Hair Care for Brides {Hair Care}

Ok, so after covering a general post on the overall skin care the brides can follow to look glowing altogether, we come to how to care for the hair.

[Source:vii.in]

Hair Cut and Style

The primary concern during a wedding is hair style. It should be simple enough to handle and it should look stylish enough. So, if you are going to fix on a hair style, start browsing the magazines and websites as soon as possible. And, always go to a trusted salon. Good Hair Stylists are few and far and difficult to come by. Get a trial cut of your chosen hair style if you have more than 1 month to your D-day otherwise consult the hair stylist as to how to go about. 

If your D-day is within a month, it is good to get a hair cut 15-20 days before the wedding. That gives you ample of time to judge the cut and also get it fixed in case you don't end up liking it. And, in the meantime, your hair would grow enough to give more definition to the hair cut too. Also, make sure to practice the style you are thinking of even if you are engaging a stylist for yourself on the D-day.

Hair Treatments

After you have fixed on your hair style, you definitely want your hair to look in glowing health. A good diet is always the prerequisite but timely hair treatments also help a lot. Go for a hair spa treatment weekly or you can also follow with some home remedies of your choice. At this time, if you are not averse to indulgence, get salon-range products for entire hair care depending on your hair type.

Protein treatments are amazing for rough and damaged hair or if you had them colored and it didn't turn out right. Otherwise, go for hydrating and deep conditioning treatments. The frequency of the treatments depends on the condition of your hair. And, a very simple way to make your hair look glamorous is to go for gloss and shine treatments. Simple shine gloss treatments or even colored gloss treatments are available. They provide immense shine to the hair. 

Hair Color

Are you thinking of changing your hair color? If yes, do a try run well before the time. And, take good advise before settling down on the hair color. And, always get your hair colored at the salon and follow up with proper products to preserve the color or keep your hair healthy. 

Hope these tips are helpful :) And, all the best in your preparations!!

How to apply conditioner? {Hair Care}

Conditioner is something unavoidable when it comes to hair care. And, I hae scores of them in my closet so I am striving to finish them off. So, last week, when I was applying my conditioner, suddenly a thought occurred to me is there was a particular way of applying a conditioner just like there is a correct of way of shampooing. 

[Source: girlscrunch.com]

How do I condition my hair?

Ok, first of all, I do not ever carry my comb into the bathroom to distribute the conditioner evenly on the hair. Why? My hair is wet and I can never comb that much wet hair. I have never ever tried to do so as well. 

I take conditioner on my palm and rub both the palms to spread the conditioner evenly and then rub the palms on to my hairs from ears down. I do not go near the scalp. But, when I am rubbing the hair with my palms, to be sure, I don't really feel comfortable. When we rub the hair together, friction is produced and electricity is caused which creates more split ends and flyaways. 

Improved method of conditioning

So, yesterday, what I did was that I took a little of the conditioner on to my palm and spread it evenly between both the palms and simply ran my hand through the hair. No rubbing at all. I took a little bit more of the conditioner and ran it through the ends again. No Comb at all. And, I am hoping that this would be a better way to apply the conditioner in the future.

What do you say?

Skipping Conditioner = Split Ends? {Hair Care}

PS: Hey all, please do let me know if you prefer this layout to the previous one or was that better. I will really appreciate the feedback.

Last week, when I did a post on "Should I apply conditioner or not?", I got a lot of responses on the post and one of the comments made me think about this post. The comment was from Krupa and she said "skipping conditioner n using leave in serum is a gud idea but without conditioner wont we get split ends?". 

[Source: Google Images]

What does a Conditioner do?

Anyways, thinking from her point of view, she is right. Conditioner is supposed to condition our hair and provide it moisture and nourishment and when the hair strands are nourished, moisturized and hydrated, they do not develop split ends. But, I want to clear a misconception. Conditioner never ever repairs Split Ends. No product can repair Split Ends.

