Posted on February 18, 2010 with No Comments
In today’s modern world, short hair has become one of the leading choices to express one’s self, both in male and female. It gives the impression of being sporty and active in this social world. And on top of that, the benefits of short hair styles include decreased styling time and chance of hair breakage.
Beautiful Hydration for Short Hair
But one must take care of such in order to keep the glimmer of confidence. This is where taking care of it and maintaining moisture in short hair becomes necessary.
Caring for your hair is both for hygiene and cosmetology purpose. It is an act which includes cleanliness and beauty all at once. As hygiene would dictate, one should keep his hair as clean as possible. And as an aesthetic expression, it is necessary for the human hair to be as fashionable as one would like it to be. One important characteristic that should be manifested by a well-cared for hair is hair moisture.
Oils
There are many techniques applicable to keep a well moisturized and vibrant hair. One good example is the application of oils such as shea butter. Shea butter is rich with curative elements; and one of nature’s healthiest agents for moisturizing not just your hair but also your scalp.
Oils extracted from papaya are as popular and healthy. It is gentle enough besides being natural and very effective for daily use; it promotes hair smoothness and resiliency. Just remember that in applying oil, massage it gently into the scalp to assure the utmost penetration. This also helps to improve and stimulate the scalp’s own natural oils.
There’s Hair Treasure In Your Kitchen
You may also make use of materials found in your home to use for moisturizing hair. Oils from coconut and the popular safflower or the versatile olive oil are excellent options. If you want to pamper your short hair, treat it to a hot oil therapy at least once every week with the help of any of these oil options. Heat up the oil, just enough not to scald your scalp; then apply to hair from roots to tips.
Cover hair with a towel for about 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water after. Avoid washing your hair too frequently to retain hair moisture. Washing your hair excessively can cause your scalp and tresses to dry fast, depriving them of natural hair nourishers.
Give Your Hair A Good Night’s Rest
Investing in a pillow case made of satin or silk is another good idea. The soft fabric is kinder on your hair, helping you avoid split ends and excessive tangles. It also ensures that moisture is retained in your hair. Cotton sheets easily remove oils when your hair and scalp comes in contact with them. Frequent exposure to the sun’s unkind rays would also lead to the drying - especially during the winter when dry hair is common. Make sure that you avoid extreme exposures to it when in outdoors.
The Right Diet
A good diet is still by far the best source of moisturizing nutrients to nourish your hair. Drink the prescribed quantity of water to keep your body in good shape as well ensure that you hair is always in the best condition.
Proteins and vitamins are essential; it will be to your best interest to see to it that you are getting adequate supply. Poultry, seafood, nuts and green leafy vegetables enhances skin moisture as well as hair moisture.
If you are not sure that you are getting the right amount of nutrients there are various supplements you can choose from; many of them also provide your hair’s nourishment needs.
Posted on November 23, 2009 with 2 Comments
With cold, dry weather comes the annual mecca for frizzy hair help. We, our customers, and co-workers see a dramatic increase in questions about how to deal with hair that is overcome with frizz, static electricity, and damage.
Tame Frizzy Hair
For most of us in the industry and for most anyone who is fairly serious about their hair, we know that dry air (lower humidity), wind and cold depletes oils and moisture. The dryness makes hair less resistant to humidity, decreases moisture content, and becomes harder to control, style and manage.
Frizzy Hair Help - For Beautiful Hair
There are several things we can do to reduce frizz and get your locks the help they need.
- I always recommend switching to a moisturizing shampoo during the fall and winter if you do not use one on a daily basis. Shampoo/conditioner combos generally work well but are often hard to find - at least good ones that don’t weigh down your hair or leave it feeling “too silky”. Most folks’ hair works well with a good emu oil shampoo for improving moisture. We’ve written several blog entries for emu oil, its impact on the follicles and scalp, so I won’t go into detail (though there is a link above). As a side note, its good for scalp health and works well for treating any flakiness or dry scalp you may be having also.
- Watch the use of heat appliances. Flat irons, blow dryers and curling irons can wring the moisture our of most styles very quick. Besides the resulting frizziness, this is one of the leading contributors to hair damage. Weakening the follicle shaft causes breaking and split-ends. Use a thermal protectant. Most are leave-in conditioning sprays that can be used before heat is applied. They help coat the follicle shaft and make the shaft “slippery” so they don’t snag on flat irons and break. They also help seal-in moisture.
- Try an oil treatment. A couple of good ideas are Jojoba Oil, Argan Oil and Emu Oil. I recommend using Argan Oil. Argan oil is natural (unless combined with something not natural) and increases drying time and conditions. For the money, its a great investment for treating dry, frizzy hair - you don’t spend as much time styling and you get conditioning and protection. MoroccanOil is a very popular name-brand as is Marrakesh Oil, and Agadir. All are 100% argan oil and/or have been supplemented with Vitamin E or Hemp oil. On a personal note, Marrakesh is my favorite…I love the smell.
- From a styling perspective, you can cut-down on frizz and fly-away using styling aids. Gels, hairsprays, mousse, pomade, et al are good for holding a style in place. Make sure they don’t contain alcohol and that you don’t allow product residue to build-up. This can increase dryness and promote scalp problems like psoriasis, dandruff and associated symptoms like scalp flakes, scabbing, inflamed scalp tissue and itchy head.
Getting successful frizzy hair help is often just paying attention to how and when your hair frizzes. Noticing time of day, products you are using, temperature, can give you some clues as to how to tame frizz and get your hair behaving.
Posted on October 1, 2009 with 1 Comment
For those of us in the mid-south, this was our first week of temperatures that dipped down below 60 degrees. The last few days in Atlanta have been arguably the best we have had all year - highs in the mid-70’s, low humidity, and night-time lows in the low 60’s ad mid-50’s. This is just the kind of weather that reminds you of camping, the mountains, and spending a lot of time outside. It is also reminds you of how dry, colder weather treats your hair.
Managing Dry, Fly-Away Hair
Low humidity mixed with colder, dryer air creates static electricity - resulting in fly-away hair, loss of control, and increased difficulty styling. Gone are the highly humid days that help keep your style in place; But, also are the days where you hairstyle soaks-up humidity and frizzy hair is the problem.
Here’s a couple of tips we recommend as temperatures begin to drop:
- If you can avoid blow drying with high temperature settings do so. Heat further robs the follicles of moisture.
- Leave-in conditioners can help control fly-away. We most often suggest spray-on, leave-in conditioners that have some heat protect. Heat-activated “Thermal Protector”-type sprays help keep your style in place while protecting from flat irons, etc.
- Use a daily mositurizing shampoo. Products with panthenol, jojoba oil, or emu oil are great for retaining moisture. If your hair is extremely dry (but not dirty), you might consider skipping shampooing for a day or two. For some of us this might sound out of the question, but for many with acute dryness, it is not uncommon - especially if your hair is prone to breaking.
A couple of other recommendations you might consider:
- Add some emu oil to your favorite shampoo or conditioner. A lot of folks use it by itself - rubbing into their hands and massaging into the scalp. Personally, I prefer to mix into a shampoo - a little dab of emu oil and a bigger dab of shampoo.
- Try argan oil. This has become very popular the past several years. It will give your hair a lot of shine and some brands smell great (Marrakesh Oil). It is used either before or after you style.
