For dandruff -- apply Listerine to the scalp after shampooing
and before the final rinse...let set for 10 minutes.
Defrizzing Your Hair
Here's how to avoid frizzy hair:
1. Shampoo and Condition
Wash hair, concentrating on the scalp, using a low-detergent shampoo
(the tip-off is that it doesn't lather very much, but when in doubt, buy
formula for fine hair). Rinse and apply conditioner, leave it in for a
few minutes, and rinse with cool water. Then press - don't rub - wet
hair with a towel. Comb your hair gently with a wide-tooth comb.
2. Apply Styling Products
While hair is still soaking wet, rub a blob of silicone gel, cream, or
serum between your palms and run hands down the length of hair to seal
the cuticles shut. The coarser the hair, the heavier and richer the
product should be. To make sure every strand is coated from the roots to
the ends, pin up the top layers of hair and smooth gel or serum on the
bottom layers first.
3. Dry
If you have curly hair and want to wear it natural, let it air-dry, or
blow-dry it using a diffuser. Hold the dryer so that the diffuser
cradles hair from below. To wear hair straight, divide it into
two-inch-wide sections. Blow-dry each one on high from roots to ends,
using a metal barrel or boar-bristle brush and pointing the nozzle down.
To reseal cuticles, use just serum or pomade on dry hair.
Tricks Of The Trade
Shampoo only every other day - since detergent inflates the hair shaft
and roughs up cuticles. On alternative days, rinse hair and condition only
the ends. This helps to get rid of frizz
To clean hair without fluffing frizz-prone ends, New York hairstylist
River Lloyd recommends applying shampoo only at the crown.
After blowing hair straight, switch the dryer to a cool setting for a
few seconds, and blow each section again.
When applying conditioner to your hair comb through BEFORE rinsing
out. That way it will get to the roots and into every strand of hair also
prevents frizzy hair and split ends.
Static electricity causes frizzy hair...Rub a small amount of VO 5 in your hands and
apply to your hair. Comb or brush through. (Use very little, less is more
in this case or you'll end up with an "environmental oil slick.")
Swimmers can control the amount of chlorine absorption in their
hair by applying VO 5 to the hair and combing through before swimming.
Mash up an avocado with a tablespoon of olive oil
and a tsp of baking powder. Mix this until well combined and then work
the mixture through your hair. Leave on for 15 minutes and rinse well.
Your hair needs Vitamin E for shine? You can get
this much needed vitamin by incorporating brown rice, nuts, wheat germ
and leafy green vegetables into your diet.
Boost the shine.....Once your hair is completely
dry, finish it off with a cool blast of air to seal the cuticle. The
reason? If the cuticles are ragged, there is no shine.
Full Hair
Tips for a fuller head of hair
Try a little scalp massage to stimulate hair
growth. It not only feels wonderful, it's good for you, too
Towel your hair dry and then it pull up on the top
of your head. Secure with a fat "elastic" (that won't damage or crease
your hair ) and then blow dry the scalp hair until it is dry.
Apply mousse or gel just at the roots. This
will give more volume without weighing hair down.
Light teasing always works too, just don't do it
too often, it can break tender hair shafts.
Oily Hair
Natural care for oily hair: bring body and life back
to your hair with these cleaning tips. (bodycare).
IF THE SEBACEOUS GLANDS ON your scalp produce a lot of
oil, your hair will be oily. People with fine hair tend to have more
glands on their scalps and thus have greater chances of having oily
hair.
A good way to remove excess oil is to spike your
shampoo with Epsom salts, sold in drugstores.
Mix 2 to 3 teaspoons Epsom salts and
1/2 cup of a liquid shampoo in a plastic container.
Thoroughly massage 1 tablespoon of this mixture
into your dry hair (applying the mixture to dry hair will help it soak
up more oil).
Rinse.
When pressed for time, use either of these two
natural shampoos straight (both are formulated for oily hair):
Aubrey Organics Egyptian
Henna Shampoo ($8 for 8 ounces; 800-282-7394) and
Pure Essentials Citress
Shampoo ($4.99 for 17 ounces; 800-222-6720).
After shampooing, skip conditioner, or condition only
the ends of your hair. An occasional lemon juice rinse after shampooing
will also help remove excess oil. Mix the juice of one lemon and 1 cup
of lukewarm water, and pour over your hair. After 10 minutes, rinse with
cool water.
Dry Hair
Hair normally has a moisture content of approximately
10%. If your hair’s moisture content drops below this level the key is
to increase the hair’s ability of attract and retain moisture. This is
accomplished by using moisturizers.
Good ones have "humectants" that not only replace lost
moisture but actually attract moisture and retain it in the cortex of
the hair. Essential fatty aids (EFA’s) are great moisturizers. One of
the best and most cost effective essential fatty acids is safflower oil.
It is the kind you can buy to cook with. It is rich in EFA’s.
The scalp produces the best EFA’s called sebum. The
problems is once the hair grows past the neck line or does not have
direct contact with the scalp the scalps natural oils can not be
utilized throughout the hair shaft.
You can manually replace the lost EFA’s by:
Placing 1 or 2 drops of safflower oil in your palms
and rub them together.
There should only be enough to make your hands
"shine" in the light.
