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Tips from "Looking Good"
Without our even asking, we wound up on the mailing list of an online beauty newsletter called "Looking Good." It often includes interesting and little-known tips for improving your hair. Each daily issue invites us to share the information with our friends, so we hereby do that with you. If you'd like to join the mailing list, look for the title at the Shagmail web site.
[NOTE: We have NOT tried any of the tips listed on this page. We offer them for informational purposes only, NOT recommending them one way or the other. We welcome your comments about their effectiveness, at SuperHair@email.com .]
BEER
Flat beer to be exact. Most people might not know that flat beer has been used on hair for years and years by top models and beauty pageant contestants. It styles your hair without stickiness and gives the hair a bounce no other product gives.
Beer also will give extra life to permed hair that is almost at the end, or naturally curly hair that may droop as the day goes on. Here's how to use it...
Leave a can of beer open until it is flat. Pour ½ cup of the beer in a spray bottle. Spray on towel dried shampooed hair before setting, blow-drying, or curling. While you might think you will smell like a brewery, the odor will evaporate quickly...
BOBS
This [chin-length] style is good for those who don't want to get their hair cut too often and aren't looking for too much versatility in the style. Styling is quick and trims should be done every 6-8 weeks...
BODY
If your hair has a tendency to be flat and limp and you wash your hair at night, switch to the morning. Your hair can pick up scalp and bosy oils from your pillow at night which will weigh your hair down by morning...
If you have a water softener in your home, the salt that is used in them can build-up over time. Use a clarifying shampoo when you feel like your hair isn't "behaving" as well as usual...
CLARIFYING
Clarifying your hair is always a good idea to remove the build-ups some products leave on your hair which can make your hair dull and lifeless. Clarifying can remove the chlorine swimmers get on their hair which can give that nice shade of green that we have all seen on people at one time or another. This is probably the easiest clarifier you can use. To those who will ask...Yes, clarifying color-treated hair can remove some of the color. To those of you who do color your hair, I would suggest giving yourself a good clarifying treatment a few days before you color your hair...
Simple clarifier... Mix 1 tablespoon baking soda with 2 teaspoons shampoo. Lather, wait 5 minutes, rinse and condition.
COLORING
Baby shampoos are very mild and do not strip the color out of your hair if you color your hair...
CONDITIONING
Not only will it improve your hair's health, you will find that healthier hair needs less products to keep a style, which means less build-up on the hair. Once a week is a good rule of thumb for deep conditioning....
DRYNESS
Hot oil treatments are great for distressed hair. While badly damaged hair can only be "fixed" by having it cut, dry hair can benefit from hot oil treatments. A way to make a hot oil treatment even better is by adding Rosemary to the oil. Rosemary stimulates the hair follicle and will make the hair grow stronger and longer. Add one cup of rosemary to two cups of olive oil. Leave it five minutes, then warm it in the microwave or on the stove until it's warm, not hot. Apply to freshly washed hair and leave it on 5 minutes. Rinse well.
GEL AND MOUSSE
If you overdo the gel or mousse and don't have time to re-wash your hair, take a cotton ball dipped in witch hazel and wipe it over the areas of the stickiness or stiffness. It will
break down the styling products a little and make the hair easier to finish....
Sprinkle cornstarch or baby powder on your hair and brush to give yourself a dry shampoo when you're pressed for time. The cornstarch or powder blots up excess oil that weighs the hair down....
GRAY HAIR
Yellowing of grey hair.... Most of the shampoos on the market made for silver/white hair DO work, but the problem is people overdo it and end up looking purple or "blue haired". Use those shampoos, but alternate using them with your regular shampoos so that the grandkids don't think you're the real "Barney."
Mixing baking soda with some white vinegar into a paste and applying it to your hair will remove buildups from sprays and products that can add to the yellow problem. Do this once a week..... And yes, anyone can use this for buildups....
Grey hair is much coarser and drier than naturally pigmented hair. Adding a few drops of almond oil to your hands and applying it to your hair will moisturize dry hair.
Using 1/4 cup of vodka with 1/4 cup of any shampoo will give your hair a healthy shine.
HEALTHINESS
* How healthy is your hair? With these three simple tests, you can determine if your hair is healthy or damaged....
Test 1...Pluck out one hair from your head and lay it on a piece of white paper. Get a magnifying glass and look at the hair from the bulb (root) to the end. Compare the width from end to end. If the bulb and the end are the same in width, then your hair is healthy. If the end is noticeably "thinner", then your hair is damaged and should be treated as such...
Test 2...Take your forefinger and thumb and "run" it down a strand of hair from root to end. Reverse and run your fingers back up the strand to the root. Hair that is healthy feels the same going in both directions. Hair that is damaged has a rough feeling. The fingers will glide when the hair is undamaged...
