15 Simple Ways to Take Better Care of Your Hair

1: Brush your hair on a regular basis before going to bed every night.

2: Wash your hair with gentle shampoo preferably shampoo without sulphates.

3: Avoid brushing wet hair. This will cause hair to stretch and break. Finger-dry or use a large tooth comb to gently remove the knots and snarls.

4: Air dry your hair if possible. If you have to blow dry your hair, use a professional salon quality hair dryer.

5: Avoid hair color, try henna, it will color and condition hair.

6: Take a calcium supplement or drink 2 glasses of milk every day.

7: If you use a flat iron use a professional quality flat iron, preferably a ceramic ionic flat iron.

8: Perming your hair sometimes leaves your hair unmanageable when wet. Use a botanical rich leave in conditioner and gently pull the conditioner through your hair with a large tooth comb .

9: Trim your hair once a month to prevent split ends and encourage new growth.

10: Avoid pulling back your hair tightly with clips and bobby pins.

11: Avoid the use of rubber bands it can pull and damage hair.

12: Use a SPF infused shampoo. UV exposure will dry and damage your hair. It will also fade your hair color

13: Massage botanical oils and vitamin E info your hair and scalp for soft, shiny healthy hair.

14: Avoid very hot water while washing your hair.

15: Eat foods rich in vitamin B, C and E.

Is Your Curly Hair out of Control with All This Heat? Shiva Flat Iron Gives Your Smooth Straight Hair

	Features Titanium Plates create the smoothest surface with less friction & drag on hair strands while the hair is hot and fragile. Floating Plates help to have uniform pressure and consistent result in straightening each hair section. Maximum Temperature is 450°F or 230°C with LED digital adjustment. Temperature can be switched from °C to °F. Maximum Temperature Variation from set temperature is under 2%. Nano-Silver helps to kill virus, germ, while you are using on different clients, or while it is coming in contact with unsanitary surfaces. Negative Ions break up water molecules to help penetrate deeper into hair follicles and help hair to be shinier and healthier instantly. Ceramic Heater creates negative ions, and heats up very fast, and holds constant temperature much better than other materials. Instant Heat Recovery, SHIVA Flat Iron is engineered such that from near the scalp all the way to the end of long & dense tresses, there is no drop in temperature. Automatic Cut off Switch (Advanced Feature) by microprocessors to prevent overheating. Non-use Rest State, when the flat irons are not used automatically shuts off; shut off time can be adjusted from 20 to 120 minutes. Safety Plug very important feature for consumers and professional, any short in Shiva Flat Iron caused by water, or any conductive liquid will automatically trip the safety plug circuit breaker. Ergonomically Designed to ease stress and strain on hand, wrist, fingers and tendons. Suitable for any Hair from coarsest to finest, from chemically processed to virgin, from short to long hair. All you need is one flat iron. For More information on the Shiva Flat iron please visit  www.shivalab.com

No More Frizzy Hair – 6 Stylish Tips

By Kate Stephen

Whether you’re looking to get your hair in shape for a special occasion, or just trying to look as smart as possibly for that big neeting, there are a few simple things you should be doing to keep your hair looking great.

Conditioning

The role of the hair conditioner is to add shine and body to your hair. You can compare hair conditioner to fabric conditioner – they both have the effect of leaving the material comfortable and smooth.

Another benefit of using a hair conditioner is that it will usually leave your hair free of static, which will in turn reduce any ‘frizziness’ that may appear.

Take your time to massage the conditioner fully into your hair.

Take the time to fully dry your hair

In the time strapped society that we all seem to inhabit these days, the hair dryer has become a common place item in the bathroom.

It is important that you only use the dryer on wet hair, and you need to constantly be moving the dryer to make sure that no section of your hair is exposed to overheating.

Choose the lowest of the heat settings if possible.

Shampoo Properly

What I mean by this is you should avoid using cheap generic shampoo. Invest a little extra in some salon quality shampoo that is matched to you hair type.

If you have added a color to your hair, make sure the shampoo you are using is suitable for that particular coloring. It is a good idea to talk to your stylist about your shampoo choice as you are getting your hair done.

Hair Straighteners

A hair straightener is one product where it usually pays to go for the better quality version. Most women have had the experience of using a poor quality hair straightener.

Either your hair gets caught up, or the iron isn’t hot enough to smooth out all the kinks in one pass.

It is a good idea to go for a straightener that uses either glass or ceramic heating plates. you should also look for a switch that will allow you to adjust temperature settings.

One brand that consistently develops good straighteners is GHD, whose equipment is used by salons across the globe. Their plates heat up quickly and are super smooth to make hair straighteneing a breeze.

Serum

There are a whle range of hair products available that are used to help smooth your hair. One again, your hairdresser will be able to give you some suggestions with regards to a serum that will help keep your hair looking fantastic.

