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What I Expected
Real conversations so you know what to expect. What I Expected is a podcast for women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s about what to really expect—before you experience it.
So much about life has changed since your grandmother's day, and the advice she passed down doesn't always fit the world you're actually living in. Think of this as that same wisdom, updated for modern life: your toolkit for the purchases, the changes, and the moments you wish someone had prepped you for. What to ask and what to plan for before you spend your money, your time, or your peace of mind.
Host Holly Bohn Pittman, a former CMO and CEO who knows marketing spin when she hears it, talks with experts and women who've been there. It's not a lecture. It's the advice you'd get from your closest girlfriends, minus 47 unread messages: honest, no-nonsense answers and zero pressure to keep up.
New episodes every Tuesday, from buying guides and first-time experiences to perimenopause, menopause, and the harder moments no one prepares you for. For women who'd rather hear it straight from a friend than find out the hard way.
What I Expected
Hair After 40: Thinning, Gray, Frizz, and What You Can Do About It
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Your ponytail's suspiciously thinner, your texture's changed, the grays multiplied, and suddenly your hair requires a negotiation. I sit down with Sherry Diedrich—my stylist for more than a decade, and someone who's guided women through this exact shift for 40 years (and lived it herself). This is basically what you'd hear in a salon chair from someone who isn't trying to go viral.
We cover thinning vs. breakage, what actually helps thinning hair, gray strategy, dryness and frizz, heat and color damage, why DIY color is a bad idea if you want salon results, how to find a great stylist, and what's actually worth paying for.
A note: this episode is for general education, not medical advice. If you're dealing with sudden shedding, bald spots, pain, sores, or inflammation, please check in with a dermatologist or healthcare professional.
What I Expected is about knowing what to expect before you buy it, try it, book it, or live through it. Some conversations are about the things we choose. Others are about the things we never expected to face.
More reviews, guides & recommendations: WhatIExpected.co
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Intro
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Welcome to What I Expected, the show that sets expectations before you buy. My website and social channels compare real life experience to marketing promises. But think of this podcast as your decision-making toolkit. What to ask before you spend your money, or your time, which is your most precious possession. Think of it like advice from a close circle of girlfriends, minus the 47 unbred messages. At What A Expected, you'll find friendly standards, sensible expectations, and feel zero pressure to keep up. Today we're talking about hair after 40. That age when your hair and body start making drastic changes without advance warning. Or maybe there was advance warning and we didn't get it. These changes start much earlier for some and much later for others, so don't use the number 40 as a hard and fast rule. If you notice that your ponytail is thinner, your scalp is moodier, your hair is drier, and your grays are multiplying like rabbits, this episode is for you. Joining us is Sherry Diedrich, a trusted friend and my stylist for more than 10 years. Sherry will help us understand thinning versus breakage gray strategy. Do you let it go? Or do you blend? How do you transition? Texture changes, scalp irritation, DIY color, probably your favorite topic, how to find a good hairdresser, and whether those fancy blow dryers are worth it. Quick note before we get started: this episode is for general education and informational purposes only. It's not medical advice. If you're seeing sudden shedding, bald spots, pain, or inflammation, it's smart to check in with a healthcare professional. But if you're in the everyday why is my hair being a jerk category, we've got you covered. Sherry has seen every trend come back around, and more importantly, she's worked with clients through real life: postpartum hair, stress hair, perimenopause hair, and I'd have decided to give myself bang situations. And what I love about this conversation is Sherry isn't just speaking as a professional. She is speaking as someone who has lived it. She's been through her 40s, she's in her 50s, and she's had a front row seat to these changes and what actually helps. She's the mother of three beautiful daughters, has two sisters, one who is also a successful hairdresser. So she really knows the ins and outs of hair, plus, she's incredibly cool. This isn't another celebrity hairdresser here to recommend products and services you can't afford and won't find where you live. Sherry, welcome. Start by telling us a little bit more. I gave you a quick intro, but tell
Meet Sherry Diedrich
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)us more about yourself.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Oh, goodness gracious. Thank you. Thank you for having me. This is great. Um, a little bit about myself. Uh, well, my name is Sherry Diedrich. I am 57 years old, going on 58, and you're absolutely right. I have seen just about everything in the industry. I started out um doing hair when uh perms were real popular. And now I refuse to do them. Um I've seen shags, I've seen bangs, I've seen all kinds of different things come in and out of weren't highlights called frosting though?
