Haircuts & Hairstyles

            The fun part about your hair is that every look you pull off is a look that well defines who you are. Then again being bold can only get you so far and when senses start coming into place, that’s when it gets you wondering if you made the right choice with a particular hairstyle. It is important to first understand what you are looking for if it is going to be a new look and then consider other factors that might contradict to the look you desire (Palladino & Green, 2006). The shape of your face is an extremely vital factor compared to your skin tone and your figure. Both men and women have different criteria’s to look into when determining the right hair for them based on their face shapes (Palladino & Green, 2006). For men, those who have a  square or oblong shaped face should consider themselves lucky as these two are the most easy to work with face shapes for most types of hairstyle and are typically known to give a masculine outlook (Palladino & Green, 2006). Those with square and oblong shaped faces are the best for a clean cut look. Round faces require more lines down the sides of the face to angle the shape of one’s face thus it is more sensible to try pulling off a slightly longer hair to bring out a sharper look. It is encouraged for those with round shaped faces to keep a little amount of facial hair to create an angular feature (Facial Hair Styles For Your Face Type, 2012).

The best face shape for women on the other hand is the oval shape. Regardless of any kind of face shape, when a hair stylist is consulted, they always try to mould their clients’ hair to attain an oval outlook of the face (Roy, 2009). One may have the desire to pull off bangs (full fringe) but then again hair stylist would not recommend that if they have natural curls or if their forehead is too short. Then again that same person will be able to pull off a short and edgy haircut compared to the person with a broader forehead (Roy, 2009). That is why is important to look into the sense of things when trying to achieve a desired look.

References

Facial Hair Styles For Your Face Type. (2012). Retrieved from www.askmen.com: 

        http://au.askmen.com/fashion/fashiontip_300/367_fashion_advice.html

Palladino, L., & Green, M. (2006). Hairdressing The Foundations, fifth edition. London: 

       Melody Dawes.

Roy. (2009, June 4). The Right Hairstyle for Your Face Shape. Retrieved from 

      www.thehairstyler.com: 

      http://www.thehairstyler.com/features/articles/hairstyles/the-right-hairstyle-

      for-your-face-shape

Videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okv5SuHTCCc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlKrxvfYQyw

EXEGESIS

The template chosen for this blog is something that is intended on being classic and simple to enable and easier understanding and to achieve an edgy outlook, visuals such as different kinds of hairstyles were used as the background and as the introduction of the blog. The font used was Times New Roman to give a sense of professionalism that compliments the writing style as a third person. The blog is intended to target all audiences whether they are working, staying at home or studying because everyone has their concerns over their hair and caring for it whether on a long term or with least commitments. The colours in shades of grey, white and black are used to enable a stress free reading experience because it can be very distracting to read with an uncommon font colour thus green is used every now and then to make the page stand out a little bit. Blogger.com was used as a platform of web 2.0 because it is very convenient to work around the editing of template, fonts and colours of the layout and whenever help is needed with the editing, there are plenty of websites online that help in assisting bloggers to resolve the problems the face and along that teach them new tips and tricks in making their blog seem much more attractive. Blogger. com is also one of the few leading websites and so it is used to reach out to a wider range of audience around the world. the nodes that were used to link this blog were facebook, twitter and google plus. These three nodes were used because they are the most common sites that majority of us web users are familiar about and by linking the blog to these sites, they can reach out to many more users because of the popularity of these websites. 

