Some Shampoo and Conditioner Tips

To achieve the most gorgeous tresses your side of town, here are some expert-given tips on shampooing and conditioning your hair:

1. Don’t shampoo every day, but do conditioner every day. Unless you live in a much polluted city and walk in pollution every day, it’s best not to shampoo every day because shampoo tends to have strong chemicals that dry the hair. Besides, it’s a good idea to let the natural oils of your hair release itself. However, do use conditioner every day to combat the drying effects of shampoo, hair products, sunlight and pollution.

2. Don’t leave shampoo on the hair for too long. After thoroughly cleaning your scalp and hair, make sure you wash all shampoo immediately because the detergent in the suds can dry and irritate your crown.

3. Apply shampoo on the roots and conditioner on the tips. While you can condition your whole hair and clean every part with shampoo, experts say it’s best to apply shampoo only on your scalp and roots since this is the part where dirt can accumulate. Applying shampoo often on the tips of your hair can cause it to dry faster. Meanwhile, applying conditioner on your roots or scalp can induce dandruff.

What are your shampoo and conditioner tips?

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Check Health Through Hair

Changes in hair doesn’t necessarily mean you have any kind of health issues. It could just be genetics. Graying early is always thought of being a show of stress, well if your parents grayed early it is a good sign that you may also. But some things that happen to your hair are a direct result of health problems.

Hair thinning can be a sign of protein or iron deficiency. Those suffering with an eating disorder will usually develop visible thinning. Once the health problem is corrected the hair will begin to grow back. Baldness can be inherited but baldness known as Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disease that is linked to genetics. It causes smooth bald patches anywhere on the body, not just the head. This hair will grow back.

Dry, brittle hair doesn’t have to mean you are damaging your hair with hair products. It may be growing thin and brittle. An improper diet can lead to this. Lack of protein and essential fatty acids can lead to your hair look damaged.

A common hair problem is dandruff. Dandruff is usually associated with have a dry scalp but it could also be because of seborrheic dermatitis. This condition is an inflammatory problem of the scalp. Psoriasis and Eczema are other health conditions that can show up as a dry flaky scalp. These conditions all may result in a scaly, itchy, red scalp which will produce small to large flakes.

Keep yourself healthy and your hair will show it. If you ever start to notice major changes in hair seek out a health care professional for help. It may take more than just a trip to the beauty salon.

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Hair: Quick Tips when You’re in a Hurry

When you’re in a hurry and you’re having a bad hair day it can be a tough time to think clearly and get your hair under control. Anytime your hair looks bad you feel bad. What you need are some quick tips to help when you’re in a hurry.

• Grab a head band or go for a loose ponytail or bun – if you don’t have long and it’s not working the way you planned, just pull it up or throw on a headband.
• Skip Blow drying – Wash your hair and let it air dry
• Wear a braid – one simple cornrow braid down the back can hide a multitude of sins, leave a few strands loose to give it a little more style
• Flat iron hair and wear it straight
• Fast Forward Curl – an easy and quick hairstyle
• Dry hair fix – mix together honey, mayonnaise, and egg. Work this into hair, getting all over hair and to the ends. Let sit for about 30 mins then wash out.
• Instant Luster – mix together a beaten egg yolk with half a lemon squeezed into it…apply this to your hair (not getting any on your scalp). Leave on for 30 mins then wash and rinse off. Make sure you wash and rinse very well, you don’t want to leave any egg in your hair.
• Use a dry shampoo- if you don’t have time to wash or you can’t wash your hair. Just dry shampoo your hair
• Oily hair tip – use vinegar twice a week

Quick fixes are great for when you need help in a hurry. For prolonged hair care and help contact a healthcare professional for styling help and hair maintenance guides.

Beautifying with Vinegar

Much has been said about the purported healthy components of vinegar, but did you know that for many years now many claim vinegar to have beautifying powers as well? Apple cider vinegar in particular is said to be great for both the skin and the hair because of the following:

1. It is rich in alpha-hydroxy acids that help dissolve scaly and fatty substances in the skin, making it smoother and softer.

2. It can reduce the swelling of varicose veins as it promotes blood circulation. If you want to reduce unsightly varicose veins with apple cider vinegar, there are a variety of treatments to choose from. You can put vinegar in a cotton ball and then gently apply it on the skin. You can also apply the vinegar directly with your hands, in manner of gentle massaging. At the same time you can drink a couple of tablespoons of the vinegar daily.

3. Vinegar can be used as a toner, facial, and age spot lightener. Just remember that if you plan to use it on your face, you have to dilute it in water because vinegar is still acid and can burn if applied pure. Raw, organic and unfiltered apple cider vinegar is said to work best. What it does is it clarifies the skin by being an effective cleanser and remover of excess oil and dirt buildup. It also helps your skin maintain an optimal pH balance. If you just want to use it to lighten age spots or darker spots, you can opt to dab the vinegar straight to these areas and leave them on overnight.

