Clear Answers for Common Questions

  • What is a Headdress?

    A headdress is a general term for anything worn on the head. It is usually distinct from hats and helmets, and does not generally serve a functional or protective purpose. Since ancient times, headdresses have been worn by men and women for religious, cultural or fashion-related reasons. Thousands of ...

  • What is a Bobby Pin?

    A bobby pin is a double-pronged hair pin that slides into hair with the prongs open and then the flexible prongs close over the hair to hold it in place. A bobby pin is sometimes called a grip or kirby pin. Bobby pins became popular in the 1920s to ...

  • What are Hair Sticks?

    Women use all sorts of hair accessories, from barrettes to headbands to ponytail holders. However, one old method of adorning hair has come back into vogue: hair sticks. Some people refer to any type of hair accessory as hair sticks, but the genuine article is a tapered stick, anywhere from ...

  • What is a Fascinator?

    A fascinator is a headpiece which is designed to be attached to the hair in lieu of a hat. Traditionally, fascinators are worn by women only, and they are typically paired with formal wear, although one could wear a fascinator on less formal occasions. These hairpieces vary widely in size ...

  • What is Volumizing Hair Spray?

    Volumizing hair spray is a product designed to provide all the holding power associated with various types of hair creams, tonics, and sprays, but includes the ability to enhance the look of the hairstyle. This is achieved by increasing the visual thickness of the hairstyle, regardless of the texture of ...

  • What Should I Consider When Buying Shampoo?

    Shampoo is a product that is designed to clean the hair and nourish the scalp. By using a combination of shampoo designed for your scalp and conditioner formulated for your hair, you can establish a balanced and healthy head of hair. When you are buying shampoo, your scalp type is ...

  • What is No-Rinse Shampoo?

    No-rinse shampoo can refer to a shampoo with that brand name or a variety of shampoos that do not require wetting the hair first and rinsing afterwards. The most popular of these brands remains No-rinse Shampoo, which is used by organizations like NASA, and in many hospitals and ...

  • What is Pomade?

    Pomade is a waxy or greasy hair product often associated with men's hairstyles of the 1950s. It typically consists of petroleum jelly, mineral oil, and wax, with optional perfumes or colorants. The name is derived from the French for "apple," because the original product, made in the 16th century ...

  • What is Hair Mousse?

    Hair mousse is a hair styling product that is dispensed in an aerosol foam spray. It adds volume to hair and often provides both conditioning and hold. One of the lighter weight hair styling products, hair mousse is applied to wet hair before drying and styling. It may also be ...

  • What Should I Consider When Buying a Hairbrush?

    Buying a hairbrush that best meets your needs should not be a major time-consuming decision, but some thought should go into it. After all, a hairbrush is not meant to merely detangle and smooth the hair, but distribute the oils in the hair to keep hair healthy and shiny ...

  • What is the Difference Between Hair Mousse and Gel?

    Hair mousse is usually sold in a foam-producing container. The container dispenses a whipped-cream like dollop of mousse that is made to add body to hair and help it stay in place. Hair gel, on the other hand, is often sold either in a squeezable plastic container or ...

  • What Should I Consider When Buying a Flat Iron?

    A flat iron is an excellent styling tool for creating straight, sleek finished hairstyles. When you consider buying a flat iron, you should have the proper expectations for what this styling tool can and cannot do. If you’ve used a flat iron before, then you know how well they ...

  • What is Hair Gel?

    Hair gel is a hairstyling product that is applied to wet hair to aid in the styling process. It comes in several forms, including gel consistency, liquid consistency, or spray form. The holding power varies from light hold to strong hold and is most frequently the preferred styling product for ...

  • How Should I Choose the Best Kind of Hair Styling Products for Me?

    Hair styling products are designed to help create and hold hairstyles, but every hair type and style can require a different hair styling product. The hair care industry is a billion-dollar industry that is inundated with hundreds of brands and types of products, making it difficult to choose the ...

  • What Should I Consider When Buying Hair Styling Products?

    When you’re in the market for hair styling products, start by considering your unique hair type. It is wise to choose products designed to cater to and nourish your hair. For example, if your hair tends to be dry and brittle, you’ll want to gravitate towards products that ...

  • What is a Sculpting Brush?