How to get rid of Split Ends?
Split Ends can only be prevented by taking care of the hair and being diligent about applying the products meant to keep the hair in a good condition. But, if they develop, you can only snip them off. Otherwise, those split ends can travel up the length of your hair strands and cause your hair to look rough and damaged. So, always take good care of your hair with regular deep conditioning treatments and snip off the ends at regular intervals too.

How do you take care of your split ends?

Patanjali Aloevera Gel {Product Review}

Ok, so this is so awesome that I had to share immediately. Till today, I wasn't much in awe of this product but today it changed my mind about itself. 

Price: Rs 75 for 150ml

Ingredients

I am out of the product but it has aloe vera gel, permitted colors, Vitamin E and preservatives. 

My Experience

As a facial product, I won't say anything because the only purpose I used the gel for was for my hair. Oh yes, I did use the aloe gel also as a face mask so that ways also it was awesome!!! Anyways, I wanted to talk about something else. I applied the gel on my hair and kept it for an hour around. And, after that, I washed my hair and voila!!! My hair was so soft and shiny. The results were awesome and I would definitely urge everyone to give this a try :)

Also read other reviews from the same brand:

Patanjali Tejus Tailum Body and Hair Oil
Patanjali Divya Dant Manjan
Patanjali Ojas Multani Mitti Soap

Egg Hair Pack for extremely silky and shiny hair {DIY}

Eggs are really great for hair as we are all aware of. Now, when I used this hair pack on my hair, I kept it for around 3-4 hours, though not intentionally. So, I believe that the results of this hair pack are more due to the time it stayed on my hair rather than the ingredients. But, the ingredients are also fabulous and just two in number!!!

Ingredients: 

• 3 eggs
• amla powder

Method 

Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk them into a smooth consistency. Add amla powder so that it becomes a smooth paste. Make sure it is not clumpy at all otherwise the whole thing tends to clump on the hair. Never make your hair packs clumpy. They do not deliver results properly as hair is not able to absorb it as well as it absorbs a smooth paste applied on it. So, after you make this paste, apply it on the scalp and along the whole length of the hair concentrating on the roots and the ends. I kept it on 3-4 hours but you can also make do with one or try to keep it for longer periods on weekends or at nights. Eggs make hair amazingly silky if left on for longer period of time, as my experience goes, though, I know it is difficult with the smell :(

Results

Extremely silky, soft and shiny hair which lasts for weeks together. I did this routine before April 10th and my hair is just the same even now and I have not applied anything extra to my hair in the meantime. And, the shine is unimaginable. It makes your hair more shinier than any leave-in or any hair product. Of course, using amla made my hair look darker too so the shine reflected better. And, I have wavy to curly hair. So, straight-haired gals, your hair is literally gonna shine like a lantern!!! Ok, bad joke :D but the results are just amazing and a lot can be attributed to the fact that we are using 3 eggs instead of just one which we customarily use. More the eggs, better coverage and better results. So, guys, try it and share your feedback!!! Don't forget to cover with a shower cap. And, for even better results, steam your hair before applying the pack to open the cuticles for better absorption.

How to Deep Condition your Hair?

[Source: Google Images]

As I have repeatedly stressed on the point of Hair conditioning, it should come as no surprise if I embark on a really elaborated ritual of homemade deep conditioning treatment. This is a variant of the regular egg or yogurt mask only. Just that there is one more ingredient - Honey. Nothing great about this recipe itself. You are well aware of the properties of egg and honey for the hair.

Dry Hair needs protein treatment so use egg and if you have oily hair, you would do better with yogurt or milk. Apply the conditioner and keep it as long as you can (as long as you can stand the smell of egg) !! Now, before applying the mask, prepare your hair a little just like you would prepare your face for a face mask.