4. Vinegar as a toner can help strengthen the skin and enable it to combat bacteria and other infectious properties because of its antiseptic components combined with enzymes, minerals and amino acids.

5. Vinegar can make for a good hair rinse because the acid in it can wash away residue that may have clung to your hair. These residues often make your hair heavier and brittle. Washing with apple cider vinegar can help remove the buildup and make your hair naturally softer and shinier. Just remember to dilute it in water to make it gentler on your scalp.

6. It can also fight dandruff. If you’ve used all kinds of commercial shampoos without any results, then using vinegar to treat your dandruff problem might just be the solution you’re looking for.

7. If you’re balding or your hair is thinning, massaging your scalp with apple cider vinegar can stimulate hair growth and thicken your thinning hair.

Of all these purported benefits, so far I’ve tried using vinegar as a toner which worked really great because my face felt tight and smooth after. Care to share your own experiences with vinegar?

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Long Hairstyles

Short hairstyles can be easy to come up with and to find new short styles that give you a new look. Long hairstyles can be a bit harder. It takes some creativity and research to find different stylish looks for the long hair wearer. Women with long hair often fall back on the plain ponytail or just long straight, rather than deal with any decision making for their hair. Longer hair can give you a larger range of hairstyles that short hair could ever give you, if you have the imagination and will to try a new style. Here are a few easy ones:

 

Lengthy Curls – a nice way to add some body and interest to your hair is to add big bouncy curls. Those you have naturally curly hair can pull this off quickly and easily. If you need some help getting your curls, grab you some curlers or hair rollers and some setting spray and simply add curls. You should make the decision on which way to curl. Just make sure you use large rollers or curlers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soft Side Pony – with this style you can add bangs to the front or not, I like the bangs. Comb the hair to one side to make a soft pony tail to the side of the head. Curl the ends to give it some body and bounce and you have a great evening style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

High Pony – One of my favorites. This is really easy to achieve. Just get a good brush and some smoothing gel or spray. Apply the product/ brush it smooth and comb hair up, instead of back, to form the high pony tail. Pony tail can be curled for body.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short layers on long hair – A cool edgy look. This style will take some help from a beautician. The top is short layers but the length was left on the bottom and back of hair.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long Layers – This is the most common popular style for long hair is long layers. Find a great beautician to do yours. A great style for keeping your length and look of long hair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are some cool hairstyles you can try. If you have long hair and want a non-drastic change, give some of these a try!!

Hair Weave

A woman’s hair is her crown of glory. Short or long, we all want a thick healthy head of hair. Some of us are born with it, while others have to go a non-natural course in achieving our hair goals. Hair weave is available in human or synthetic hair. Weave is generally braided or woven into your natural hair which is cornrowed. But there are also weave that can be snapped or glued in, depending on your preference. The most common ways to have weave put in are:

• Netting – a breathable net is used to weave extensions
• Tree Braiding – added to natural hair through cornrowing
• Clip in and clip on – weave is clipped into hair
• Fusion – heating appliance uses a procedure similar to a hot glue gun
• Tracking – sewn into cornrows
• Bonding – tracks are glued in
• Individual Hair Strand Placement – individual hair extensions tied in at the scalp

Weave can give you more flexibility with your hair. Hair weaving prices vary in price determined primarily by the type of hair and the procedure for which it is put in. With all types of weave you need to properly care for your hair and ask your hair professional the exact ways to take care of your natural hair. Prior to the weave find out how much care will be needed for each type and when you need to get it redone.

Flat Ironing

In the 70’s women were left to getting straight hair by ironing hair with a regular clothes iron on an ironing board. Thankfully, now it is a lot simpler and productive. Flat Ironing has now evolved into a whole market of flat iron tools and creme’s/sprays. The argument still continues as to if flat ironing your hair is really doing damage to your hair. Flat ironing is an easy and convenient way of going from curly hair to straight in a manner of minutes.

To ensure maximum protection you need to make sure to use quality thermal products prior to flat ironing it. I use Redken’s Thermal gel or a flat iron spray, depending on if I want my hair heavy or to have body. I also use only ceramic flat irons (also curling irons, too), they can be a bit more expensive but are well worth the money in the end. Before flat ironing make sure hair is well conditioned. It is best to flat iron clean dry hair. Never flat iron wet hair! Now, I have seen the new wet/dry flat irons out on the market, but I haven’t used them so can give no personal experiences with them. But as for the regular flat irons, never use them on wet hair, it will only fry your hair and your scalp (YIKES!!!).

