Hair and Other Musings

[1] If you've dyed your hair and your new hair color has turned out too dark, there are ways to correct the problem with minimal damage and lighten colored hair to the shade you actually want. The technique you use will depend on how dark your hair is, as well as how quickly you want to correct it, and whether your hair is in good condition or not. Why does hair color end up too dark? There are a few major reasons why hair color can end up darker than expected, and these relate to the condition of your hair and how the dye was applied: Porosity Shade selection Brand differences Development time The porosity of your hair is the most common cause of hair dye that turns out too dark. When hair is porous, it soaks up dye more readily and this can lead to it becoming much darker than it should. Sometimes, this high porosity will be natural, whilst most of the time it is caused by damage to the surface of the hair shaft. When hair is damaged, the cuticles on the s

[1] Blonde hair looks beautiful, but the original shade can fade after dyeing, leaving you with yellow hair instead. When your hair turns yellow, it needs to be toned to neutralize this unwanted result. With the proper toner and a little time, you can fix yellow hair and return your tresses back to the shade you love. Why does blonde hair turn yellow? Hair lightening exposes the underlying pigment in your hair. Depending on how dark your natural color is, this pigment can be anything from a deep red color to a pale yellow color, and it is this underlying base tone that allows your natural shade to look rich and dark. Generally, whenever you expose the base tone of your hair, the final color is achieved with a toner. This toner adds cool pigment back into your hair to neutralize the appearance of the warm base tone and transform its color into the shade of hair color you actually want. With time, the toner fades, allowing the underlying warmth to become visible again. In blonde

If your hair is damaged, you've likely noticed it snapping. Often, damaged hair is very dry, brittle, and fragile, causing it to break with styling or washing. It won't grow quickly because of this breakage, which can be extremely frustrating, meaning that the use of hair breakage repair treatments are crucial in restoring it to a better condition. [1] What causes hair breakage? Hair breakage occurs when hair has been weakened through heat, chemical, or physical damage. Bleaching is often a significant cause, and people with dyed blonde hair tend to be more susceptible to the problem due to the amount of lightening that is required to achieve and maintain a pale hair colour. Other processes that can lead to hair breakage include the way you style it, how much sun exposure you get, and even how you handle it when it is wet. Heated styling tools damage your hair much more readily if you're not using a protection spray or serum, and exposure to the sun's radi

[1] Heat damaged hair is common with the use of heated styling tools like straighteners and curling rods. When your hair is damaged like this, it doesn't look its best. Hair that is damaged by heat is prone to frizz, dryness, and split ends. As such, it's important that you correct the damage in order to restore your hair to its former glory and keep it looking its absolute best. What is heat damaged hair? If your hair is heat damaged, this means that it has been exposed to high temperatures during styling. These temperatures cause the protein in your hair to be denatured and break down, weakening the structure of your hair. This is why it's important to adequately protect your hair whenever you style it with a heating tool, and even when you blow dry it. Correcting heat damage Like any damage to your hair, heat damage can be corrected with the right products and a care regime. The key to this is to target treatment to the components of your hair that are damag

[1] If you have blue eyes, you've probably wondered which hair colors are the best match for your eyes. Matching your hair color to the rest of your features is absolutely necessary if you want to be sure it looks great, and the best hair color for blue eyes is one that emphasizes and enhances the blue tone. Matching hair colors and features There are a few simple rules you can follow to match most hair colors to your other features in order to determine which shades are the best hair colors for you. Your features consist of your: Skin tone Eye color Hair color Your skin tone and eye color are mostly unchangeable and set from a young age, whereas your hair color can be changed at whim to any shade you desire. As such, the features that you can't change determine how your hair looks in comparison. Each feature affects the other features on your body, making it important for everything to work together for the best results and for natural looking hair. Skin

  Have you been asking yourself, "what shampoo should I use"? Shampoos vary greatly in terms of what hair type they are best suited towards, as well as any special properties they may have. If you're not using the right shampoo for your hair, you may not be experiencing the range of benefits that a properly chosen shampoo can give you. Types of shampoo There are a few different types of shampoos, and the shampoo you use should be based around choosing not only the correct product type for your hair, but also choosing a good brand. The main types of shampoos include: Normal hair shampoo Dry hair shampoo Oily hair shampoo Coloured hair shampoo Medicated shampoo Toning shampoo Repair shampoo Dryness vs oiliness One of the most important factors involved in choosing the right shampoo to use is whether you suffer from dry or oily hair. Dry hair needs a milder shampoo that also contains moisturising ingredients. Oily hair, however, requires the use of a stronger

Do you find yourself asking, why is my hair so dry? Dryness is a common hair care issue that affects many people. When hair is too dry, it feels rough and is prone to frizz. Dryness can even contribute to breakage and hair fall, so it's important to treat it when it occurs if you want to have healthy hair.  The best way to do this is to look at the factors that are leading to it, and there are a number of common factors that could be causing your hair to feel dry. Causes of dry hair Dry hair is an issue that can have many causes. Quite commonly, there is a level of damage present that is leading to the dryness, but even natural hair that isn't damaged and hasn't been chemically treated can present with dryness. Some of the main causes include: Hair dye Bleach Relaxers or perms Heat styling Sun exposure Shampoo selection and usage Porosity Humidity Damage and dryness Damage and dryness go hand in hand. Whenever your hair is damaged, you're at an i

Whether your hair is naturally curly, or simply has a habit of being a little unruly, you may want to straighten it to see how it looks with a different texture. Luckily, there are a variety of ways you can achieve this goal, and options are available that are temporary or even permanent, allowing you to get straight hair with relative ease and minimal hassle. Ways to straighten hair The first step in considering how to get straight hair is to decide how long you want the results to last. It's perfectly fine if you're unsure of this at first, as you can try a temporary option to determine how you feel about the new appearance of your hair. You may decide you prefer your curls, or that you'd like to make a more lasting commitment to straightening your hair. Some of the different ways to straighten hair include: Blow drying Straightening irons Smoothing balm Keratin treatment Relaxer Temporary hair straightening Temporary hair straightening methods are th

If you have oily hair, chances are you're frustrated with how often it needs to be washed in order to keep it looking and feeling great. Time is precious, and you want to spend it doing the things you actually want to do, and with the people you love. For this reason, dry shampoo is one of the best ways to keep your hair clean between actual shampooing, but is dry shampoo bad for your hair? What is dry shampoo? Dry shampoo is a powder-based product that is designed to coat hair and absorb oil and dirt. This allows you to keep your hair looking clean between washes by trapping the oil and other impurities that would otherwise affect the appearance and texture of your hair. In most cases, a form of starch is used as the absorbent powder. In some cases, talcum powder may be used instead. This powder is able to be sprayed over your hair like hairspray due to the inclusion of propellants like butane, making it simple to apply and spread around. Dry shampoo vs regular shampoo

Dyed hair can be damaged, weakening it and resulting in it being more prone to breakages and a rough and frizzy texture. This can have a drastic effect on your hair style and even lead to color fading more rapidly. It is possible to restore your hair to close to its former condition most of the time however, and you can discover how to strengthen hair with the right products and care. What causes damage? In order to understand how to strengthen hair, it is important to understand what is actually happening to your hair when it becomes damaged. Hair is made out of a protein called keratin, and it is this protein that gives your hair its structure, strength, and texture. Proteins like keratin are themselves comprised of smaller molecules called amino acids, which are the building blocks for all protein and it is the cysteine amino acid in your hair that provides much of its strength through disulfide bonding. Chemical treatments and heat styling have the unwanted effect of dama