How To Determine Hair Type?
If your hair doesn’t please you, it will affect the way you look and feel. So the more you know about your type of hair, the more you’ll be able to do with it and the less you’ll try to expect impossible things from it. The first and most important thing you need to know is what type of hair you have. Is it oily, dry or mixed? Has it been permed or straightened? Has the color been altered by tinting or bleaching? You need to answer all these questions before working out a hair-care routine. Next, you need to study its thickness and texture and curling ability to determine the variety of styles in which it will behave well and, bearing in mind the shape of your face, height, weight, and lifestyle, eliminate those that are unsuitable. The combination of correct hair-care routine plus suitable hairstyle will make sure you are getting the maximum from this vital part of your beautiful image.
Oily Hair
Oily hair almost always goes with oily skin and frequently with fine hair. A certain amount of oil is vital for hair and skin, but when the oil glands produce more than can be absorbed problems begin. Oily hair is easily recognizable as it becomes lank soon after shampooing and then quickly looks greasy and in need of another wash.
It used to be thought that frequent shampooing stimulated the glands into producing, even more, oil, but current thinking is that a clean scalp is essential to the control of greasy hair and, providing the correct shampoo is used, it doesn’t matter even if it is washed as much as twice a day. The rule is wash whenever your hair looks or feels in need.
For oily hair, use the mildest, blandest shampoo you can find. Use the shampoo sparingly, wash your hair and scalp gently – don’t scrub or over-massage – and rinse scrupulously, finishing with cold water. Sometimes greasy hair needs conditioning, but only if the ends are dry or split – in this case, apply conditioner only on the dry ends and use as little as possible, rinsing off well. After shampooing or between shampoos it helps to cleanse the scalp with an astringent lotion. The method is to part the hair in sections, soak a cotton wool ball in the lotion and wipe it down the partings – until you have covered the whole scalp; witch-hazel and the juice of a lemon diluted in water are excellent. Diet is important in the control of greasy haircut out animal fats, fried foods, carbohydrates, eggs, nuts, alcohol, salad dressing. Step up the intake of low-fat protein (like white fish or chicken), raw vegetables, salads and fresh fruit and drink lots and lots of water.
Dry Hair
Dry hair occurs when too little oil is secreted from the glands attached to the hair follicle or the hair shaft is damaged by bleaching or frequent exposure to the elements — the wind, the sun, salt or chlorine-filled water or central heating, all of which cause the natural moisture to evaporate. If dry hair is a permanent problem, the sufferer will probably have dry skin too, but if it is caused by external damage to the hair shaft, particularly by bleaching, it could be combined with any skin type (although over-exposure to harsh elements causes devastating damage to skin too). Dry hair is hard to control, full of electricity and lacks luster, with little ends sticking up all over the place. Permanent or hereditary dry hair is not helped by infrequent shampooing. You might think that shampooing washes away the natural oils and dries out the hair even further, but in fact lack of washing only results in a dirty scalp. Dry hair, like all hair conditions, needs a clean scalp to allow the hair follicles and sebaceous glands to function with maximum efficiency — and shampooing and conditioning with the correct products are essential. Self-inflicted dry hair — caused by over-bleaching, over-tinting or over-exposure to outside elements is easier to treat because the problem is with the hair shaft, which is continually being renewed, and not with the papilla, where the hair is formed. Dandruff, in severe cases, can cause dry hair. This is often because, in an attempt to cure dandruff, the wrong shampoo is being used, which prevents the natural oils from reaching the base of the hair shaft. You should find a shampoo specially formulated for dry hair and always use a conditioner. An oil treatment once or twice a week before shampooing can do wonders too: warm some olive oil or a light vegetable oil and part the hair down the middle; apply from forehead to nape, then work down the sides in sections until the whole head is saturated. Use your fingers to massage the oil into the scalp and hair, then wrap your hair in plastic (cling-film is excellent) and cover with a towel, preferably warm, which will cause moisture to build up under the plastic. The longer you can leave this treatment on, the better; overnight is ideal. In the morning the oil can be removed by two washes with shampoo. A correct diet is essential in treating permanent and self-inflicted dry hair — you need to ensure that the blood feeding the papilla is rich enough and that there is enough oil in your system, so step up your intake of low-cholesterol polyunsaturated oils (eat margarine, make salad dressings from sunflower oil or light vegetable oils, eat low-fat cheese and yogurt), raw vegetables and fruit, take a supplement of vitamin E oil capsules and cut down on carbohydrates, alcohol and spicy foods.
