Archive for category Hair Care
Black Hair Care Tips For the Active Woman
African American women cannot afford to let the excuse “I don’t want to mess up my hair” keep them from meeting the recommended guidelines for physical activity. It is well know that African American women have higher rates of being either overweight or obese when compared to their peers. A main contributor to this occurrence is lack of exercise. Several barriers have been cited as reasons why African American do not workout including time, environment and finances. A new barrier recently researched is hair care maintenance. A survey conducted by Wake Forest University showed that 31% of the women surveyed were less active on purpose out of concern for their hair and style maintenance. This is a valid concern since African American women spend and average of $100 on salon visits or the negative effects sweat has on their hair. Salt in the sweat can dry the hair and make it more fragile. In addition, applying excess heating due to the use of hair dryers and flat irons may cause the hair to become brittle and lead to breakage. Many hair stylists believe that high heat applied to the hair should not be done several times during the week. Below are several tips for active African American women to protect and maintain hair before and during and after workouts.
Before the workout:
For long hair, either clip the hair off the neck, with a butterfly clip or ribbon tie. Neither method will leave indentations in the hair. Women with long or short hair can tie the hair up in a cotton bandanna or scarf. However, this is not advised for those who sweat excessively in inner portions of their head. This will cause swelling for women with natural hair and will cause the hair to feel brittle for women with relaxed hair. The bottom line is to make sure the hair is off the neck and hairline.
During the workout:
It is important to stay hydrated. Without enough water, the hair will lack moisture. For women who sweat a lot, periodically pat dry the hair to remove excess sweat. Read the rest of this entry »
Hair Care For Children
Salon visits can be scary experiences for small children: They are boring, full of strangers and strange smelling products, you are being ordered to sit still for ages, whilst some idiot is doing terrible things to your hair which you didn’t want to happen in the first place. Life is sooo unfair!
So how do you as a parent, avoid, annoying the stylist, upsetting your child and getting yourself stressed? Well this is where your best child psychology skills come into play! Sometimes your child will have unwarranted fears and you have to help to overcome them. Creating trust by taking their concerns seriously is the first and most important step. Promising a treat can also help. Best of all is to check in your local area to see if there is one of the growing number of new specialized children’s salons available. Salon chains like Cartoon Cuts are designed to make the hair cut experience more positive and entertaining for small children: toys, video games, specially shaped chairs and specially-trained stylists, all help to ensue the experience is more like going to a theme park rather than a visit to the doctor.
Home Sweet Home
However, if your child is afraid of the hairdresser’s, then try to cut their hair at home. They will feel safe and comfortable and you will save time and money. You can do it yourself if you have the skills – or the bravery. Cutting hair for a child is basically the same for an adult, except that a child’s hair is usually thin and baby soft. Keep the bangs approx. 1/2″ from the eyebrows. If the child’s hair is thin, avoid short cuts for now until their hair comes in thicker. Shape around the face if you’re trying to grow it long. If you don’t have any haircutting experience, you might want to seek out a step by step guide on children’s hair cutting, or get someone to do it for you. Read the rest of this entry »