~ Hairs ~

[MysteRy]

Hair Split Ends

Trichoptlosis or split ends is a problem commonly faced by people with dry or very brittle hair. Split ends occur, when the protective layer of cuticle is removed from the tip of the strands. As a result, the hair splits into two or three strands, each two to three centimeters long, at its tips. Although cutting the split ends is the best way to get rid of split ends, the problem would reoccur after the strand grows once again. Therefore, opting for effective remedies for split ends is suggested. Learn how to get rid of split ends, with the tips given in the following lines.

Get Rid Of Split Ends

An effective remedy for split ends is trimming. Trim your hair regularly, say, about two to three centimeters from the tip. This can prevent the occurrence of split ends. To do this at home, take a small section of your hair and then gently twist it in a downward motion. The split ends will stick out by doing this. Locate the split ends, sticking out of the twisted hair, and trim them off, using a sharp pair of scissors.

To keep your hair healthy and prevent the occurrence of split ends, you should wash your hair regularly and condition it well.

Always wash your hair from the root to the tip, in case of very dry and brittle hair. Since the tips of the hair strands are deprived of the protective layer of cuticle, doing this will ensure that, your hair doesn't split anymore.

While conditioning your hair, apply the conditioner in your hair, from the root to tip, and cover your head with a shower cap, with all your hair inside it. Now, place a towel, dampened with lukewarm water, on the top of the cap. Leave it there for about 10 minutes. Remove the cap and rinse your hair thoroughly, with cold water. The treatment is a surefire way to get rid of split ends. This will help you to get rid of the split ends, if you do it once a week on a regular basis.

In case your hair is extremely dry, apply a shampoo that contains moisturizing cream in it. This will moisten your dry hair as well as prevent split ends.

Give regular lukewarm oil massages to your hair, to prevent split ends. While massaging, make sure that you apply the oil from the root to tip of your hair. You may choose coconut oil, almond oil or olive oil for the purpose.

Vigorous brushing or combing of hair can cause split ends. This is because harsh treatment of the hair may remove the protective cuticle layer from the strands. Hence, use a wide-toothed comb, to detangle your hair. Always brush/comb your hair gently.

Always brush your hair when it is dry. Brushing wet hair will not only lead to hair loss, but also remove the cuticle from the strands. Using a soft-bristled brush, comb you hair down from the crown to the tip of your strands, in a gently manner.

[MysteRy]

Hair Cuts & Styling

The haircut, which can well complement your persona, hide the 'low points' of your face as well as highlight your best facial features will be the perfect hairstyle for you. You can exude the 'celebrity look' in a matter of few hours, by stylizing your hair the right way. Today, innumerable ideas on the latest trend in hair cuts and styling are available in fashion magazines, newspapers and the Internet. Although you are given numerous options to choose from, it is always suggested to go for a style that is best suited for you. We are here to give you a generic idea of how to land in the perfect hairstyle, by considering the face of your shape, texture and form of your hair.

The shape of your face is an important thing to consider, before you set your mind for a new hairstyle. Generally, face shapes are broadly divided into eight types - oval, round, square, oblong, triangle, pear, heart and diamond. Layering, angled bob, long side swept bangs are some of the flattering hairstyles for round faces. In case you have square shaped face, go for short and spiky cuts and sleek styles with layers. You can sport short, long, straight or wavy hair for your oval face. Angular bobs and long waves are the best bet for oval shape. Side swept bangs and brow-grazing fringe are good for heart-shaped face.

If you have a diamond-shaped face, go for hairstyle that has width at the top and bottom and sleekness in the wider part of the face. Chin-length haircut with temple-to-temple fringes is the best bet for a diamond shaped face. For a pear-shaped face, the haircut should symmetry to the narrow forehead and wide cheeks and jaw line. You should concentrate fullness at the temple and the fringe area, make it sleek at the cheeks and jaw line. Layered hair with fullness at the crown would look best for pear shaped face. For an oblong shaped face, layered bobs and choppy cuts are best suited. Short to medium layered hairstyles are best suited for triangle shaped face.

