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Dry hair occurs mainly due to heat, the use of excessive chemicals applied on your hair and also by not taking good care of your hair. Every person’s hair has a certain amount of moisture which preserves your hair and does not let it dry. When certain level of moisture goes down due to many of the common reasons then you have to take special efforts to maintain that moisture. One should keep in mind that excess experiments with your hair can cause problems and lead to dry hair.

Some of the common reason why many face this problem is the excessive washing of your hair. Your hair need not be washed daily as this washes out the nutrients from your hair leaving you ‘high and dry’. So washing is not an appropriate solution for your hair on a daily basis. Use of hot dryers, hot curlers or any of the things you use for stylizing your hair also leads to drying. Swimming in chlorinated water without a head cap makes your hair parched and even drier. By using some of the home based recipes you can make your last longer with a better look.

The use of mild shampoo is one of the initial steps to be taken when you are treating dry hair. Look for shampoos mentioned as ‘dry and damaged’ which would work in your favor. The use of conditioner is a must as this helps in preserving the lost nutrients and oil in your hair. This would give a beautiful look to your hair with the extra shine and bounce. Snipping off the end of your hair would help in preventing further damage to your hair. Exposure to sun can also cause dryness. You can use hair sunscreen to protect your hair.

Use of some of the home made ingredients if properly blended can be very helpful. Beer seems to work wonders on your hair. You can spray your hair with beer once you have shampooed your hair. Mayonnaise is also a wonderful ingredient which brings life back to your hair as it is termed as an excellent conditioner.

Sharon Hopkins manages sites which give information on hair and skin care, such as hair-n-skin-care.com. From pigmentation of your skin to suntan you can find everything here. Dry hair problem is one of the commonest problems faced which can be treated easily too.

Japanese Hair Straightening is a chemical process that can turn the curliest straight. Typically women who love the straight look, will love Japanese Hair Straightening.

This process was first created for Japanese women as a smoothing and conditioning treatment that promotes a permanent altering of the hair structure. The hair’s cyctine protein bonds are loosened and reshaped through the straightening of hair cells.

Taking six hours or longer, the process involves multiple steps depending on the texture and length of your hair.

To protect your hair from the chemicals and heat, a pre-conditioner is applied first, followed by a applying a hair relaxer with heat applications and a periodic flat ironing.

With the exception of extremely brittle hair, the treatment works on just about any hair type. Thermal reconditioning could be for you, if you want to have permanently straight hair.

As a word of caution, your straight hair will last till it grows out. If you want to keep your hair smooth, you’ll have to make a trip to the salon for root straightening touch-ups to prevent your roots from growing in kinky.

Most experts claim the treatment is not harmful, but any process that alters hair structure could be damaging. Especially during touch-up time because that’s when your more likely to be exposed to the most chemicals. My final tip is to ensure your hairdresser and your salon have lots of experience.

Steve Farber is Chief Information Director for Sedu Hairstyles sedu-hairstyles.com.

The common presumption is that the hair dryer is the arch enemy of every woman’s hairdo. Using a dryer too much can be a source of dull, frizzy hair, static, and even split ends. Follow our ultimate guide and you’ll soon make peace with your hair dryer - and your hair! The first step is ensuring you get your hands on a quality dryer, but not all dryers are built the same.

What different kinds of hair dryers are available?

1. Brush hair dryer

Combines drying and a brush for easy hair styling. Warm air flows through the brush, so while brushing your hair, you also warm it to the style you want it in one easy step.

2. Handheld hair dryers

The most common type of hair dryers used to dry one’s hair with a brush or other styling aids.

3. Bonnet hair dryer

This works by putting on a helmet like in the oldtime salons. These dryers are used with hair that is set in curlers or conditioning hair treatments and can be operated hands-free. Today, they come in portable and light versions with heat settings that can be adjusted.

4. Wall mounted

They are similar to the handheld hair dryers but come in a wall mounting design for safety, eliminating electrical shocks in wet bathrooms, as they can be mounted to a wall within one’s reach but off of the countertop. Usually they are a lot smaller than the handheld units and may not have a lot of features.

5. Ionic hair dryers

This has a fitted ion generator that releases negatively charged ions which penetrates each hair and hydrates it from the inside reducing static charge that can cause frizzy hair. This results in smooth and glossy hair that rests flatly.

6. Professional hair dryers

These are durable compared to retail hair dryers and offer many features such as ion and infrared heating technology. This also means they are more complex, having a variety of speed and heat settings. A professional hair dryer can handle long hours of professional use in beauty salons.

Professional hair dryer versus standard hair dryer: What’s the difference?

Professional:

• Has several power settings, or a dial that goes from off to full power for maximum control
• Has a full range of heat settings
• Designed to tolerate frequent use
• Come with an AC adaptor motor which provides the dryer with extended life
• Often designed with a narrow barrel nozzle that, along with the AC motor, deliver a faster flow of air.
• True cold setting that actually cools air, not just takes
• Gentler to the hair because they have lower wattage output
• Less energy needed = less electric bill!

