General Tips
A few general hints, tips, and suggestions – though always remember that these are complementary and are not intended to replace anything taught by your tutor.
1. Hair care for long hair:
There is no quick fix to getting good conditioned hair but we can prevent it from getting out of shape or improve the condition by following some of these tips:
instead of reaching straight for the brush, raking fingers through your hair to gently remove tangles first.
Use a natural bristle brush with a wooden base.
Once-a-week treatment to maintain optimum health.
Apply all conditioners and treatments to the lengths and ends of your hair where they are needed rather than directly to the scalp.
Brush your hair before shampooing and comb it when wet or, better still, with the conditioner in it.
It is best to heat dry as little as possible.
Use heated rollers, tongs, flat irons or crimpers for special occasions and don't use them more than once a week.
When hitting the beach or swimming, always use a leave-in product to protect your hair the way you use sunscreen to protect your skin.
When sleeping, try putting your hair up in a 'scrunchie' or covered band on the top of your head. This will help prevent breakage if you are a restless sleeper. Silk pillowcases will also help.
2. Cutting long hair
If growing your hair further, trim every 12 weeks
If growing out layers, cut every 8 weeks
If you are thinking of going for a short look and are not 100% sure, always have your haircut to shoulder length first. This will get you used to the idea without too great a shock.
3. Fine hair:
Best cuts
Blunt or one-length shapes work better than layers as they create the illusion of thickness in the ends.
The longer it gets the more spindly it becomes.
Put conditioners onto the lengths and ends of your hair rather than the roots.
Don't avoid conditioner as it will help prevent split ends and breakage that will make your hair look finer.
Thinning factors unique to women:
Pregnancy, childbirth and menopause: These can cause hormonal swings in women, often having a temporary or sometimes permanent effect on healthy-looking hair.
Rough scalp treatment: Colouring, highlighting, permanent waving and relaxing your hair can be very drying to the scalp and hair, resulting in thin-looking hair. Rigorous hair brushing and styling, rough scalp massaging, pulling, twisting, and braiding hair too tight (including improperly applied hair extensions), often cause temporary or even permanent scalp damage.
Some thinning factors unique to men:
- Excessive body building can cause a peak in testosterone levels therefore increasing the opportunity for increased levels of DHT.
- Steroid usage can cause a hormonal imbalance. These artificial hormone level changes can be a catalyst for thinning hair.
4. Greasy hair:
A certain amount of oil or grease is healthy, and in fact necessary for your hair to remain
in optimum condition, but too much oil can cause your hair to look dirty and lank.
You can split greasy hair into two types; greasy hair and scalp or greasy scalp and dry hair. If suffering from the latter, general advice would be to use a shampoo for the scalp and a conditioner for the hair itself, i.e. a shampoo for greasy hair and a dry hair conditioner.
Oil originates from glands in the scalp so this is the area we need to focus on. There are several products for oily scalps to help control the over production of oil, but it is important to know how not to make the condition worse yourself.
The glands which produce the oil are stimulated by massage, therefore we should practice a few of the following habits when dealing with a greasy scalp.
Shampoo with the flat of your fingers rather than the tips for a more gentle cleaning action.
When combing or brushing your hair, don't over do it or use too vigorous an action.
Try shampooing your hair a little less often (every second day).
Evening Primrose oil or zinc supplements can be beneficial in helping correct sebum (oil) activity.
5. Dry damaged hair:
The possible causes:
Too many chemical processes.
Too much heat (means the hairdryer, tongs, hot brushes, flat irons, heated rollers etc.
Too many elements (the weather kind).
A list of cures:
When blow-drying use a thermal protector.
Getting tangles out without damaging your hair.
Dealing with split ends.
Dealing with frizz.
Back from holiday treatments.
Conditioning.
6. Thick hair: 
One of the biggest problems with thick hair is the associated itchy, flaky scalp. This is often caused by insufficient rinsing during the shampooing process, which can leave behind a residue of 'soap' on the scalp.
Choosing a style for thick hair:
Thick hair works either really short, where the cut keeps it under control, or long enough that the weight of your hair holds it down. Mid lengths tend to result in sticking out hair.
Layers or thinning works well to relieve some of the bulk, but the shorter layers or pieces should not be too short, or they can provide added volume instead which is not what you need.
When thinking of a style change with colour bear in mind that permanent colours and bleaches leave the hair slightly swollen and therefore thicker. It may be better for you to use semi-permanent colours that don't have the same effect.
Curl or wave again adds bulk or thickness so go for styles that are worn straight if our natural hair texture allows.
When colouring your hair go for high or low lights rather than all over colour. Solid hues make your hair look like a wig, different coloured pieces break the hair up and soften the solidness. Lighter colours also make the hair look thinner, where dark tones add density.