The texture of the hair is yet another decisive factor, when it comes to styling of the hair. Generally, the hair texture is divided into three types - fine, medium and coarse. If you have very fine and thin hair, you should opt for the hairstyle that does not tend to break your locks. In addition, the hairstyles should not be too tight. As far as the haircut for fine hair is concerned, you may opt for a short, layered hairstyle, which is manageable for the texture. Angle layered haircut is suitable for medium to thick hair types. If you have very coarse hair, go for the haircut that tends to enhance the volume of the hair, which you are already blessed with. Loose buns are appropriate for coarse textured hair.

The form of the hair - whether it is straight, wavy or curly - plays an important role, when it comes to choosing the perfect hair cut. Straight hair is a very versatile form, because almost every cut would look good. You can go for layered hairstyles, asymmetric bob, traditional bob, medium, long or short haircut, if you have straight hair. You may also stylize the hair differently, by using curling irons, to give it entirely different texture. The hairstyle best suited for curly hair will depend upon your facial shape and texture of your hair, for a great extend. Talking about the wavy hair, you can either straighten or curl the locks. Whatever the hairstyle is, be sure to consider your facial shape, texture, color and form of your hair.

Face Shapes
The oval face is 1.5 times longer that it is wide and its forehead is slightly wider than the jaw. Considered the most ideal and versatile facial shape by hair experts, many haircuts and styles suit an oval face.

Hair Form
Hairs can be straight, curly or wavy and this factor is one of the most important one while choosing a proper hairstyle for an individual. They are categorized according to degree of curl in the hair strand.

Hair Texture
Texture has a great role to play in deciding the beauty of the hair. It differs from individual to individual. Factors like race and ethnicity have more to do with color and curliness of the hair than its texture.

Hair Volume
Hair volume, typically, refers to the number of hairs per square inch. If you want to know your hair volume, follow this easy way to find out the volume of your hair: pull your hair back to make a ponytail.

[MysteRy]

Hair Cuts & Styling

Face Shapes
 
There are seven basic types of facial shapes. They are:

1. Oval,
2. Long,
3. Rectangular,
4. Pear,
5. Diamond
6. Square, and
7. Heart

Oval
The oval face is 1.5 times longer that it is wide and its forehead is slightly wider than the jaw. Considered the most ideal and versatile facial shape by hair experts, many haircuts and styles suit an oval face. However, the best styles to go for are the ones that have layers at the height of you best features such as cheekbones, lips or chin. Short layers at the top of the head should be avoided as they make the face look longer, while ladies with an oval face and thick and curly hair should avoid blunt cut as it looks like a pyramid.

Rectangular
Long and narrow facial shape with a square chin and hairline is known as Rectangular facial shape. Hair cut for rectangular face should add width to its sides, play down on its length by adding a fringe on the forehead and a style that has a side part to soften the squareness of the face. Extremely long or short haircuts make the face look longer while chin-length bobs and haircuts add width to the face. Another way to add the width is to add the curls & waves in your hair. However, short layers lend volume to the top further elongating the face then balancing it.

Round
This facial type has a round chin. Hairstyles should add height on top of the head. You have to cut the bulk from the sides of your face to give it an oval look. So, one length haircut or blunt cuts on short hair should be avoided. Hair width needs to be minimized on the sides and around the ears by keeping them flat at those points. Wispy tapered ends take away the attention from the roundness of the face. Hair styles that fall right below the chin and have layers from the top down, elongate the face and look good.

Square
Facial shapes that have a square jaw line and hairline and seem too short, need a hairstyle that lends length and roundness to it. Layered hair around the jaw line soften it a bit while wispy hair take the attention away from the squareness of the face. Layered haircuts that frame the face are best for square faces. Best options are the short, spiky cuts or long, sleek styles with top down layers starting at the jaw line. Blunt cut bangs or chin-length bobs make the face look squarer.

