Lipstick Powder N Paint

If dandruff is the only thing standing between you and a closet full of basic black, you’re not alone. Many people have this scalp disorder, which is marked by itching and excessive flaking of the scalp. Although dandruff isn’t contagious (though it seems in the 1940’s it was thought to be), it is SO embarrassing.

WHAT CAUSES DANDRUFF?
The horrible culprit is a yeast-like fungus called Malassezia which lives on the scalps of most healthy adults without causing problems. Unfortunately sometimes it grows out of control, feeding on the oils secreted by the hair follicles and causing irritation that leads to increased cell turnover, and the result is a large number of dead skin cells. As the cells fall off, they tend to clump together with oil from your hair and scalp, making them appear white, flaky and all too visible.

Image: proctor & gamble

Exactly what causes an overgrowth of these organisms isn’t known, although increased oil production; hormonal fluctuations; stress; illness; a suppressed immune system; infrequent shampooing and extra sensitivity to the malassezia fungus may contribute to the development of dandruff.

WHAT TREATMENT IS THERE?
There are several dandruff shampoos on the market that will control flaking and itchiness. Dandruff shampoos are classified according to their active ingredient (see below) and you may need to experiment with different ones until you find one that works best for you.

To start, use daily until your dandruff is controlled, and then cut back to two or three times a week. Be sure to leave the shampoo on for at least five minutes — this allows the ingredients time to work.

If you’ve shampooed faithfully for several weeks and you are still encountering dandruff, talk to your doctor or dermatologist.

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS
Zinc Pyrithione shampoos
These contain the antibacterial and antifungal agent zinc pyrithione, which has been shown to reduce the fungus that causes dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis.

Tar-based shampoos
Coal tar, a byproduct of the coal manufacturing process, helps conditions such as dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis and psoriasis by slowing cell turnover.

Salicylic Acid shampoos
These “scalp scrubs” help eliminate scale, but they may leave your scalp dry, leading to more flaking. Using a conditioner after shampooing can help counter dryness.

Selenium Sulfide shampoos
These shampoos help prevent cell turnover and may also reduce the number of malassezia. Because they can discolour blonde, gray or chemically coloured hair, be sure to use them only as directed and to rinse well after shampooing.

Ketoconazole shampoos
The newest addition to the dandruff armamentarium, ketoconazole is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent that may work when other shampoos fail. It’s available over-the-counter as well as by prescription.

SUGGESTED PRODUCTS

Herbal Essences No Flaking Way

This shampoo relieves scalp-related itching, irritation, redness or flaking associated with dandruff. Made with the active dandruff-fighting ingredient Pyrithione Zinc.

www.herbalessences.ca www.herbalessences.com

Head & Shoulders Classic Clean

With a HydraZinc formula, the shampoo and condition help to eliminate flakes and relieves scalp dryness, itch, and irritation. Gentle and pH balanced for everyday use - even on permed or colour-treated hair.

www.headandshoulders.ca www.headandshoulders.com

Neutrogena T-Gel Daily Control Dandruff Shampoo

Contains 1% Zinc Pyrithione for fast, effective dandruff relief. Three conditioning agents promote healthy-looking, soft, manageable hair.

www.neutrogena.ca www.neutrogena.com

Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

This shampoo contains ketoconazole - an active ingredient clinically proven to get to the root of your dandruff problem. It actually kills the malassezia fungus that causes dandruff.

www.nizoral.ca www.nizoral.com

Maintaining curly hair can be a challenge. Curly hair tends to be more fragile than straight hair, so harsh styling products can leave hair looking and feeling over dry and damaged. Here are some great tips from Redken for keeping curls under control:

- Wash your hair with cold water to avoid frizz
- Part and comb your hair in the shower while the conditioner is still in to prevent breakage. Use a wide-toothed comb.
- To prevent frizz, do not rub your hair with the towel but gently dry out the access water.
- Use a diffuser on your hairdryer. Only dry your hair until slightly damp to prevent frizz and brittleness. Then apply cool air to hair to seal the cuticle.

Bring your dry, brittle ringlets back to life by nourishing them with products and treatments specifically formulated to enhance curly hair. Here are some you may wish to try:

Pantene Pro-V Hydrating Curls
Make waves with hair that twists, twirls and curls around and around.

