reality is that you have no choice but learn to live with your new short hair until it grows back. But trust us when we say that a too-short haircut isn’t the end of the world! Read below for some words of advice on how to not only facilitate faster hair growth, but also own your new look in the meantime! Try Out a New Look Face it, your hair will eventually grow back, but in the meantime, you’ll have to learn to live with your new hair. While short hair might not be your cup of tea, there are no shortage of amazing shorter hairstyles you might want to consider in the interim! Take some time and explore some of the trendiest short hairstyles, perhaps considering a trendy lob, bob, or cropped look. Despite your reservations regarding short hair, just about anyone can pull off a shorter hair length, as long as they make sure to style their hair in a way that best frames their face shape. Play with your short hair, whether parting down the middle or tying in a bun and find a look that best compliments your cheekbones and jawline. Who knows, you may just find a look that you adopt full-time! Encourage Proper Growth Although there’s no magic spell to make your hair grow back to its original length overnight, there are certainly steps to encourage proper hair growth. Not only will this help expedite the process, but it will also ensure your new hair grows to an even more consistent, healthier state than before. Be sure to encourage hydration by avoiding over styling your hair and taking it easy on washing. In the meantime, consider a hydrating shampoo and conditioner like Sutra’s Replenishing Moroccan Shampoo + Conditioner Set, which contains jojoba oil to enhance moisture levels in the hair. When hair is properly moisturized and healthy, it grows faster and more evenly than dry, damaged hair. Mind Your Scalp Aside from keeping your hair healthy and moisturized, make sure to keep your scalp healthy and clean as well! The hair follicle is where all your hair growth occurs, and it is of incredible importance to keep the follicle clear and unobstructed to encourage growth. Do so by not only regularly shampooing and massaging the scalp to remove debris, but also prevent dandruff and flakey buildup. Additionally, incorporate a product like Sutra’s Hair Cocktail, which includes rose petal oil to prevent dandruff and fortify hair follicles. Featured in Watch our Video

Let us set the scene for something we’ve likely all experienced: you find your “perfect” new hair style after seeing it on some celebrity, you bring the picture to your hairstylist and nervously wait for the outcome, only to be completely and utterly underwhelmed by what you see in the mirror. “It makes no sense!” you think to yourself, wondering how the exact same haircut looks so perfect on one person, but on you it just looks…off. As frustrating and disappointing as this can be, the good news is that all of this can be very easily explained by basic geometry!

In recent years, hair care fanatics have been spoiled with all kinds of advanced hair styling tools and innovative new products to make the styling process easier and more effective. Despite all this variety, however, the one tool that’s always managed to stand above the rest is the handy-dandy blow dryer. Hair drying technology has witnessed an incredible amount of innovation in recent decades, and today’s hair dryers are faster, gentler, and more efficient than their predecessors. Hence, hair dryers continue to remain among the most purchased hair styling tools on the market. Recently, however, we’ve witnessed the rise of another ingenious hair styling tool, one whose rise in popularity has poised it as a direct contender to the hair dryer’s throne, so to speak. Of course, we are talking about the hot air brush! This 2-in-1 tool incorporates the forced hot air element of the blow dryer within the body of a heated styling brush, allowing users to literally brush their hair while they blow dry it. This brilliant design innovation quickly won over consumers, with hot air brushes becoming among the most popular hair styling tools over the past decade. Move over, hair dryer; there’s a new favorite hair tool in town! Of course, as Sutra offers top-of-the-line versions of both of these products, we refuse to take a side in this debate! We know better than anyone how unique each individual’s hair type and hair needs are, and what works for one user may not be particularly suitable for another. For instance, while our Accelerator 3500 Blow Dryer has long been a customer favorite, we’ve seen an equally enthusiastic response for our Professional Blowout Brush! That being said, we want to break down the key differences between the two products, highlighting areas where each product excels, and allow for you to make your own informed choice. Styling Time When it comes to styling time, this is one area where the hot air brush can’t be beat. By being able to