Heart
This facial shape is widest at the temples and narrowest at the jaw line with a small and delicate and sometimes pointed chin. Hairstyle for this shape needs to add width at the jaw line. Eyes and cheekbones are generally strong points of the heart shaped face. Women with short hair can keep the top layers soft and long or side-swept bangs while the women with longer hair can try long, wavy layers that come across to your cheekbones that lend certain rounded look to the pointed chin. Harsh choppy layers or blunt cut bangs do not suit a heart-shaped face.

Pear
This facial shape has a narrow forehead and wide jawline with a round chin. Attempt is to add width to the forehead and the temples while taking the attention away from the roundness of the jaw. You hair should appear wide and full at the top and temples and could be wear brushed away from the face and up toward the ears. Down from the ears, the hair should fall along the chin to soften it and narrow down the jaw line. Chin length hair is best. Decrease the hair volume from the top, the sides and around the ears. Curls around the temples will soften the face.

Diamond
Widest at the forehead but narrow at the forehead and chin, hair styles for a diamond face needs to add width to the forehead and soften or disguise the cheekbones to give an illusion of the oval face. Add more fringe and volume to the forehead and the chin while smooth hair compliment the cheekbones better. A low side parting and a sweep of hair brushed across the forehead add width to the face and make it look shorter. Asymmetric haircuts look good too along with adding to the hair volume with curly or wavy styles.

[MysteRy]

Hair Cuts & Styling

Hair Form
 
Hairs can be straight, curly or wavy and this factor is one of the most important one while choosing a proper hairstyle for an individual. They are categorized according to degree of curl in the hair strand. While straight hair has no curl, wavy hair has soft curls while curly hair is very twisted and has a spring like structure.

Straight hair
Straight hair can range from fine blonde hair as of Scandinavians to thick and coarse hair that some Indians and Asians have. You can change the texture of these hairs by perming the hair, use various hair products in the market and set them in various styles. Coloring thin straight hair adds texture and fullness to hair strands while thick straight hair or very coarse straight hair need extra time, skill and perming rods to achieve the desired look. Straight hair of any texture can take simple and geometric haircuts like bobs while very straight and thick hair do not curl or perm easily. If you want to give them another texture, then you may need to perm them frequently.

Wavy hair
Most desirable and enviable, wavy hair have soft natural movement and you can easily shape them in any desired style using hairstyling products. You simply have to blow dry them to get straight hair or scrunch them a little to give them a curly effect. Lightly layered hair are the best choice while you can maximize their appearance by adding hair highlights or lowlights using hair colors and shine enhancing products. They can be shaped best into retro and romantic hairstyles.

Curly hair
Curly hairs often have much hair volume but are dull and are not easily manageable. You may choose long or short haircut but it is better to choose a layered hairstyle look. You can straighten the curls a bit and bring shine into the hair using brilliantines, surface silkeners, hair pomades and soft hair fixatives. Most of the African Americans sport very coarse and curly hair that need chemical retexturizing, hair coloring or hair relaxing to smoothen the hair and make them more manageable. One of the most important instrument used to tone down curly hair are deep, heat-activated hair conditioners but their constant use may result in breakage and split ends.

[MysteRy]

Hair Cuts & Styling

Hair Texture

Texture has a great role to play in deciding the beauty of the hair. It differs from individual to individual. Factors like race and ethnicity have more to do with color and curliness of the hair than its texture. To a great extent, texture is determined by the size and shape of the hair follicle.

Making of a Texture
Whatever is put on hair has a role in making its texture. Applications of hair spray lends hair a different look and feel from that of hair that has been freshly washed and conditioned. Use of conditioners make hair soft and smooth. Conditioners having silicones give a different feel from those that don't having them. However, most conditioners today use silicones, for they work favorably for hair cuticle.

