Is your Hair Healthy?

8 ways you might be taxing your tresses; and the easy fixes

By Krista Bennett Demaio

What’s your damage?

Pluck out a strand of hair at the root and examine the base. Strong hair has a thick bulb; if there’s no bulb, the hair follicle isn’t healthy, according to Michael Shaun Corby, global creative director for Alterna Hair Care. The cause? Damage from styling or, potentially, genetically linked hair loss.

Give it a tug. Wrap a strand of hair around your index finger and thumb (like a piece of string), then use your other hand to tug on it. If it snaps immediately, your hair is lacking moisture; if it stretches, like bubble gum, says Corby, it needs protein, which strengthens the hair’s keratin bonds.

Do the “sink or float” test. Drop a strand of hair into a glass of water. A healthy strand will float. If it sinks, the shaft is porous. This can happen to color-treated hair, but it can also occur with a protein deficiency.

To get a fair picture of your hair’s overall health, repeat tests on at least four strands from different parts of your head, suggests Donna Maggi, education manager of Nioxin, a hair-and scalp-care company.

Stop a bad-hair day before it starts

If you go outside with wet hair. Outdoor elements (wind, cool temperatures) can be rough even for dry hair, explains Corby. But when hair is wt, it’s actually more fragile and susceptible to breakage.

Healthy-hair fix. Try styling design to cut drying time. The Paul Mitchell Express Style line, for example, is formulated with technology to help hair dry faster.

If you use a subpar blow-dryer. In a cheaply made blow-dryer, the coil and motor can overheat, frying your hair’s cuticle. The tip-off:  The louder the sound, the poorer the quality, Corby says. But a professional blow-dryer isn’t always better, says Erin Anderson, VO5 celebrity stylist. They’re powerful and can burn hair if used incorrectly, she says.

Healthy-hair fix. An ionic blow-dryer. Ionic technology shrinks water molecules, so hair dries faster but with less damage. Try the T3 line (the Rolls-Royce of dryers), or you can find one for less, like Conair ION Shine 1875 Watt Dryer, $37.

If you still smoke. That nasty habit is not only bad for skin, it pollutes your hair, says Anderson. Smoke leaves residue on the scalp and hair, making it look dull.

Healthy-hair fix. Um, quit. Also, use a clarifying shampoo monthly, and consider a facial for your scalp. Just like the rest of our skin, the skin on our scalp needs to be addressed, says Maggi. Try Nioxin Scalp Renew, an in-salon dermabrasion treatment that removes buildup and unclogs follicles.

If you don’t use UV protection. You shield your hair from UV rays at the beach, but what about at the office? Like the sun, the fluorescent lighting in your office fades color and damages hair’s integrity, says Corby.

Healthy-hair fix. Use styling products with UVB and UVA protection. It’s important to have protectants in your styling products, too, says Maggi. Styling products stay in hair, while your shampoo rinses out. Try Logics Color DNA styling products, with UV filters.

If you rely on the shampoo at your gym. Sure, it’s convenient to use the stuff provided in the locker room, but it could be stripping your tresses of essential moisture. Most gyms choose economical detergent-like shampoos, says Corby. The pH of these shampoos is often better suited to scrub oil off the streets than the oil in your hair after a 30-minute workout.

Healthy-hair fix. BYOB! Toting travel-size bottles of quality sulfate – and salt-free products will make a big difference in how your looks and feels. Try PureOlogy shampoos and conditioners, which in a gym-bag-friendly size.

If you wear hair in ponytails, a lot! If you wear your hair in a ponytail or a bun in the same spot every day, you’re causing breakage, says Anderson.

Healthy-hair fix. Let your hair down! But if you must put it up, look for elastics with a plastic-y feel so glide through hair, says Corby. Try Blax snag-free hair elastics ponytail holders; stylists love them.

If you frequently wield a flat iron. Women who use flat irons hit the same areas with the same intensity day after day, explains Corby. You can easily burn your hair.

Healthy-hair fix. Do as much as you can with the blow-dryer, says Corby. It causes less damage than an iron. Also, coat your strands with a silicone-free, heat-protective serum. Try Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging radiant Smoothing Lotion, with hydrating rhodiola extract.

If you don’t address your dandruff. You never want to leave dandruff to its own devices, says Anderson. The more you scratch, the worse it gets, and you’ll end up damaging your scalp. And a healthy scalp means healthy hair, she says.

Healthy-hair fix. Stop the itch with a dandruff-controlling shampoo and the latest innovation: dandruff-fighting conditioner. Head and Shoulders Conditioner Dry Scalp Care boosts the effectiveness of active anti-dandruff ingredients left on the scalp by 50 percent.