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Yes, they were.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)They were pulled through a cap. And they were very painful. So uh they were big, huge rubber caps that went over the head and and uh they used uh like a crochet needle to pull the hair out. And uh women complained, but they loved the results. And the results today would be frightening. People wouldn't accept them.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Yeah.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Because there's so many other techniques.
Minimizing Hair Thinning & Breakage
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Well, I'm really excited to just dive into some of this. And one of the topics that I think is really huge in, and I think I've asked you this before when I've been in the chair. How do you know when it's thinning versus breakage versus I'm doing too many things to my hair? Um, tell me about that process and and how to evaluate that or what actually works for it.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Sure. That's that's a huge question. Yes. A lot of people ask that a lot. Um, it's it's it's trial and error, but let me go to the difference between breakage and thinning. Um, when the hair breaks, what happens is there's a solid line, there's a significant amount of bluntness. So, for example, it looks like somebody cut a chunk of your hair out. That would be breakage. Uh, thinning hair is downy hair. It's narrowed, it's thin. You know, those little fine hairs around your face that people think is new growth. It's actually, it is new growth, but it's new growth in a weak follicle. So that's the difference between thinning hair and breaking hair.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)So I'm not getting excited about all the little downy hair.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Nobody is.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Okay.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)So what actually works? It just really depends on why your hair is thinning. Obviously, if your hair is breaking, what works is not overusing um mechanics like heat, uh flat irons, curling irons, things like that. That's called.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Do you use that every day? Do you use a flat iron or curling iron every day? What would you so what how often would you use it on your own hair?
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)I would say probably at a maximum three times a week.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Okay.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Yeah. And to make sure that the setting is not over 385 degrees. Not all tools have those settings, but and if you don't have a tool like that, get one. And that way you can control the temperature. And if it most of them go up to like 450 degrees, which is absolutely ridiculous. I can work with that as a pro. You have a tendency to go a little slower or to swipe over one section more than one time. And that's what causes mechanical damage. So, how you can stop that mechanical damage is to stop using so much heat so intensely. Um, as far as uh thinning goes, well, that's a whole different ballgame because there's probably about, from what I know, and I'm no doctor, uh, about five different reasons why thinning happens with women specifically.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Is it inevitable with thinning? It is.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Okay. It is inevitable with age. Um one of the things, and I would say that I've seen is a hormonal change. Most women, especially, you know, when they get closer to menopause or they're in menopause, they have thinning hair. Um, and usually that is caused by a shrinking in the hair follicle.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)It's because our bodies hate us.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)They do. Our bodies do hate us. It's cause of it's DHT. It's a hormone called dihydrotestosterone. That's a big word. It's hard for me to remember. It's okay. Um, it's an androgen and it's derived from testosterone. We all have, even women have testosterone. And what happens as we lose estrogen, that hormone kind of takes over and it attaches to the androgen receptors in the hair follicle. So it makes the hair follicle shrink down. And that's what causes that really thin, fine hair that just turns loose and falls out.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)So have you seen, is there anything on the market right now that you've heard a lot of people say those? I realize there's a million different reasons and you would need to address those specifically. But just I'm seeing a lot of things online, the serums and the um, you know, that you put on your scalp or the neutral. Have you seen or heard from your clients something that works fairly well or that you've had a lot of sick people with a lot of success?
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Well, we'll start with the Nutrafol. Um, I have had clients that have used Nutrafol, and I've had some that have had some success. And it's probably due to consistency of use of the product. One of the things is just like the gym. If you want abs, you've got to get in there and you've got to do it consistently.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)It's one of those days.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)So what happens is people start using a product like nutrafol, and they use it really hardcore. They're all into it, and the week goes by and they don't see any results, which is hilarious because you actually have to wait for the hair to grow in to see results. And we all know it takes hair a little time to grow. And then they just kind of start lacking in their use and um the product's not working, so they give up. The ones that have stayed consistent have seen some regrowth, some strengthening and some filling in. And I think you understand what I'm talking about when I mean filling in, that front hairline and that little bit of the hair in the back and the crown of the head where you can kind of feel that it's a little thinner, that starts thickening up a little bit. But it takes a few months to get there. Um, and that's with the Nutrafol. Is that the right thing?