These hair serums work by relaxing and smoothing the hair, and decreasing the amount of static electricity that it will attract.

Diet

Your hair, like every other part of your body is nourished by the food you eat and the liquids you drink. It is important that you keep a well balancd diet that contains sufficient amounts of the essential vitamins and minerals.

Make sure you are keeping your fluid up and that yuo eat food with plenty of protein – after all this is what hair is mainly made up of.

By following the simple tips lsted above, you should have no problems keeping your hair looking its best all year round.

###

Kate Stephen runs Red Ribbon Gifts which is an online boutique gift shop that offers stylish gifts from fresh young designers, and lesser known manufacturers.

Originally focusing on gifts for her, the business has recently expanded to include a gifts for him and a corporate gifts range.

Visit Red Ribbon Gifts today to find valentine gifts for her  http://www.redribbongifts.com.au

Super Food for Your Hair ~ Argan Oil

Features     Virgin / Cold Process

Organic Argan Oil From Argan Trees Growm in Southwest of Morroco Enriched with Botanical, Vitamins, and Antioxidants.

• Moisturizes & softens
• Nourishes the scalp
• Promotes hair growth
• Protects hair color
• Reduces drying time & speeds up styling
• Heals & nourshes damaged hair
• Protects against sun rays & environmental pollutants
• Protects against heat, cold humidity & dryness
• 4oz $39.95  more info

Dandruff and Possible Causes

Causes

By Mayo Clinic staff

Dandruff can have several causes, including:

• Dry skin. Simple dry skin — the kind you get during winter when the air is cold and rooms are overheated — is the most common cause of itchy, flaking skin. Flakes from dry skin are generally smaller and less oily than those from other causes of dandruff.
• Irritated, oily skin (seborrheic dermatitis). This condition, a frequent cause of dandruff, is marked by red, greasy skin covered with flaky white or yellow scales. Seborrheic dermatitis affects not only your scalp but also other areas rich in oil glands, such as your eyebrows, the sides of your nose and the backs of your ears, your breastbone, your groin area, and sometimes your armpits.
• Not shampooing often enough. If you don’t regularly wash your hair, oils and skin cells from your scalp can build up, causing dandruff.
• Psoriasis. This skin disorder causes an accumulation of dead skin cells that form thick silvery scales. Psoriasis commonly occurs on your knees, elbows and trunk, but it can also affect your scalp.
• Eczema. If you have eczema on your scalp, it’s possible you could develop dandruff.
• Sensitivity to hair care products (contact dermatitis). Sometimes sensitivities to certain hair care products or hair dyes can cause a red, itchy, scaling scalp. Shampooing too often or using too many styling products also may irritate your scalp, causing dandruff.
• A yeast-like fungus (malassezia). Malassezia lives on the scalps of most healthy adults without causing problems. But sometimes it grows out of control, feeding on the oils secreted by your hair follicles. This can irritate the skin on your scalp and cause more skin cells to grow. The extra skin cells die and fall off, clumping together with oil from your hair and scalp, making them appear white, flaky and visible in your hair or on your clothes.Exactly what causes an overgrowth of malassezia isn’t known, although having too much oil on your scalp; changes in your hormones; stress; illness; neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease; a suppressed immune system; not shampooing often enough; and extra sensitivity to the malassezia fungus may contribute to the development of dandruff.

For more inforamtion on dandruff, causes and treatment visit Mayo Clinic

Suffering from an itchy scalp? Flakes? Shiva – Prescriptives Can Help!

This could be mean more than just dry scalp it may be dandruff; a condition often caused by stress, poor diet, dry skin, oily skin and too many styling products.

Houston, TX – According to the Mayo clinic ‘the real culprit may be a fat-eating, yeast-like fungus called malassezia, formerly known as pityrosporum.

Malassezia lives on the scalps of most healthy adults without causing problems. But sometimes it grows out of control, feeding on the oils secreted by your hair follicles and causing irritation that leads to increased cell turnover.’

Did you know that men suffer more from dandruff than women? Researchers believe hormones play a role plus men have larger sebaceous glands than the opposite sex.

The good news is that dandruff is manageable; with the help of daily shampooing made from botanicals, anti-oxidants and vitamin enriched products will assure control over the troublesome condition.

Some ingredients to look for are;

• Tea tree oil (antiseptic)
• Zinc Pyrithione (anti-fungal & anti-bacterial)
• RosemarySalicylic Acid (helps to eliminate scale)
• Lavender (promotes hair growth)
• Aloe Vera Gel ( restores your hair’s natural ph balance)

When buying treatment shampoos be label wary of products made with sulfate, DEA, waxes and chemicals but opt for the most natural active ingredients available.

