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Damaged Hair Treatment & Tips

Mar 10th, 2010
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Damaged hair is dull, brittle, frizzy, and out of control. You can lessen some damage but the best way to have healthy hair is to protect the hair from any sources that can damage it.

Symptoms and Causes

The most common signs of hair damage are rough texture, loss of shine or luster, split ends, dry and brittle to touch, and susceptible to breakage.

The main causes of damaged hair are the use of chemical treatments such as perms, dyes and relaxers, and the use of heated appliances such as curling and straightening irons. Other causes of damaged hair are natural elements like sun and cold weather and some medicines.

Damaged Hair Treatment

- Use hair care products that are designed for the type of damaged hair you have. There are two types of damaged hair care products- one for damages caused by chemical treatments and the other for damages caused by overheated and dry hair.

- Use conditioners that are pH balanced, protein enriched and moisture restoring to smooth out the cuticles and prevent future damage.

- Use products and intensive treatments that help repair damaged hair. The repair products contain silicon based polymers that can smooth out the cuticle and coat your hair with some protective films.

- Apply a homemade hair mask once a week. Mix one egg yolk with two tablespoons of olive oil. Apply the mask to your hair, especially on the ends. Leave for 15 minutes before rinsing off. Then shampoo and condition as usual.

Damaged Hair Tips

- Limit the use of chemical treatment to once every 8 to 10 weeks at most.

- If you use heated instruments, try to use the lowest heat setting and/or apply a thermal-activated hair repair leave-in conditioner before drying your hair with the heated instruments.

- Use a wide-toothed comb instead of a hairbrush to limit hair breakage.

- If you hair becomes brittle after you have changed a shampoo, it may indicate that your hair is in shock. When you find the right shampoo, stick with it.

- Get your hair trimmed every six to eight weeks to prevent split ends. If you have split ends, you need to cut 1/4” above the split. Split ends cannot be repaired.

- Limit shampooing twice or three times a week as excessive shampooing can cause dry hair.

- Use conditioners after shampooing.

- Apply deep hair treatment once a week.

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Hair Care for Permed Hair

Mar 10th, 2010
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Getting a perm can change your look but it can damage your hair if you don’t maintain it properly. Taking good care of your hair before and after your perm will give the soft, smooth curling results you want.

How Does a Perm Damage Your Hair?

During a perm, an alkaline perm lotion is applied to your hair. The alkaline chemical opens up the cuticle to allow the chemical to penetrate into the cuticle and the cortex. The chemical reacts with the keratin in the cortex, causing the hair to swell and soften so it can take the shape of the curlers and rods. The perm lotion is left on for 20 minutes. After the perm lotion is rinsed, the neutralizer is applied to reform the hair. Failing to rinse and neutralize the hair properly leads to scalp irritation and damaged hair. The chemical also strips natural oils and moisture from the hair.

Care for Permed Hair Tips

- Nourish your hair before you perm. Prepare your hair a few weeks before the perm. Condition your hair well will give your hair a good condition to be permed. You can’t do this right before the perm though. This step will prevent frizz after perming.

- Don’t wash your hair for 48 hours after getting a perm because the shampoo can interfere with the chemical process.

- Condition you hair during the first 48 hours. Unlike shampoos, conditioners don’t interfere with the chemical process. This step will reduce the amount of frizz.

- Get touch-ups only as needed. You don’t need to get a complete perm if there are only few unruly sections.

- Use appropriate hair products. Use conditioner after a shampoo and apply deep hair treatment once a week to add moisture to your hair.

- Let you hair dry naturally. A hair dryer can make you hair frizzy.

- Don’t rub your permed hair with a towel after a shower. Just pat dry to get the excess water off.

- Use a wide-toothed comb instead of a brush. Brushing your hair undoes curls.

- Avoid heavy wind. Otherwise, your permed hair will get brittle and break.

- Protect your hair from sun’s rays or apply leave-in conditioner with sunscreen.

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Antioxidant Skin Care

Mar 9th, 2010
by admin.
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Topical antioxidants provide protection against free radicals caused by environmental pollution, sun, and smoking and may slow down the skin aging process. Free radicals damage the cell’s DNA, resulting in the formation of wrinkles, fine lines, age spots, loss of elasticity, and some skin disease such as skin cancer.