Frizzy hair:
Quick fix is silicone now added to specialist products from shampoos and conditioners to gels and "drops" and simply coats your frizz prone hair, smoothing the surface. These products can even be used on fine hair prone to frizziness as the silicone oils are very light and will not weigh it down. Often marketed as "non-chemical relaxers" they are not permanent and will not damage your hair. The drops and finishing oils in this group of products are extremely concentrated so only small amounts are needed, normally only a "drop".
If you are only prone to an attack of the frizzes during humid or damp weather, try a finishing product designed to make your style last longer as it will protect your hair from climate changes e.g. hairspray.
7. Over the long term keep these points in mind:
Keeping your hair in good condition is the only real long-term fix for the frizzes. Try a once a week treatment to put back what your hair needs internally and special conditioner for curly hair.
Eat a diet rich in protein (fish and nuts) and essential fatty acids (vegetable oil).
Use little or no heat on your hair. There are hairdryers with cool settings specifically for your type of hair.
If you do blow-dry, use a thermal protector. Also when blow-drying angle the flow of air from roots to ends to keep the surface of your hair smooth.
Go for non-permanent colour rather than highlights and permanent colour.
Perms will generally exaggerate the problem rather than help it
8. Split ends:
Split ends is most often seen in long hair but also found in shorter hair that is out of condition and is an affliction of anyone trying to grow their hair.
Causes:
As your hair grows, the natural oils from the scalp (which flows down through the hair to protect it) can fail to reach the ends.
The ends of your hair are getting "old" once they reach 10 cm (4 inches). They have had a long exposure to the sun, gone through many shampoos and been overheated by hairdryers and tongs. This all results in dry and brittle ends which are prone to splitting.
Not trimming your hair regularly.
Damage due to relaxers, perms and colours when done to excess also causes dry brittle ends.
Poor quality brushes and combs.
Some hair types are naturally prone to split ends so they require extra care
Cures:
Cut them off.
Use specialist products that are designed to seal the splits temporarily in order to catch any splits that are shorter than the length you want to cut your hair to and to allow your hair to grow a little longer before you trim
Always condition hair longer than 10 cm (4 inches).
Trim regularly (every 6 weeks for shorter hair, 8 to 12 weeks for longer hair) and apply regular treatments.
Avoid excess heat and too much brushing and combing; invest in a quality combs and real bristle brushes. Throw away combs immediately a tooth is lost and never use metal combs.
9. Curly hair:
Temporary curl enhancement or controlling your curl:
Janine O'Sullivan and Keith Hennel, from N.O.K in Newtown Sydney recommend: "If you've got wavy or curly hair, keep the separated defined curl that you get when you've been to the beach by giving your hair a cold rinse after you've washed it which locks down the outer surface. Don't comb your hair before drying it naturally or using a diffuser attachment on your hair dryer to get those sexy summer tousled tresses".
Permanent curl enhancement.
Perms are not just for people with straight hair. In fact if you have some curl in your hair it will generally respond very well to the perming process. This will give you that slightly stronger or more defined curl that you are after, and because your own hair is curly as it grows out, the variation is hard to see so you may only need to repeat this process very occasionally.
Temporary straightening.
Most curly hair can be temporarily straightened by blow-drying and will remain straight until your hair next gets wet. The trick to keeping your straight blow-dry for as long as possible is to prevent moisture getting to your hair.
We would not recommend you use these every day as you can dry out your hair but the effect is great and easy to do for a special occasion.
10. Conditioning curly hair/frizz fighting.
11. Detangling
The following general tips will help, especially if
your have mid to long-length or curly hair:
Get a good detangling comb. These should have wide teeth and a handle for ease of use. Never brush wet hair, always comb it to avoid splitting.
It is often easier to work with conditioner in your hair when you comb it than after you have towel dried. If you're not too keen on standing in the shower for ages then try a spray detangler whilst you are combing.
When towel drying, try not to rub the hair: rather squeeze out the excess water.
Start combing from the ends rather than at the scalp working in 6 cm long sections get the tangles out, working each section until you can comb the whole length of your hair. It will also help to gently tease apart clumps or sections of hair rather than doing the lot in one go.
Clip sections that you are not combing out of the way.
12. Grey hair:
As we age, the amount of hair pigment (melanin) that we produce lessens, turning the hair clear or 'grey'. Most people go grey from the front back, but again this is inherited.
It is common too to get a streak of grey and a few people get a condition where the hair goes grey then natural colour alternately along its length every millimetre or so. It is not scientifically proven but large amounts of the vitamin PABA, found in health food stores, is said to slow down the process of going grey. Also the supplements taken to improve the strength and growth of hair can help (biotin, tyrosine, B vitamins, cystine, inositol and
choline).
To keep it in top condition do regular treatments (once every couple of weeks) and condition your hair every time you shampoo. It's not just our skin that needs added moisture as we age.
