Essence Festival weekend is fast approaching, and you shouldn’t wait until July to prep your hair for New Orleans’ unforgiving heat.
China, a hair stylist from WE TV’s hit reality show L.A. Hair, attended the festival last year, and has some tips on how to keep your mane fly for the festival.
Start on the inside!
Everyone should always have a good hair, skin and nail vitamin in their life. And don’t wait until you get to the NOLA — start now! Vitamins and supplements help to replenish dry hair, dry skin and brittle nails tremendously. I have extremely brittle nails so I use Vitamin World on-a-day gel caps to prevent hair and nail breakage.
Keep your hair off of your face and neck.
Let’s be honest: There is nothing worse than damp, frizzy hair that gets stuck to your neck or face. New Orleans is hot and humid, and there are also flashes of rain. If you’re looking for convenient, low-maintenence styles for Essence Festival weekend, I strongly recommend an up-do, high buns, braids, locks, twists or any other protective style.
Shampoo!
As part of your healthy hair regimen, you should use a hydrating shampoo. For my bleached-hair sisters: Avlon KeraCare Hydrating Detangling shampoo is what I use for my blonde hair. This shampoo replenishes what the bleach takes out. This is also great for those who need to maintain their length and elasticity.
Condition like your life depended on it.
Use an extra moisturizing balm (Biolage Ultra Hydrating Balm) or heavy conditioner (REDKEN Heavy Cream) to maximize hydration. These two heavy treatments will amaze you at how your hair textures changes in minutes.
Don’t forget your leave-in treatment.
Whether your hair is natural or chemically processed, a good leave-in treatment is essential to your healthy hair regime. Use Morrocan oil, coconut oil or my personal favorite, Paul Mitchell The Conditioner. It shouldn’t need to be said, but leave-in treatments are meant to stay in your hair!
I hope this helps you on your journey to healthy hair and staying fly while in NOLA!