Louis Licari: Hair and There Blog at iVillage.com

Beauty & Style
Hair and There

Bad Hair Day

The alarm rings. You barely open your eyes, extend your hand, and immediately turn off the horribly intrusive sound. The room goes quiet and for a minute before you throw yourself out of bed you enjoy the last minutes of quiet solitude before your day begins. Next you jump in the shower and after drying off, you put on your softest robe and start to comb and style your hair. The low hum of the dryer begins. You blow dry your hair as you do every morning. As you finish drying it, you brush your hair into place. You look in the mirror and that’s when your perfect morning falls apart. Your hair just doesn't look good. In fact, it looks more than a little rough. You are having a bad hair day. You panic and wonder what to do next. You have no more time to redo your hair. You are already behind schedule. You throw your hair in a ponytail and run out the door. Your mood instantly changes. Your only thought is “What went wrong?”

You might wonder how I have such insights into a bad hair day. Well I have lived them. Not with my hair, which is cut short enough that not much can go wrong. I literally shampoo and comb my hair with my fingers. As many of you know, I share my office with my publicist Leigh. Leigh has worked with me in different capacities since she was 18 years old. Leigh’s hair is her crowning glory and she loves to wear different looks every day. When her hair is right she feels like she can take on the world. She will be sitting at her desk looking picture-perfect while the office is buzzing. The phones are constantly ringing as the emails and text fill her computer. She talks to editors, pitches segments to the “Today Show” and talks to almost every client to make sure that nothing or no one has passed her by.

On the rare occasion that she is having a bad hair day, however, she hides behind her desk and is all but invisible. I asked Leigh how she avoids a dreaded bad hair day and she answered me in a text. This is typical of Leigh. This way she could “talk” to me without interrupting her four or five other conversations. Here is her text straight from my iPhone:

Louis, As a true native New York City girl, I have experienced my share of hair tragedies. Over the years I have made every mistake in the book. Here is my list of hair do’s and don’ts that I have learned after surviving more than a few bad hair days.

1) NEVER sleep with a rubber band or elastic tie in your hair. The pressure of ANYTHING will eventually break the hairs you are wrapping it around. My real trick is (if you haven't noticed) always to change the placement of my bun or pony tail to prevent putting pressure on one specific area for too long. This is why my hair has no breakage or split ends.

2) I am absolutely not kissing up to you, but I always use your Instant Deep Treatment with every shampoo. By the way, I only shampoo once or twice a week. My hair always looks better on day two and even more perfect on day three. I only shampoo my roots and always thoroughly rinse out the conditioner. Over-conditioning can leave a film on all but the thickest hair and that can create a horrible hair day!

3) Even when I wash my own hair, I always rinse with freezing cold water. I bend over in the shower... oh well- you get the idea, right? It really does seem to help the shine and it feels great on my scalp, too!

4) I absolutely refuse to sit in a salon chair and let anyone rip through my hair with a brush. My hair and ALL hair only should be combed or brushed starting at the bottom. Hair can easily snap and break otherwise.

5) I always try to sleep on a silk pillowcase, which causes less friction than a cotton one. Less friction means less static electricity, which causes fly-away hairs. I’d always heard this was good for your hair and to be honest, mine always looks great so it must be true.

6) Here is one more piece of advice rather than a trick. (PLEASE TRUST ME ON THIS ONE.) If you have an important event or -- more importantly -- a date, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE A NEW OR DIFFERENT STYLING PRODUCT! Even if you are thinking about using a brand-new product that is all the rage, DON’T! Do not do anything different on a big night! It’s the kiss of death!

7) Sometimes you have to spend money to save money. A great hair cut is key to good-looking hair. If your hair is shaped right, it is always easier to style. You will use less time styling your hair and use fewer products and styling tools. Bad hair days will soon be a distant memory.

8) I have one more secret but if I told you and it showed up in the blog then all the girls from NYC to LA would know my greatest trick! The Keratin relaxer is the newest and best invention for girls who need to calm down frizzy hair or tame curls. Your hair becomes instantly manageable. It guarantees a good hair day every day and it conditions your hair, too!

Well Louis, now I’ve told you all my tips to make every day a great hair day. These are the simple tips I have learned from spending every day in a hair salon. I mean you do have to admit that I have the best hair!

Leigh is a wild wind that whips through the salon. She is the force that drives the salon forward. She has her finger on the pulse of tips and trends as they happen. I am happy that she shared hers so your bad hair days soon will be just be a distant memory.

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