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Yes. Nutrafol. Well, we're not sponsored, so no one's gonna get mad at us.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Thank God. Um but it doesn't work for everybody. There are people that have been consistent with it that it does, doesn't do anything for. And so that's when I would suggest perhaps going to see a doctor to see exactly why your hair is thinning, especially if it is profusely thinning and I'm shampooing their hair and I'm getting wads of hair in my hand. There's there could be something going else going on.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)So then it sounds like you kind of go through the things. Am I eating healthy? Do I need some supplements? And then, or am I overusing heat tools? And if all of those things you feel like you're good in those areas, it's probably time to see a doctor. Or if it's significant.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Yes.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Okay.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Yes.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)This is
Gray Hair Transitioning & Blending
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)a a good one to go next because I have asked you these exact questions. I when all the celebrities started going gray, I said, Sherry, is this a look I can pull off? And you said, absolutely not. It's just not your gray is not the right tone for your skin. And I really appreciated your honest, because I really wanted to.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)It does make life a lot easier.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)But we also, it's been this process, right? Like you first start to get gray hair, and I think you were highlighting, which would doing highlights on me, which would downplay. I mean, now we're at the point where I'm in your chair for hours. So tell me about what is working for clients and how you approach that when they know, okay, it enough is enough. I need to do something.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Yeah, that's a pretty simple um system for me that I've kind of developed in my own head, which it I do that a lot. Um, if somebody is 25% gray or less, the highlight blending really works because you can put some lighter streaks in the hair and then you don't have that, it's not so obvious. The gray is not screaming at you. But what happens and what seems to be overnight is that all of a sudden you go from 25% to 50% gray. Well, then we've run into a whole other problem there because then you have to highlight 50% of the hair in order to make that blend, which is very hard on the hair, and it also lightens the hair. And some people don't look good with lighter hair. So then we start talking about maybe doing um like a color glossing or some kind of semi or demi-permanent to just kind of blend some of the gray and still add a few highlights. But then you step into the 75 to 100% again, which what seemingly happens overnight? It's like you wake up one morning and you're like, okay, lover girl, how are you? Where did you come from? You feel like somebody sprinkled, you know, glitter in your hair. Um and that is when we really have to get intense with the permanent hair dyes and to to help cover and blend that gray. And then you have your other challenge. Do you want to be dark? Do you want to be light? If you have 75% gray and you you look really great with rich, dark auburn or dark chestnut hair, well, you're gonna be combating a line of demarcation within, I don't know, 10 days, and it's gonna scream around your hairline.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)But or you could also have like me, where my hair is not super dark, so I don't have that line of demarcation. However, we go through a lot to make my hair look natural because it's the roots and then it's the highlights, and then it, you know, so it's just this multi-step process. Is there anything that people are using? Uh we're gonna get into whether or not you touch your own hair. Like I know what the answer is gonna be. But before we get into that, is there anything on the market that you've seen work really well for those root touch-ups? I've seen like the wands, the like the mascara wands, I've seen the powder, the wow.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)What I've seen are more of the sprays. Um, L'Oreal Pro makes a good root touch-up spray. Um, the biggest challenge that people have with those are matching up their color. It's better to go lighter than it is darker if you're gonna experiment, or you can just ask me and I can help you pick out a color. And the other challenge would be the direction. And it's it's intimidating because it's got this little skinny spout and it's it's a little hard to navigate sometimes, especially around the hairline. And if you're touching up something dark and then you end up looking like you have um what is that product called uh that men use that looks like shoe polish?