Besides the protocol of daily washing and conditioning your hair, include lifestyle changes like;

• Manage Stress (relax, walk, hike do Pilates)
• Eat a healthy diet with essential fatty acids, vitamins, especially zinc.
• Sunshine, vitamin D is good for your dandruff however too much sun without sunscreen is not (use caution).
• Avoid hot showers
• Use a water filter to avoid chlorine

By making simple changes and using products with healthier ingredients your scalp will feel refreshed and you will be renewed!

How to Turn Complaints into Opportunities

The old adage says that complaints are opportunities. They certainly are; however, only if you look at them that way. 

The thing is that most salon/day spa owners don’t have a system in place for turning those lemons into lemonade.

So here’s an easy six-step rapid recovery process that when implemented, will serve you, your business, and your clients (believe me they want to do business with you—they wouldn’t be with you in the first place if they didn’t!).

1. Apologize: Does it really matter who’s right? Ultimately the client is, even if he/she is wrong. So get on with it and acknowledge that a problem exits. Say you’re sorry and mean it.
2. Listen and empathize: Let the client get it out—at this point, she wants “an ear” and not a lecture. Really listen, when you do, the client will feel that you care.
3. Fix it ‘Fairly’: After you’ve listened, you’ll understand the problem. Now do what you have to do to fix it. Usually all the client wants is what she wanted in the first place, the sooner the better.
4. Offer atonement: Even if symbolically, your rapid recovery system will earn high marks if you come from the perspective of, “I’d like to make it up to you.”
5. Keep your promises: You’re already in hot water, so don’t fuel the fire by over-promising and under-delivering. In other words, do what you say you’ll do.
6. Follow-up: Be it in a few days or a couple of weeks, check to make sure that things really did work out to your client’s satisfaction.

Andrew Finkelstein, President of the Beauty Resource, is a successful New York City-based entrepreneur, author, speaker, and coach who helps professional beauty businesses get more clients. Andrew’s E-zine The Finkelstein Report is the beauty industry’s #1 marketing resource with free articles, marketing tools, and valuable advice for salons and day spas owners. Contact Andrew at TheBeautyResource.com

Human Hair Used to Measure Humidity in the Air

Does your hair go crazy when the weather turns damp? Did you know that strands of hair can relax and lengthen when the humidity increases and then contract again when the humidity decreases? In fact, hair strands can be used as the basis for a hygrometer, a device which measures the humidity level in the air.

Humidity is one of the important measurements that weather observers make because the amount of water vapor in the air determines whether clouds or fog are likely and whether it’s going to rain or snow.

Human (or animal) hair turns out to be a pretty good way to measure the humidity, as anyone who’s ever complained about a “bad hair day,” can tell you.

The length of a strand of human hair changes with different relative humidities.

As the relative humidity increases, hair becomes longer, and as the humidity drops it becomes shorter. On very humid days, your hair actually becomes longer and this extra length causes the frizziness that gives us bad hair days.

An instrument that uses hair to measure humidity is known as a hair hygrometer. This instrument uses strands of human or horse hair with the oils removed attached to levers that magnify a small change in hair length.

An ink pen and rotating cylinder, known as a hygrograph, can provide a record of how relative humidity varies throughout the day.

The disadvantages of the hair hygrometer and hygrograph are that they are not as accurate as other kinds of hygrometers such as the sling psychrometer. Also, a hair hygrometer needs frequent adjustment and calibration.

A hair hygrometer also tends to have large errors at very high and very low relative humidities.

Hairdreams Leather Ribbons…Love these

Hairdreams Leather Ribbons

Matching the new nature based fashion trend there is a brand new type of hair accessory: thin leather bands with lucky charms made of pearls, stones, feathers, etc. They are extremely versatile and can be used as a hair decoration and also as a fashionable accessory. They are the perfect addition to the earth focused ethno-, hippie, and safari looks.

The “Hairdreams Leather Ribbons” are handmade with care out of real leather and different embellishments like rocks, pearls, feathers and more.

They come in two types:
Short, about 35 cm long ribbons that are attached to the hair with a clip and are worn like a strand.
Long, about 1meter length ribbons with pendants on both ends, that can be worn as a headband around the head and in a ponytail.

In addition the ribbons make a great and versatile fashion accessory – as a necklace, a belt, a pendant, and much more.

That is why they are the perfect and extraordinary accessory to skillfully enhance the “adventurous” outfits of the hippie, ethno and safari styles. The ribbons are unisex and can be worn just as well by men.

The leather ribbons are only available from the hair extension specialist Hairdreams and can be purchased exclusively at the salon partners of Hairdreams.

Shiva Flat Iron in the Fall 2010 Hair Cut and Style Hairstyle Showcase

Need some help recreating a fab style? Try one of these tress tools!