Grey hair does tend to suffer from yellowing, often linked to smoking but this is not the only cause. The yellowing is due to pollution in general in the air, so use a purifying shampoo, every once in a while to remove build up. You won't end up in the 'blue rinse set' unless you use it way too often.
Besides painfully plucking grey hairs out one by one (never an option), permanent hair colour is your only way to go. It's important to remember that "permanent" colour is not forever, it is until your hair grows and it will also fade a little. This option means a 5 to 6 weekly visit to the salon for your roots to be "touched up". The re-growth and how obvious it is will depend on the contrast of the colour chosen. So, if your hair is greyer than natural colour, go for a lighter look. If your hair is more natural colour than grey, go for something closer to your own natural colour. If you are thinking of doing this for yourself at home we would strongly recommend against it. Firstly, grey hair takes colour differently to the rest of your hair and can ends up with tell tale pink hues if not applied by a trained professional. Long term build up of colour incorrectly applied will cause dark areas and condition problems.
Lowlights - these are simply highlights that are darker, rather than lighter than the rest of your hair. This means that you can choose a colour that is the same as your natural colour and use it to blend out some of your grey's.
Demi-permanent colours - these are a cross between a semi and a permanent colour and will be more effective than a semi-permanent on grey hair. It will give you up to 70% coverage with certain brands. They gradually fade out over a period of weeks or washes, although a slight re-growth will be visible as they fade more slowly than your hair grows.
Special Considerations For Grey Hair When Trying To Find A Colour To Suit You.
The re-growth and how obvious it is will depend on the contrast of the colour chosen. So, if your hair is more grey hair than natural colour, go for a lighter look. If your hair is more natural colour than grey, go for something closer to your own natural colour.
As you get older your skin tone tends to fade and this effects how dark you can wear your hair.
Grey hair is often a different texture to the rest of your hair and if your grey is in a patch rather than throughout your hair, you may want to ask your hairdresser to use different products on that section than the rest, to get an even result.
13. Growing your hair:
Plan to cut or should we say reshape your hair every 10 to 12 weeks. Any more frequently
and you will not be gaining any length. Any less frequently and your hair could get out of condition.
Decide what you are growing your hair to - the goal of a certain look is a great motivator.
If you have a short layered style you will often need to start by growing out the layers. This means trimming the bottom of your hair until the shorter layers have had time to grow down to that length.
Consult your hairdresser regarding the suitability of the look you are after.
Plan the looks/cuts to have during the interim stages of growing your hair.
Condition and maintaining it is the key to growing your hair. We recommend a once a week treatment to maintain optimum health.
A balanced diet will improve and maintain good growth:
- If you are having any health problems or suffering from any nutritional deficiencies, your hair may stop growing or show damage.
- If your body is in good health, you can maximize your genetic growth cycle through taking the proper blend of amino acids and B-vitamins.
- It is also important to include B-6, biotin, inositol and folic acid in the supplemental program. It has been found that certain minerals including magnesium, sulfur, silica and zinc are also very important towards maintaining healthy hair.
- Beta-carotene is also important to hair growth. This is because beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A as the body needs it, helps maintain normal growth and bone development, protective sheathing around nerve fibers, as well as promoting healthy skin, hair and nails. Beta-carotene is found in green and yellow vegetables and fruits.
14. Slow growing hair:
People's hair grows at varying rates and is effected by hereditary, health and condition factors.
Some simple checks to monitor if you feel your hair is exceptionally slow growing are:
- Your diet - a balanced diet will improve and maintain good growth.
- Your blood feeds the growth center of each hair and stimulation or massage of the scalp will encourage a good blood supply and therefore growth.
- Regularly trim your hair every 6 to 12 weeks depending on whether you are growing it or not. Split ends are your biggest enemy, once they start, your hair will get shorter by the day as they break off, making you feel that your hair never grows.
15. Getting more volume: things NOT to do
- Don't use too many different types or too much of any product.
- Don't apply conditioners directly to the scalp. Instead ensure that they are only applied to the lengths and ends of your hair
- Don't let your hair get too long! Hair longer than 15 cm or 6" is pretty hard to get volume into, even for the experts.
Try a couple of these ideas that you may not have considered:
- Try a "perm" that is not a perm but simply a "bend" in the hair.
- Try a few highlights. When you colour or highlight your hair it swells a little and gives it a slightly rougher texture that can give you that extra volume you have always wanted.
- Use a volumizer spray and or your favourite products at the roots, while the hair is still wet. It is at the scalp you will create volume, not at the ends. As you apply gently tug the hair upward from the root with your fingers, to promote lift.
- Make sure the section of hair you are blow-drying is fully dry before moving to the next and to let each section cool before brushing out.
Blow-drying can blow the natural body and lift right out of the hair, if not done correctly. Instead you could try, allowing your hair to air dry 90%, then flip your head upside down and scrunch hair with your hands to encourage separation and curl. If frizz is a problem, you can define the waves or curls by twisting sections of your hair around your finger as they air dry.
