Prologue
Before stepping into the shower, comb your hair lightly with a wide-toothed comb to untangle knots. This aligns the strands and prevents your getting out of the shower with a lot of knots. Begin at the ends and slowly work your way up. Never try to rip through tangles from top to bottom. You'll end up with a clump of hair on your comb that could have been avoided if only you'd had some patience!
Water
The temperature of the water you use while washing your hair should ideally not be warmer than room temperature. In fact, the best thing would be to use the lowest temperature you can bear. Too cold for you? Well, hair is not sensitive, so you could at least bend over and give the lower part of your hair a final rinse with cold water.
Why cold water?
Because cold water helps the hair scales lie down flat, making them stronger. On the other hand warm water opens the hair scales not only causing more frizz but also making the hair shaft weaker and more vulnerable. In addition, the scalp secretes certain oils that are good for the hair. These oils get dissolved in warm water, causing further dryness. Cold water does not dissolve the natural oils. So make the healthy-hair choice and go in for cold water! Brrrrr
Shampooing your hair
Start washing your hair at the scalp, because that's where grease accumulates. Gently massage the shampoo into your hair with your fingertips. It is a good idea to dilute the shampoo in a little water in a mug and then massage it on your scalp. This way the shampoo is even gentler on the hair.
- While applying shampoo to your locks, leave them hanging down instead of piling them on top of your head as though you're posing for a shampoo commercial. Piling up your hair only leads to more tangles. Let it hang naturally so the lather works its way from the root to the ends.
- Try not to churn your hair too much. Work the shampoo gently so the strands don't get untangled and result in unbearable knots. If you have long hair, apply shampoo to your scalp, divide it into sections, and massage each section gently with the shampoo from roots to ends.
Go gentle while rinsing
- The best way to wash out shampoo is to keep combing it with your wide toothed comb while rinsing it out under the shower. This helps in the de-tangling process and also helps the shampoo to rinse out better. While you rinse your hair, do not rub it harshly. Hair is at its most fragile state when it's being rinsed. The correct way is to just simply let water run down your hair.
- Remember, it's best to rinse hair under running water. Dunking it in a tub is not so effective as residue may still remain. You have to make sure you've rinsed out all the shampoo. Once you are fairly certain it's all gone, stay under the flow of water for another half minute or so, to be doubly sure. Wrap your hair in a soft,absorbent towel - and voila! You're done!
DANDRUFF TREATMENT FOR HOME
Causes of Dandruff
Dandruff, also known as scruff, is due to excessive shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp. It is quite normal for the skin cells of the scalp to die and flake off. A normal quantity of skin flaking is quite natural, but when the flaking becomes excessive due to some irritation or some skin allergy then it needs attention. There is no convincing reason yet whether some foods like sugar or yeast or excessive perspiration can cause or increase dandruff. If you have some fungal infection, that can cause dandruff or flaking of the skin. Another cause of dandruff could be cold weather, cold weather makes the skin dry and causes it to flake and shed which in turn causes dandruff. Some kind of food allergy can also be a cause of dandruff. Even nutritional deficiency can be one of the major causes of dandruff. Deficiency of B-complex vitamins or omega 3 fatty acids and other such vitamins can also cause flaking of the skin. Excessive use of hair gels, hair sprays or other chemicals such as hair coloring chemicals can also cause roughness of the scalp and cause it to shed skin.
Dandruff Cure
How to get rid of dandruff? There are a lot of ways to treat dandruff. It can be controlled and prevented from increasing. Dandruff cure could be categorized as follows:
External dandruff treatment: External treatment includes using anti-dandruff shampoos or using anti-fungal shampoos. Even massaging the scalp with certain specific oils can help reduce the flaking of the scalp.
Nutritional dandruff treatment: Nutritional treatment includes eating good nutritious food. An intake of lot of liquids to keep your skin supple helps. Eating a lot of fruits and juices and eating a balanced diet helps in avoiding the occurrence of dandruff. Take a proper sleep of 7-8 hours. All the above methods help in treating dandruff to some extent. Having food rich in B-complex would also help. Avoiding excess of salt, sugar and alcohol also helps.