However, the effect of topical antioxidants depends on skin permeability, other ingredients in the cream, and other factors. To additionally protect your skin from free radicals, you can increase oral intake of antioxidant rich foods or supplements.

The most common antioxidants in skin care products are

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is the only antioxidant that stimulates the synthesis of collagen, fades age spots, and minimizes fine lines, wrinkles, and scars. Vitamin C ester is the most effective form of vitamin C used in skin care products.

Vitamin C, if not stabilized, will deteriorate quickly. If the color of the vitamin C cream becomes darker, the cream is no longer effective.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is the anti-sterility vitamin. It helps prevent premature aging and even protect other nutrients from damages. Human bodies use vitamin E to heal injured tissues and prevent scarring.

Vitamin E skin care products also increases the effectiveness of sunscreen and prevent and treat sunburns.

Coenzyme Q-10

CoQ10 is an antioxidant and antibacterial agent. Human body can make its own CoQ10. After the age of 20, the production level of CoQ10 declines. Research studies have shown that CoQ10 can effectively fight against free radicals and prevent damage to collagen and elastin production process. In other words, it helps slow down skin aging process and avoid wrinkles.

Green Tea

Green tea is renowned for its high antioxidant levels. Green tea skin care products do more than fighting free radicals. They revitalize the skin, reduce inflammation, and smooth out discolorations. Green tea skin care products are also a good treatment for acne as green tea is anti-bacteria.

Alpha Lipoic Acid

Alpha Lipoic Acid has been referred to as a “Universal Antioxidant.” In contrast to vitamin C (which is water soluble) and vitamin E (which is fat soluble), Alpha Lipoic Acid is soluble in both oil and water so it can neutralize free radicals in both the fatty and watery regions of cells. This quality permits its entrance to all parts of the cell. It diminishes fine lines and wrinkles, makes the skin glowing, and boosts other antioxidant levels.

How to Apply Topical Antioxidants?

Apply antioxidant skin care products to your freshly washed face and follow by regular moisturizer, if needed. If you use a retinoid at night, apply the topical antioxidants in the morning.

Posted in: Skin Care.
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Antioxidants

Mar 9th, 2010
by admin.
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Antioxidants are widely used as ingredients in skin care products and dietary supplements in the hope of preventing some disease and maintain overall health and healthy skin. Find out what antioxidants are, how they work, and what benefits they provide.

What are Free Radicals?

Free radicals are molecules that cause aging, tissue damage, and such disease as cancer and heart disease. These molecules are very unstable. A free radical tries to release or stealing an electron from a healthy cell to get stable itself, causing damage to the cell’s DNA. When a free radical releases or steals, a second radical is formed. The second radical does the same thing to a third molecule. This process continues until the radical is stabilized.

Free radicals are created by regular bodily processes such as breaking down foods we eat, environmental pollution, cigarette smoking, and sun’s rays.

What are Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are stable molecules capable of preventing your cells against the effects of free radicals.

How Antioxidants Work?

Antioxidants neutralize free radicals. They stop the formation of free radicals by sacrificing one of their electrons to break the chain of free radicals. The antioxidants don’t become free radicals after sacrificing because they are stable.

Antioxidants also prevent oxidation by reducing the rate of chain initiation.

Benefits of Antioxidants

- Improve immune function to resist to flues, viruses and infections

- Reduce the chances of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and neurological disease

- Slow down aging processes of cells and overall body

- Repair and rejuvenate skin

Antioxidant Foods

There are many sources of antioxidants. They are found in abundance in healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. Common antioxidants are Vitamin C, E, beta carotene, selenium, glutathione, alpha lipoic acid and melatonin. Get enough antioxidants your body needs by incorporating at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day into your die.

Foods rich in antioxidants are

- Fruits: Açaí, blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, cherry, raspberry, black currant, pomegranate, dark grape, orange, apples, prunes and kiwi.

- Vegetables: Kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, broccoli, beets, red bell peppers, onion, artichoke, carrot and corn.

- Beverages & chocolate: Cocoa powder, dark chocolate, red wine, red grape juice, milk chocolate, white tea, green tea, Oolong tea, and black tea.

- Nuts & seeds: Walnuts, pecans, hazelnut, oats, and sunflower seeds.

- Dry fruits: Apricots, prunes, dates, and raisins.

- Herbs & spices: Allspice, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, lemon balm, oregano, peppermint, and rosemary

Posted in: Food & Supplement.
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