combine the hair drying, detangling, and curling or straightening processes all in one, the entire hairstyling experience is dramatically condensed. Although the powerful motor of the Accelerator 3500 also allows users an extremely rapid styling time, nothing can beat the versatility of the Professional Blowout Brush when it comes to being able to actually cut out steps from the styling process. This key benefit is of particular interest to users who have to rush to get ready in the morning and may not want to take the extra time styling that is required of a blow dryer. Drying Time As the name suggests, a hair dryer is designed to literally dry your hair, and as expected, this is an area where the blow dryer shines. Although hot air brushes feature powerful motors that allow for quick, efficient hair drying, today’s hair dryers utilize infrared and ionic technology that heats the hair from the inside out, which not only evenly and gently heats the hair, but also does it in a much quicker time! If you’re simply looking to dry your hair, then the clear winner is the hair dryer. Ease of Use In terms of making the styling process as easy and user-friendly as possible, we’re going to have to give the point to the hot air brush. While many hair enthusiasts likely know how to use their round brush and blow dryer in tandem with their eyes closed, it often takes weeks, if not months, for users to nail this process. On the other hand, because the hot air brush takes the extra tool out of the equation and frees up an additional hand, users have been known to master the hot air brush in little to no time! Hair Type Compatibility While both tools are more than ideal for all hair types, it is the customizable ability of the blow dryer that makes it a truly universal hair tool. For instance, the Accelerator 3500 features numerous speed and heat settings, as well as included attachments like the speed nozzle and diffuser to tailor the experience to your particular hair type. Ionic technology allows for a gentle, regenerative heating process for dry and damaged hair. Additionally, for hair that is incredibly fragile or brittle, users may want to temporarily avoid any sort of brushing with a heated air brush. Featured in Watch our Video

Ahhhhh, the first time coloring your hair. Nothing is as nerve-wracking yet exciting than that first time you decide to change your natural hair color, hoping and praying that the final results will match what you had imagined while you sit and wait for everything to dry. For many of us, we’ve colored our hair so many times that we can hardly remember the first time we did it! Being a veteran at coloring my hair, there are countless pieces of advice that I’ve learned with each and every hair dye job I’ve ever had, as well as daily maintenance tips that I’ve needed to pick up in order to keep my hair color as is. While I’ve had to learn many of these lessons the hard way, I want to pass along my knowledge to those of you with “virgin-hair” (i.e., untreated hair) before you embark on your first hair coloring treatment. Expect Texture Changes When undergoing any sort of hair treatment, it’s important to understand the function of the cuticle layer of the hair and how it effects your hair texture. In simple terms, the cuticle is an outer layer of the hair strand that seals in moisture, allowing your hair to feel smooth, look shiny, and maintain moisture levels. However, when undergoing any sort of treatment to your hair that is inherently damaging such as coloring, this cuticle layer is very much at risk to becoming opened and damaged, as the hair dye is formulated specifically to penetrate the cuticle to keep the color long-lasting. Thus, it is extremely common for your hair to become much lighter in weight and feel drier and frizzier following a color treatment. In the case of curly hair, this can be even more dramatic, and extra care must be taken to ensure your hair doesn’t turn into a frizzy, unmanageable mess! Sun and Colored Hair Are Enemies After dying your hair, you must take specific precautions to ensure that the color doesn’t fade too quickly. This includes incorporating specific shampoo and conditioners that may contain trace amounts of dyes to maintain the new hair color. However, what many people overlook is that the biggest threat to keeping our same rich, vibrant color is the sun! While we all know the importance of protecting our skin from the sun, did you also know that the sun can cause significant damage to even untreated hair, as well? It’s true, as the rays of the sun naturally dry the hair, and overexposure to the sun can cause our natural hair color to fade over time. When it comes to colored hair, this issue becomes exacerbated, as the dye responsible for our new hair color is even more susceptible to sun-related fading. Thus, it is important to either limit overexposure to the sun after dying your hair or taking precautionary