Mischo Beauty School: Hair Conditioners 101

So which conditioner should you buy? I'm asked this question on almost a weekly basis and it really depends on the condition and texture of your hair. Your stylist will know when to use an instant conditioner for detangling only or when to use a moisturizing or protein conditioning treatment. Let's understand the differences:

1. Instant conditioners (often called rinses), are left on for only a few minutes, smooth the hair's cuticle which should ultimately detangle the hair.

2. Moisturizing conditioners, which are allowed to work for 10-20 minutes, restore moisture to the hair, balance the hair's pH, and smooth/coat the hair shaft resulting in control and shine.

3. Protein conditioners are used to strengthen hair and repair split ends. They are formulated to replace the protein lost in the hair and should only be used according to the manufacturer's directions. Improper use may result in breakage.

Any questions? Love your hair.

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Mischo Beauty School: Hair Conditioners 101

So which conditioner should you buy? I'm asked this question on almost a weekly basis and it really depends on the condition and texture of your hair. Your stylist will know when to use an instant conditioner for detangling only or when to use a moisturizing or protein conditioning treatment. Let's understand the differences:

1. Instant conditioners (often called rinses), are left on for only a few minutes, smooth the hair's cuticle which should ultimately detangle the hair.

2. Moisturizing conditioners, which are allowed to work for 10-20 minutes, restore moisture to the hair, balance the hair's pH, and smooth/coat the hair shaft resulting in control and shine.

3. Protein conditioners are used to strengthen hair and repair split ends. They are formulated to replace the protein lost in the hair and should only be used according to the manufacturer's directions. Improper use may result in breakage.

Any questions? Love your hair.

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Ask Mischo Beauty...

This week's question comes from Megan, who asked the following:

"I was wondering if you could recommend a really great conditioner for dry & relaxed hair. Price is not a factor. Thanks so much & enjoy the New Year!"

Selecting a conditioner depends on the texture and condition of your hair. And, also it's important to keep in mind that conditioners fall into three categories- instant conditioners, hydrating conditioners (mask) and protein conditioners (mask). Now, you've told us that your hair is dry and relaxed, so you'll probably want to select a conditioner that falls in the "hydrating conditioner" category.

I'm not brand loyal, and I'm not a brand spokesperson- and believe it or not, I don't have a "holy grail" hydrating conditioner. But a few of my favorites include:

- Wella's Hydro Mask
- Phyto's Phytokarite
- Rene Furterer's Karite
- Moroccanoil's Intense Hydrating Mask
- Kerastase's Masquintense

I'd suggest adding heat to these treatments, either cover your hair with a plastic cap and sit under a hooded hair dryer, or cover your hair with a plastic cap and wrap it in a hot towel for 20-30 minutes. And of course, please always read and follow the manufacturer's directions on use! Also, consider adding a leave-in conditioner to your regimen, as well. I hope this helps. Please stop back by and let us know how it's going! Love your hair.

If you have beauty questions you'd like answered, please send them to mischobeauty@gmail.com.

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Mischo Beauty Anniversary Giveaway: Dove Daily Treatment Conditioners

Though I said yesterday's giveaway would end the week of anniversary giveaways, I decided to gift a special reader and former model of mine, ButtaBaby (she always volunteered to be a model for me while I was completing my cosmetology and esthetics programs) with the following Dove Daily Treatment Conditioners:

- Dove Damage Therapy (Daily Moisture)
- Dove Damage Therapy (Intensive Repair)

She takes extra special care of her hair and so I know she'll appreciate the new technology included in the reformulations of these conditioners. And because Dove was the official Hair Care Sponsor of the Glee Live! Concert Tour! (which I know she's a huge fan of), I'm also gifting her with a DVD copy of Glee Season 1 Volume 1 autographed by Lea Michele!

Disclosure: Products in this post were provided for consideration by the company. For more information, please see my disclosure.

