Hair Tips

Hair: Dead or Alive?

Even healthy hair is dead. It may be thick and lustrous, but it contains no living tissue. Tiny cup-shaped pits found all over the scalp, called hair follicles, produce hair.

The hair you struggle to maintain is made of dead cells that have been turned into cylinders of keratin. These cylinders form the hair shaft, which grows at about 1cm per month.

Even though it's dead, hair contains fats, pigment (melanin), water (at least 10 per cent of dry hair) and traces of vitamins and minerals. Good hair care is necessary for keeping the dead alive.

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Porosity of Hair

Porosity of hair is the ability of the hair to absorb liquid or moisture. It is important when doing any sort of chemical treatment that the hair is not overly porous as it can soak up the chemicals too quickly and damage the hair.

If the hair does not have the same porosity over the entire head, some areas will process too fast. An easy test for porosity is to take a lock of hair and let it float on water for two minutes. If it floats, the outer layer is healthy. If it sinks, the outer layer is too open and will allow chemicals to absorb too quickly—in this case don't process with any chemicals until treated with the proper reconstructors.

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Moisturizing Long Hair

You love your long hair, but combating dryness is a constant battle. The problem: Once hair grows past the neckline or doesn't have direct contact with the scalp, the scalp's natural oils can't be utilized throughout the hair shaft. Moisturizers can help.

Good moisturizers contain humectants that not only replace lost moisture but attract moisture and retain it in the cortex of the hair. Essential fatty aids are great moisturizers. One of the best, most cost effective EFA is safflower oil. Next time you're done making stir fry, take the bottle into the bathroom and dab a little onto the ends of your hair—seriously.

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Healthy Body, Healthy Hair

Everything that goes into your body can be found in the hair when it is analyzed. The process of analyzing hair is called "trichology" and trichologists are highly trained to spot anything withing the microscopic internal structure of the hair (an aspirin can be detected within 8 hours after consumption and illnesses such as anemia and cancer can be diagnosed because of the effects they produce within the hair's internal chemistry).

Hair grows approximately 1/2 inch per month in most people (some more, some less) and the hair that is 1/2 inch away from the scalp can still receive nutrients or damaging effects from what we put in our bodies. Every hair has its own blood supply, nerves, and muscles.

Everything we consume goes into our hair's internal structure. As a rule, if we eat fairly healthy diets, get plenty of sleep and enough exercise, and don't damage our hair with chemicals, our hair will be healthy.

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Drab Gray Hair

Going gray is not your ticket to low-maintenance hair. Whether you have long hair or short hair, your hair care treatment and product budget may rise. Gray hair can be wiry, dry, coarse, and brittle—it needs constant maintenance with specialty products to keep it from looking dull and drab.

To retain its softness and manageability and to prevent that dreaded yellowing, use moisturizing, clarifying shampoos and conditioners made specifically for gray hair. To ensure that shampoos achieve the level of brightness you like, mix equal parts of the specialty shampoo with a regular moisturizing shampoo and experiment. If your hair gets a purplish cast, switch to a clarifying and/or moisturizing formula shampoo, alternating formulas for best results. Your hair's condition is vital to keeping silver hair looking good.

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Mane Maneuvers

Wash your hair in warm water—shampoos are formulated to work best with it. If the water is too hot, it can make you scalp dry and itchy. And, if it's too cold, the shampoo may not rinse out completely.

In order to keep hair in its healthiest state, it is not recommended to use extreme temperatures (either too hot or too cold). Remember that hair is a fiber just like cotton or wool and extremes can damage it. Be gentle.

*Remember that the most important thing is probably to rinse thoroughly.

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Gray Hair

There is such as a thing as "going gray" and loving it. If you've decided to avoid—or give up years of hair coloring, you must first consult your stylist to discuss your hair's particular needs and outline a plan for graying gracefully.

Whether you have long hair or short hair, you have several options. You might gradually decrease the processing time for your regular single process formula, allowing the gray hair to become prominent gradually. You can add lowlights for definition and glosses for shine.

*It's important to schedule regular appointments to ensure that your hair looks its best every step of the way to gray.

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Hair Elasticity

Elasticity is the ability of the hair to stretch and then to spring back to its original state. Elasticity is important when doing chemical treatments, styling, or just maintaining healthy hair.

If the hair does not have elasticity, it can stretch to a point where it can break. To test for elasticity yourself, take a strand of hair and gently stretch it. If it springs back, it's fine, if it breaks, however, do not attempt any chemical applications.

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Menopause and Thinning Hair

Men aren't the only ones with thinning hair. As women age, bear children, then slip into menopause, their bodies go through many changes. Unfortunately, thinning hair can be one of them and it's not that uncommon. You can fight (or at least ward off) thinning hair by:

• Eating healthily
• Swallowing a good multi-vitamin supplement
• Getting someone to massage your head to stimulate blood to the hair roots and help hair growth
• Using hair products designed to add volume
• Going for blunt haircuts which make your hair look thicker

If you see yourself shedding, try not to panic. Remember, we all lose between 50-100 strands of hair each day.

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Dandruff

Warm some cider vinegar and pour it onto hair and wrap a towel around head for an hour. Then, was hair and repeat this process twice each week week for a month. No more dandruff!

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