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Oh, just like men. Just like men.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Exactly. And then you're it's just a nightmare to try to get it off. The mascara wands have a tendency to look a little gooey. And the powders just look flat. Okay. With no shine.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)So you're not if someone comes in and says, look, Sherry, as much as I'd like to be in your seat every 10 days, it's not reasonable. I don't have the time. You're gonna help them find a solution. A good hairdresser is gonna help them.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Absolutely. Yeah. We'd all like to eat.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)So the other thing that I think is how do you know if you're the kind of person that can go gray or not? I I talk a lot about my fancy mother-in-law, and she actually did go gray and looked beautiful. I also have a cool sister-in-law, and she looked, she went gray and looked beautiful. And I just don't think that's in my card, sadly.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Not right now. Just knowing you're gray, not right now. I always I always refer back to do you want to look like B. Arthur? Or would you rather look like um Rose? Is it Rose? Or would you rather look like Betty White? Because the difference is a steel gray with a chunk of white or salt and pepper streaks through it, or this beautiful white silver hair.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Does that make sense? Yes, yes. So
Root Touchups & DIY Hair Color
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)what do you uh I personally know this because I know you, so I know a story recently about somebody taking matters into their own hands. I have cut my own bangs, so I will admit to that. But um, thankfully, I have not touched the DIY color. And one of the things that was really surprising to me, because I've actually seen people color their own hair and have decent results, like certain colors are okay. And, you know, we're not talking about somebody who's wanting to do intricate balayage or whatever, but I've seen some people that can get away with the box color. But you had a situation recently where someone didn't tell you that they'd use the box color, and then there was a chemical reaction.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Yeah, that was fun. And I can blame myself for that. I've been doing this for so long that I dropped the ball on asking what this color was. It was a young lady. I made an assumption that she had a professional product on her hair. It was not a professional product. And what happened was because these dyes that are in box color are, number one, they're very heavily flooded with pigment. Number two, they are very heavily flooded with metals, metallics. So when you mix another chemical with that, a professional product, say a highlighter, a bleach, it has a chemical reaction that produces a lot of heat and can burn, smoke, catch on fire.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Nothing you want to happen and cause breakage.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)And uh that was fun. I I enjoyed that a lot. And um, but yeah, so that would be you would want to make sure that if you were going to use uh a box dye color and just to kind of get by in between your your colors, that you make sure that you let your stylist know that because the chemical reactions are real, they can damage, they can burn, they can scar. It's not fun. I about had a heart attack. We recovered
Dealing With Scalp Sensitivity
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)well though.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Well, I think kind of on the same topic. I remember I was going through this period. Well, first of all, everything I if I Google any symptom I have right now, it's basically it used to be stress. So if you're under 40, or I say if you're under 35, the answer is always manage your stress. Even if you go to the doctor, they're just like, are you under stress? Yes, life is stressful. But anything over that, it's your hormones. And so it's really hard to stay on top of that because you so am I supposed to not do anything? Well, one thing that I think has been weird is definitely I've been a little bit more itchy, like my skin gets irritated more easily. And I think we went through that where I was ordering everything that was served up to me on TikTok or Instagram. If they said it's for sensitive scalps, I was like, add to cart, add to cart. And I just thought it was miraculously gonna heal me. Uh, you ended up telling me what when I finally mentioned it to you, you said, oh, I think it might be a chemical in the color and we're gonna change what we're doing. And here I'm just thinking this whole time, I have this great resource, and I'm not, I'm not talking to you. I'm just I'm gonna solve it myself, me and Instagram.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Well, again, I'm not a doctor, but what I have experienced is in my over 38 years of doing hair and actually having clients that have aged with me, is that we become sensitive to things. We develop allergies to things in different stages in our lives. And it is just uh it's a crapshoot to try to figure out, you know, on my end, not being a doctor, what it is. So I think we just got lucky with that with you because it did fix your problem because we changed the product that we were using. Um but yeah, that happens. Sensitivity, sensitivity to skin, sensitivity to um people, sensitivity.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)That's the worst one.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Other people's children's sensitivity at all. I didn't I don't have a cure for that.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)I did notice one time when I was in with you, you used witch hazel after you colored somebody's hair. Right. So is that something if you if you are sensitive to hair color, you could bring with you and have your hairdresser use, or is it a common thing that you can, absolutely.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)And what a witch hazel is is a natural astringent. So it just helps calm and prep the and it's very inexpensive. I keep it on hand in my studio to make sure that um I have it in case anybody needs it. Okay.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Let's I I definitely want to ask you about coarse, wavy, frizzy, because that's part of the gray. But I want to make sure we get to everything today. I mean, this is probably gonna be a series because we could talk for hours. Not that anybody wants to hear us talk for hours, but we actually do talk for hours when you're doing I think they do want to hear us talk for hours.