Relaxation dandruff treatment: Treatments like meditation and yoga help the body and mind to relax which in turn leads to reduction of stress. By reducing stress also we could control the skin from flaking.
Allopathic dandruff treatment: Then there are certain allopathic treatments for the cure of dandruff. By consulting a skin specialist or a physician you could take certain oral medicines and drugs which could help treat dandruff.
Naturopathy dandruff treatments: Various home made natural treatments are available for curing dandruff. These can be easily done at home and help keep dandruff at bay when done at regular intervals. Some recipes are provided in the following section.
Home Remedies for Dandruff
The following are recipes for some simple dandruff treatments that you can do at home. All ingredients are readily available in any common household.
Dandruff Prevention
It is difficult to find a 100% dandruff cure. But we can definitely prevent dandruff. It is basically a natural process of skin drying and flaking but when it gets excessive it becomes a cause of concern. Eat healthy nutritious food. Avoid oily and fried food items. These increase the problem of dandruff. Do not expose your skin to too much sun because its rays could harm the skin and the hair texture. Also, too much cold is not good for the skin as it has the chance of drying up and in turn causing dandruff. Extreme climatic conditions should be avoided. Wash your hair at least twice a week. Always keep your scalp clean. Use a fine toothed comb. A balanced diet in food and proper intake of liquids keeps the skin and hair healthy hence avoiding drying and dandruff. Then even relaxing techniques such as meditation reduces stress and therefore helps as a dandruff treatment. Using proper shampoos and not exposing hair to too many chemicals will help hair and scalp to remain in a natural state. So by taking a little care of health and skin we can definitely help prevent dandruff.
How To Color Your Hair At Home Properly
The principal use of hair dying is to cover gray hair but nowadays many women and men color their hair to alter their natural hair color, to create decorative effect and create highlights. Coloring the hair is probably the quickiest way to change your look and enhance your hairstyle. Some women choose to change their color entirely (from blond to brown) while others take a two-tone approach. Nowadays many women and men prefer to color their hair at home and of course there is nothing wrong in doing so but before you dye your hair for the first time you should be well-prepared and educated in order to avoid damaging your hair.
Sometimes hair coloring can seriously damage your hair. Anytime chemicals are misused the chance of breakage and damage is almost 100 percent sure. The chemicals that the hair dye contains make changes in the texture and structure of the hair and if misused the hair coloring can make your hair drier, lifeless and brittle.
Bleaching the hair for instance can be very damaging for your hair, especially if the bleaching agent is very stronger (hydrogen peroxide, ammonia), since bleaching strips away the natural pigments and oils in your hair. Bleaching hair always reduces hair’s elasticity, leaving it prone to looking dry, lifeless and frazzled.
There are different types of hair dyes:
Permanent hair color – a permanent hair color must be always mixed with hydrogen peroxide, ammonia. There ingredients open the hair cuticles and this way the permanent color penetrates the hair shaft and lightens the natural color of the hair. Permanent hair color breaks down the hair cuticles and deposit pigment into the hair shaft. It may cause damage and dryness to the hair, since it penetrates deeply into the hair shaft. Permanent color will last until the next time you dye your hair.
Semi-permanent hair colors – semi-permanent colors contain low percentage of hydrogen peroxide. The color usually last up to 20/ 30 days. Semi permanent color covers only the surface of the hair shaft and doesn’t lighten the hair. It simply enriches the natural hue of the hair. The semi-permanent dye is great for those who want to experiment with different colors. It can only darken the hair.
Natural dyes:
Henna – henna adds color to the hair with a gentle and natural approach. Henna doesn’t alter the structure of the hair but it does condition and nourish the hair, as it doesn’t contain synthetic chemicals. It works great to color red or reddish brown hair.
Other alternatives:
Color enhancing shampoos – they contain certain colors, give highlights and impart color tones to the hair. These shampoos don’t contain peroxide, ammonia or bleaching agent that can damage the hair. Color enhancing shampoos should be used once or twice a week in order to deposit color into the hair. They are a great choice to keep hair color vibrant and to make your hair color last longer.