The Hydrating Curls Shampoo helps to invigorate curls as it helps remove build-up and residue, while the Hydrating Curls Conditioner protects and defines curls. Both of these products are gentle enough to use every day, even on permed or colour-treated hair.

www.pantene.ca www.pantene.com

Kérastase Paris Nutritive Oléo-Curl
Curl-defining treatments that create soft, supple and luminous curls with their ultra-light oil technology.

Kérastase Bain Oléo-Curl gently cleanses the hair fiber and leaves curls shiny, supple and nourished.

Kérastase Masque Oléo-Curl provides weightless conditioning, disciplines and detangles, and leaves curls shiny from roots to ends.

www.kerastase.com

Aveda Be Curly

Be Curly Shampoo and Conditioner gently cleanse and boost shine while enhancing curls and combating frizz. They feature a refreshing aroma made with certified organic lime, lemon, bergamot and orange.

www.aveda.com


Frédéric Fekkai Luscious Curls
Specifically formulated to prep, enhance and define curly or wavy hair with light moisturization to fight fizz without weighing locks down.

The Luscious Curls Shampoo gently cleanses with humectants to moisturize hair, imparting memory, spring and bounce. Features honey and ginseng extract to restore moisture, leaving hair soft and conditioned.

Luscious Curls Conditioner contains a rejuvenating blend of honey nectar and ginseng smooth and control frizz, leaving the hair vibrant and nourished.

www.fredericfekkai.com

Redken Ringlet 07 Curl Perfector

This curl refining cream-gel activates and rejuvenates curls and waves with weightless control. Through the Exclusive Bonding System, a new anti-frizz technology, and conditioning and moisturizing agents, Ringlet 07 delivers lasting definition, humidity resistance, ultimate frizz control and conditioning properties.

www.redken.ca www.redken.com

Profound Beauty STYLIST Curl Glaze

This unique glaze seals curl while allowing movement and controlling frizz. Curls are glazed to appear highly defined, intensely shiny with smooth compact contour. .

www.profoundbeauty.com

Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Curl Scrunching Gel

The Totally Twisted curl scrunching gel creates waves and spirals that are smooth, lush and defined, and keeps frizz at bay.

www.herbalessences.ca www.herbalessences.com

Today is all about hair colouring, the history, why we do it and what you can use at home.

WHY DO WE COLOUR?
I colour my hair to brighten up my complexion and to cover those unsightly grey hairs. Some people may wish to copy a celeb’s locks, some may wish to see if blondes do have all the fun; the reasons for changing their hair’s colour are varied. Why do you colour your hair?

A BRIEF HISTORY
The earliest known hair dyes were made of ingredients such as henna, indigo, sage and chamomile, and could only darken the hair.

It is said that from as early as 500 AD, people were wishing to lighten their hair and tried many solutions. Ingredients such black sulphur, alum, and honey, or saffron and onion skin, were painted onto the hair and left on in the sun.

Around 1860, hydrogen peroxide first came into use as a hair bleaching agent. Sometimes combined with ammonia and soap flakes, hydrogen peroxide was commonly used to lighten hair through the 1930s. The process was quite harsh on hair, and it was not uncommon for hair to break off during the bleaching procedure.

Two of today’s most well-known hair colouring products got their start in the early twentieth century. In 1907, French chemist Eugene Schueller developed the first safe commercial hair colourant, a synthetic formulation based on the chemical Paraphenylenediamine (Paraphenylenediamine or PPD, and its chemical derivatives are key dye components for hair colourants, most widely used to create dark shades such as brown and black) . Schueller originally called his product Aureole, but it was later renamed L’Oreal.

In 1932, New York chemist Lawrence Gelb developed a hair color product that penetrated the hair shaft, and started a company called Clairol. In 1950, he introduced the first one-step hair colouring product, Miss Clairol Hair Color Bath.

Things have changed quite a bit since the 1950’s and there are now hundreds of different hair colouring products on the market. We have an amazing choice of colours we can pick from, and several different hair colouring treatments that can provide us with permanent colour or something fun just for an evening or two.

HOW LONG DO YOU WANT YOU COLOUR TO LAST?
Temporary Colour
Comes in the form of mousses, shampoos or even hair mascaras. Some are in bright hues and are fun for parties; most are designed to brighten natural hair colours. They wash out after a few shampoos.