When flat ironing hair keep a firm hold on the irons and start as close to the scalp as possible. Use a steady firm grip and clasp the hair. Continue down each section in a fluid movement, you may need to go over each section twice if not as straight as you like. Always use a thermal product before flat ironing. It is best to not add more heat to the hair after flat ironing, if you want hair curled, wait a day or so before doing so.

Sun In

This past week we had a get together with lots of people coming by. One lady I have known for awhile came to the door and she looked fabulous. She looked young and jovial. I couldn’t place my finger on it, all night I kept stealing looks at her, trying to figure out what it was about her that had changed. Then she told me that she had used this new product called Sun In. It’s a lightener for your hair. She looked fabulous. She is a 50-something woman and looked incredible.

For her, it turned all her gray light blonde and her normally pepper and brown light. It was incredible. Then her daughter in law came in and looked just as great, wouldn’t you know it, they both used it. I was in awe. I was full of questions. They told me how easy it was and how simple it was. They seriously looked like they had been vacationing in the islands.

Sun In says it pampers your hair while lightening it. This product is supposed to be safe for your hair. A lightener that’s safe, that’s a new one for me. It is a spray in, so it’s very easy to use and it uses no alcohol! Sun In will make your hair look like you have been at the beach all summer long. One person I talked to states the more often you spray it in the lighter your hair will get. Fabulous, can’t believe I had never heard of it!!

Severe Dandruff

Anyone suffering from severe to moderate dandruff can definitely understand my need to do this post. I had been having trouble with dandruff since I was a teen, so I was really suffering. No matter what I tried I couldn’t find anything that helped. I actually had psoriasis, a much worse form than just dandruff. But, of course, I didn’t know that. All I knew was that I had crazy dandruff all the time.

I had tried Vaseline, creams, lotions, just about anything that may work. Most things I tried just burned my scalp and then made it much worse and much more embarrassing. Finally, I decided to get professional help and so I went to a dermatologist. What I found out, totally surprised me! He gave me some prescriptions to help the bad flare up I was having at the moment. But the surprising part is what he told me to use.

He stated that Head and Shoulders Intensive Solutions may be able to help me. But for me to make sure that the one I got was the one with 2% pyrithione zinc. I did as I was told and, believe it or not, no more dandruff or scalp problems. Almost immediately, no more problems. I can’t explain why it works, it must be the 2% zinc. I never would have thought something you buy right off the shelves would work, but it did. I hope this helps anyone else that may be suffering as I was.

What’s in my clarifying, moisturizing, color enhancing, Ph balanced, color protective, thinkening, fast drying, volumizing shampoo?

Did you ever walk down the aisle of your favorite beauty store and feel overwhelmed just by reading all those labels? What does it all mean? Well if you are confused by all those terms on your products, read on…

Clarifying – This product uses ingredients specifically designed to strip through the hair styling products buildup on the hair. Its great to buy a clarifying product if you use sprays, gels or waxes.

Color Enhancing – This product contains low levels of natural or chemical colorants to lift your hair chemically treated hairs color.

Color Protective – This product is less aggressive in the amount of detergents it has in it to prevent drying or color stripping your hair.

Moisturizing – When a product calls itself moisturizing it uses less harsh detergent than traditional shampoos.

Ph Balanced – Most products on the marketplace shelf tout that they are Ph balanced. This means it stops the scalp from becoming too acidic or alkaline, in which conditions bacteria to thrive causing irritation.

Thickening Shampoos – This means that this product often uses panthenol to thicken the hair shaft. Many also create an electrical charge within the hair shaft to prevent strands sticking together, making hair look fuller.

Volumizing Shampoos – This means that this product uses thickening and firming agents to create lift in the hair.

Want to know what can be in those products to obtain what the label says?
Beer: This sticks to the hairs surface, thereby creating shine.
Botanicals: These plant derived ingredients act on the hair – for example, rosemary is said to help greasy scalps.
Chamomile: A flower used in shampoos for blondes, it can lighten hair.
Clay: This deeply cleanses the hair and scalp. It is used in shampoo instead of potentially ittitating detergents.
Fruit Acids: Fruit Acids boost shine and condition by changing the hair’s pH balance.
Fruit Sugars: These hydrate the hair by drawing water from the air.
Panthenol: This penetrates the hair shaft, causing it to swell and thicken.
Protein: Hair is made from a protein called keratin, but external proteins do not enhance this. Instead, they coat the hair, strengthening it and creating thickness.
Vitamins: Other than B5, these don’t penetrate the hair, instead like proteins, they coat it, making it look thicker.
Zinc Pyrithione: The most common treatment for dandruff, it slows cell regeneration on the scalp.

Maybe next time when you walk down that aisle you will not be so crazed anymore. 🙂