Hair color sprays – they can be used to temporarily highlight a few strands, do a “chunking” effect, touch up re-growth, cover gray, spray the tips of spiked hair or radically become a complete blonde.
HOW TO COLOR YOUR HAIR AT HOME:
To color your hair you will need:
- A hair dying kit
- A bowl
- Brush
- Wide-toothed comb
- An old towel
- Latex gloves
- Vaseline, almond oil or petroleum jelly
Hair Care with Home Recipes
Herbal Shampoo
For this I generally use castile soap. This is a very pure and mild liquid soap made from olive and coconut oils and is very good for the hair and skin. Unfortunately any shampoo made by this method will be very runny; I haven't yet worked out a way to thicken the shampoo satisfactorily. I keep mine in a plastic bottle; when I have to use it I squeeze some shampoo into the lid and pour it onto the top of my head.Basic Castile Shampoo
Mix 1 part liquid castile soap to 2 parts herbal infusion. Add 1 tsp glycerin per 200 ml shampoo, if desired; it facilitates mixing, also 1 capsule of St. John’s Wort. (promote hair growth!)
Shampoo for Blondes: use chamomile or calendula marigold infusion
Shampoo for Brunettes: use rosemary or sage infusion
For Oily Hair: use yarrow, lemon balm, thyme or lemongrass infusion.
For Dry Hair: use chamomile, red clover, comfrey or chamomile infusion.
For all hair types: parsley, linden (lime flower), rosemary or nettle.
Essential oils can also be added to shampoos, both for scent and for their herbal properties. Some to try are: rosemary, basil, marjoram, lemongrass, lemon and lavender.
Herbal shampoo
2 tablespoons catnip
1 tablespoon castile soap
1/4 cup boiling water
Place boiling water in a cup and add catnip. Allow to steep for 10 minutes. Add castile soap to cup. Mix well. Apply entire portion to wet hair and lather well. Rinse with cool water.
A natural shampoo combination using honey, for dry, damaged or treated hair:
2 cups liquid castile soap (lavender from a health food store is best)1/2 half cup of honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon vitamin B liquid.
Blend and use one teaspoon per washing massaging into the scalp.
Back to Contents.
Conditioners
Apple Cider Vinegar Conditioner
The best conditioner you can use after a gentle herbal shampoo is a weak vinegar rinse. Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a liter of water and use this as the final rinse. It works even better if you can catch the run-off in a bowl and use the vinegar water several times. It restores the PH balance of the hair and leaves all hair types soft and shining. Use the following herbal vinegar recipe to add the properties of herbs to your rinse.
Herbal Vinegar for Hair
Fill a jar or bottle about half full with a combination of some or all of the following herbs: rosemary, sage, chamomile, catnip, yarrow, lemon peel, orange peel, basil, lavender. Fill the bottle or jar to the top with vinegar - use a good quality apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar. Seal and shake every day for a few weeks. Strain and use a tablespoonful in your final rinsing water.
Essential Oil Conditioner
After towel drying the hair, put a few drops of rosemary oil in the palm of your hand. Coat your brush or comb with the oil by rubbing it in your palm, and comb the hair with it. Rosemary oil is very good for the hair, and the strong green scent fades as the hair dries. As it is a volatile oil, it does not leave the hair oily. You can mix the rosemary oil with either lavender or basil oil.
Hot Oil Treatment for Damaged Hair
This is to be used before shampooing, once a week. Simply warm a little olive or coconut oil with vitamin E and apply to the scalp; work well through the hair to the tips. Wrap head in a warm damp towel (dip it in hot water and wring out) and then in a large shower cap to prevent loss of heat. If the towel cools down, reheat it. Leave on for 20 minutes and then shampoo well.
Hot-oil hair treatment
3 tablespoons pure jojoba oil
2 capsules of vitamin E
Warm the jojoba oil and apply it to your hair, starting at the ends and working up to the top of head. Wrap hair in a towel and relax for an hour, or leave the oil in overnight. Rinse and shampoo hair as usual. Do once a week, more often if your hair is extremely dry.
