Archive for July 14th, 2006
Hair is usually the first thing someone will notice about you. Your hair as well as providing cover for an otherwise bald head, has the power to transform your entire look.
It shapes your face, and the right cut can bring out your best features. Mostly, however, it reveals much about your personality.
As most of us can attest to, feeling negative about our hair can powerfully affect our mood and confidence. Psychologists have demonstrated that when people are happy with their hair they feel smarter, more capable, less embarrassed, and more sociable.
How then are you to have the best hair you possibly can?
The condition of your scalp plays a central role in determining how good it looks. Over stimulation of the oil glands due to stress, vitamin deficiency, poor diet, and sweat gives your hair greasy clumps at the roots, which attract dirt quickly. Oily hair is best treated by shampooing often with a gentle shampoo. Dry hair is generally caused by a combination of genetics and environmental factors such as sun, salt, and chlorine that deplete your scalp of fatty acids and other necessary nutrients. Over processing can also cause hair to look dull, break easily, get frizzy, or be prone to split ends. Use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner to bring your dry hair back to life. Shampoo every other day or daily with a gentle shampoo to keep your hair looking great.
Once you have your hair in top condition all that remains for you to do is choose a great style for your hair.
To aid you in selecting a new style we’re offering a free trial of the Stellure Hair Style Studio, or become a member and visualize a new you.
July 14th, 2006
All the hairstyles you find in the Stellure catalogue (in both the trial and member modes) have their own detailed styling instructions, but here are some more in-depth guidelines for several methods you will want to use.
Texturizing Hair
Apply a small amount of mousse (or styling balm or gel) evenly through partially dried hair to create volume and texture. Working from the underneath of the hair use your fingers to lift, tease and tousle the hair as you blow dry. Select small sections of hair, use your fingers to scrunch and apply heat. Direct the airflow of the dryer from the ends of your hair towards the roots to maximize fullness. If you prefer, you can use a dryer with a finger diffuser to give even more tousle. You can also use a small curling iron to touch up the ends if you wish. Then work molding or styling paste through with your fingers to create texture. Avoid using combs or brushes on the finished style to maintain absolute tousle.
Blowdrying Tricks and Tips for Smooth Hair
Towel dry your hair to remove excess moisture as your hair begins to take on its final shape when almost dry. By removing the worst of the moisture you will save yourself not only time, but also stress to your hair.
Apply your styling product evenly throughout your hair once you have removed the excess moisture.
Section your hair with clips. Pin the top layers out of the way and begin with the underneath sections. As your hair dries release more hair from the clips.
Ensure that you have fully dried the section you are working on before moving onto the next section. Failure to do this will result in your hair reverting to its natural state.
Direct the airflow from your dryer along the hair from the root to the end in order to achieve a smooth finish.
Make sure your hair has cooled before you remove your brush from a blowdried section of hair. If you do this, your blowdry will last longer as it is like using tongs or rollers. Leave the hair as it falls from the brush, only running your fingers or brush through it when all the hair is finished and cooled off.
To achieve that smooth silky look brush your hair with a large paddle brush. Spray with an oil or a gloss to prevent frizz and add extra shine.
Using Heated Rollers and Hot Sticks
Heated rollers and hot sticks need to be used on hair that is perfectly dry. It is also useful to remember that most hair types take heated curls better if the hair has not been washed recently. Hair should go around the roller one-and-a-half times to give lift and volume as well as to stop the roller from falling out. For every turn around the roller after that, you will get more and more curl and a tighter result.
• Spray the entire head with hairspray.
• Wait until the red light comes on, indicating that the set is ready (hot enough).
• Start at the crown and use the right size for your style.
• Use a fine-tooth comb to divide hair into even sections.
• Take the first section, comb it smooth and spraying it again before putting the first roller or stick into the hair.
• When rolling your hair, there is a basic rule that each section of hair should be narrower than the instrument - this will ensure the correct tension of hair and give you a better curl.
• If you are curling short hair, it is a good idea to use a paper between the roller or stick and the hair — this will help keep them in place.
• Roll the hair around the roller or stick and pull the ends until they disappear. This will avoid the ‘fish hook’ look.
• Don’t roll them too tight.
• Work you way down the back and then the sides.
• Finish with the ones at the front.
• The direction of the roller will determine the direction of the hair.
• For a spiral look to your curls, twist the section of hair before wrapping it around the roller.
• Once all of the rollers are set in place, sit still. It is often the movement that allows the rollers or sticks to slip and pull, splitting the hair.
• As soon as they are cool start removing the rollers or sticks in the same order that you put them in.
• Use the large ones to give body to a straight style.
• Use the medium for a bend or change of direction.
• Use the small one to give curl.
July 14th, 2006
Getting the haircut you really want is not as difficult as it sometimes seems. Here are some tips and tricks for working out which haircut will best suit you.
Considerations of your hair type and your style preferences are important when choosing a haircut. However, without doubt the most crucial determining factor in deciding whether or not a haircut will suit you is your face shape.
Determining your face shape is not as easy as it seems as many of us have incorrect preconceived notions about our face shapes. To guide you in determining your face shape use the Stellure Face Shape Wizard. Then you need to consider which style will be most flattering for you.
To make this job easier use the Stellure Hair Styler. Have a play with the free trial, or better yet become a member and literally visualize a new you with a 3D model of your own face.