Treatment & Maintenance

Excessive use of styling products, extreme heat, perming and colouring on ones hair will in turn give way to a lot of common hair problems. To avoid this, hair and scalp treatment is essential to maintain a manageable and healthy hair. Scalp treatment is required to those who suffer from dry scalp, dandruff, very oily scalp and hair loss. Dry Scalps are often mistaken for dandruff and although they share some of the symptoms of dandruff, but if diagnosed and treated wrongly, it might only worsen the problem thus it is best for one to consult their hairstylist to rectify the problem (Palladino & Green, 2006). There are several types of hair treatment to cater to all kinds of hair. Those who have chemically treated hair need to pay more attention in treating their hair because all of the hair nutrients and elasticity is lost when foreign substances are forced into the hair cuticles during a perm, straightening of hair or colouring. Hair treatment for thinning or fine hair is to aid in giving the hair volume by reducing the weight of the hair that causes it to be limp. People with curly hair require more attention and care to their hair as it tends to get frizzy much easier due to a coarser cuticle and bent cortex. Hair treatment for curly hair would strengthen the curls along that make it shinier and full (volume). To those who go through excessively oily hair, shampoo can only provide a temporary aid when removing excess oil from the scalp thus giving the hair treatment would help regulate the excretion of oil to a normal rate (Hatfield, 2011). Hair treatment is best performed right after one’s hair has been cut and this is because the shafts are fresh and exposed for treatment creams to penetrate into. Many of us suffer from spilt ends when the tip of the hair shaft is spilt into 2. When looked under a microscope, spilt end are the cracking of the hair into 2 or more parts which slowly continues on cracking internally and upwards and the only way to resolve the continuous cracking is to cut off an inch or more past the visible spilt ends (Palladino & Green, 2006). Everyday care for your hair helps prevent all sorts of hair problem and you hair only requires gentle handling and minimal time given. There are plenty of scientifically proven natural home remedies for hair treatment that one can consider for their hair (Evering, 2002). Olive oil, apple cider, lime, egg white and many more help in maintaining hair acidity level, control oil excretion of the scalp, creates shine and volume (Evering, 2002).  

References

Hatfield, H. (2011, September 9). 8 Ways You're Damaging Your Hair. Retrieved from 

       http://www.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/features/8-ways-youre-damaging-your-

       hair

Palladino, L., & Green, M. (2006). Hairdressing The Foundations, fifth edition. London: 

      Melody Dawes.

Evering, K. (2002). Healthy Hair Treatments. Retrieved from www.mktgsols.com: 

      http://www.mktgsols.com/images/pdf/ca13.pdf

Styling : Men & Women

Styling your own hair can be quite the challenge if you are unaware of the basics of styling. Surprisingly men go through more bad hair days than women do because they aren’t quite sure on how exactly to fix a desired look. There are plenty of hairstyling products that aids in creating the “perfect” look such as gel, mousse, matt, wax, setting lotion, serum and hairspray but then again not all types would cooperate with one kind of hair (Palladino & Green, 2006). You will need to first identify the type of hair they have then work around looking for the right kind of hairstyling product. Different types of gel cater to almost all kinds of hair to give a wet look, strong hold or just a natural manageable look. Mousses are usually used on curly hair to bring out volume and texture and its best results are shown when applied onto damp hair. Matt and wax both work almost the same way and that is to hold the hair in place but matt’s give a non-shine strong hold look where as wax’s are more to the wet look. Setting lotions are used on those with longer hair to aid in holding the hair must stronger compared to what water alone does when the hair is dried. Serums are recommended for those who often have to cope with frizzy hair and dryness of the hair as it flattens and adds shine to the hair. Hairsprays are the most popular types of hair products because they are easy to work with as in instead of using too much of finger work on your hair, one only needs to set their hair, hold it in place, and spray away (Palladino & Green, 2006). Keep in mind to make sure all hair products are meant to be applied on the hair only and not the scalp. Work your way only from the root of hair to the ends and this applies for the hairsprays too (Viale, 2009). Constant contact between hairstyling products with the scalp may contribute to balding in the long term (What Causes Hair Loss, 2007). Equipments such as setting rollers, combs and blow dryers and hair irons that one can use to help in setting the hair in one desired shape (Palladino & Green, 2006). When using a blow dryer, always keep in mind to channel your blow dryer downwards when drying your hair and always apply the hairstyling product on your hair before exposing it to heat and by that the blow dryer would be heating the product and not your hair. This would prevent your hair from looking frizzy and bushy at the same time if one is looking for a hair with extreme volume, they can always choose to channel their blow dryer all over their hair against its growth lines (Palladino & Green, 2006).

References

What Causes Hair Loss. (2007). Retrieved from www.hairlosshelp.com: 

          http://www.hairlosshelp.com/hair_loss_research/hairloss_causes.cfm

Viale, M. (2009). How to use styling gel. Retrieved from www.happynews.com:  

          http://www.happynews.com/living/haircare/use-styling-gel.htm

Palladino, L., & Green, M. (2006). Hairdressing The Foundations, fifth edition. 

          London: Melody Dawes.

Hair Loss: The Science of Hair. (2010, March 1). Retrieved from www.webmd.com: 

          http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/science- 

          hair

Shampooing & Conditioning

We think shampooing our hair is just for the sake of keeping our scalp clean and that is where most of us are wrong. There are 4 steps to a healthy hair and scalp; shampooing, massaging, conditioning and drying (Palladino & Green, 2006).