measures such as wearing a hat or applying a product designed to protect the hair from UV damage. On particular product is Sutra’s Hair Cocktail, which contains coconut oil, a natural SPF, to help shield your colored hair from the fading-powers of the sun’s rays. Your Hair Will Need Serious TLC The first week after a color treatment, especially if this is your very first time, your hair will be incredibly fragile and irritated. The hair coloring process is extremely strong and somewhat damaging to the hair strand, and this is even more true when it comes to blonde tones that require strong concentrations of hair bleach. Your hair may feel dry, brittle, and dehydrated, so you’ll need to take extra care in making sure that you baby your hair in this recovery stage. The best course of action will be to limit your washing routine significantly, only using shampoo and conditioner as instructed by your colorist. Additionally, make sure to incorporate frequent applications of leave-in products like a leave-in conditioner or moisturizing hair mask. One of my favorite products for the recovery stage is Sutra’s Hair Mask. This deeply moisturizing mask contains a rich blend of jojoba oil, vitamin E, and omega fatty acids to both condition and hydrate the recovering hair strands while providing a boost to your hair’s health and even leaving a layer of UV protection. Featured in Watch our Video

Just about every day, it seems that there’s some brand-new miracle product hitting the market that claims to be the secret to perfect hair. For proof, look no further than your local beauty supply store, where aisle after aisle is filled with countless hair products that boast incredible claims while sporting a similarly incredible price tag. However, what if I told you that the best hair care product is not only ten times cheaper than any shampoo at the store, but is likely sitting in your kitchen cabinet at this very moment, as well? As you’ve probably gathered from the title, this miracle product is none other than apple cider vinegar! As implied by the name, apple cider vinegar (ACV for short) is a vinegar byproduct produced from fermented apple juice. ACV has been used for centuries in various food products like salad dressings, sauces, and marinades, as well as a natural remedy for just about every health condition under the sun. In recent years, ACV has carved out quite a name for itself in the hair care community, with many touting its use as the answer for perfect, runway-worthy hair that feels silky-smooth with insane shine. But before you go dumping ACV into your hair, read through our breakdown as we separate fact from fiction! Claim: ACV=Shiny, Smooth Hair Verdict: Fact When it comes to ACV and its relationship to your hair, it all comes down to one thing: acidity. You see, our hair and scalp have a natural pH level of around 5, and it is at this optimal pH level where our cuticle layer stays closed and flattened. When the cuticle is closed and flattened, it is able to protect all of the moisture and hydration from seeping out of the hair strand, which keeps the hair strong, shiny, and smooth. However, if the hair and scalp become too alkaline and the pH raises far above that natural level of 5, the cuticle becomes opened and raised, allowing the hair’s moisture levels to become depleted and leading to incredibly dry, brittle hair. Oftentimes, this is due to using a shampoo that is far too harsh and alkaline than our hair prefers. Not only does this cause frizz and unmanageable, dull hair, but this can easily lead to severe breakage and scalp inflammation. Thankfully, ACV is extremely acidic (pH level of 3) and applying it to a disrupted pH environment can help to balance out the overall pH of the hair and scalp, sealing the cuticle and restoring the hair back to its smooth, shiny self! Claim: You Can Replace Your Shampoo w/ ACV Verdict: Fiction Not only is ACV incredible at restoring the scalp’s pH level, but its acidity also makes it fantastic at clarifying and exfoliating the hair and scalp to remove dirt, oil, dead skin cells, and product buildup. However, ACV is almost too good at doing this, which means that using ACV every day or every other day as a shampoo will quickly dry out and damage your hair. Instead, opt to use ACV once, or at most twice, weekly as a clarifying shampoo. We must also note: YOU MUST DILUTE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR! ACV on its own is way too acidic and strong to use in your hair by itself, so make sure to dilute about a tablespoon of ACV in a cup of water prior to use! Claim: ACV is a Remedy for Dandruff Verdict: Fact Dandruff is caused by an overgrowth of fungi and yeast which lead to the annoyingly itchy, flaky pieces of skin that fall from the head and land on our shoulders. Thankfully, ACV is a potent antifungal and antibacterial ingredient, making it an excellent product for not only treating active dandruff but also preventing further dandruff outbreaks. When using, make sure to really make sure the ACV works into your roots and directly into your scalp, ensuring it does its antifungal work! Claim: ACV=Vinegar-Smelling Hair Verdict: Fiction No, ACV won’t make your hair smell like salad dressing. While the vinegar smell is quite pungent during use and application, once the ACV is rinsed out, all that is left is a natural, clean-smelling hair without any dirt or grime! Some specially-designed ACV rinses even include fragrance to enhance your post-wash hair smell. Featured in Watch our Video