Finding a Hair Stylist
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)I like that.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Uh how do you find a hairdresser? I mean, I remember when I first moved here, and I'm one of those people, if it works, I do not change it. So I had my hairdresser in California for years and years and years. And then I came here and I really struggled to find someone that understood it's almost like I guess it's like a doctor or even a decorator. It's anyone that can kind of get your aesthetic. And at first I was looking for someone that maybe looked like me or had hair similar to me. I thought that was the answer. And it it wasn't working. And then I, you know, you hear, okay, the same person that cuts your hair can't color it. So then you're gonna have to go to two different people. That's not that was never an option for me with the amount of time that I work and three kids. So tell me what your thoughts are on how would you go or how would you advise a daughter, a sister, a friend if they move to a new area to start looking for a hairdresser.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)That's a good question. Um, how I the first thing I always say is go to a mall, go to Costco, go to Target, look at people's hair. If you see somebody that has nice hair, have a courageous conversation. Walk up to them and say, excuse me, I love your hair. Can I get the name of your hairstylist? And then you start there. But that's not all. You know, you have to, you might make an appointment with that hairstylist and you might sit in that hairstylist chair, and that hairstylist may do an amazing job with your hair, but you can't stand each other. And so there's your other factor, you know, just a personality matching up if this is somebody that you can spend time with. Because as you and I both know, this is a very intimate process. It's a very personal process. And I think it's important that the person that is touching you and spending time with you and listening to you and also talking to you about their life and hearing about your life, that you want to be comfortable with them. They can't just be a great hairdresser.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)That's a really good point. And not to go too deep on this episode, but it does bring up a good point when we talk when we talk about that time of aging when you just have I say have zero patience for nonsense. Like I it's also who I Want to surround myself with, right? Yes. And so it's not just if you're good at doing hair anymore. If your energy is off-putting, I'm not gonna want to spend three hours in your chair.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)100%. And if your energy is off-putting for me, I'm not gonna wanna spend three hours with you. So there's another courageous conversation.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)So have you had to fire people before?
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)100%, yes.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Was it so uncomfortable?
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)And at first, yeah, the first time I had to do it, it was very uncomfortable. Um, fortunately, I've not had to do it a lot in my career, but it has been a good probably half a dozen times. And the last time was a lot easier. You know, you put up your boundaries and you just listen, they need a good fit too. You're doing them a favor as well.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Do you do the it's not you, it's me?
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)No. I definitely do it, it's you, it's not me. No, I just basically say, listen, you know, I appreciate you coming in and I appreciate you giving me an opportunity, but I just don't think we're a good fit. I think our personalities are different. And then most of the time I can refer them to somebody who I think would be a better personality fit for them.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Oh, that's great advice. That's great advice for people stylists that are wondering how long to endure it.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)It is, it is a question that I get a lot from other stylists.
Taming Frizz
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)So let's go back really quick, not trying to jump around. Before we get into products, what I know this aging hair, frizzy, dry, coarse, you can cover up the gray, but the gray is still super annoying. What works, what doesn't work.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)So you mean what works to calm the frizz?
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Yes.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Very good question. There is um, there's so many products out there right now that claim to calm frizz and to control humidity. And you can blow the hair out, you can walk outside, especially here in Florida, and in five minutes it looks like you did not even pay $100 for a blowout. I mean, it's ridiculous. And I think the key to that is um talking to your stylist, expressing your concerns and your needs. And sometimes it, it you have to have a system. You know, you have to have the right shampoo, you have to have the right mask or moisturizer or conditioner, you have to layer your products, and then you have to heat style those products into your hair consistently. So, for example, if you shampooed and congestioned your hair, got out of the shower, towel-dried it, you're going to have a product like a leave-in spray, something that has several benefits that moisturizes, that protects from heat, that adds shine. And then you're going to want to add like a taming lotion, a cream, something that helps, that is an anti-frizz product. And then one of the most important things is a very light anti-humectant. So that would be the last thing that you put in. One of the products that I use is um a shibui product, and it's a power peptide product. And you can't overuse it. It's the last thing I'm put on people's hair, and then I style it in. And the really beautiful thing about a product like that is it lasts through about three shampoos. So it's not something you have to use every single time you style your hair.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Oh.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Yeah.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Why do I not have this?