Carefully take your hair (while dry) and "scrunch"
the small amount of oil to the ENDS first and work toward the scalp.
Leave this in your hair.
1-2 drops of safflower oil on dry hair is so small,
you won’t notice it is there.
Doing the above as often as necessary will ensure your
dry hair will have the proper amount of humectants to attract and retain
moisture. The key is that a small amount will go a long way.
Volume
Try a little scalp massage to stimulate hair
growth.
It not only feels wonderful, it's good for you, too
Bigger volume of hair
Do you have long hair and you'd like more volume?
Towel your hair dry and then it pull up on the top
of your head. Secure with a fat "elastic" (that won't damage or crease
your hair ) and then blow dry the scalp hair until it is dry.
This will give you plenty of volume with little
effort.
How To Brush Long
Hair
Bend forward, allowing hair to fall.
Using only a wooden base natural bristle brush,
bring hair from the nape of the neck over the head and down to the
ends.
Stand straight again with hair falling normally and
brush from the underside of the hairline down the strands to the ends.
Now, brush the top layers into place with long,
even strokes. After each stroke, smooth hair with hands to reduce
static.
Increase the number of strokes weekly, starting
with five and increasing by one a week until you find a comfortable
routine.
If oiliness develops, reduce strokes.
Brush only when dry. Hair is weakest when it is wet
and brushing can easily damage it. Even when hair is dry, always comb
before brushing.
Dandruff?
Some are of the opinion that at the early stages of
hair loss, dandruff begins to increase. However, an increase in the
amount of dandruff does not necessarily mean that there is a
"cause-effect" relationship resulting in the thinning of hair.
You should think of excessive dandruff as a warning sign as far as the
health of the hair is concerned.
Dandruff is made up of bits of dead skin that peel
away from the scalp as a result of the effects of metabolism.
Normally, dandruff, in its early stages of growth, is not visible to
the naked eye. It becomes visible only after enlarging into pieces of
dead skin (what we normally call "dandruff") as a result of the
propagation of bacteria and/or problems with seborrhoeic scalp
conditions.
Persons suffering from prolonged dandruff are said
to have a dandruff ailment. This type of ailment, accompanied by
itchiness, can lead to eczema if it worsens. Suppressing the
propagation of bacteria is one means of dealing with fatty dandruff.
This is because bacteria is one of the causes of this condition.
If possible, try to shampoo on a daily basis to
prevent bacterial propagation. One effective means of dealing with
dandruff is to disinfect the scalp area with commercially available
medicated shampoos specifically designed for dandruff removal.
However, daily shampooing can lead to eczema for persons who suffer
from dry scalps. Shampooing once every three days may be ideal for
such persons.
Persons who suffer from persistent, hard-to-cure
dandruff are urged to consult a skin specialist.
Hair Colors
Coloring your hair is perhaps the quickest and most
dramatic way to change your look.
There are two types of hair dyes: permanent and
semi-permanent, with variations of each. A) Permanent Tints:
Must be mixed with hydrogen peroxide to lift hair color. The
higher the level of peroxide, the quicker and lighter the result. B) Semi-Permanent Colors:
They don't actually lift the color - you can either vary the tone within
your natural highlights or go darker. This means that the color
can last up to 20 washes and will softly fade as you shampoo, causing no
regrowth problem. C) Semi-Permanent Vegetable Colors:
Contain only vegetable extracts and natural ingredients, so no color is
stripped from your hair. This color sits on the hair's surface and
will wash out after about 8 shampoos.
Different coloring methods suit different hair styles,
so get some expert advice when deciding which one to go for...
Skin Tone: Your new hair color should complement your skin tone.
Light-skinned people don't look good with very dark hair because it
draws color out of their skin. Dark, tanned skin doesn't look great when
mixed with a one-tone blonde, but four or five blonde, chestnut or honey
tones look fabulous.
BLONDE: If you would love to be blonde, talk the process
through with your colorist before you go for it.
Never attempt this kind of dye job on your own for the first time.
RED:Red is the ultimate sexy shade. Hair holds on to red
pigments well, so going copper-top can be easy for most people.
BROWN:Brunette is always a safe choice as it suits nearly every
girl in town. Varying the shade with highlights can achieve a huge
range of looks.
BLACK:This is by far the easiest color to accomplish because
the molecules in black tints are larger and will cover all hair types
very effectively. Caution is needed when using black as it only tends
to look good on people with darker and olive skin tones. it's great
for getting the goth look, but definitely not for your granny.
Some popular coloring questions:
Will coloring my hair damage it?
Only if the wrong level of peroxide is used or you are over-processing
(too many permanent colors are applied) your hair. If you constantly
change your hair color , especially if you go from blonde to brown and
back to blonde, you must regularly use deep conditioning treatments.
Why can colored hair look dull?
Over-processing is the biggest reason. If your hair is starting to
look dull, use semi-permanent colors where the pigments sit on top of
the hair adding plenty of tone and shine.
What's better for my hair, semi-permanent or
permanent color?
Semi-permanent color give your hair a higher shine and enhance
condition, but they won't lift natural hair color. Also, a
semi-permanent tint will not cover large amount of grey hair (more
than 50%).
If a permanent tint is used correctly, you will always achieve a
beautiful effect and semi-permanent tints can be used to maintain
these permanent treatments, adding condition.