Hair trends this season :

"Young, natural look with colour which are warmer and romantic. Hair more layered with different shades and tones. Highlighted hair which gives movement and softness to a hairstyle.".........Kanta Motwani (Kromakay Salon, Bombay).

"Lots of colour is still in. Varies from stark blondes combined with ashen brown to copper, coffees, chestnuts. Soft sultry curls are very much the order of the day as is easy low maintenance haircuts. Sharp angular "v" bare lines with flowing layers and soft fringes.".........Natasha Naegamvala (Malini & Yasmin, Bombay).

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Forget Botox. Have carrot juice on empty stomach every morning. Research has shown that it prevents ageing.

Cucumber juice is a source of silicon and has high water content making it ideal for healthy glowing skin.

For a flawless complexion and lustrous mane, have one tablespoon of sprouts everyday.

If you have a nose that is rather large for your face, you might want to avoid making your eyebrow's too thin since this tends to make your nose look even larger. Try and make the area near the bridge of your nose rounded for a natural look.

To treat dandruff, soak a towel in hot water, wring it out, and wrap around the head for a minimum of ten minutes.

THE  FACE  LIFT

At - Home Mask can be adapted for all skin types:
"This is the mask that you can take anywhere in the world and always find one or more of the natural ingredients your skin requires.  By stimulating the circulation of blood, cleansing the pores and then closing them, and assuring the proper alkalinity/acidity level of  the skin, the At - Home Mask helps the skin to acquire a clear, translucent, glowing look.  It can be used at least once a week, with
ingredients listed for every type of skin."

AT- HOME MASK FORMULA
60 ml ( 4 tbsp) Kaolin in powder form
5 ml   (1 tsp)   Cornflour
5 ml   (1 tsp)    talcum  powder
Mix all the ingredients well and store in a tightly closed glass container in a cool, dry place. Since all the ingredients are dry, you may double or enlarge the amounts in proportion, as you choose.

INGREDIENTS TO USE WITH AT-HOME MASK
Add one of any of the following --enough to make a paste-to 15 ml ( 1 tbsp) of the At-Home mask powder.

FOR NORMAL SKIN :
Camomile tea
Rose hip tea
Mashed strawberry/ strawberry juice
Mashed banana
egg yolk
Milk or sour cream
Mayonnaise.

FOR   DRY  SKIN
One egg yolk with a small amount of linseed oil (rich in unsaturated fatty acida)
5 ml (1 tsp) powdered brewer's yeast, 5 ml (1 tsp) honey, and a small amount of skimmed milk.
15 ml  ( 1 tbsp) powdered brewer's yeast with a small amount of linseed oil.
Camomile tea
Sour cream
One small slice of a banana mashed with 5 ml ( 12 tsp) honey
Milk
Honey.

FOR DEHYDRATED SKIN :

Fresh canteloup juice
Camomile tea
cucumber juice

FOR  OILY  SKIN :
15 ml (tbsp) powdered brewer's yeast with a small  amount of witch hazel
Fresh prune, peach  or apricot juice
Fresh tomato juice
Fresh orange juice
Fresh lemon juice diluted with water.

To use, place 15 ml (1 tbsp) of the At -Home Mask formula in a small bowl or saucer and add a sufficient amount of the recommended liquid ingredient or ingredients ( see above) for your skin type to make a paste.  Add the ingredients slowly until you have a manageable consistency. The paste can be thick or thin, as long as it spreads easily. Smooth the mask on to your neck and face with yours fingers, a rubber spatula, or a brush, depending on how liquid or creamy the texture is.  You never apply the At-Home Mask around the eye area.  Cover your eyes with cotton pads saturated with rose water or a camomile tea brew.  Leave the mask on for fifteen minutes. Remove with tepid water and rinse well.

Note :  If your skin is dry, dehydrated or normal, you should apply eye cream around the eye area and a moisturiser on your face.  When the mask is used before going to bed, substitute moisturisers for night cream.  If your skin is oily or combination, apply a little moisturiser in the dry areas only.

Remove with tepid water and rinse well.

Vitamin A is a great skin—saver

Who doesn’t want a clean and glowing skin? Every woman wants radiant, wrinkle-free skin and that’s where vitamin A comes in. Though it’s the most commonly deficient vitamin in the world today, your skin still  get its share.

Vitamin A regulates the hydration and colour of your skin. When you use vitamin A cream regularly, pigmentation granule  become more evenly distributed,  so the colour looks more uniform, even lighter. It also thickens your skin but makes it smoother, so it feels finer. And what  about  the  quality every woman desires for her skin – radiance ? Yes, it does that too.  

