Archive for September 22nd, 2006
By Corinne Waldon
The decision to go from long to short hair is sometimes done with a lot of thought and sometimes done on a whim.
Whatever the reason, it is important to prepare for some transitioning, and to make the correct decisions with regards to your new style. Often a drastically short cut will be too short, and then you will have to wait for your hair to grow out again. To avoid this problem there are a few simple points to consider before going for the cut.
One option is to go to a medium length haircut before deciding to go any shorter. This allows you the chance to get used to shorter and shorter styles, without cutting too short the first time. Often women or men find out that medium length is just what they really wanted - long enough to pull back yet short enough to wear down and in a casual style if they want. For women that are used to the multitude of different looks and styles that can be accomplished with long or medium hair, they may find the shorter style to be a bit restrictive, whereas the medium length still gives lots of options.
If your best feature is your long hair, and that is what you feel good about and have other people recognize you by, is cutting your hair really right for you? The shorter style will be very drastic, and it may attract lots of positive or negative attention. Gradually going shorter will eliminate a lot of the stress of a cut, and allow people to get used to your new style. In addition, wearing your hair up or back for a while before the cut will help you decide if short is the look you are going for, as well as help your coworkers, family and friends adjust.
Short hair doesn’t have to mean just one style. By learning how to work with short hair you can have several different styles from casual to elegant. Try using some of the new hair fibers, muds, crèmes and other styling products to create new looks with your style. If you are unsure of how to start, try talking to your stylist and having him or her show you a few quick styles.
Your facial shape will also have a big impact on what length of hair looks best. For long faces, short hair can actually square out the face and lessen the appearance of length. Squarer shaped faces are softened and rounded with layering at the sides, but will appear more squarely shaped with the very short cuts. Bobs and blunt cuts look great on oval shaped faces, and depending on the length of the cut, different features can be accentuated. For example, if you wish to draw attention away from your cheeks try keeping the hair longer at the sides of the head, and more textured through the bang area. A professional stylist will be able to advise you on a cut that will suit your features.
Getting a short cut can help you get in style, change your traditional look, or even just do something new. To avoid any regrets, try going shorter in stages, rather than all at once. If you are not sure what you will look like with a shorter style, you can try on wigs that will help you “see” yourself with short hair, or else keep your hair pinned up or pulled back to get used to the idea. If you are getting a short cut just because it looks cute on a friend or a movie star, you may want to reconsider. If you are cutting your hair for you, and you feel that it will suit your face and busy lifestyle, then short is definitely an option.
For more articles by Corinne Waldon, visit Hair Styles and Haircuts, where you can find information and resources about hair cuts, hair dryers, curling irons, hair gel products and more.
September 22nd, 2006
People lose hair for various reasons. Illness and medication (like chemotherapy to treat cancer) can cause hair loss.
Hair loss can also be inherited from a parent. Often, hair thins because it is fine-textured — or because too many harsh chemicals have been used on it — so it breaks easily.
These are hair-care tips to help protect hair, prevent further hair loss, and add volume to your existing hair.
1. Try Coloring
If you inherited a tendency for hair loss, you likely have very healthy hair overall. Therefore, your hair can benefit from permanent or semi-permanent color to give body and volume to hair.
Medications can weaken hair, causing it to break or fall out. Semi-permanent color is good in this case, too, because it does not contain ammonia or peroxide. It will not damage hair, but will give it body and volume.
If your hair is fine-textured, semi-permanent or permanent color is fine, as long as it is professionally applied. Colored hair can easily get over-processed, which damages it, causing further hair loss.
2. Use Volumizing Products
Many volume-building hair products contain paraffin, which is beeswax. That’s not good for hair, because it builds up and can make hair break.
However, volumizing products sold in salons do help. They won’t weigh hair down, and they won’t damage it. Mousse, for example, can be applied at the root area for support. Then, begin blow-drying the root area, applying tension with a brush to build volume. Use a light finishing spray to hold it.
3. Shampoo and Condition Your Hair When Dirty
To protect hair, the best practice is to shampoo only when hair is dirty. Because fine hair gets dirty faster, people with fine-textured hair need to shampoo more frequently — even though fine hair breaks more easily.
For that reason, fine-textured hair benefits from a good shampoo and volume-building conditioner.
4. Find a Style That Suits Fine Hair
Blow dryers should not be a problem, even if you have fine hair. However, be very careful about putting high heat directly onto hair. Flat irons and curling irons can cause damage and breakage.
Because they contain very strong chemicals, curl-relaxing products are a no-no for fine hair.
5. Get a Permanent Wave
Permanents can help give volume to fine-textured hair — but hair must be healthy, not dry or brittle. Only a gentle body wave is advised, because tighter waves can damage the hair. Because chemicals in permanents are harsh, a permanent should be only a last resort for fine-haired people.