Finding the Right Haircut for Your Face Shape
The Oval face is considered to be the ideal shape by hairdressers. People with an oval face shape can wear most styles and lengths with it still looking “right”. The oval face is mathematically 1.5 times as long as its width, with the forehead slightly wider than the jaw.
Round faces are characterised by a round chin. Because they lack the length of the oval face, the aim of a hairstyle should be to create the illusion of length in the face. This is achieved by creating height on top of the head, and minimising hair width — keeping it flat at the sides and around the ears.
Rectangular faces have a square chin and hairline, and are long and narrow. The aim of a haircut should be to create width at the sides to disguise the narrowness. A fringe can also shorten the face, and a side part will help to disguise the squareness.
Pear shaped faces have a narrow forehead and is widest at the jawline, with a round chin. The objective of a haircut should be to give the illusion of an oval face by creating width at the forehead and temples.
Heart shaped faces are widest at the temples and narrowest at the jawline. Usually they have a small delicate chin. The objective of the haircut is to create an oval by creating width at the jawline.
Diamond shaped faces are widest at the cheekbones and narrow in the forehead and chin. By creating width at the forehead and minimising width at the cheekbones, the illusion of an oval face can be achieved.
Square faces have a square jawline and the hairline at the forehead also tends to be square-shaped. They are ‘too short’, so a hairstyle should seek to create height to elongate the face. Hair should be layered around the face to soften the jawline. Hair should wisp around face to reduce squareness.
July 14th, 2006
Having the right prom hairstyle is a key element of a
beautiful prom night. The aim is to achieve the right balance between your dress, your hair, your make-up, and your accessories.
Sadly, many people do not give enough attention to their prom hairstyle even though they may spend days searching for the perfect dress, shoes, and lipstick. With prom hairstyles there are really no right or wrong answers, rather it is what makes you look your very best on the night.
Beautiful prom hairstyles are not necessarily only created in salons. Some styles can be easily achieved at home. If you do decide to pamper yourself and have a stylist do your hair then remember to make the appointment well in advance. Make the appointment 3-4 months before your night but be sure to make a note of the time (it is a good idea to ring and confirm the appointment 2 days before the date). It’s often a good idea to use your usual stylist for your prom hairstyle as they already know your hair and more importantly have an idea of your personality.
A prom hairstyle that you feel comfortable with and are confident wearing is essential. If you feel beautiful, chances are you will look beautiful. Don’t let a hair stylist or a friend talk you into something that you feel is inappropriate. What style is best for you will depend on how you see yourself, and how you want others to view you.
A prom hairstyle needs to complement your dress. While there are no hard and fast rules, here are some guidelines that you should consider.
• Think about what is the best hairstyle for your face shape. Become a Stellure member or try it for free. Use the Face Shape Wizard to determine your face shape.
• You should consider having a trial run. This way you can check that your dress, shoes, hair, and accessories all work together.
• If you have a picture of the prom hairstyle you want take it along to the hairstylist with you, or you can use a print-out from Stellure.
• If you are wearing a dress that has a high or a fussy neckline, then it is often best to wear your hair up if you have medium length or long hair. Because the neck of your dress is such a feature, you will want to keep your hair simple and elegant.
• Match the style of your dress and the style of your hair. If you are wearing a timeless elegant gown opt for a classic hairstyle such as a French roll. If you are wearing a funky dress then try some funky updos.
• Continue the line of your dress all the way up to your head. If you are wearing a dress that has a soft and floating skirt then think about wearing your medium-long length hair down. The movement of your hair will complement the movement in your skirt. On the other hand, if you are wearing a stiff skirted ballgown style dress than an updo will best complement this style.
July 14th, 2006
Your hairstyle tells the world a great deal about you. It speaks volumes about your lifestyle, your perception of yourself, your sense
of fashion and style, and your likes and dislikes. It can also help define your mood (or mode) on any given day.
Despite the importance of hairstyles in aiding in the external definition of ourselves, an alarming number of people report having hairstyles they are less than happy with.
Why is it then that so many people are less than happy with their current style?
For the majority of people it is not lack of trying. Individuals pump literally billions of dollars a year into the salon industry in their elusive quest for that holiest of grails — a hairstyle that complements them, is fashionable, and that they are happy with. In the United States alone, the salon industry is a $45 billion industry. For the majority of us, having our 4-6 weekly cuts and colours in medium priced salons, the annual salon bill is somewhere between $750 and $2000.
Clearly, this is a lot of money to be parting with on an annual basis to be less than happy with the results. While there are no hard and fast formulas to finding your perfect hairstyle, there are some basic questions that you should ask yourself, and some basic rules of thumb that you should follow.
Analyze this
The first step to finding a style that is right for you is to answer these basic questions. Even if you have never received a hairstyle that you hate, chances are that you will have received a hair cut that you are unable to reproduce at home.
How much time do you have to spend on your hair on a daily basis?
Be honest about this one! There is no point having a stylist give you a hair cut that requires you to spend 45 minutes each morning achieving the desired look if you do not have the time. This question boils down to your lifestyle and you need to consider it carefully before choosing a hairstyle.
How much money do you wish to spend maintaining your hairstyle?
Some high maintenance hairstyles will not only require you to spend large amounts of time styling your own hair, they may also require frequent salon visits. Before you decide on a certain hairstyle, you should calculate the cost of maintaining that style and check whether you can sustain that expenditure.
July 14th, 2006