The Essentials of Vitamin A  
Source: Carrots, pumpkin and sweet peppers: animal products such as egg yolk, butter, cheese and fish or bovine liver oils.  
Functions: A great regulator. Treats acne and unclogs pores. Restores blood vessels beneath the epidermis that have become frazzled by the sun. Makes the skin smoother and finer. Above all makes it look radiant and healthy. It is  said, a healthy skin has a healthy body and mind.

Skin Care this summer 

Beat the heat, this summer,”You must use a sunscreen with 20 to 30 SPF content. Most sunscreens in the market do not have the required content. Try Lotus or Lakme (Rs 50 for 60 ml), which are good”.
For those looking for medicated sunscreens there is  Melascreen (Rs 65 for 50 ml), which gives its content break-up).
Dr. Raj Parikh of Vichy Laboratories recommends a good sunscreen as the first requirement for summer care. He says, “Vichy has a product called Thermal Spa Water to handle sun allergies, burns etc. It detoxifies your skin and soothes it.”

Facewash

Facewashes help you deal with summer easily. Wash your face regularly to keep your skin fresh. There are many soap-free cleansers and face-washes.
Available in the market. Ponds (Rs 20 for 50 gms), Pears (Rs 27 for 60 gms) and Synergie (Rs 30 for 50 ml) are a few brands you could try. Among soaps Dove (Rs 43) is especially good as it cleans as well as moisturizes.
For those who like herbal soaps, Biotique offers the orange peel exfoliator soap, slmond soap for sensitive skin, Himalayan plum, basil and parsely soap (Rs 70 each).
Biotique has an Aloe Vera protective lotion for both men and women (Rs 180 for 210 ml). Shahnaz offers Shadew (Rs 270 for 40 gms) body treatment cream.
The Puretethermale range of Vichy offers a cleanser along with a toner for oily skin, a skin cleansing gel for normal  skin and cleansing milk for dry skin (Rs 470 for over 100 ml each).

Cleansers, scrubs and packs

Oily skin attracts dust. During the summer the more you clean and wash the prettier you will look. Packs, scrubs, peels and cleansers available in the market ensure that you don’t have to spend hours grinding vegetables peels or making scrubs.
Try the Ever Yuth facial peels, scrubs and packs. The orange peel (Rs 80 for 90 gms) suits all skin types. The Walnut Apricot Scrub (Rs 50 for 50 gms) cleans and exfoliates. And its cucumber, neem, mint and lemon masks (Rs 50 for 50 gms each) are ideal for dry skin.
There are local beauty parlours that specialize in aroma oil treatments and offer facewash, scrubs and cleansing milk (Rs 70 for 60 ml each). It also has an excellent sandalwood pack ( Rs 80for 60 gms), which lasts you through the summer. Its Veg Peel (Rs 100) exfoliates and removes dead skin.

Deos and talcs

Deos and anti-perspirants are an important part of bodycare during summer. There ae many prickly heat talcs in the market.
Aviance has a deo-active perfumed talc Rs 61), which is available in two variants-Triumph and Verve
Nivea has also introduced a  summer talc which is easily available. Essunsual from Modi Care (Rs 140 for 200 gms) is a good product, available at select stores.

Home remedies

Take one leaf of Aloe Vera, rub a thin layer of oil on it and wrap it in a mulmul cloth before placing it in the cooker. After one whistle, remove from gas, cool and use on your face.
Take some honey and mix a small pinch of haldi in it. Massage on your face.
Use a tomato pulp pack for normal and dry skin and cucumber pack for oily skin.
Use one part of the multani mitti and two parts of sandalwood. It’s a great home pack.

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 Hair Care

The most embarrassing of hair problems is probably dandruff or scurf because it is visible all over your shoulders if you wear a dark garment. People suffer from it for years and it is believed that nearly 75% suffer from dandruff. A survey reveals that people working in public relations (as in radio and TV) are the most sufferers. More men than women have dandruff and it strikes between the ages of 15-45 years. Yet dandruff is a scalp condition and not a skin disease.

The scientific word for dandruff is Pityriasis Simplex (Pityriasis Capitis) and it is scattered over the shoulders by scratching, brushing or combing of the hair. Dandruff is caused due to the imbalance in cell regeneration and shedding. Too many cells are formed in the uppermost layer of the scalp, which is shed onto the surface of the skin.

It is not known what causes this imbalance but there are 4 possibilities.
1. Small micro-organism.
2. High level of liquid secretion.
3. An over production of horny cells.
4. An allergic response to normal scales and may be an allergy to cosmetics, poor nutrition or stress.

There are 3 stages of dandruff.
1. It could be a minor irritation that could last a life time.
2. It could turn into a patchy scaling where the scalp reacts to the presence of scurf by secreting a fluid which causes the scales to stick to the scalp and have a yellow waxy and crusted appearance. 
3. The condition could spread to the front of the head, chest and back.

