Lifestyle Choices

There are three kinds of permanent hair colourants: vegetable dyes such as henna, metallic dyes such as those used to gradually cover grey hair, and the aniline dyes or oxidation tints, which include most of the colourants used professionally in salons.

The Vegetable Dyes

Henna is the best-known, since its use dates back thousands of years. Taken from the Lawsonia plant, which is indigenous to Africa and Asia, henna varies in colour depending on which country it comes from. It can be strong orange in colour, as Moroccan henna, or a deep red, as the henna that comes from Iran — the most sought-after in the world. The plant is harvested, dried in the sun, and then crushed into a greenish powder, which is what one puts on the hair. It coats the hair shaft’s cuticle a reddish colour. (more…)

Salon facials help turn good skin into great, but they can be very costly. Why not learn to give yourself one at home instead? The following facial is adapted from one offered at a famous New York City salon:

1. Cleanse skin with cleansing cream or lotion; remove with pure, facial-quality cotton. Don’t use synthetic cosmetic puffs; they’re too rough for the face.
2. Place loose camomile tea leaves in a pot of water and bring to a boil; remove pot from the heat. Transfer liquid to a large ceramic bowl.
3. Lean face a comfortable distance over the bowl; the steam should feel hot but should not burn. Drape a thick towel over your head to keep the steam from escaping. When the steam is gone, strain the liquid from the bowl and place it in the freezer until very cold.

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Final. Dos and Don’ts

Don’t use the wrong shampoo and conditioner just because they’re the products you have always used. Even the products that once left your hair soft and silky may now be doing a less-than-perfect job. Why? Seasonal changes, environmental, chemical, and emotional factors all have their share of the responsibility. Do have your stylist analyze the current condition of your hair and prescribe products accordingly. Use products that are right for you now, and that come from the same line they’re formulated to work best together.

Don’t shampoo too harshly. Piling up layers of hair on your head or vigorously scrubbing your scalp can result in snarls and damage. Do be gentle when you wash your hair; save your strenth for washing the family car or helping Mom with the pots and pans! (more…)

One of the simplest and most effective ways of changing your appearance is to change the color of your hair. As we get older, the color of hair tends either to fade or to go darker, so that a once shimmery golden mane or deep mahogany tresses can become lackluster and dull. One of the best ways of remedying the situation is with a color boost. Hair coloring these days is effective and reasonably priced and can look even better than most natural hair—provided, of course, it is done correctly. Otherwise it can end up looking like a burnished haystack.

There are two categories of hair colorants: permanent colorants, which enter the cortex and cannot be washed out, and the temporary and the semipermanent, which can be used to highlight and intensify your own hair color but won’t alter the cortex.

The Temporary Colorants

These are the easiest to use. They coat the cuticle of the hair with color that washes away with the next shampoo. You can get temporary highlighting shampoos and color rinses in a great variety of colors that don’t disturb the cuticle imbrications. Most of them have a shine- promoting pH, too. But what you can do with them is limited, for while they will darken the hair—say from blond to red or to black—they are really designed for minor color changes only. If you try to go too many shades away from your natural color, they tend to streak and give uneven coverage. They also cannot make your hair lighter than it is, because they have no action on the cortex, where the melanin granules are —they merely coat the outside of the hair shaft. (more…)

Restoring Lustre to Dull Hair

Dry hair

250 ml (1 cup) strong rosemary tea, 250 ml (1 cup) herb to 250 ml (1 cup) boiling water

12,5 ml (1 tbsp) sweet almond oil

few drops rosemary or lavender oil

Use as a setting lotion or brush a little into the hair after shampooing.

Oily hair

2 eggs

250 ml (1 cup) rum

250 ml (1 cup) freshly made rosewater (boil up 500 ml (2 cups) rose petals in 375 ml (11/2 cups) water for 5 minutes.

Stand, cool, strain)

Whisk eggs and rum into rosewater and massage through the hair. Leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse with a herbal rinse. (more…)

Herbal Conditioner for Oily Hair

Don’t think oily hair needs no conditioning; it needs it as much as dry hair, and a monthly treatment will ensure that your hair keeps its bounce and lustre.

75 ml (6 tbsp) rum

75 ml (6 tbsp) strong yarrow tea

3 egg yolks, well beaten

Liquidise all ingredients together. Wet the hair well. Section the hair and apply this mixture to each section, using cotton- wool pads. Rub into the scalp and hair. Meanwhile have a strong infusion of yarrow and rosemary tea warming on the stove. Dip a small towel into it and wring it out, as hot as you can bear. Wrap it around your head. Cover with a shower-cap to keep the heat in. Have another hot towel ready to replace the first one as it cools, the aim being to keep the hair warm to absorb the conditioner. Try to keep the treatment going for an hour. Finally, wash out with a good shampoo and rinse with yarrow tea. (more…)

A head of beautifully clean, bouncy, shiny hair is indeed an enviable asset. Once again, in order to achieve those smooth, shiny locks, you need to eat foods that are fresh and healthy — plenty of fruit, vegetables and salads. Drink lots of water and make sure that you get enough sleep — eight hours each night will do wonders for your hair. Regular shampooing, conditioning and brushing will further serve to beautify it and is well worth the effort. Old-fashioned beauty tips like adding egg to shampoo as a protein conditioner for dry hair, and lemon juice in tepid water as a final rinse for oily hair, ‘kill hold good. And rosemary, nettle or yarrow tea rubbed into the scalp will stimulate hair growth.

The vast array of shampoos, conditioners and setting lotions available today can be confusing. The general trend, however, is to the natural shampoos that are now on the market. Take a close look at the ingredients to find a product which is suitable for your particular hair type. To give the shampoo that extra something add a herb tea or infusion, eg chamomile, rosemary or nettle. (more…)

No matter what your skin type, you can make all-natural skin care treatments at home—for only pennies! Most of the following “recipes” use ingredients found in your kitchen. (Remember that if you are allergic to eating certain foods, using them on your skin will probably cause problems as well. Use common sense when making homemade treatments.)

Cleansing Masks

Ready to give yourself a facial? Cleansing masks are a good way to help skin with too much or too little oil. (more…)