Again, make sure a professional stylist gives you your permanent, so that hair is not damaged.
September 22nd, 2006
Not all chemotherapy drugs cause hair loss; but after chemotherapy hair does grow back.
While some of the newer, more targeted chemotherapy drugs will not affect hair, the majority do cause hair loss. And unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do to prevent it. Depending on the drug, your hair may gradually thin before you lose all your hair — or you may lose it all at once.
For example:
• The breast cancer drug Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide) causes hair thinning but not hair loss.
• Adrucil (fluorouracil) does not cause hair loss.
• Adriamycin (doxorubicin) causes hair to thin during the first three weeks of treatment, then hair falls out.
• With Taxol (paclitaxel), there is very sudden hair loss; you will likely wake up one morning with your hair on your pillow.
To prepare themselves emotionally for the change, most patients have their hair cut before they start chemo. Others choose to have their heads shaved. Just be assured it will grow back.
Typically, within a few weeks after treatment ends, your hair will start growing back. If you’ve been using hair color or chemicals, your hair may be slower to grow back or may be more brittle.
What Does the New Hair Look Like?
As hair begins to grow back, it will have a different texture; it may be curlier than before. Six months or a year later, your hair will have returned to its normal texture. Until your hair grows back, moisturizer on your scalp might help skin feel more comfortable and less itchy.
Until their hair grows back, some people choose to wear a wig or hairpiece, which insurance usually covers. Women sometimes wear scarves; others prefer the natural look, as an expression of their battle with cancer. This is your choice; whatever makes you most comfortable is the right decision.
Just don’t worry if — during months of chemotherapy — your hair starts growing back a little. This is not a sign your chemo isn’t working. It’s just a natural part of the process.
Don’t let your hair loss bother you too much. It’s an unfortunate side effect of chemotherapy that just about everyone goes through. But thankfully, it is temporary — and it’s helping you battle your disease.
September 22nd, 2006
By John Gibb
A person with healthy hair and hairy head is considered to be the smart and beautiful person. This thought gives them confidence in them.
But if the hair loss is due to heredity chances are very few to be cured. The disappearing of follicles is not due to weak diet. It may be due to genetic problem.
You may have tried on hair growth formulas or pills which have managed to reduce the hair loss, but it would not have satisfied you fully, because you may feel still your hair is falling and the growth has been reduced. There are few formulae that can be used to get full hair growth.
Inversion is the best way to reduce lack of blood flow. Blood flow is very important in healthy hair. Lack of blood flow is one of the major causes for bald head. The simplest way to recover from lack of blood is to reduce scalp tension and invert the body so more blood flows to the head. The other easy way is lie down on the floor and prop your legs up on a chair.
Biotin and zinc are the two essential nutrients for hair growth. Nutrient food is good for healthy living. The body condition is depends on the food you eat. What ever you eat it is stored in your body. If you have oily scalp avoid eating fat and oil. You can change the diet and can eat lean meat, fiber diet and multi-vitamins that contain biotin and zinc.
One another theory about hair loss is derived Chinese form of Mandarin Medicine called the theory of Qi. According to which the body is made of energy of cooling the Yin and the energy of Heat called Yang. The Yin is necessary for hair growth and when the balance of the body is dominated by the Yang energy it results in Hair loss and once the balance is maintained your Hair loss will be cured. But you must totally avoid smoking and drinking as they tend to add toxins to your body.
One has to take a balanced diet full of vitamins, minerals and other necessary ingredient for the body. Only then your nutrient food can do the work it has to do. Stress free is the next important factor in hair growth. The lack of blood flow is due to over stress. If you decide to care your hair growth take steps to reduce your stress and increase the blood flow. The ability to relax and let go the worries is the best way to keep oneself healthy. A healthy person never complains of loss of hair.
September 22nd, 2006
A healthy diet can help your hair stay strong and lustrous. Your diet can also prevent hair loss. In fact, very specific nutritional deficiencies can affect your hair.
Essential fatty acids — especially omega-3 fatty acids — play a key role in skin, hair, and nails. You should eat some of these foods, which are rich in omega-3, every day:
• Salmon, tuna, mackerel, and other fatty fish
• Flaxseed oil
• Walnuts and almonds
Vitamins B-6, B-12, and folic acid are also important to your hair. Vegetarians and vegans often don’t get enough of these vitamins.
Good sources of vitamin B-6 include bananas, potatoes (both white and sweet), and spinach.
Eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables — especially citrus fruits and tomatoes — will help you get folic acid. Whole grain and fortified grain products, beans, and lentils also contain folic acid. Major sources of B-12 include meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products.
Protein is also critical for keeping hair healthy, but many people don’t get enough. Lean meat like fish, chicken, eggs, and soy products are good sources of protein; eat one serving every day.
Because trace minerals like magnesium and zinc also affect hair, it’s a good idea to take a daily multivitamin.
September 22nd, 2006