Test 3...You know how you curl ribbon with scissors but gently scraping the ribbon with the scissors to curl it? Use your forefinger and thumb to do the 'ribbon test" on the hair. Gently separate one hair strand to isolate it. Do not pull it out. Drag your nail along the hair three times. If the hair curls and coils, the hair is healthy; if it barely gets a bend, the hair is damaged...
* Can you make your hair grow faster? Technically...No, but...
There are some tips that can help the strength of your hair which in turn can increase the health of your hair which might actually make it seem like your hair is growing faster, and it might actually be growing a little quicker.
The scalp is important when maintaining a healthy head of hair. Massaging the scalp from the nape of the neck and circling the hairline is a good thing to do. Use your fingertips, never your fingernails which can actually harm follicles. The old wives' tale about brushing your hair 100 strokes a night to give you better hair is half true. The reason it was shown to be beneficial is because the brush was massaging the scalp and increasing the circulation to the scalp. To cut down on damaging the hair with excessive pulling from the brush, use the finger massage routine instead...
A good, over the counter vitamin that has antioxidant blends and Vitamin B will benefit the hair and its health...
HIGHLIGHTS
If you have highlighted hair and aren't scheduled at the hairdresser anytime soon, wash your hair in Dawn dishwashing soap once a week to brighten the highlights. This is for hair that has been highlighted with bleach. Do not use on hair that is just colored or it will strip the color. Do not use more than once a week as it isn't very gentle on the hair. Make sure you use a conditioner afterwards...
HOLD (Spray)
If you run out of hairspray, or the chemicals in them don't agree with you, try dissolving a tablespoon of sugar in a glass of hot water. Put it in a spray pump bottle and use it as a safe hairspray. It will hold just like one you buy. Don't tell me about bees and bugs flocking to your head, the regular sprays attract these things too...
LAYERS (short)
These cuts are for no fuss styling, "funky fun," or sophisticated short looks. Depending on the look you are going for, styling can be as quick as 5 minutes, or as long as 20 minutes. This length has more upkeep as far as trims and usually need trimmed every 4 weeks. You'll be able to tell easily when you need a trim when your hair is short; people with short hair notice immediately when their hair isn't "behaving" like it did the week before...
LONG HAIR
If you have longer hair, pull it back in a ponytail. Besides it being a more youthful style, it also pulls the skin at the temples up and back, which can be a mini-facelift. Bangs can hide forehead wrinkles. No need for a thick bang, a soft, wispy bang will do the trick also...
MID-LENGTH
Medium-length cuts are for women who like a longer look and the different ways to do longer hair. Styling can take 20 minutes or longer. Weekly conditioning is a must on longer hair to keep the ends nourished and frizz-free. Trims should be done every 6 weeks, even if you only get 1/4- ½ inch trimmed off...
Ph BALANCE
Mint has natural astringent properties and also balances the PH of skin and hair. Mint also reduces excess oil that can make hair look greasy and limp without taking away the shine. Look for products with mint as a key ingredient. OR...Take a handful of fresh mint and put it in a small pot of water. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and steep for 15-20 minutes. Let cool and use it as a facial toner and a final rinse after shampooing. Just pour it through your hair and massage the scalp gently...
SHINE
* Mix 1/4 cup of lemon juice with ½ cup of water for lighter hair and 1/4 cup of vinegar with ½ cup of water for darker colored hair. Use the mixture as a final rinse after you have shampooed and conditioned your hair.
* Out of hair styling lotion? Try Johnson's Baby Lotion! Depending on the length of the hair, use a nickel to a quarter size amount in the palms of your hands. Rub the lotion over washed-towel-dried hair and style...
Inexpensive castor oil is a great product to use as a hairdressing cream for any kind of hair. You only need a very small amount on the hair which will take away the "frizzies", static, and give the hair a nice shine. If your hair is fine, use a VERY small amount. There are those who claim that castor oil on the scalp promotes hair growth.
* To make your hair shiny... For light hair: 1/4 lemon juice in ½ cup of water. Use as a final rinse after you have shampooed and conditioned your hair...
For dark hair: 1/4 cup vinegar to ½ cup of water. Use as a final rinse after shampooing and conditioning...
STATIC ELECTRICITY
Wearing hats and have that "electrified" look when you take it off? Take a small amount of moisturizer, rub it in your palms until it's gone and then lightly run it over your hair before you put that cap on. This will stop static...(So will rubbing a fabric softener sheet over your hair IF you happen to take one with you.)
STRENGTH
Take your regular shampoo and put it in a paper cup. Mix an egg into it and lather it in your damp hair. Leave it on 15 minutes and rinse out. Condition as usual.........
THICKENING
Mix ½ cup of white vinegar with ½ cup of lemon juice. Wrap the hair with a hot towel. (Put your towel in the microwave or clothes dryer to make it nice and toasty.) Leave it on the hair for 15 minutes. Use a half of a bottle or can of flat beer as a rinse before you shampoo and condition.
Yes, the vinegar stinks and no, the odor will not last....
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Posted 11/17/2; Updated 1/28/3