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Joshua Kaplan

Here’s another bikini.com post, this time on tips for getting gorgeous, healthy hair. These come courtesy of my long-time personal hair stylist, Joshua Kaplan, who has been cutting, coloring and styling hair for nearly two decades. He’s a founding member of Goo Salon on the best stretch of Fairfax Avenue as far as I’m concerned (Golden State, Animal, Plan Check and many other delicious restaurants are within walking distance). But I digress. Not only has Kaplan been cutting my hair for years, he also styled my hair for my wedding, so I trust him implicitly.

So check out his top five tips for taking care of your hair.

1. Don’t Shampoo Too Often
Oil is actually your friend, not your enemy, when it comes to hair. “Excessive shampooing dries out the hair and strips the scalp of oils that actually make your hair look better,” Kaplan says. For everyday shampooers, he says to start by trying to limit washings to every other day, then every third day and so on. For very dry hair, shampooing once a week is more than enough, with just wetting it and using conditioner on the ends in between washings. Also, “sulfate-free shampoo is always best,” he says. Sulfates are de-greasing agents found in many household cleaning products that dry out hair and fade color. Who wants that in her hair?

2. Take Biotin
“Biotin is a vitamin supplement that, when taken religiously, promotes amazingly healthy hair growth,” Kaplan says. “It gives you glowing skin and stronger nails, too.” Easy enough.

3. Lose The Extensions
Permanent extensions damage the hair because they are bonded to your real hair. “Our hair sheds naturally. This is a good thing. But when you have extensions, your hair isn’t allowed to shed, so when you remove the extensions, you lose all that hair in one shot that you would have lost over a longer period of time,” he says. “I’ve seen clients missing patches of hair from extensions and major breakage. I’ve also heard many clients complaining of headaches.” Kaplan says to use clip-in extensions if you really want to use them. But how does he really feel about extensions? “They damage the hair and look super dated. This isn’t 2006.”

Keep reading over at bikini.com to find out the last couple of tips (#4 is my favorite).

Alexis Benveniste

I’ve started a new gig writing for bikini.com, covering health and beauty topics. My latest is a post on waxing, and if you’ve ever had a wax or thought about having one, then following these tips from esthetician Alexis Benveniste will ensure smooth sailing.

Benveniste, who has more than a decade of experience in skin care, started out as a makeup artist (she has worked with numerous fashion magazines, including Elle and Flaunt) before moving on to brow and body waxing. I’ve been going to her for a few years now at Wax on Melrose Avenue, and she really knows her stuff.

Here are some of her tips:

1. Wait Around 5 Weeks
About a quarter of an inch is the ideal length. “Any shorter, and the wax won’t pick it all up; any longer, and the roots get stronger,” she says. Stronger roots = more pain.

2. Know Your Cycle
“Your skin is more sensitive to waxing a week before, during and two days after your monthly cycle,” Benveniste says. Those hormones are messing with you. Plan accordingly.

3. Work Out Before Waxing
Benveniste says working out before, and not after, waxing lessens the likelihood of getting those nasty in-growns. “Working out after waxing causes swelling, and moisture from sweating can invite bacteria into your freshly waxed follicles,” she says.

Head over to bikini.com to read Benveniste’s last two tips. Hint: they have to do with those pesky in-grown hairs!

I used to wash my hair every day because I thought I had to. If I went even one day without washing my hair, it would get decidedly oily. But then I gave dry shampoos a try, and washing my hair less often actually made it less oily. Here are my thoughts on the products I’ve used, all of them of the powder variety because I didn’t want to use the alcohol-based spray versions:

Ojon Full Detox Rub-Out Dry Cleansing Powder: This is the most absorbing dry shampoo that I’ve tried. It is almost too drying, actually; my hair was a bit stiff after using it. But it it effective. The smell isn’t that pleasant, but it isn’t unpleasant, either. My only real complaint is how it leaves a bit of a white residue despite touting its no-residue effect.

Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo: This product has the best lemony smell and is relatively good at disappearing in your hair. It’s also pretty absorbent, but not as absorbent as the Ojon.

Frederic Fekkai Au Naturel Dry Shampoo: This one is my least favorite. It’s good in that it’s fragrance-, paraben- and sulfate-free, but it’s just not that effective, and it left the most white residue out of these three that I tried.

Rose petal macaroon, lychee sorbet and fresh raspberry sauce from Nick & Stef's. Courtesy of Nick & Stef's.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or your mom’s basement, whatever), you’ll know that Monday is Valentine’s Day. If you’re celebrating this year, here are some options for you.

Staying in? Get some Karma single-serve bottles of sparkling wine to toast you and your loved one, whoever that may be.

Going out? Consider Patina Restaurant Group’s V-Day offerings, including prix fixe meals from Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse, Kendall’s Brasserie, Café Pinot and Zucca Ristorante.

Want to do something fun with a friend? Try a blowout from JM Blowdry, part of Joseph Martin Hair & Beauty salon in Beverly Hills. Get two blowouts for $40 (regularly $60) Feb. 11 through Feb. 14.