Hair of Fine Texture
Having smallest circumference of hair strand, fine hair are easy to process. However, they can easily get damaged from the chemicals and the processing services. These are weightless, flyaway and generally straight. They do not curl easily.

How to Care: Use shampoo with wheat proteins and polymers to make them look thicker by coating the hair shaft. Spraying of volumizer on them would create a misty shine.

Hair of Medium Texture
Having middle-sized hair shaft, these are considered normal. This hair can take hair-processing services and use chemicals well.

How to Care: You can use shampoo with silk amino acids for extra softness. This restores hair structure and repairs damaged ones. You can pour gels and creams in your palm, rub it in your hands and then lightly put them over your head.

Hair of Coarse Texture
This kind of hair has largest circumference of hair strand. Being thicker and stronger, coarse hair take longer to process. By nature, it is resistant to hair services like coloring, perming and straightening. It looks rough too.

How to Care: Use pomades to moisturize your hair. It would nourish and shine them.

Color and Texture
Hair texture is affected by natural color. Hair of natural blondes is finer than brunettes, while redheads have the thickest hair.

Ethnic Differences and Hair Texture
Hair texture also depends on ethnicity. Mid-Europeans have hair that is neither too fine nor too coarse. Hair of Scandinavians is thin, straight, and baby fine hair. People of Indian subcontinent have coarse textured hair, while Middle-eastern men and women have strong hair. Chinese and Japanese people have straight hair.

[MysteRy]

Hair Cuts & Styling

Hair Volume

Hair volume, typically, refers to the number of hairs per square inch. If you want to know your hair volume, follow this easy way to find out the volume of your hair: pull your hair back to make a ponytail. If the bottom of the ponytail is very slim, your hair volume is thin. Another sign of thin volume is visibility of scalp when your hair is wet. If your ponytail is "two-fisted" and appears exactly like a horse's tail, you have a thick hair volume type. Moreover, if your scalp is not visible when you hair is wet, your hair is a thick volume type. And in case you fall between these two categories, then you probably have a medium hair volume type, which is the most common hair volume type. Read further to know about the various types of hair volumes and their concerns.

Thin Hair Volume
Such type of hair volume usually has strands, which are very small in diameter. Very thin hair is likely to be weightless and perhaps flyaway. Most of the times, thin hair is straight and don’t get curled easily. Adding volume to thin hair can be a difficult task. People with silky hair texture should go for blunt hair cuts. Styling techniques, including combing and drying from the roots, are useful for adding volume. Proteinized conditioners, light gels, and mousses are some of the hair care products that reinforce thin hair. Avoid heavier products on thin hair as they will weight the hair down. Such type of hair should be permed with extra care to avoid damage.

Medium Hair Volume
Medium hair volume type is the most commonly found and the most manageable hair volume; it is not only versatile, but also has the maximum range of possibilities, in terms of choosing a style. Hair with medium volume usually holds a curl and takes well to chemical processes, like perms, hair relaxers and hair coloring. If you have medium hair volume type, you can select just about any hair style and can experiment with a variety of styles.

Thick Hair Volume
This type of hair volume is often very strong and hard to manage. To people having slim frame and small face, thick hair volume could be a blessing. Probably for some, it could be a headache to manage such hair and their goal may be to reduce the hair volume. Such problem can be dealt with the right haircut. Probably a layered haircut can give thick hair better shape and direction, over and above reducing the thickness of the hair. Layered cuts in shorter and medium lengths are best for thick hair. Silkening hair care products like pomades, surfacers, and even strong hair gels can be helpful to manage thick hair.

[MysteRy]

Hair Coloring

Though originally used to color grey hair, Hair coloring now has become a fashion trend among people, particularly youngsters. However, for different people, the purpose of using hair color can be different. Hair coloring is most commonly used to change gray hair to its original color; it is also used to get desired shade of hair color. Sometimes it is used to restore the original color of hair, which has got discolored after using chemicals like tints, relaxers, sun bleaching, etc. Hair coloring products are characteristically categorized on the basis of time length they effect the colored hair. The most common classifications of hair colors are temporary, semi-permanent, demi-permanent (also known as 'deposit') and permanent.