Standard Retail:

• Often has only one power setting, sometimes more
• Often has no cold air setting or limited heat settings
• Will not sustain long hours of every day use

Regardless of which model you choose, make sure that your hair dryer has at least the following specifications:

• Wattage of about 1,600
• Light weight
• Features different heat and power settings
• Auto shut off
• Nozzle to direct better heat flow
• Cool air setting to set hair into place
• Removable filter

Blow dry your hair like a pro:

1. Shampoo and condition your hair well.
2. Dry your hair by wrapping it with a towel and squeezing off excess water. Never rub your hair with a towel as this can cause split ends.
3. Comb your hair carefully making sure that you comb all the knots and tangles out.
4. Face the mirror.
5. Apply and massage onto hair any styling product that you have chosen.
6. If you want added volume. Bend your head down, brush hair downwards while drying the hair. After which you can then go back to your normal position, and continue drying your hair in sections.
7. If you have long hair, use a clip to separate hair into sections, drying the bottom sections first.
8. Starting at the back, dry the hair section in the nape of your neck first.
9. Directing airflow from the root of the hair to the end, work your way up at the back of your head. Drying from the roots to the ends will prevent the hair cuticle from wearing out so as not to give your hair a dull look.
10. Keep on drying the hair until you reach the crown of your hair.
11. After the back, blow dry the sides and the front of your hair into sections. To create a style and body, hold the dryer on the curling brush for a couple of seconds and remove the heat. Leave the brush in place until it cools, then take it off.
12. When hair is completely dry, brush and style as you desire.

Prevent split ends! Here’s how:

• Towel dry the hair first
• To protect your hair, use thermal hair products or leave on conditioners every time you blow dry your hair
• Point the airflow down to the hair shaft to smoothen the cuticles
• Do not hold the dryer too near to the scalp. Instead, hold it at least six inches away from your head while moving it continuously

For more great hair dryer related articles and resources check out hairdryer.haircarehaven.com.

Cornrows and braids are one of those timeless styles that have crossed all gender and ethnic gaps. In fact, nothing is more beautiful than heedful of intricate braids and rows and no two styles are exactly alike. That is why more and more people are choosing to express themselves and their individual style through braiding and rowing.

But as with all styles, cornrows come with their own special challenges and problems. One of the most obvious problems associated with any tight braiding technique is breakage. While black hair has fewer tendencies to break than Caucasian hair, it can still take a great deal of abuse if the braids are not done and cared for properly. In addition to breakage, you can also experience dull, frizzy and dry hair as a result of wearing cornrows or braids.

To avoid all of these drawbacks and to keep your braids looking shiny and neat, follow the following care tips:

• Choose your artist wisely – As with any artistic field, braiders come in many levels of expertise. Be sure to choose one that has been in the business for a good while. Also, ask to see sample photos of the stylist’s work. This will give you a good idea about their level of expertise.
• Grow hair to proper length - In order to get a good braid, your stylist has to have enough hair to work with. A good rule of thumb to follow on length is 10cm for straight hair and a minimum of 5 cm for curly hair.
• Cleanse without disrupting – Granted, shampooing your hair with all of those rows and braids is not an easy task. To clean down to the scalp without disrupting your style you can use a shower massager or dental water pick.
• Wrap to prevent frizz and breakage – When you’re sleeping, your hair comes into constant contact with your pillow and your movements cause friction and tension to be applied to your braids. This can result in fly away hair, frizz and breakage. To avoid this simply wrap your head with a do rag or cloth before sleeping.
• Keep salon appointments – If your braid artist tells you to get a trim every 6 weeks, do so. And if he or she tells you to get your braids redone within a certain time frame, be sure that you do. This will help keep your braids looking neat and fresh.

Jenny Andrews is a hair expert, and the author of an incredible free minicourse, that explains how to find your unique style, how long or short you should have your hair, how to find the right hair color for you, how to find the right salon, and a lot more.

Go to http://www.hairstylevillage.com/ now and get this amazing hair minicourse – absolutely free.

There is no doubt that long, flowing hair is in, but many people who desire to have long hair are unable to achieve the right look no matter how long they let their hair grow. For this reason, many turn to hair extensions to get that look they’ve always dreamed of. Whether their hair is sparse and thin or ethnic and curly, many have found that they can have long hair through hair extension.

There are two major types of hair extension: strands and wefts. Strands use techniques that apply 20 to 50 strands of synthetic or natural hair to your own hair by weaving, heat fusing, gluing, clamping, or using waxes and polymers. Hair extension wefts, on the other hand, use wefts of hair that are sewn into a small braid of your own hair that has been put across your scalp for the purpose of hair extension.

With both types of hair extension you can achieve dramatic results. You can thicken and lengthen your hair instantly. And the hair extensions can be matched up perfectly to your own hair. With hair extensions, you shampoo, style and do everything that you would normally do to your own hair. If you want to change colors, you can. If you want to perm, you can. (There may be some restrictions with certain types of synthetic hair extension).

As with all salon services, there is some upkeep associated with hair extensions. The cost and frequency of your upkeep appointments will depend largely on what type of extensions that you purchase. The amount of damage to your natural hair and longevity of your hair extension will also be determined by which type of hair extensions you choose.

• Strands. This type of hair extension causes the most damage to your natural hair because the technique always involves attaching the extensions to your natural hair shaft by chemical means. As you can imagine by the name of some of the application methods used such as heat fusing and gluing, the damage can be substantial. While the strand hair extension does not cost as much as other procedures, there is a good deal of upkeep. These hair extensions normally have to be completely re-done every few months. And because these types of extensions cause so much damage to your hair shaft, they are not a good option for allowing your natural hair to grow out while you wear the extensions.
• Wefts. Weft hair extensions are by far the best types of hair extensions. The weft itself looks like a curtain of hair attached together at the top and free flowing at the bottom. These hair extensions are attached to your head by sewing them into a tiny braid made out of your own hair. The effects achieved with this technique are very natural and no one can see the braids or wefts of hair unless you show them. Since hair growth will push your braids off of your scalp, in order to keep this type of hair extension looking fresh, you need to return to your stylist every 6 to 8 weeks to have your wefts taken out and put back in close against your scalp.

So, if you always wanted long hair but have never been able to accomplish it, maybe hair extensions are just what you need. But be sure to weigh all of your options and the costs carefully before deciding to get hair extensions.

Michael Barrows’ website gives great advice for good hair. Get your free ebook packed with hair style and hair care tips and advice, visit Great-Hairstyles.com.