Sunday, July 5, 2009

HAIRS-CROWNING GLORY

A woman hair is her crowning glory. It frames her face and completes her appearance. She can talk with her hair, and there are so many ways that a person can tell about her by simply looking at her hair. It is therefore very important for a woman to take care of her hair, to keep it clean, moisturized and trimmed, so that it would remain soft, shiny and neat.

Most women cut their hair to different styles in an attempt to enhance their looks. Some like their hair long and straight, while others like to wear their hair long and with abundant curls and ringlets. There are others who go for the minimum, no-fuss look and always have their hair cut short and simple, while others wish to strike a balance between femininity and practicality and keep their hair at mid-length. And there are still others who like experimenting on color and highlights, not just with the length and cut of their hair.
Unfortunately, not everyone can wear the same hairstyle and look good in it. Some hairstyles look great on some women, but sadly look like bombs on others. Many things can be taken into account as to why this is so, but mostly it is because the hairstyle does not flatter the face.
The way you do your hairdos must flatter your face and enhance your best features. After all, that is what the hair is supposed to do, aesthetically speaking to frame your face and to help bring out your best features. Whether a hairstyle will look good on you or not depends on the shape of your face.
There are many, many types of hairstyles out there, but not all will look good on you unless the hairstyle fits the shape of your face. Below are the different hairstyles that are considered most flattering for each shape of face.
An oval face. The oval face is the perfect face. Almost any hairstyle will go with it, whether it is long or short, straight or curly. If you have an oval face, you will do well with having layers near your chin or cheekbones to draw attention to them. However, try to avoid hairstyles that add volumes to the top of your head it will make your face look longer.
A long face. If you have a long or oblong face, you should create the illusion of width to balance it out. You can add width to your face by doing your hair with long, side-swept bangs or chin-length bobs. You will also do well with curls and waves that frame the face.
If you have a long or oblong face, you should avoid letting your hair grow extremely long or having your hair cut extremely short. Such extreme hairstyles will take the width from your face and emphasize its length.
A round face. If people with long faces need to add width to their faces, people with round faces need to take some of the width and bulk off by adding length. If your face is round you need to create the illusion of length, and to do this, you can have your hair cut just below your chin, or in graduated layers. Do not do your hair in short, one-length, blunt cuts, as it will only draw attention to the roundness of your face.
A square face. Having a square face means having an angular jaw. The hairstyle trick with having a square face is drawing attention away from that jaw. This is done by putting texture to your hair. Short curls do exactly this, as well as long layers that start just below the jawline. If your face has a square shape, you should try not to have your hair cut in one-length bobs or wear bangs that are cut bluntly. It will only emphasize the squareness of your face.
A heart-shaped face. Heart-shaped faces are pretty Valentines, but the pointed chin draws attention away from the eyes. If you have a heart-shaped face, you could bring focus to your eyes by wearing side-swept bangs, a fringe on your brow or long layers at the top.
If you have dandruff, do not worry about being alone with your problem. With one out of every two people in the entire world having, or having had, that same problem as yours, you are definitely not alone with it. Dandruff is a common hair problem. Embarrassing indeed, but a very, very common problem nonetheless.
What causes dandruff? Well, you see, our entire skin, from our scalps to the soles of our feet, sheds dead skin cells on a daily basis. We get a complete coating of new skin every 28 days or so, but we hardly even notice it.
Our bodies also play host to a lot of microorganisms like bacteria and fungi, feeding off on the sebaceous oils that our skin produces. Our scalp in particular is home to a kind of fungus called malassezia fungus, and its food is the oils produced by the hair follicles of our scalp. Dandruff happens when, for some reason or another, the malassezia fungus goes crazy and irritates our scalp, causing the dead skin to shed a lot faster. So, instead of shedding the dead skin cells of our scalp for a month, the shedding happens in less than two weeks, and the oil that our hair follicles produce cause these dead skin cells to clump together and become dandruff. Until now, the factors that trigger this phenomenon with the malassezia fungus are still the subject of research.
Dandruff is an embarrassing hair condition, and it can recur despite your best efforts. But with proper hair care, the recurrence of dandruff can be controlled. The best way to keep the flakes at bay is to shampoo your hair every day - picture perfect hair.
Dandruff can, of course, become stubborn, so if washing everyday with your regular shampoo does not stop the flakes from becoming haywire, the next best thing to do would be to start using anti-dandruff shampoos. Look for anti-dandruff shampoos with zinc pyrithione, selenium sulfide, salicylic acid or ketoconazole as the active ingredient. To keep your scalp from developing immunity to these shampoos, go ahead and rotate brands at least once a month.
For optimum results, you can lather your hair with the shampoo of your choice twice. The first wash will clear the scalp of the flakes and the oil buildup. The second one would let the chemicals in the shampoo get absorbed by the scalp - haute hair.
You can also try homemade remedies to wash the flakes away and to keep the dandruff from recurring. What is considered the best homemade remedy to dandruff is a vinegar wash. Mix two teaspoons of vinegar with six teaspoons of water and rub it against your scalp before you go to bed, then wrap your head with a towel. Apply the same solution to your hair once again in the morning when you wake up, then rinse it with water. You do not have to worry about the smell of vinegar in your hair, as the smell of vinegar does evaporate eventually.
Whatever you do, never, ever scratch the clumps with your fingernails. It will cause wounds on your scalp.
Dandruff is an embarrassing hair condition, but it is not unmanageable. Just take good care of your hair and the flakes will go away.
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Sunday, June 21, 2009

10 WAYS TO LEARN TO LOVE YOUR LOOKS



Study beauty role models: Not to wish you looked like them, but to notice their uniqueness. Think Lauren Hutton’s gap-toothed smile, Andie MacDowell’s tightly-curled hair, Susan Sarandon’s subtle smile lines.
Embrace your own unique features.Splurge on a great haircut: Well-cut hair always looks gorgeous, making you feel that much more beautiful.
Break a bad habit: If you bite your nails, stop. Pick at dry skin? Hands off! Then celebrate your new, good habit with a manicure or a luxe body cream.Embrace your hair: Wrestling with your tresses usually results in a less-than-pretty outcome. Instead, learn to work with your curls or sleekness, and your hair is guaranteed to look better.
Pare down your makeup: You most likely don’t need foundation, cover-up, cream blush, lip liner, eye liner, eye shadow, contour cream, lip gloss, matte powder…. Instead, limit yourself to the basics and see your skin shine through.
Find your perfect lipstick: One that looks ultra-natural and that brings out your eyes works best (and looks great when you’re wearing no other makeup at all!). Ask a cosmetic salesperson for suggestions.
For one full day, wear no makeup: Be sure it’s a day when you have to venture outside, even if it’s only to go to the drugstore! Note how people treat you just the same when you’re barefaced as when you’re “done.”
Keep your eyebrows groomed: Makeup artists swear that well-kept eyebrows pull your look together, even without any makeup at all.Get real: It’s okay to admit you’ll never look like Cindy Crawford or Patty Hansen. It’s also okay to be happy about it!
List your life successes: Chances are, they are all things that have nothing to do with your looks. Looks are just one part of your awesome package!
By Lisa Kovalovich
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©2009 BEAUTY | by TNB