Hair Therapy for Coarse Hair

by Valerie Gladstone — October 12, 2007

Ellin LaVar runs one of the top salons in New York, drawing clients the likes of Iman, Oprah Winfrey, and Serena Williams. And no wonder. Among her many talents, she created an "invisible braiding" process. Extensions are secured with tiny brads to the natural hair underneath, making the points of attachment virtually undetectable. No one could be a better advisor on coarse hair.

Tips:

• Choose products based on your hair texture, not your ethnicity. Ignore the packaging and choose which addresses your hair issue. You know to stay away from over-processing, but each hair type is different. With coarse hair, you want to find natural oils and fewer chemicals that will strip away the moisture your hair already has.
• Put on a heat-protecting product before applying heat to your hair and make sure your hairstylist does the same.
• Blow driers, flatirons, and curling irons only abuse dry and damaged hair. Try blow-drying every other time, and notice the difference.
• If your hair is thin in spots, use a straight-edge eyeliner brush to apply a matte powder eye shadow that matches the hair color on your scalp. Then the light won't reflect off your scalp and your hair will appear thicker.
• The products you use on your hair should be the best that you can afford. If it's possible, go to salons and search through what they have. If you are shopping on the Internet, make sure you are getting all the information before you buy.

Products:

Too many products for coarse hair use thick, greasy conditioners. LaVar prefers lightweight, nourishing ingredients like Brazilian nut oil and capuaca-seed butter:

• Crème of Nature Shampoo $4 at drugstores or www.cremeofnature.com
• Ellin LaVar Textures LiquidGlass $8 at www.ellinlavar.com
• Elasta QP Power Silk Styling Lotion $4 at www.allurebeautysupply.com
• Ellin LaVar Textures ReconstructMasque $8 at www.ellinlavar.com
• Deep Moisturizing Masque $8 at www.ellinlavar.com
• Sebastian Professional Molding Mud $15 at salons and www.Sebastian.com
• Farouk Chi Ceramic Flat Iron (Turbo) $85 at www.amazon.com