Just like how soap works on our skin, water alone cannot wash out or remove those residues from our hair and scalp. We shampoo to remove dirt, grease, styling products, skin scales and sweat from both our hair and scalp. It is not required to throw on a big amount of shampoo over your head because you would only be wasting it thus just the lather (foam) from the shampoo is enough to remove every possible residue off. After shampoo has been applied on to the top of the head, work a big amount of lather on the scalp in circular motion while gradually adding drops of water for the lather to cover the whole head. Once that is done, place the tips of your fingers on the hair lines by your forehead and firmly massage it in circular motions while working in the same motion all the way to the back of your head. The point of a massage is to promote an even blood circulation to the scalp that will encourage the growth of hair at the same time maintain the health of the scalp. Over massaging your head on the other hand will only lead to a bad headache and so gentle massages are enough to create a relaxing hair wash (Palladino & Green, 2006). When rinsing off the shampoo, ensure that no trace of shampoo is left on the hair and especially the scalp as it will cause itchiness of the scalp and will cause it to get oily within a day or less. Once the shampoo has completely washed off, apply a small amount of conditioner on to your palms and using your fingers, comb through your hair to allow every strand to be covered in conditioner. Make sure no conditioner touches the scalp because another contributor to an oily scalp is when conditioners get to it (Shampoos and conditioners, 2009). Conditioning is an important for both men and women because as the shampoo strips all the dirt, grease and natural moisture off the hair, the conditioner acts to replenish the hair back to its pH value of 5.5 making it shiny, keeps it tangle free, easier to style and repairs damaged cuticles (Palladino & Green, 2006). Conditioners are best washed off with cold water to lock in its moisture into the hair cuticles. When drying off your hair, be sure to gently dab off excess water from your hair and not vigorously rub your hair with the towel as you would severely damage hair cuticles thus causing it to look extra frizzy and hard to manage.  To those who wash their hair every day, it is advisable for them to use a milder shampoo to prevent dryness of the scalp and hair (Hair System Shampoo and Conditioning, 2012).

The video below would help in giving a better understanding to the kinds of shampoo that goes well with your type of hair.   

References

Hair System Shampoo and Conditioning. (2012). Retrieved from www.hairdirect.com: 

          http://www.hairdirect.com/resources/maintenance/shampoo-tips.aspx

Palladino, L., & Green, M. (2006). Hairdressing The Foundations, fifth edition. London: 

         Melody Dawes.

Shampoos and conditioners. (2009). Retrieved from www.hair2stay.co.uk: 

         http://www.hair2stay.co.uk/downloads/Shampoos.pdf

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vX5I0NAWek

The Science of Skin and Hair

“The skin is the outer covering of the body. It is a complex organ, made up of different layers and containing many parts; oil and sweat glands, hair muscles, blood and lymph vessels, nerves and sensory organs” (Palladino & Green, 2006). The four main functions of the skin, is to provide protection, for secretion, for sensation and to control temperature (figure 1.0). Our skin acts as a wall to repel excess water and to contain body fluids and contains melanin pigments that help in preventing the skin from being exposed to the hazardous rays of the sun. The sebum (oil) and the sweat both contain acidic properties that work as a natural antibiotic to protect the skin from bacterial growth. Right underneath the top layer (epidermis) of the skin are the nerves that send signals to the brain when something cold, hot or painful might harm the body. In cold conditions, the nerves would send out signals to the brain which immediately gets the hair muscles (arrector pili) to erect (goose bumps) which traps the warm air that is left on the skin keeping it warm. In hot weathers on the other hand, sweat glands would excrete fluid that would evaporate off the skin which in turn cools the body. (Palladino & Green, 2006)

figure 1.0

Our hair can be found on almost every part of our body except for the eyelids, palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Each of our hair consists of 3 layers (figure 2.0); medulla, cortex, cuticle. The medulla is the innermost part of the hair that serves no purpose when a hair is treated or styled and only exists in medium to coarser hair textures. The cortex is the middle and the biggest layer of the hair that is made up of very long rope-like fibrous substance that determine the elasticity and strength of one’s hair. This layer of the hair is also responsible for the distribution of our natural hair colour. The cuticle is the outermost layer that controls the amount of chemical that enters and damages the hair along that protects the hair from too much heat and dehydration. These cells overlap each other like roof tiles and the number of layers determines the hair texture; hair with lesser layers of cuticle are much finer compared to coarser hair types with several more layers of cuticle.