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)You don't have it?
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)I don't think I do.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)I am bad. You know, I'm not a product pusher then. I'm not just trying to sell you something.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Because I'm a product buyer. I'm like, I'll try anything. So it's important then that people you know how somebody even I think how you cut hair really, you know what they're willing to do and not do. Because I think I've told you before, listen, my hair's gotten really wavy, frizzy, but I'm not blow-drying it every day. It's just not gonna happen. So it's I I am gonna air dry. So you're gonna be able to tailor the products if you know what somebody's willing to do and not willing to do.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Absolutely. Because there are products that are specifically designed for air-dried hair. So there's a product that I use that is another shibui product called air dry cream. And it is a cream that collects on the hair and softens the hair. And as it dries, it adds a little bit of texture, but isn't it doesn't dry like a crunchy, crispy, because you know, once you touch that, it's just gonna frizz out. And it just kind of works with a soft, weightless manageability to help, you know, create a little bit of movement in your hair without it looking like you just got out of bed after you slept on your hair wet. And we all know what that looks like. You know? I mean, granted, you're not gonna get the you're not gonna get the same style, the same effect when you let your hair dry. You're not gonna get the same effect when you let your hair air dry as you would if you blew your hair out or you had somebody blow your hair out. But at least you can accomplish something that is something you can wear out in public, if that makes sense.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)I feel like I needed to take a little more care today before.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)You're saying it's a good thing we're not videoing this, is where you're yes, that's exactly what I'm saying.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)You probably would have probably would have come back. Thanks a lot, Holly. Thanks for making my work look bad.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)You don't look bad.
Buying Heat Tools: Are fancy blow dryers worth it?
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Uh okay, so random questions, throwing this in there. Fancy blow dryers. Are they worth it?
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Oh, 100%. The Dyson? Which ones? Um I don't want to, I don't want to diss on the Dyson. Uh-huh. Um, it's a good blow dryer. Okay. But for the price, I would not recommend it. Um, I use an O2 dryer, which works with um nanotechnology. It works with it's an ionized blow dryer. It's very lightweight, and the price point is like $199.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)The one you use on my hair? Oh, I need that next time because it is lightweight. It's a little more compact.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Yeah, it is. It is. And it distributes the heat and you can control the heat better with it. So, for example, if you bought, if you went to Target and you bought an um off-the-shelf, I don't want to name a brand, but something that was, you know, $29.95, you're gonna get that the barrel's gonna get hot, the metal on the end of the barrel is gonna get hot, it's gonna blow the hair all over the place, creating a whole lot of chaos, and you're not gonna have consistent heat. And sometimes you can't even control the heat. And it's good to have a cool button too. The cool button is very important.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Oh, interesting. And curling irons, straightening irons, do those matter as well? I know you mentioned that they should have a temperature setting so you can keep it at the 385. Yes. Is there any other fee like is that something you want to spend money on?
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Yes, most definitely. Because what you're gonna get with a professional product, like a curling iron, a tool, like a bioionic or a chi or something like that, is you're gonna get a consistent heat. So some of the uh less expensive ones, like I said, if you go and buy something at Target or something like that, you're gonna have a plate on a flat iron that has a coil that kind of that salamanders in there instead of so you're gonna have hotter spots on that plate than you would otherwise with a professional product that distributes the heat evenly.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Okay.
How Much Does a Good Haircut Cost?
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Wow, I feel like we're not gonna get through everything we have today. Um, still so many more questions like about extensions and and what's involved in those. Let me try to slide in one more though. What I know it changes all over the country, but in general, what should somebody expect to pay for a quality haircut?