    A sculpting brush is a type of hairbrush used to add volume to hairstyles. Particularly useful for back-combing or use on short hair, the sculpting brush can be made out of a variety of materials and is usually fairly inexpensive. It is a versatile and useful brush, and is ...

  • What are Some Different Kinds of Hair Styling Products?

    There are an abundance of hair styling products on the market, with professional products being sold in salons and discount ones available in drug stores and at mass merchandising retailers. The most notable difference between professional and discount brands is price, but some professional products may be worth the expense ...

  • How do I Apply Hair Relaxer?

    A hair relaxer straightens curly or coarse hair using alkali or other chemicals. The first time you apply hair relaxer, it is advisable to visit a salon and have it done by a professional who can test the hair’s reaction to the treatment. At-home relaxers can be done ...

  • What are Some Different Types of Hair Brushes?

    Hair brushes are used not only to keep hair neat and styled, but to distribute the oils from the scalp to the ends of hair strands. Different kinds of hair brushes work on different hair types, hair lengths and hair styles. Common types include the paddle, sculpting, and round and ...

  • What are the Different Types of Hair Straighteners?

    People with straight hair usually prefer curly hair and the opposite is also true; people with natural curls often wish their hair was smooth and straight. Now, they can make their wishes come true using an assortment of products and tools designed to straighten hair. With quality hair straighteners, anyone ...

  • What are Steam Hair Straighteners?

    Steam hair straighteners are electric hair styling tools designed to straighten hair with the use of heat and steam. While some hair straightening irons are designed for use on dry hair, these straighteners can be used on damp hair. They are made with vent channels along the sides of flat ...

  • What are Different Types of Elastic Hair Bands?

    Elastic hair bands are the best way to secure ponytails and braids. The type you use may help keep your style in place without causing unnecessary damage to the hair. There are two very simple forms of bands, which may be okay for use on braids, but should be avoided ...

  • Why is Silk or Satin Put into Some Hair Products?

    Hair products fortified with silk or satin are becoming widely popular among women of all ages since they can help repair damaged hair while improving its appearance. Silk or satin hair care products tend to be slightly more expensive than their counterparts, but fans say they are often well worth ...

  • What is a Banana Clip?

    The banana clip is a hair accessory slightly similar in shape to a banana. It is usually about 5-6 inches (12.7-15.24 cm) long with a curve inward meant to support the curve of the back of the head. The clip has teeth on both sides, which ...

  • What are Some Homemade Hair Dyes?

    Commercial hair dyes may make coloring your hair easy, but at a price. They can be harsh on the hair, leaving it damaged and brittle. They may even pose a risk to your mental and physical health. If you want to spice up your life with a different hair color ...

  • What is a Curl Booster?

    Curl booster is a hair product, and there are many different brands, that come in either a gel or spray form. Such products promise to help reduce the frizz in curly hair, and also to help keep curls shaped and defined. Since there are a number of brands, curl booster ...

  • What are the Best Styling Products for Dry Hair?

    Dry hair can be very unmanageable, often looking frizzy, rough, and full of split ends. Though some people have naturally dry hair, others' hair becomes dry as a result of sun damage, chlorine exposure, or excessive heat styling, dying, or perming. As you may imagine, the best styling products for ...

  • What is a Hair Straightener?

    A hair straightener is a tool designed to remove curl and waves from the hair, and there are several methods for accomplishing this. A number of companies make straightening irons, while others make chemical hair relaxers; both irons and chemicals are designed to change the structure of the hair. As ...

  • How can I Buy the Right Shampoo for my Hair Type?

    The first and most obvious thing to consider when buying shampoo is your hair type. Your hair type will usually fall into one of three categories: dry, normal, or greasy. However, you may have a combination of types, and your hair may be sometimes dry and sometimes greasy, depending on ...

  • What is Hair Relaxer?

    Hair relaxer is a type of chemical used to straighten hair permanently. It's used by people, usually women, who want to straighten their naturally curly hair without having to use hot combs or pressing irons. It may also be used by women who are seeking a means of thinning ...

  • What are the Different Types of Hair Bows for Baby Girls?