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Mischo Beauty Giveaway: Creme of Nature

As part of Creme of Nature's new "I Love Creme of Nature" advertising campaign, I was selected as one of the most influential beauty bloggers! I'm honored and very thankful! And to celebrate this amazing news, I've partnered with Creme of Nature to offer ten (10) winners the following:

- Sunflower & Coconut Detangling Conditioning Shampoo
- Jojoba Conditioner
- Chamomile and Comfrey Healing Conditioner for Dehydrated Hair
- Selection of one (1) Relaxer or one (1) Hair Color

Now here's how you can win:

- Follow me on Twitter (@mischobeauty) and retweet (RT) the following:
"Enter to win a set of Creme of Nature products! http://bit.ly/c7Yjyr {pls RT to win!} #mischobeautygiveaway"

- Join my Facebook fan page (http://bit.ly/9tIZJE)

- Leave a comment below letting me know that you've done the items listed above, and also tell me what you love most about your hair!

Winners will be chosen at random on Monday, March 29th. Giveaway open to US and Canadian residents.

Disclosure: Products in this post were provided for consideration by the company. For more information, please see my disclosure.

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Mischo Beauty: Rare El’ements International Hair Collection

I receive emails periodically asking for suggestions on sulfate-free shampoos. Well, I recently received the Pure Shampoo and Essential Conditioner from Rare Elements. I loved the fact that in addition to being free of sulfates, they are also paraben and silicone free. They're formulated for all hair types (including color-treated hair!) and, in my opinion, smell just like Aveda products.

The collection includes a pre-shampoo treatment, called El Treatment, that seems worth checking out at www.rare-elements.com. Have you tried this collection yet?

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Mischo Beauty Pick: Nexxus Dualiste

According to Nexxus, fading haircolor is due to water, though people think UV rays and other harsh chemicals are the main cause. When water enters the hair shaft, haircolor molecules escape and that's the reason Nexxus developed the new Dualiste collection for color-treated hair.

Now if you follow my tweets on Twitter, then you know that I recently shared a beauty tip regarding investing in products for color-treated hair to help preserve, protect and prevent fading. Well I've always been pleased with Nexxus products in the past, and I believe that this collection is definitely worth checking out!

I love, love, love the fact that both the shampoo and conditioner have a dual chamber bottle which offers you the option to pump color protection from one side and either Intense Hydration, Volume, or Anti-Breakage from the other. This means that the shampoo and conditioner are formulated for your hair type and whatever issues you might have! Now what more could you ask for!?!

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Mischo Beauty: Herbal Essences "Tousle Me Softly" Collection

Herbal Essences recently released their "Toulse Me Softly" collection of products which includes a shampoo, conditioner, mousse, spray gel, hairspray and finishing touch cream. And while I've been wearing a "tousled" look as of late, these products aren't for my hair type (4B/C). But, I do think they're perfect for those of you who can "shampoo & go" because you have a naturally curly or wavy hair texture.

I'd also recommend these products to those of you who dry your hair using a diffuser. The consistency/weight of the mousse is very light and should not weigh your hair down- and I'd use about a pea-size of the finishing touch cream just to smooth away flyaways or frizz.

The scent of the collection is a fusion of wild violet and pomegranate and I'd agree that the smell is luscious! For steps on how to achieve a variety of "tousled" looks, check out the videos over on www.herbalessences.com.

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Mischo Beauty Pick: Sebastian Professional Drench Shampoo & Conditioner

Recently, I've received a few emails with regards to product suggestions for relaxed hair. And in response to those emails, I've decided to revisit Sebastian's Drench Shampoo & Conditioner. I mentioned having used both in the salon on clients and I've also used them on myself.

The products are recommended for dry/frizzy hair and, based on my experience with them, are great on both relaxed, natural, color-treated hair- and on extensions and weaves. Now if "dry/frizzy" isn't your hair type/issue, then visit www.sebastianprofessional.com for additional product offerings.

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Mischo Beauty: Nexxus Nourishing Botanicals

In continuing to reinforce the fact that Earth Day should really be every day- I had to introduce you to Nexxus' new Nourishing Botanicals collection. It's a 3-step collection which includes the Botanoil Nourishing Botanical Shampoo, Botanphuse Nourishing Botanical Conditioner and Botanluxe Nourishing Botanical Leave-In Conditioner. All are formulated with natural ingredients and are free of parabens and dyes. Feel free to visit www.nexxus.com to learn more.