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)A quality haircut. That's a very good question. Um, I guess it depends on what your idea of a quality haircut is. Because you know everybody has their has their opinions. Um I would say here in Jacksonville, I can speak for that. Um, you can expect to pay anywhere between $65 and $125 for a quality haircut. And it really should include a finish. It really should include a blowout, something to make it.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)It probably depends on how complicated it is, right?
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Well, for sure. I mean, when you're dealing with somebody that has, and that's why I had a price range. When you're dealing with somebody that has really long, thick hair, that's obviously going to take more time. So you might be looking more in the $125 range. You have somebody who would take you a half an hour to 45 minutes to cut and blow dry, you might be looking in the lower price range. Because it is really about time and how much time it takes you to do it or to perform
Top 3 Hair Products for Women Over 40
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)the service.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Okay. All right. So and top three products for women over 40. Uh what what are they at uh I mean you've you've mentioned a few, so maybe we're already there and we've sort of talked about a decent having good tools. Hairbrush, does that matter?
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)I think so.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Okay. So like these Mason Pearson.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Mason Pearson brushes are fantastic. They're really great for, you know, when you when you if you knew what a Mason Pearson brush is, and if you don't and you're listening, please look it up. They are incredible brushes that have been around since hairstyling has been around. Um and what they do is they help brush natural oils through your hair. So your natural oil is the best oil that you can add. So it's a it's a brush that actually is meant and designed to brush your hair. Um they're it depending on your style. Let's just say that you like to blow your hair out with some bend and some flexibility. Um, you're gonna want to choose a good round brush, a good barrel brush that has a mixture of boars head and synthetic bristles, and also maybe a ceramic coating on the outside of the brush. Olivia Garden has a really good choice. Their price points are great. But what that ceramic barrel does is it heats up a little bit as you blow it dry and it helps kind of form a curl. So it's like, it's almost like a really light form of a curling iron without all of the heat, if that makes sense.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Okay.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)That make that does make sense. Now you did ask about product. Um product is that's a that's a wide area. What kind of products are you asking about specifically?
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)I mean, it when you're starting to get older, are you changing your shampoo? Is there anything that that you do as your texture changes? Or is this just something everybody should be thinking about their whole life? I mean, depending on where they live, you know, what the weather's like. Is it just an ongoing conversation with your stylist? I think so.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Yeah. I think that it just depends on what your hair care needs are at the time. Are you treating your hair chemically? Do you have you decided to cut all your hair off and let your color grow out? Um that would determine what type of product you would need. So of course, lifestyle changes, things like that would change your product need. Um, but if we're doing in general, we're speaking if we're speaking in general terms, I always suggest that somebody have a very good shampoo, a good light conditioner, a styling product, whether it's a mousse, a gel, um an anti-frizz product, and then a finishing spray, something light that you can spray on your hair when you're done and run out the door.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)And are
Hair Product Ingredients to Watch Out For
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)there any chemicals or anything that is sort of something we need to stay away from? There was a lot of talk about carabins and silicones, and is there anything that's worrying you or that you look for yeah, I mean you have three daughters.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)Yes, all of those things. Yes. I mean, all of those things. Um silicones are not good for your hair. They're not good for your body. Everything that you put on your hair absorbs into your scalp. And think about where your scalp is. It's very close to your brain. That might be part of some of our problems. But you want to stay away from those things. You also want to stay away from things that don't have products that aren't sustainable, that that are not good for the environment. You know, you're gonna rinse this stuff out of your hair when you shampoo, it's gonna go down the drain.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)Okay, so we we are gonna have to do a follow-up. I feel
Closing
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)like this is gonna be a series because I have questions about extensions. We've gone through that before. And because you you see these celebrities, one day they have short hair and the next day they have long hair. It's crazy. And and you have extensions, right? I do, yes. And they're beautiful, absolutely beautiful. So I think the audience would love to hear more about that and what's involved there and the maintenance and all of that. Thank you so much for joining us today, Sherry, and letting me pick your brain. Oh boy, more than I do when I'm in the chair.
Sherry H Diedrich (Guest)I always enjoy it.
Holly Bohn Pittman (Host)That's it for what I expected. If this saved you time, money, or regret, hit follow or subscribe and share with the friend who always has a quick question before she buys. Got a topic you want me to unpack? Send it my way. See you next time.