Mixed Condition Hair
Mixed condition hair is the combination of an oily scalp with dry hair. The scalp may feel dry and be flaking with dandruff scales, but the hair shaft is drying out because the oil secreted from the glands in the follicle is soaking into the dandruff flakes, clogging the follicle and preventing the flow of oil along the hair shaft.
The first step to curing this condition is to clear the scalp of flaking scales by using a mild anti-dandruff shampoo or a lotion applied after the head has been shampooed and conditioned. After the scaling has cleared, use a shampoo for dry hair, a conditioner, and then an astringent or anti-dandruff lotion to ensure that the scalp remains clear. Avoid animal fats, fried foods, carbohydrates, eggs, nuts, alcohol, salad dressings — and concentrate on low-fat protein (white fish, chicken), raw vegetables, salads, fresh fruit (no bananas) and lots of water.
Balanced or Normal Hair
This is the ideal hair condition, one that everyone strives and longs for. Balanced hair is shiny, well-behaved and doesn’t cry out for washing too frequently. The scalp is clear, the sebaceous glands producing the right amount of oil to flow along the shaft, and probably the rest of the body is in excellent order too — a balanced, nutritious diet is followed, regular exercise is taken and the facial skin is in good condition. However, even this hair will not remain wonderful for long if it is not given due care and attention. A careless holiday in the sun, a course of antibiotics (or other medication), a binge of overeating, a broken limb causing inactivity, a bad perm or tint — any of these can upset the delicate balance of the scalp and hair and cause problems.
Use a mild shampoo as often as necessary; always conditioner and rinse thoroughly; after the hair has been exposed to any stress (the sun or the wind, for instance), give it a deep conditioning treatment.
If your hair doesn’t please you, it will affect the way you look and feel. So the more you know about your type of hair, the more you’ll be able to do with it and the less you’ll try to expect impossible things from it. The first and most important thing you need to know is what type of hair you have. Is it oily, dry or mixed? Has it been permed or straightened? Has the color been altered by tinting or bleaching? You need to answer all these questions before working out a hair-care routine. Next, you need to study its thickness and texture and curling ability to determine the variety of styles in which it will behave well and, bearing in mind the shape of your face, height, weight, and lifestyle, eliminate those that are unsuitable. The combination of correct hair-care routine plus suitable hairstyle will make sure you are getting the maximum from this vital part of your beautiful image.
Oily Hair
Oily hair almost always goes with oily skin and frequently with fine hair. A certain amount of oil is vital for hair and skin, but when the oil glands produce more than can be absorbed problems begin. Oily hair is easily recognizable as it becomes lank soon after shampooing and then quickly looks greasy and in need of another wash.
It used to be thought that frequent shampooing stimulated the glands into producing, even more, oil, but current thinking is that a clean scalp is essential to the control of greasy hair and, providing the correct shampoo is used, it doesn’t matter even if it is washed as much as twice a day. The rule is wash whenever your hair looks or feels in need.
For oily hair, use the mildest, blandest shampoo you can find. Use the shampoo sparingly, wash your hair and scalp gently – don’t scrub or over-massage – and rinse scrupulously, finishing with cold water. Sometimes greasy hair needs conditioning, but only if the ends are dry or split – in this case, apply conditioner only on the dry ends and use as little as possible, rinsing off well. After shampooing or between shampoos it helps to cleanse the scalp with an astringent lotion. The method is to part the hair in sections, soak a cotton wool ball in the lotion and wipe it down the partings – until you have covered the whole scalp; witch-hazel and the juice of a lemon diluted in water are excellent. Diet is important in the control of greasy haircut out animal fats, fried foods, carbohydrates, eggs, nuts, alcohol, salad dressing. Step up the intake of low-fat protein (like white fish or chicken), raw vegetables, salads and fresh fruit and drink lots and lots of water.
