Huffington Post: Gina Rivera on Washing out the fun of Halloween

Wasn’t that crazy? Best Halloween party everrrr! Now, it’s time to clean out all that zombie hairspray, colors, party debris and, oh, did I forget to mention the bottle of gel for that slick back Dracula look?

This has all got to be done before work tomorrow so, first of all, I hope anything and everything you used for your hair was marked “temporary,” yes? If not, good luck! Welcome to the new you!

Tips for clean-up after all the fun:

Let’s assume that you did use only temporary colors and that you were a sexy zombie with heavily teased graveyard hair:

• Let’s start by getting all the ratting out of you hair. My recommendation is to use a soft bristle paddle brush, or a comb may even be as effective. Take small sections and begin pulling the teasing out GENTLY, starting from the ends of the hair and working your way up to the scalp. Repeat this in small sections and DO NOT become impatient!

• This needs emphasis: You must be patient while de-Halloweening your hair! If you start frantically ripping out the ratting you can do a LOT of damage very quickly. If you are brushing and hear any kind of “snap,” “crackle” or “pop,” you are brushing too fast and too hard, so get a cup of hot coffee, be patient and slow down.

• After this is completed, it’s time to shampoo your hair gently with a labeled clarifying shampoo or homemade mix of baking soda and water (half baking soda, half water). Apply, work it in, let it sit for three to five minutes.

• Follow with a high-quality shampoo. You may need to reapply depending on how much hairspray and other scary product you used.

• You may want to wrap your hair with a towel or put a towel on your pillow at night because you may have some residual color that could leave stains on your clothes or pillow cases.

• Finish with a top-of-the-line conditioner. Style as usual.

Now ask yourself: When was the last time your hair was this clean? You may be surprised at how wonderful it feels, especially after a night of haunted houses and dancing with the dead. Deep cleaning is something you should do regularly, particularly before you go into your stylist for an appointment.

Ok! At least your hair is all set for work. Onward into the holidays!

As always, be open to change!