Yogurt Conditioner for Dry and Flyaway Hair
Whisk together 4 tablespoons of natural, unflavored yogurt and 1 egg. Apply after shampoo and massage thoroughly into the hair, leaving on at least 5 minutes. Rinse out thoroughly with plenty of lukewarm water (not too hot, or you'll end up with cooked egg in your hair!)
Leave-in conditioner for dry hair
handful of fresh rosemary
handful of fresh mint leaves
1 cup cider vinegar
In a glass jar with a lid, drop the rosemary and mint leaves and cover with the cider vinegar. Seal the jar and leave for two weeks. Strain the potion. After shampooing, pour a tablespoon onto dry hair and leave in.
Conditioner for oily hair
1 lemon
1/4 cup cider vinegar
Wash, slice, and de-seed the lemon. Whir lemon in a blender to a smooth pulp. Filter through muslin. Mix with the cider vinegar. After shampooing, blot hair with a towel and rub lemon-vinegar mixture into scalp. Leave on 5-10 minutes, then rinse with cool water.
Conditioner for fine hair
2 strips kombu (Japanese seaweed)
3/4 cups boiled spring water
Steep kombu in spring water for 30 minutes. Remove the seaweed. After shampooing, massage into hair. Rinse.
Hair Egg Conditioner
1 teaspoon baby oil
1 egg yolk
1 cup water
1 egg yolk
1 cup water
Beat the egg yolk until its frothy, add the oil then beat again. Add to the water. Massage into the scalp and throughout your hair. Rinse well.
Hair Conditioner One
Combine mashed avocado with some coconut milk. Comb it through the hair and let sit for 10 -15 minutes, rinse out.
Hair Conditioner Two
Mayonnaise is a great conditioner for dry hair.
Depending on the length of your hair, apply approximately 1/2 cup of mayonnaise to your dry hair. Work into hair really well and then cover your hair with a plastic bag, allowing to set for about 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and then shampoo as usual.
Dandruff elixir
4 or 5 drops tea tree oil
1 tablespoon jojoba oil
2 capsules of vitamin E
In a glass jar with a tight lid, combine ingredients. Shake well. After sectioning wet hair, dab mixture onto a clean cotton wad and stroke along the scalp. Wrap hair in a towel and let sit for 2 hours. Work shampoo into hair with a little water to remove oil. Rinse.
Dry Brittle Hair Treatment4 or 5 drops tea tree oil
1 tablespoon jojoba oil
2 capsules of vitamin E
In a glass jar with a tight lid, combine ingredients. Shake well. After sectioning wet hair, dab mixture onto a clean cotton wad and stroke along the scalp. Wrap hair in a towel and let sit for 2 hours. Work shampoo into hair with a little water to remove oil. Rinse.
1/2 c Mayonnaise
Shampoo, few drops
Luke warm water
Shampoo, few drops
Luke warm water
2 capsules of vitamin E
1 Teaspoon of vitamin A
For conditioning dry, brittle hair. Mix mayonnaise with shampoo add enough lukewarm water to mix. Apply to hair after a regular shampoo. Leave on 10 minutes and then shampoo out.
Back to Contents.For conditioning dry, brittle hair. Mix mayonnaise with shampoo add enough lukewarm water to mix. Apply to hair after a regular shampoo. Leave on 10 minutes and then shampoo out.
Herbal Rinses
Hair can be kept soft and shiny with herbal rinses. Pour the infusion over the hair after washing it and rinsing thoroughly. It's even better to use a bowl to catch the infusion in as it runs off the hair, and to pour it over the hair several times. Regular use of some of these infusions will add tints and highlights to the hair.
For Brunette Hair: Use an infusion of rosemary, sage, parsley or catnip. Rinsing with a pot of black tea will darken the hair if used over a period of time, and a tablespoonful of lemon juice in the final rinse will eventually add highlights.
For Blonde Hair: Use an infusion of chamomile or marigold. A tablespoonful of lemon juice in the final rinse will help lighten the hair over time, but also tends to be drying.
For all hair colors and types: Yarrow, catnip, nettle and parsley make excellent rinses to improve shine and condition.
Remove Hair Build-up
1/4 cup vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup water
After conditioning the hair use this as a final rinse. Leaves your hair soft and shiny.
