Hair's the Scoop

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Suffering from dull, lackluster hair? These 5 tricks & product picks can help:

Pre-Shower: Treat Your Tresses
If your hair is seriously dehydrated or in need of a trim, rub a bit of oil (be it a luxurious pre-treatment or a dash of olive/argan oil from the kitchen) at the ends 10-15mins before you cleanse. 

In the Shower: Target Your Type, Then Feel the Chill
The right shampoo, conditioner and bi-weekly mask are vital to achieving healthy-looking locks. (Pantene offers a wide variety of type-specific formulations, as does John Frieda.) But the key to success actually lies in the last few seconds of your shower: the rinse. A blast of cold water can seal the cuticle and enhance shine.

Before Styling (or Sun Exposure): Smooth Your Ends
Dry, damaged hair is anything but sexy. To repair existing flaws and prevent future damage, use a thermal gaurd with SPF. One of the latest (and greatest) to hit the market is Kérastase Soleil Huile Celeste ($37; Kerastase-USA.com), which boasts both UVB and UVA protection as well light-reflective shimmer to enhance shine.

To Finish: Knock-It-Out
Short of blinding, there's no such thing as being overly lusterous when it comes to hair. So always finish your look with a mist of lightweight shine spray, whether you're hitting the grocery store or attending a gala event. It's 2 seconds well spent. (We heart Serge Normant Meta Sheer Dry Oil Finishing Spray, $24; SergeNormant.com.) 

Brand

Enter to win a Caudalie Vinotherapie Fresh & Gourmand Gift Basket!
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An homage to the beautiful Grape Blossom, this energizing splash, delicately fragranced, is drawn from plants of aromatherapy. Enriched with essential oils and plant waters rich in trace elements to refresh and tone the skin.

Hand and Nail Cream
A pleasurable anti-ageing, anti-oxidant and nourishing treatment with a delicious fresh sweet orange fragrance softened by almond powder and a drop of rosewater.

New! Beauty Foot Cream
Vine Body Butter Ultra-nourishing Vine Body Butter promises to be a delight for the skin. This rich repairing and soothing, deeply hydrating body moisturizer, with a delicious light scent and velvety texture melts into skin and provides all the therapeutic benefits, glamorous application and efficiency of Vinothérapie Spas.

Fleur de Vigne French-Milled Soap
Plant-derived gentle cleansing soap enriched with nourishing agents and a fine, foaming lather.

Fleur de Vigne Gentle Conditioning Shampoo
100% plant-based, Caudalie's Gentle Conditioning Shampoo cleanses, fortifies and protects hair, even color-treated.

For a chance to win this must-have beauty bundle (valued at over $160!) simply leave a comment on any Hair's the Scoop post. Contest closes at 11:59 pm EST on May 19, 2011, with a lucky winner chosen at random from the eligible entries. And remember – entering the same comment over and over again will not increase your chance of winning, so please be fair and comment appropriately. Click here for a full list of rules & regulations.

Love It or Hate It?	Get the Look	In the News

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Emmy Rossum is so taken with the new Suave Professionals range, that she's challenging women everywhere to guess the difference between looks styled with the budget-friendly brand and salon hair care products, for the chance to score loads of lustworthy loot.

Prefer to test from lather-to-finish for yourself? Suave is also offering free samples of the collection to the first 200,000 to visit their Facebook page.

Happy clicking! x

Brand

Enter to win 1 of 3 InStyler styling tools, valued at $119 each!

About the InStyler:
The InStyler is the first-ever rotating hair straightener and curling iron that infuses volume and shine into the hair while styling. The InStyler is designed to offer maximum styling benefits and professional results all in one easy-to-use tool. This multipurpose hot iron allows consumers to style their hair like a pro without the difficulty of managing a blow dryer, flat iron, curling iron or big round brush. The InStyler also has a built-in brush that works together with a heated rotating barrel to create a variety of curly or straight looks, while polishing, smoothing and volumizing the hair. The rotating heated cylinder is also beneficial compared to a traditional flat iron because the barrel is constantly moving while distributing heat evenly to the hair, never remaining in one spot for a long period of time. .

For a chance to win one of these fabulous all-in-one styling tools, simply leave a comment on any Hair's the Scoop post. Contest closes at 11:59 pm EST on September 30, 2010, with a lucky winner chosen at random from the eligible entries. And remember – entering the same comment over and over again will not increase your chance of winning, so please be fair and comment appropriately. Click here for a full list of rules & regulations.