Temporary Hair Color
Temporary hair color has large pigment molecules and thus, do not enter the cuticle layer, allowing only a coating action that can be removed by shampooing. To coat the surface of hair, acid dyes are used that have a low affinity to hair and that’s why they can be easily removed after a shampoo. The color strength of temporary hair color can be improved by applying bleach before the application of the hair color. Temporary hair color is available in a range of product forms, such as rinses, shampoos, gels, sprays, foams, etc. This type of hair color is generally used to provide brighter and more vibrant shades, such as orange or red.

Semi-Permanent Hair Color
This type of color is devised to deposit color on the hair shaft without lightening it. Its formula has smaller molecules than those found in temporary colors, and thus capable of partly penetrate the hair shaft. Such color has no developer, but can be used with heat for deeper penetration. As compared to temporary hair color, it also lasts longer, generally intact up to 4-5 shampoos. Semi-Permanent Hair Color are best for damaged and fragile hair. Moreover, this type of hair color has no ammonia.

Demi Permanent Hair Color
Demi Permanent Hair Color has smaller color pigment molecules that those of semi permanent hair color, however still larger than molecules of permanent hair color. This type of coloring is done by mixing permanent hair color with low volume developer that avoids the ammonia from the permanent tube, and deposits color molecules only into the hair shaft. Since Demi are gentler than permanent hair color, they are best for tint-backs and colorpriming. Demi Permanent color also works great for toning pre-lightened hair.

Permanent Color
Permanent Color has very small color pigment molecules, allowing penetration to the hair shaft. The products and lighteners that come under this category have a developer, or oxidizing agent, and an alkalizing ingredient. This color serves the purpose of raising the cuticle of the hair fiber so the shade can penetrate; helping the formation of shades within the hair fiber, and bringing about the lightening action of peroxide. Permanent Color is just apt for grey hair coverage as it contains an oxidizing colorant (containing ammonia and peroxide), to lift and deposit the new color into the hair shaft.

One should be careful while selecting and applying this color, because this color will not fade or become less vibrant if it's doing its job. When your roots start to grow, you natural hair color will reappear and you must color it more than once to maintain the new color. To get rid of the new color, you have to either remove the color with a stripping process, or color it back to its natural color. Either way, permanent hair color is usually hard to maintain, and to get rid of.

Hair Coloring Tips
Are you bored of your hair color? Do you want to revamp your look? If yes, then the easiest way to change your look would be to opt for hair coloring. A new hair color can add a new dimension to your personality, making you look more confident and impressive.

Understanding Hair Color
Sometimes, the color we choose for our hair does not come out to be the same, as it appears in the swatch book of the product. It may be because of the 'underlying color pigment' of your hair that plays a key role in the final outcome of the hair color.

[MysteRy]

Hair Coloring Tips

Are you bored of your hair color? Do you want to revamp your look? If yes, then the easiest way to change your look would be to opt for hair coloring. A new hair color can add a new dimension to your personality, making you look more confident and impressive. However, with the need to be in sync with the competition around, people are left with little or no time to flock to the salon. Nonetheless, when time or money doesn't allow you the pampering of salon color, you'll find that at home hair coloring preparations are both affordable and easy to use. Here are some handy tips that will make your hair look healthier and glow with the desired color and give you salon-like results, along with quick and easy solutions to common problems related with coloring your hair.

Hair Coloring Tips

Shampoo your hair properly and then condition them. Thereafter, wait for two days, to give the natural oils in your scalp time to resurface. This is an essential step to protect the scalp from chemical reactions and also would help your hair color to set better, giving you uniformed results overall.