Hair in good condition (figure 3.0) has features of being shiny, smooth, elastic means that the cuticles are tightly closed that they restrict excessive moisture from getting through. Hair in poor condition (figure 4.0), with spilt ends, over-stretched, dry, porous lengths means they are missing a number of cuticle layers. A simple way to determine the condition of your hair cuticles is to observe the length of time it takes to blow-dry your hair. If the hair is in good condition, it will dry off quickly whereas hair in a poor condition would take a much longer time because porous hair absorbs moisture and more heat would be required thus damaging the hair further. If the hair is in an extremely poor state, the only wise option is to either grow it out or cut it off and anticipate the new batch of hair to grow because as we speak, our hair is constantly growing at a rate of 12.5mm (nearly ½ inch) each month. (Palladino & Green, 2006)               

     

figure 2.0

(figure 3.0)

(figure 4.0)

Reference

Hair Loss: The Science of Hair. (2010, March 1). Retrieved from www.webmd.com: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/science-hair

Palladino, L., & Green, M. (2006). Hairdressing The Foundations, fifth edition. London: Melody Dawes.

Roy. (2009, June 4). The Right Hairstyle for Your Face Shape. Retrieved from www.thehairstyler.com: http://www.thehairstyler.com/features/articles/hairstyles/the-right-hairstyle-for-your-face-shape

Pictures :

figure 1.0 : http://www.google.com.my/imgres?imgurl=http://www.drrohde.com/images/Clipart/Acne%2520Images/Skin_Structure1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.drrohde.com/acne.htm&usg=__z3SH4U3Ypr4P02RC7o-NVk9NuQ8=&h=352&w=463&sz=37&hl=en&start=2&zoom=1&tbnid=x6OnqcJjAC2jRM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=128&ei=WwGjT4q1KI_jrAeEo7HpDQ&um=1&itbs=1

figure 2.0 : http://www.google.com.my/imgres?imgurl=http://www.surviving-hairloss.com/images/hair_shaft_cross_section.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.surviving-hairloss.com/Hair_Relaxers.html&usg=__-V-u8LIxC6ok8AWyLREdUpC2Hm8=&h=200&w=200&sz=18&hl=en&start=5&zoom=1&tbnid=-Chg3J3W8Qj1KM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=104&ei=JBKjT43NBITsrAfQotnbDQ&um=1&itbs=1

figure 3.0 : http://www.google.com.my/imgres?imgurl=http://www.answersingenesis.org/assets/images/articles/am/v2/n3/Human_Hair3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v2/n3/amazing-human-hair&usg=__ICQIIP6CHZ4atfoSDFr05d7x0Q0=&h=700&w=526&sz=39&hl=en&start=1&zoom=1&tbnid=kIaQ2nieTfw0PM:&tbnh=140&tbnw=105&ei=JBKjT43NBITsrAfQotnbDQ&um=1&itbs=1

figure 4.0 : http://www.google.com.my/imgres?imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0E9PdgKZaCQaGFDc37aliVBbCk01Us92bj0JEjKBYd-iGLi-bLMYLhL5fz-kyKtQsYvnZFB_HupZqwhU-6ueC7bKDcWwZZuVT3cke7SE1_M6JArNEEpzTJJRbT44j2zTT7D8_kCjoIA3C/s1600/Damaged-Hair-Cuticle.jpg&imgrefurl=http://beautyblunderblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/cosme-terminology-quiz-cuticle-of-hair.html&usg=__7S_LiyquR7o0a9DxMbQLR3dVC1k=&h=236&w=318&sz=12&hl=en&start=4&zoom=1&tbnid=Q9t0g7yYDlOEkM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=118&ei=JBKjT43NBITsrAfQotnbDQ&um=1&itbs=1

The Hair That Defines YOU

             Most of us go through so much of trouble and stress to make sure our hair is locked in its' desired state. Unfortunately, holding about 100,000 hair in one place for  a period of time would be defining the laws of nature as environmental factors such as heat, cold and humidity would play their parts in ruining those tight curls. Nevertheless, the least we try to achieve is a fairly manageable set of hair without much commitment and attention (unlike Queen Victoria who drank silver birch wine made from sap because she believed it would cure her baldness) (Prakash) . This blog will look into the little tips an tricks to an obedient set of hair that will help bring out the best in you.

Reference

Prakash, V. (n.d.). 1056 words free essay on Hair Care. Retrieved from www.preservearticles.com:

http://www.preservearticles.com/201106107774/1056-words-free-essay-on-hair-care.html