2010 Emmy Awards	In the News	Get the Look

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"I use Johnson's Baby Shampoo once a month," Emmy Rossum tells People. "It's great for stripping away styling product build-up."

What's your most-trusted hair care tip/trick?

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Click here to see what Allure has to say about Shampoo's other half.

Inspired to switch things up? Or will you remain loyal to conditioner "til death do you part"?

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Whenever anyone finds out that I'm a beauty writer, their first question is almost always, "What's the one hair care product you can't live without?"

My response? It's different every time. From frizz-fighters to conditioning treatments and curl creams, I have a long list of favorites. But I'm constantly showing you mine, so let's see yours.

Which hair care treatments are you willing to splurge on? What everyday styling aid tops your list?

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I’ve tried a lot of random and wacky hair care tips/tricks over the years, with some failing miserably (at the worst possible times, of course) and others becoming my go-to solutions for everything from grey hair to

fighting frizz.

Below are a few of my favorites:

3-Ways to Banish Grease

If you need to transform unwashed hair into a fresh new do, you can A) Spray a light hold hairspray all-over then brush through or blow-out (The alcohol content in the product will help lift your roots and reduce any oily residue); B) Dust a little baby powder onto your scalp, pause, then shake it out of your hair and brush through (The powder particles will help lift excess oil and take it with as the product is removed); C) Use a facial blotting tissue on your scalp to freshen up and cut the grease.

Powder Your Roots
When a trip to the salon isn’t in your cards, but a major event is, just powder your roots with an eye shadow in the shade closest to your colored hair. This will help blend the two tones, so your regrowth will be less visible. Goodbye hair-scare!

Dark Hair, Grey Strays? Stock-Up on Sharpies
If you have the odd stray grey and don’t have time to color your hair, skip the messy mascara and powders, and paint your strands back to your ‘natural’ color with a permanent marker in a shade closest to yours. Why not just pluck it? Five more won’t come to its funeral (contrary to popular belief), but when that one hair does grows back it’ll be sticking out and much more obvious than when it’s longer and able to lay flat against your head.

Lighten Your Locks with Chamomile Tea

Crave sun-kissed highlights? Brew a strong cup of chamomile tea, allow it to cool, and then comb the liquid through your hair. Afterwards, sit under the sun (with SPF of course) instead of a hot salon-style heating lamp.

Fight Frizzy Hair with Fabric Softener Sheets

Tame frizzy hair and fly-aways with a sheet of your favorite fabric softener. The conditioning ingredients in the product will calm your hair and give it a nice sheen.

Use Your Favorite Body Oil as Shine Serum
Lightweight body oils, hand creams, and body lotions can instantly texturize your hair and amplify shine. Just be sure to apply sparingly, and focus on the lower-half of your locks.

Bathe Your Hair in Beer
Give your hair a boost (and a buzz) in body and shine by rinsing it with beer. The (unnoticeable) residue also acts as a natural setting lotion, so your locks will be more manageable as well. No worries, there’s no such thing as a hair hangover.

Have any of your own over-the-top tips/techniques that work? Please share!

We'll slather ourselves with expensive creams, try all sorts of invasive treatments, and even go under the knife for a shot at eternal (or extended) youth, so it's odd that anti-aging hair care is often overlooked. It's one of the most quick and easy ways to turn back time.

To achieve a more youthful appearance, try swapping a couple of your daily hair care products with one of these fabulous alternatives:

Philosophy Shear Splendor Shampoo
A bio-peptide and soy-based shampoo that helps restore shine and body to your hair with daily use. $22.

Kerastase Paris Resistance Ciment Anti-Usure
This nurturing conditioner helps to protect and treat your hair, without weighing it down. $36.

Phyto Phytodensium Anti-Aging Serum
When applied to towel-dried hair, this lightweight serum helps to restore density and vitality, while also boosting melanin levels to reduce the appearance of grey hair over time. $32.

Fekkai Ageless Damage-Defense Capsules
A protective serum, to be used after styling, that contains proactive "decoy" molecules, which deflect and shield your hair against pollutants and other environmental age accelerators. $45.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer
This fast-action, intensive treatment revives your hair and gives it that youthful bounce. Just apply Elasticizer a minute before shampooing, and you're set. $5.50- $125.

If you're loyal to a certain brand that's not listed above, just look for products that are rich in protein (for greater elasticity and resistance), amino acids (to strengthen, hydrate and protect), and/or rich fatty acids (which condition and hydrate), to ensure you get a proper dose of preventative and restorative care.