For many, no amount of anti-frizz products or internet advice seems to prevent these frizzy hairs, making the dream of frizz-free hair seem like a far-fetched fantasy. But fret not, frizzy-haired gals! We’re here to give you the advice needed to conquer this problem for good!  Frizz Culprit #1: Heat Damage In the vast majority of cases, frizz can be simply chalked up to hair that has become excessively dry and dehydrated due to over-applying or improperly utilizing heated styling tools. When hair becomes repeatedly subjected to overly harsh heat tools, the individual hair strand begins to lose its protective moisture barrier in the outer layer of the cuticle, resulting in rapidly depleting moisture levels. Because of this, the heat-damaged hairs become incredibly dried out and lose weight and body, causing them to lie in a disorganized, messy fashion. The Treatment: Appropriate Heat Styling Many of us simply style our hair too often or too frequently, making our hair easy targets for frizz. If that’s the case, cut back! The second step is to analyze your heat styling tools. Older, more traditional heat styling tools utilize outdated forms of heat technology that produces incredibly harsh, damaging forms of heat to the hair. Instead, upgrade your tool to something that utilizes infrared technology, which uses shorter wavelengths to heat the hair from inside-out and protect the outer layer of the hair, or ionic technology, which emits negative ions to preserve moisture levels in the hair. Thankfully, Sutra’s IR2 Ionic Infrared Flat Iron utilizes both of these technologies, allowing for an incredibly gentle, frizz-free styling experience. Frizz Culprit #2: Excessive Hair Washing Another surefire way to wind up with frizzy hair is by shampooing your hair too often or with too harsh of cleansing ingredients. While shampooing is vital for keeping your hair clean of product build-up, dirt, and oil, the actual act of washing your hair is inherently damaging to your hair. You see, shampoo works to clear your hair of debris due to the inclusion of powerful surfactants, which are basically ingredients that work by scrubbing anything and everything in their path. While this is great for removing debris, the downside is that these surfactants scrub both the debris and the actual hair itself. Thus, a shampoo that is great for clarifying debris from your hair is also excellent at damaging the actual hair itself. When used too often, you’re again risking damage to the outer protective layer of the cuticle, which leads to excessive dryness and frizz. The Treatment: Appropriate Hair Washing First things first: get on the right hair washing schedule! Unless your hair is incredibly greasy and naturally oily, nobody should be washing their hair every day. Most people are better suited for an every-other-day routine, with some able to get away with just once or twice a week! Following this, make sure to incorporate rich, hydrating shampoo and conditioner into your routine, such as Sutra’s Replenishing Moroccan Shampoo + Conditioner, which contains rich oils and nutritious vitamins to maintain moist, hydrated hair. Frizz Culprit #3: Humidity Oftentimes, you can do everything right when it comes to appropriately styling your hair and adopting a gentle hair washing routine, and you still wind up with a frizz-filled mane. In many cases, the cause is completely out of your hands, as your environment may be to blame. Humid air has caused countless victims of the dreaded frizz hair, due to the fact that the wet air disrupts the natural hydrogen bonds of the hair. When these hydrogen bonds are disrupted, our hair’s moisture barrier is again compromised, and the result is dry, weightless hair. The Treatment: Apply Targeted Anti-Frizz Products Thankfully, there are a vast variety of anti-frizz products on the market designed specifically to counteract the annoying effects that humid air has on your hair. These products contain a plethora of hydrating ingredients that infuse the moisture back in the hair, as well as protective ingredients that help to seal the damaged cuticle layer. Sutra’s Rejuvenating Hair Serum is one such product, as a blend of jojoba oil, omega acids, and vitamin E work in tandem to rehydrate the hair while providing a protective layer to seal the cuticle. Featured in Watch our Video