Semi-Permanent Colour
These products coat hair with colour that washes out after 6-12 shampoos. Unlike most temporary colour, semi-permanent dyes bond to the hair. However, the pigment molecules in temporary hair colour are too large to penetrate the hair shaft, so that hair is still “coated” with colour rather than fundamentally changed. Since the dye sits at the surface of the hair, this type of hair color is generally used to achieve brighter, more vibrant shades that may be difficult to achieve with permanent hair colour. Semi-permanent products do not contain ammonia or peroxide so they are not able to lighten hair.

Demi-Permanent Colour
This option will last twice as long as semi-permanent colour and is perfect if you wish to enhance your current hair tone or blend away that grey. Like semi-permanent dyes, this type of colour contains no ammonia and thus cannot lighten hair, only add colour to it.

Permanent Colour
The longest-lasting of hair dyes, permanent colour cannot be washed out. It contains both ammonia and peroxide, which raise the cuticle of the hair in order to allow the tint to penetrate to the cortex and lighten the hair by breaking up the melanin that gives hair its natural colour, fundamentally changing the shade of the hair.

Highlights
This process lifts the colour in individual strands of hair to heighten the level of lightness in your hair. Your kit will include either a cap and hook, which is better for short hair, or a special application brush that lets you “paint” on the highlights, perfect for long hair. Highlights are permanent and use peroxide, bleach and/or ammonia to lift the hair pigment from the cortex.

Lowlights
This process consists of taking strands of hair and darkening them at least 2 shades darker than the rest of your hair. Lowlights are often the best option for individuals who wish to blend away gray hair in a natural looking way. The application is the same as highlighting, using a cap and hook or an application brush.

HOME COLOURING SUGGESTIONS
Herbal Essences Color Me Vibrant

An at-home colouring kit with results that last up to 8 weeks. The Color-Amplifying Conditioner helps to preserve and enrich the colour.
Available in 27 shades

www.clairol.ca www.clairol.com

Clairol Perfect 10

This colouring kit works in only 10 minutes providing high speed, high gloss permanent colour. and helps to repair damaged hair -it even leaves your hair soft and smelling delightfully fragrant. Six weekly treatments of the ColorSeal Intensive Conditioning Crème keep your hair glossy and your colour from fading.
Available in 15 shades

www.perfectcolorin10.com

Superior Preference Dream Blonde Color & Care System

Launching in April 2008, Dream Blonde delivers a new spectrum of brass-free shades that are clean, clear and bright. With the help of the Pre-Color Moisture Infuser, Blonde Supreme Shampoo and Conditioner, and the Continuous Shine Crème, even the most delicate blonde hair is safe with this colourant.
Available in 10 shades

www.lorealparisusa.com www.lorealparis.ca

The Mixer

A salon-quality root touch-up that will cover those nasty roots with permanent colour without being messy or needing to pre-mix - just point, push, apply and leave on for thirty minutes, shampoo and condition. It even blends in perfectly with any brand of hair colour, so no worries if you’re concerned about a conflict with another product.
Available in 6 shades

www.colour-revolution.com

Since it is Valentine’s Day I thought I’d share with you a fun hair collection. Herbal Essences have created three new products that will allow you to fall in love with your hair.

Long Term Relationship is for those gals with long locks. Having long hair can be quite the love/hate relationship - can’t it? I have NEVER been able to grow my hair longer than chin length - after that it looks terrible and drives me nuts! This trio has been developed to allow women to make the ultimate commitment to their hair, by helping them grow it as long as they want. Could this possibly mean the end of split ends and breakage?

Infused with a velvety blend of red raspberry and satin extracts, and formulated with high levels of hydrators, the collection will leave hair soft and manageable, in addition to providing protection from split ends and damage.

Though I have short hair, I did of course try the products and I liked them very much. What I love as much as the contents of the bottles are the bottles themselves – you have to go to your local drug store and read the back of one of these containers. Herbal Essences do a really good job at making the write-ups on their products delightfully witty - one cute quip is I’ll Give you a Rapunzel Complex.

Here is the Long Term Relationship lineup:

Shampoo
Provides two times more protection against damage

Conditioner
Moisturizes every inch of the hair to leave it sensually soft

Leave-in Split end Protector for Long Hair
Detangles and helps strengthen long hair against split ends and damage

www.herbalessences.ca www.herbalessences.com