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Mischo Beauty Loves Miss Jessie's

I've had love and admiration for Titi and Miko (founders/owners of Miss Jessie's) for years now. You see they've been a inspiration to me (they're doing exactly what I'm working to achieve!) and were the subject of my very first post on this blog. At any rate, they opened the doors of Miss Jessie's Salon in 1997 to respond to the demand for expertise in curly, kinky and wavy hair.

The Miss Jessie's product line (named after their grandmother) was inspired by their grandmother's spirit for finding solutions. And most recently they've launched the Creme De La Curl shampoo (sulfate free) and the Creme De La Creme conditioner. I found the Creme De La Curl shampoo to be gentle and very moisturizing. There's no lathering and definitely no suds involved, so no worries about dry/stripped hair. I'll admit that it's taken some getting used to, but I love it!

The Creme De La Creme conditioner is just as gentle as the shampoo and it is recommended for a range of hair types/issues - natural, dry, color and chemically treated. I highly suggest using it as a follow-up to the Creme De La Curl shampoo.

My type 4B hair is currently chemical-free, but I don't use the curly products because I usually wear my hair straight. But, I've told you all before how much my mother loves the Curly Buttercreme and Curly Pudding. My favorite product is the Rapid Recovery Treatment. It's an intense deep conditioning treatment that works wonders on the hair. And, a product that can detangle my hair in its natural state is definitely a MUST-HAVE for me! Seriously!

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Mischo Beauty Pick: The EverPure Collection by L'Oreal Paris

About a month or so ago I wrote about the newly launched EverPure Moisture shampoo and conditioner by L'Oreal Paris and told you all how much I loved the fact that there was a range of products to meet your specific haircolor needs. And to refresh your memory, the EverPure collection is formulated without sulfates, surfactants and salts which are drying, strip color and cause premature fading.

Most of you know that I'm quick to advise that if you're investing time and money in coloring your hair, you should do the same with your home maintenance routine. The EverPure collection of products includes three formulations: Moisture, Smooth and Volume. So, for those of you with thin, limp hair- try the EverPure Volume collection (shampoo, conditioner & UV protect spray pictured above). And for those of you who deal with frizzy hair- try the EverPure Smooth collection (smooth deep control masque & smooth frizz-free serum pictured above).

The EverPure Moisture collection (moisture leave-in conditioner & moisture deep restorative masque pictured above) is for dry hair. You should also know that the products are 100% vegan and contain UVA and UVB filters (for sun protection). And, in addition to what I've already mentioned, the price point also makes these products worth trying.

So has anyone tried the collection yet? Do share!

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Mischo Beauty Pick: EverPure by L'Oreal Paris

For those of you who invest time and money in coloring your hair, I highly suggest doing the same with your home maintenance routine. One of my top beauty tips is to invest in products for your particular skin and hair type/needs/issues, and with that said if you color your hair, you should be using a shampoo and conditioner formulated for color-treated hair.

EverPure is the newest shampoo and conditioner launch from L'Oreal Paris. What makes the shampoo and conditioner different is that they are formulated without sulfates, surfactants and salts which are drying, strip color and cause premature fading.

Both are formulated with UVA and UVB filters (for sun protection), are 100% vegan and contain extracts such as rosemary, juniper and mint which all smell amazing!

Though my hair isn't color-treated, it's always super dry, so I did test the EverPure Moisture shampoo and conditioner and was pleased with the ease of use (yes, the shampoo does lather) and the way my hair felt after using them. The conditioner left my hair soft and very easy to comb through (one of my biggest challenges!).

I'm loving that there's a range of products in this line, which means you have no excuse for not selecting the shampoo and conditioner for your specific haircolor needs. For those of you who deal with frizzy hair- try the EverPure Smooth collection and for those of you with thin, limp hair- try the EverPure Volume collection.

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Beautiful hair needs an expert: Kerastase Noctogenist

I'm a huge fan of Kerastase products after having worked with just about all of them during my apprenticeships. After seeing ads for the Kerastase Noctogenist line in international fashion magazines and then reading about it in the July issue of ELLE, it's finally been released in the U.S. It's an overnight conditioning leave-in treatment; the Voile Nuit for Fine Hair and the Serum Nuit for Thick Hair.