Remove Conditioner Buildup
Baking soda removes conditioner build-up from your hair. Rub in and rinse thoroughly, then shampoo with your regular shampoo.
Hair Restoration
In this modern world where different hair treatments have come up to provide you with compliments, numerous hair restoration procedures are one of the best options to treat your hair. In cosmetic world this is a great business which earns large amount of money. Hair fall and hair loss have been known as one of the major problems which almost all men and women experience. You too get such conditions and coping with this problem sometimes becomes so difficult. Though there are many healing processes which you try to fight with the situation, you experience failure and ultimately become depressed. You may try the modern techniques of hair loss restoration and you will be definitely helpful
Why hair loss happens?
Hair loss happens due to many reasons and one of the main cause of this problem is the genetic cause. If your gene carries this condition, you may face this in great extent. Genetic reason is all about your family history. When any close or sometimes not so close member of the family possess this problem, there is much chances to fall under this hair problem and you need proper medical care to get rid of the situation. However, hormones also create great effect and such imbalance of hormone can be treated by regular checkup of hormone levels. Also stress, inactive lifestyle also influence in great way to experience hair loss or baldness. Different hair restoration techniques would help you a lot.
Hair restoration medicines
You may find good quantity of drugs to help with medical hair restoration which have been approved by the FDA. If you are curious to know about the basic treatments of male pattern baldness, you may get minoxidil and finasteride. The reputed brand name Rogaine provides minoxidil and finasteride comes under the brandname of Propecia. These two medicines are often prescribed by dermatologists to treat male pattern baldness. Usually you will find good availability of minoxidil around the globe. It is basically a cream that is used on the scalp of the patient. If you are taking this medicine your dermatologist would advise you to get it twice a day on your scalp. But the worse part is that this cream does not work best for every one who suffers from hair loss problem. Otherwise for those people who have got good response from minoxidil, it is a wonderful healing option. The medicine helps you to control falling hair and contributes in good hair growth. However, when you stop using the cream it also stops its effects and you won't get any new hair to cover your baldness.
Finasteride is also fantastic in providing hair growth. When you start using this medicine you feel slow progress but it helps you wonderfully in handling the condition. Survey says that many men apply this medicine to improve their appearance. But without proper prescription it may bring harm because such drugs are highly associated with your hormone level. Excessive use may affect on your sexual health.
Hair restoration surgical procedures
Hair transplant: Today almost every body has heard about hair transplantation. It is a modern technique in which the cosmetic surgeon collects hair from the back or side head ( the place where the patient has good growth of hair) and the hair is planted in the bald area. The process is really helpful.
Scalp reduction: In this technique some bald area is eliminated and the hair-bearing skin is stretched to fill the spot.
Skin flap: The process is done by cutting a flap of hair-bearing skin. It is collected from the scalp area and used in covering the bald portion of your head.
Haircuts
Is your haircut worrying you? Are you thinking about a new haircut or hair style but do not know what is good for you? Then consult a hair stylist or hair dresser. Get tips on various hair cuts and styles for your hair and have a great look to surprise your friends, relatives and everybody around.
Imagine a bad hair day, you are standing in front of your mirror and fighting with your unkempt and rough hair, trimming to comb the curls in place. Don't worry and call your hairdresser or go to a beauty saloon. When you come out of the door, you will be a complete different person. A haircut has made that magic possible. It is this craving for a new style and look that induces us to try various types of hair cuts. Had it not been so, we would have looked unruly and unkempt and our hair would have grown kilometers and weighed kilos by the time we would have reached our thirties. One full day would have spent in cleansing, freshening and brushing our hair. The worst part would be lice walking into our hair if our hair is not maintained properly and unhygienic.
God bless the hair stylists and hair dressers! Had it not been for them, we would have had meters of hair on our head. Imagine the tough time we would have faced to groom our hair and maintain hygiene of the scalp. Apart from the style statement and fashion symbols that are associated with hair cuts, one should also go for hair cuts on a regular basis. Having a good hair is a part of personal hygiene and scalp cleanliness. Hairstyles are now considered to be one of the most vital fashion statements. Your facial appearance is perhaps best projected in a hair cut. Hair cuts bring out your personality and charm. So, better consult a hairstylist and have a great hair cut.