16. Getting shine:
If you have stick straight hair you will already by half way there to getting great "shine". However, the more curl or wave you have, the less your hair will shine. It's all to do with the reflection of light and curly hair has an uneven surface so does not reflect light as easily as
straight hair. You can however improve the level of shine by following a few of these tips:
- Keep your hair healthy by using heated styling tools less frequently.
- If you use a dryer, use one with a nozzle attachment to direct the airflow from roots to ends to create smooth sections.
- Blow-dry your hair right side up, not bent over upside down as this can create frizz.
- Avoid brushes with plastic bristles, a boar bristle brush is always better.
- The correct shampoo and conditioning regime can really help boost shine. Moisturising shampoos and conditioners will help seal and smooth the surface of your hair allowing it to reflect light. Once a week, use a clarifying shampoo to remove product build up which can make your hair look dull.
- Using a wide-tooth comb whilst in the shower to distribute your conditioner evenly will also improve shine.
- Give your hair a final cool rinse just before you leave the shower to seal down the surface of your hair so it reflects light better.
- Consider a special in-salon treatment that is like applying a "gloss finish.
17. Static in your Hair:
Static is electrical charge that is unable to find "ground" and causes some real headaches and "flyaway" hair conditions. Simply spray hairspray onto your brush when you have finished blow-drying and brush it over the surface of your hair from roots to ends. This does not give that hairspray feel but does stop static.
18. Diet:
For healthy, beautiful hair, emblazon the word protein in your mind. Hair is at least 97% protein, containing 19 of the 22 amino acids that from protein. This should vividly illustrate why hair condition depends so much on the quantity and quality of protein in foods. Hair reflects poor nutrition through breaking, cracking and splitting. Dryness, brittleness,
and lack luster hair can be sign of poor protein supply.
Hair is at least 97% protein.
Vitamin B is vital to healthy hair growth while Vitamin A gives the hair its shine. Vitamin E helps to make the hair thick and glossy while the mineral Zinc helps the hair grow and strengthens the hair shaft. Silicon is another mineral that forms cross-links with the keratin in the hair and copper helps decide color pigment. Lack of copper leads to gray hair.
Unlike skin, hair cannot repair itself, but damaged hair is replaced with new hair.
To keep your hair strong and maintain texture try:
- Protein rich foods.
- Supplements of choline and inositol help the development of the hair.
- Tyrosine (an amino acid) is vital to improving growth. However people suffering from epilepsy or migraines should not take this supplement as it can bring on or worsen these conditions.
- Vitamin B's improve the general health of the hair.
As with any supplements a normal healthy diet provides all our nutritional requirement so care should be taken not to overdo it.
19. Dandruff:
Dandruff is noticeable first as small, white flakes that show up on the shoulders. Dry dandruff goes with dry hair and is associated with dry skin types. Dry, powdery flakes are usually present on hair and scalp.
The hair will also be dry, and the scalp rather itchy. It can be a sign of poor health or a vitamin deficiency. Oily dandruff is associated with oily skin types and often accompanied by spots on face, neck and shoulders.
Dandruff can also be caused when the sebaceous glands have become hyperactive, causing excess oiliness, and the flakes in this condition are yellow, greasy and soft to touch. The scalp would be red and sore.
It could be an over-rich diet or one too high in animal fats. Stress is also a prime cause of this type of dandruff. Start using anti-dandruff shampoo, even with daily washing. If existing antidandruff shampoo does not work after a while, it's not the fault of the shampoo. It may be because the scalp has build up a resistance to that particular brand of shampoo.
20. Head lice:
H
ead lice live next to the scalp and feed on blood. Pediculosis capitus is the proper term for head lice It's eggs can sometimes be seen on the ends of the hair, but the nearer they are to the scalp the more recent the infection. They can't jump or swim and are transmitted through head to head contact.
The 6-legged louse crawls around the head and if not dealt with quickly will breed. The nit or louse's egg is quite resilient and even chemical lotions don't always penetrate it.
They are most susceptible to chemical lotions when the nit is newly hatched, which is about 14 days after the egg has been laid.
Nit combs are effective tools as the small teeth dislodge the eggs and be scraped off on to a tissue paper.
This way, the eggs and lice will slide off the
hair easily as they won't be able to grip the slippery hair shaft. There are also medical preparations that can kill the little blighters in one application.
Please note that the information provided has been gathered in good faith and to the best of our knowledge and results of our research. Learnxtra.com Ltd cannot be held responsible for any problems encountered as a result of any reliance on this information. Further to this, any tips provided by named individuals are the sole views of that individual, and not those of Learnxtra.com Ltd. No party can be held responsible for any problems encountered as a result of any reliance on this information.