Both are formulated with vitamin E, which provides protection and moisture; and amino acids, which help to strengthen and revive the hair. In case you didn't know, hair is 91% protein and protein is made up of amino acids! The best part of the Noctogenist line is that, according to the Kerastase website, it leaves no residue on pillows! I recommend this for the jet-setting Sienna Miller and I recommend it for you too!

What's your favorite Kerastase product?

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Mischo Beauty Pick: Shu Uemura Art of Hair's Moisture Velvet

I can't tell you how much I love it when a product knocks me completely off my feet and blows me away, and that's what happened after using Shu Uemura Art of Hair's Moisture Velvet line of haircare products! I love, love, love these products and I haven't felt this way about a haircare line since first using Kerastase products!

Now most of us know and love Shu Uemura for skincare and makeup, and now we have yet another reason! The Moisture Velvet line is formulated specifically for dry hair and contains an ingredient called Camellia Oil, which nourishes, softens and rebalances moisture in dry hair. It's said that traditionally, geisha would use the oil to smooth, soften and enhance the beauty of hair.

Well, I can't begin to tell you how my hair (relaxer-free) felt after using the combination of the Nourishing Shampoo, Nourishing Conditioner, Nourishing Treatment and White Tea Polishing Milk. My type 4B, naturally tightly coiled hair, was easy to comb through and felt like silk once I'd finished styling it! Seriously.

And for those of you who've made resolutions to start a haircare regimen, there are products for every hair type: Full Shimmer (for natural to color-treated hair), Moisture Velvet and Silk Bloom (for damaged hair). I highly recommend giving these products a try!

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Mischo Beauty: Kerastase Nutritive Winner!

And the Kerastase Nutritive winner is:

Comment #1: Kari

Please email your shipping information to me! Thanks to everyone for entering.

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Eight Days of Mischo Beauty Giveaways: Day 6: Kerastase Nutritive

The Kerastase Nutritive product line is very near and dear to my heart because it was the first product line I used during my first apprenticeship at the most AMAZING salon in DC. During that time, I was educated on just about every Kerastase product- therefore gaining a clear understanding of which products should be used on certain hair types. And believe me, there is definitely a Kerastase product for every hair type/issue!

So today, you can win the Bain Satin 1 shampoo (complete nutrition shampoo for normal to slightly dry hair), Lait Vital 1 conditioner (incredibly light nourishing care for normal to slightly dry hair) and the Serum Nutri-Sculpt (leave-in lustrous repair).

Leave a comment below and tell me what Kerastase products you love and or would like to try, your hair type, AND name/describe a haircolor category (you will find the information in a "Mischo Beauty School: Haircolor 101" post), and you'll automatically be entered to win. The winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday, December 31st.

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Beautiful hair needs an expert: Miss Jessie's

In case you haven't heard by now, Titi and Miko are back and they've launched their "Creme De La Curl" shampoo (sulfate free) & "Creme De La Creme" conditioner! All you of Curly Pudding and Curly Buttercreme lovers should check it out! Also, take advantage of their "Buy 1, Get 1 Free" special until December 31, 2008.

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Beautiful hair needs an expert: Sebastian Professional Drench Shampoo

I'm loving Sebastian Professional's Drench shampoo! I recently started apprenticing with an amazing celebrity hairstylist and this is one of the shampoos we use in the salon. It's a moisturizing shampoo for dry hair and it's safe for color-treated hair, extensions, weaves- basically any hair type needing moisture.

And I guess it's not fair to mention this shampoo without mentioning the Drench conditioner, which is so hydrating that it really does bring hair back to life! It's recommend for dry, chemically treated hair. I'm recommending these products for Eve's color-treated hair and I suggest that you give them a try as well!

Have you tried Sebastian products?

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Beautiful hair needs an expert: Miss Jessie's Shampoo & Conditioner

Titi and Miko are back and they've just launched their "Creme De La Curl" shampoo (sulfate free) & "Creme De La Creme" conditioner! All you of Curly Pudding and Curly Buttercreme lovers should check it out!

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