    Parents have many options for different types of hair bows for baby girls that are both comfortable and stylish. Hair bows refer to a wide range of hair and head accessories, such as headbands, barrettes and crowns. Whether you are taking your baby to a casual picnic, a spring garden ...

  • What are Hair Nets?

    A hair net is a piece of mesh netting shaped like a round cap that fits over the head to hold hair in place. Hair nets cover the entire head from the forehead to the nape of the neck. The main purpose of a hair net is to keep hair ...

  • What are Duckbill Clips?

    Duckbill clips are clips which are used to hold hair while it is styled, cut, or dyed. These clips do look vaguely like the beaks of ducks. There are a number of uses for duckbill clips, making them very handy things to keep around the house and bathroom, especially if ...

  • What is a Barrette?

    A barrette is a clip for the hair that can be both useful and ornamental. There are several types of barrette. Some have a curved and possibly decorative front and are backed by a metal clip. Others are all metal, or all plastic. A few more expensive styles can feature ...

  • What Should I Consider When Buying Conditioner for my Hair?

    When buying conditioner, you should make a choice based on the type of hair that you have. There are a large number of conditioner options designed for dry, oily, splitting, or healthy hair on the market. Plan on inspecting ingredient labels carefully to figure out what the conditioner does, exactly ...

  • What Should I Consider When Buying Hair Dye?

    Hair dye can be used to cover gray hair, or to lighten, darken or dramatically change hair color. It can turn a brunette into a platinum blonde. If a person wants to use it at home, what should he or she consider? First, one must consider what he or she ...

  • What Is a Blue Rinse?

    Discover the subtle charm of a blue hair rinse, a specialized hair treatment designed to enhance the natural allure of gray hair. According to a study by the Journal of Cosmetic Science, blue pigments can effectively neutralize yellow tones in gray hair, providing a more uniform and appealing color. While ...

  • What are the Different Types of Hair Dryers?

    As long as women have styled their hair, they have looked for ways to make it dry faster, or to aid in styling it. As electricity became widely available, salons began installing hair dryers. This in turn led to home hair dryers of the bonnet or hood variety, which then ...

  • What is Curling Gel?

    Curling gel is a type of hair styling product that is designed for use on curly hair. Sold under a variety of names and descriptions, such as curl defining gel and curl enhancing gel, curling gel won’t actually make hair curly, nor will it provide better hold for curled ...

  • What is Clarifying Shampoo?

    Clarifying shampoo is any of a variety of shampoo products that are formulated to deep clean the hair by removing product buildup from the hair shafts. Styling products, such as hair mousse, hair gel, hair spray, conditioners, and even daily shampoos can cause buildup on the hair over time. This ...

  • What are Snoods?

    Snoods are a type of hair accessory for women. Snoods usually consist of a hairband or ribbon attached to netting illusion, meant to hold longer hair up and about the nape of the neck. The word "snood" has been in the language since the 700s and even then referred to ...

  • What Should I Consider When Buying a Curling Iron?

    Curling irons exist in nearly as many versions as there are hair types. The features to consider when choosing one depend on your hair type and the style desired. One basic consideration in choosing a curling iron is the barrel size, which will determine the type of curl you get ...

  • What are Tourmaline Hair Styling Tools?

    Women (and men) are always searching for newer and better methods of looking their best. Hair styling tools are a multimillion dollar industry, and engineers are always developing new and improved tools utilizing cutting edge science. Before tourmaline hair styling tools hit the shelves, ceramic coated flat irons and curling ...

  • Which Hair Products can I Use to Treat Split Ends?

    No matter how well you take care of your hair, at one time or another you will have to treat split ends. The result of many factors, including summer sun, swimming pools, harsh cleansers, and over-processing, split ends can be managed with just some basic procedures. While many people ...

  • What are Hot Rollers?

    Hot rollers are a hair styling tool used to create curls. There are a number of different types, but they all work in the same basic way, setting curls that can range from gentle waves to tight ringlets. Many stores which carry beauty supplies and hair accessories stock rollers in ...

  • What is Shampowder?

    Shampowder™ is a dry shampoo used to "refresh" greasy hair when you can't wash your hair with shampoo and water. It is manufactured by Buttercream Cosmetics in the United States. In theory, you can extend the time shampooed hair and professional blowouts last by using this powder. For ...