Choose from a wide range of haircuts according to your appearance and style. Hair cut looks different in different people due to the skull size and structure. The length and texture of the hair is another factor. Some people have silky and straight hair while some have frizzy and curly hair. Your hair cut should match the hair texture.
A wide range of hair cutting styles are available for our convenience. You can choose from short haircuts, medium haircuts, long haircuts, bob haircuts, layered haircuts, emo haircuts, cute haircuts, curly haircuts and so on according to your appearance and preferences. While getting that haircut, you should be confident enough to carry that style that you are opting for.
You will find that nearly all career women have a preference for shorter haircut as they feel it comfortable to maintain, particularly where time is a major concern. Now there is very less time to spend unnecessary time brushing out knots. So as an alternative they just make their fingers work through, whenever necessary.
For men, while the teenagers and models have a preference to grow their hair, others wish the small crop. And the most recent fashion is the retro Beatles look, which has no unique shape.
Consider cuts for children. The traditional army cut or short cropped hair cut is the most popular cut among boys, irrespective of whether he likes it or not. In case of girls, some flexibility is allowed because the hair needs to kept neat and in order according to school discipline.
So, go to your hair dresser today and get that prized haircut to become a person of desire and enjoy that prized look.
Homemade Shampoo
Shampoo is a hair care product which is used for the removing the oils, dirt, skin particles, environmental pollution and other contaminant particles that gradually build up in hair. The goal is to remove the unwanted build-up without stripping out so much as to make hair unmanageable. When shampoo is combined with water, is a surfactant, which is cleaning the hair and scalp, can remove the natural oils which lubricate the hair shaft. Shampooing is frequently used by conditioners which increase the ease of combing and styling.and gives good look to the hair.
Drawbacks of shampoos:
Drawbacks of shampoos:
- Silicones is now commonly used in all Shampoos. These silicones are added to give the appearance of the hair to be more soft and shiny by coating the hair shaft. Basically it reflects the light and gives it a silky "feel", but silky glittering that you're feeling and seeing is not your hair.It is creating a obstacle so that your scalp can't breathe and your hair can't absorb the natural oils produced by the scalp. These natural oils are important if you desire true healthy and strong hair. It can also sometimes play a part in hair loss or excess falling of the hair.
- Sodium lauryl sulfate is a detergent that contains group of synthetic, organic, liquid or water-soluble cleaning agents most frequently used in shampoos. sodium lauryl sulfate can be drying and harsh for the hair and cause eye irritation, allergic reactions, and hair loss.
- Shampoo is like strong medicine and it can be only needs to be used twice a week to keep dandruff and itching under control.
Some of the ways to prepare the Homemade Shapoos:
Egg Shampoo In a bowl, take one large egg separated. Beat egg white until foamy. Now blend the yolk followed by the castile soap. Wet hair with warm water. First massage half of the egg shampoo into scalp. Rinse well then massage remaining shampoo into scalp. Leave on hair about 1 min. Rinse thoroughly the hair with warm water.
Another Homemade Egg Shampoo
Take one egg and add one tsp of olive oil, lemon juice and one tsp of castile soap. along with that add some half cup of water or herbal tea. if possible add some drop of fragrant essential oil of your choice of flavors which you like. After that combine all the elements which is specified and whip until it get smooth. Now the shampoo is ready and you can rinse the hair with warm water after applying the shampoo thoroughly to the hair. You can use the remaining shampoo for next wash by keeping it in the refrigerator.
Add a quarter cup of your favourite tea which is strongly distilled.and add 8 oz of castile soap . Now stir this liquid over low heat until well blended.store it in a capped bottle.
Home-made shampoo for Dandruff Treatment Take the herbs in the bowl and pour 2/3 cup of boiling water. Then allow to steep for 20 minutes by covering the bowl. After that pour it into the bottle an add 2/3 of cider vinegar and shake well. Then keep it in a cool dry place.
Now take a head bath using this shampoo and rinse the hair thoroughly. Massage little amount into the scalp.
Massage it into scalp with a small amount before going to the bed. Dandruff can be eliminate by this shampoo easily.