On the day of hair color, you need to first arrange the toolkit for the hair coloring purpose.Put on an old t-shirt and collect some older towels and washcloths. Get some hair clips for sectioning your hair, a handy timer and a hand mirror, which will enable you to view the back of your head.

Section your hair so that you can handle you hair better, during the coloring process.

Before starting, make sure you read the instructions at least two times. Each of the coloring brands follows a definite style or process, so if you don't want to do a blunder, ensure that you read the instruction. Also, do not forget the strand test.

Put on the gloves and start the coloring process. If you are touching up the roots, be sure that this is the area that you target. You shouldn't be applying the color to the entire head as in the first application.

For those of you, who are coloring for the first time, start at the crown or at the nape of the neck. This because it is here that the natural hair color is darkest.

For the ends, apply hair color that is one level darker, without adding the developer. The color at the ends of the hair tends to fade faster than the rest, because the ends are porous and does not hold color.

Once you have applied the color, use a timer to keep track of the time. Often while reading a magazine, we completely forget to keep a track of the time. So, a time would be beneficial in this case.

After the specified time is over, rinse your hair thoroughly. Rinse, until the water runs clear.

Make sure to condition your hair properly. After the coloring process, hair becomes very vulnerable to damage.

Precautions

Always color your hair, when they are fully dry because color of damp and wet hair may get diluted later.

If your current hair color is darker than the next shade chosen, use a color remover to completely lose the old tint. However, they are effective on only artificial colors and not natural hair color.

For gray hair, use a shade darker than the shade of color used on the rest of the hair.

After coloring your hair, do not perm or straighten for several weeks.

If you go out in the sun or swim regularly, your hair color may wear off quickly. To avoid this, condition your hair regularly to negate the effects of summer heat and water.

If light-reddish blonde tones fade to orange color, you can use a little red-gold accent to give fashionable highlights.

[MysteRy]

Understanding Hair Color

Sometimes, the color we choose for our hair does not come out to be the same, as it appears in the swatch book of the product. It may be because of the 'underlying color pigment' of your hair that plays a key role in the final outcome of the hair color. To determine that you get the desired look, you need to identify the color of this pigment, melanin, in your hair. Melanin is generally of two types - Eumelanin, which is responsible of shades of brown and black in hair and Phaeomelanin, which brings yellowish blonde tones of hair to ginger and red colored hair.

White and gray hairs are the result of absence of melanin in hair. The tone of your hair color can be warm or cool. While red, orange and yellow are considered warm tones, shades of blue, green and violet fall under cooler tones. Hair can also be classified according to the level of color within each tone, on a scale of 1 to 10. As per this scale, 1 indicates black and 10 signify the lightest blonde hair. The intensity of hair color lightens, as you go down the scale. The level of hair color usually depends on the saturation of the hair pigment or the degree of concentration of melanin in the hair. The scale can be graded as follows:

1 - Black
2 - Very Dark Brown
3 - Dark Brown
4 - Brown
5 - Medium Brown
6 - Light Brown
7 - Dark Blonde
8 - Light Blonde
9 - Very Light Blonde
10 - Light Platinum Blonde

Types Of Hair Color

Temporary
This type of hair color generally lasts from one shampoo to the next, and is deposited on the outside of the hair shaft

Semi-Temporary
Semi temporary hair color usually lasts up to 4-6 times of shampooing and contains no ammonia. In this case, a developer is also not used.

Demi-Permanent
This type of hair color contains little or no ammonia and makes use of a low peroxide developer. The demi-permanent hair color lasts for about 6 weeks after which the color fades back to the normal shade.

Semi-Permanent
This type of hair color contains a small amount of ammonia and uses a developer of 10 to 20 vol. It lasts for about 3-4 months, depending upon the growth of your hair.

Permanent
This type of hair color uses a developer and an alkalizing ingredient as part of their ammonia or an ammonia substitute. The permanent hair color usually lasts for almost a year, depending upon the growth of your hair.