• Comb your hair and get rid of all the tangles. 
• Brush it once or twice to make sure it is free flowing.
• Now, steam your hair. Take a bowl of water or the appliance/ saunas available for taking steam for your face. I know its kind of difficult to direct steam to your hair so you have to juggle a little with the appliance. If you are using a bowl of water, juggle with yourself or you would end up burning. Carefully, direct steam to all parts of your head. You can even divide your head in 5 parts: top, back, left, right and middle. Middle is the most difficult to get your steam to. For back and middle, bend backward on the bowl or sauna. So, place the bowl/sauna at a comfortable position. And, remember, steam is very hot and you would not be able to bear it more than a few seconds on the more sensitive portions of your skull so keep the steam time to a minimum. Once you try this, you would get used to it. Do this for at max 15 minutes. That would be enough to let the scalp absorb the mask well. Switch off the fans and AC in your room or you will end with a headache due to the temperature differences.
• After opening the hair follicles a bit, apply the mask by massaging it into your scalp. Start from one side and end with the other or part your scalp in 5 parts again. That makes easy application of the mask. After covering the scalp, part your hair along its length and dip them into the mask and spread it evenly. Keep maximum at the ends. 
• After whole of the hair is covered in mask, massage it a little for 10-15 minutes and cover with a shower cap.
• If you have a drier, set it to warm setting and direct the flow of air evenly on your scalp to provide warmth for better absorption. Or, wet a towel and heat it in microwave for 30 seconds and wrap it around the head. You can repeat the towel wraps as many times as you want reheating it after it has cooled. 
• Now, wait for as long as you can. Preferably, do this treatment in the evening because there is more to come.
• Go and rinse your hair after your tolerance is over. Do not shampoo or condition. Just rinse with lukewarm water and get all the egg out of your hair. Egg tends to stick to hair. 
• Come out of the shower. I know you are smelling nasty !! So, let your hair air dry first. 
• Now, comb your hair and untangle it. Now, take a cup of your favorite oil and warm it a little so that oil is tolerably hot to touch. 
• Apply the oil to your hair and massage well. Yes, a hot oil treatment after a homemade deep conditioning treatment. Massage your scalp gently but firmly for 30 minutes. It really helps.
• Leave the oil overnight and wash off with a mild and nice smelling shampoo the other day. You would not even need to condition it but you can apply a little to the ends if you want. 

Tips:

• Use any hair mask in place of egg+honey mask. You can even use the commercially available deep conditioning treatments.
• Use a strong smelled oil for hot oil treatment so that it will mask the smell of egg. Coconut is great for that but only unrefined. 
• You can add vitamin E or Evening Primrose Oil supplements to the mask and oil as well for extra nourishment and shine. 
• You can also use a homemade herbal shampoo which is just a variant of your favorite shampoo.
• You can end this hair pampering session with one of your favored hair rinses too. They would give extra bounce to your hair. 
• Do this once a week to counter the effects of the whole week abuse of your hair. 
• Results: Hair would be softer and shinier for days together. This treatment will take care of your hair till the next treatment :)

Test for Damaged Hair

A very simple trick can tell you whether your hair is damaged or not. Many of you might already be aware of this. But, for those who are not, you can take a test.

Comb your hair and pick one strand of your hair from the comb. Drop it in a glass full of water. If the hair sinks, your hair is damaged. And, if it stays afloat, your hair is healthy. Caution: Do not pluck hair from their roots just to do this experiment. Plucking the hair damages its follicle and can impede future hair growth.

So, if your hair is damaged, start taking care of it from today. Egg Hair Mask or Egg Shampoo is the first step to beautiful hair.

Pep up your locks for that special event {DIY}

Today, I am going to share a tip with you to make your locks look great for that extra special event you are going to attend the next day.
Mix a shine serum with your deep conditioner in equal quantity and apply it on your hair the night before. Cover your head with a shower cap. And, put a hot towel on your head. This will ensure deeper conditioning treatment. Let it stay for 30 minutes. Wash off thoroughly with cold water to seal the cuticles. Voila, your hair will be shiny and healthy.

A tip: You can leave the conditioner on your head whole night. And, wash off the next day.