Dry Hair
Dry hair occurs when too little oil is secreted from the glands attached to the hair follicle or the hair shaft is damaged by bleaching or frequent exposure to the elements — the wind, the sun, salt or chlorine-filled water or central heating, all of which cause the natural moisture to evaporate. If dry hair is a permanent problem, the sufferer will probably have dry skin too, but if it is caused by external damage to the hair shaft, particularly by bleaching, it could be combined with any skin type (although over-exposure to harsh elements causes devastating damage to skin too). Dry hair is hard to control, full of electricity and lacks luster, with little ends sticking up all over the place. Permanent or hereditary dry hair is not helped by infrequent shampooing. You might think that shampooing washes away the natural oils and dries out the hair even further, but in fact lack of washing only results in a dirty scalp. Dry hair, like all hair conditions, needs a clean scalp to allow the hair follicles and sebaceous glands to function with maximum efficiency — and shampooing and conditioning with the correct products are essential. Self-inflicted dry hair — caused by over-bleaching, over-tinting or over-exposure to outside elements is easier to treat because the problem is with the hair shaft, which is continually being renewed, and not with the papilla, where the hair is formed. Dandruff, in severe cases, can cause dry hair. This is often because, in an attempt to cure dandruff, the wrong shampoo is being used, which prevents the natural oils from reaching the base of the hair shaft. You should find a shampoo specially formulated for dry hair and always use a conditioner. An oil treatment once or twice a week before shampooing can do wonders too: warm some olive oil or a light vegetable oil and part the hair down the middle; apply from forehead to nape, then work down the sides in sections until the whole head is saturated. Use your fingers to massage the oil into the scalp and hair, then wrap your hair in plastic (cling-film is excellent) and cover with a towel, preferably warm, which will cause moisture to build up under the plastic. The longer you can leave this treatment on, the better; overnight is ideal. In the morning the oil can be removed by two washes with shampoo. A correct diet is essential in treating permanent and self-inflicted dry hair — you need to ensure that the blood feeding the papilla is rich enough and that there is enough oil in your system, so step up your intake of low-cholesterol polyunsaturated oils (eat margarine, make salad dressings from sunflower oil or light vegetable oils, eat low-fat cheese and yogurt), raw vegetables and fruit, take a supplement of vitamin E oil capsules and cut down on carbohydrates, alcohol and spicy foods.
Mixed Condition Hair
Mixed condition hair is the combination of an oily scalp with dry hair. The scalp may feel dry and be flaking with dandruff scales, but the hair shaft is drying out because the oil secreted from the glands in the follicle is soaking into the dandruff flakes, clogging the follicle and preventing the flow of oil along the hair shaft.
The first step to curing this condition is to clear the scalp of flaking scales by using a mild anti-dandruff shampoo or a lotion applied after the head has been shampooed and conditioned. After the scaling has cleared, use a shampoo for dry hair, a conditioner, and then an astringent or anti-dandruff lotion to ensure that the scalp remains clear. Avoid animal fats, fried foods, carbohydrates, eggs, nuts, alcohol, salad dressings — and concentrate on low-fat protein (white fish, chicken), raw vegetables, salads, fresh fruit (no bananas) and lots of water.
Balanced or Normal Hair
This is the ideal hair condition, one that everyone strives and longs for. Balanced hair is shiny, well-behaved and doesn’t cry out for washing too frequently. The scalp is clear, the sebaceous glands producing the right amount of oil to flow along the shaft, and probably the rest of the body is in excellent order too — a balanced, nutritious diet is followed, regular exercise is taken and the facial skin is in good condition. However, even this hair will not remain wonderful for long if it is not given due care and attention. A careless holiday in the sun, a course of antibiotics (or other medication), a binge of overeating, a broken limb causing inactivity, a bad perm or tint — any of these can upset the delicate balance of the scalp and hair and cause problems.
Use a mild shampoo as often as necessary; always conditioner and rinse thoroughly; after the hair has been exposed to any stress (the sun or the wind, for instance), give it a deep conditioning treatment.