Dandruff responds well to shampoos like Head & Shoulders which can even be used daily. The dandruff treatment removes the excess scales from the scalp and hair, destroys the micro-organisms and slows down the rapid reproduction of epidermal cells in the scalp, but it should not penetrate into or harm the healthy part of the epidermis.

Dandruff treatment with a medicated shampoo should not be very frequent or it will worsen the problem and dry out the hair. Shining dandruff-free hair has its advantages-: you can wear black all the time if you wish.

You can even treat dandruff by using a mixture of coconut oil and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.

Hair Care Tips

# Dry hair tends to be thin and rough. It is susceptible to tangles, damage, breakage and split ends. The primary aim is to replenish the oil and the moisture in the hair. For dry hair, scalp massaging with oil is recommended.

# Hibiscus provides herbal nourishment and refreshes every strand with rich, even colours that give long lasting results. Aloe Vera extracts protect hair while colouring.

# Using too much conditioner makes hair greasy. For oily hair, apply a light conditioner at the ends of the hair.

# Use a shampoo and conditioner that suits your hair type. Choose products that are gentle, preferably without any harsh detergent like the sulphates. For daily washes, use a shampoo that is mild, gentle and moisturising.

# The principal of care for oily hair and scalp condition is the same as used for oily skin condition. The routine aims at removing the excess oil and to exfoliate skin cells which clogs up and suffocate the hair follicles in our scalp. The emphasis is laid on cleansing and toning routines. Since the hair has to be washed as frequently as it gets dirty and oily, a natural shampoo on a formulation of herbs such as amla, shikakai, trijla is ideal. Massaging hair and scalp is important for the well being as well as good growth of the hair. For oily hair massaging with toning lotion is suitable.

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+Kiss-proof lipstick first hit the shelves in 1950.

+Add some diced coconut in your food. It helps avoid premature graying and hairfall.

+Weight-lifting benefits women too. Its a myth that women who lift weights will get bulky muscles.

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FRUITY RECEIPE FOR FAIR COMPLEXION

Fruits are a rich source of vitamin C, E and A. Vitamin A rich fruits in particular are musk melon, apple and apricots. When mashed and applied on the skin, they help to maintain a clear, bright and youthful complexion.  

Fruits rich in vitamin C like gooseberries, raspberry, strawberry, orange, guava and grapes are found in anti-ageing creams.  

Fruits face pack improve circulation. They also cleanse and tighten the skin. They allow skin to breathe more and gentler than other cosmetic face packs.  

The juice of fresh fruits and vegetables provide enzymes that help balance and cleanse the skin. Extract a fruit pulp and add it to vegetables, then add fruit pectin, agar, clay or oat flour to firm the mixture so it does not slide off the face.

Fruit face packs are also known to help erase the fine lines, stimulate the production of elasticity in the skin, which is essential for a healthy complexion.  

* A face pack of raspberries, curd and cucumber in equal quantities will give you a brighter and healthier skin.

* Apply a pack of oatmeal and strawberry, massage on the skin and leave for 15 minutes. This will give you a healthy complexion.

A pack made of four-five strawberries, one tablespoon curd and one teaspoon honey will have a bleaching effect on the skin.

Orange juice clears dark pigmentation and scars. The juice or pulp applied on the skin opens clogged pores and allows the skin to breathe. Try it as a quick remedy to freshen up your face.

Grapes brighten the complexion and exfoliate dead cells. Mash grapes and massage it on the face for 15 minutes. Wash with cold water. This remedy is also useful in removing pimples and blemishes

However, you could also try the following combination of fruits and vegetables for different types of skin.

For normal skin: Use avocado, banana, cantaloupe, grape, peach, nectarine.

For dry skin: Try apple, avocado, banana, carrot, pear, melon or nectarine.

For oily skin: Use cabbage, cucumber, lemon, pear, strawberry or tomato

For aged skin: Try apple, avocado, grape or lemon.

For blemished skin: Try apple, cabbage, grape or tomato.

Wash off the face pack with cold water and pat dry with a piece of soft clean cloth.

Beauty Tips

# For curing acne and pimples and to give a fresh look to your skin, wash it with fresh buttermilk.

# To relieve back pain, have one spoon of ajwain and gur.

# Hair Loss --- Apply a paste of hot olive oil, one tablespoon of honey, one tablespoon of cinnamon powder before bath for 15 mins.

# Pimples --- Apply a paste of 3 tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon of cinnamon powder paste before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water.

# Upset Stomach -- Can cause a lot of skin and other problems. Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also eases stomach ulcers.

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Numerology - What the numbers say? Click on 'Matrimony'