Hairstyling

1. True or False - Frequent trimming makes your hair grow faster.
Well, the answer from InStyle is False. Basically the trim is keeping a split end from moving further up the hair shaft. If you keep your hair healthier to begin with you are not going to have to worry about split ends. I think this is a good tip, as much as a well known myth, and if you keep your hair healthy on a daily basis, you should see excellent results.

2. True or False - Brushing you hair often makes it healthier.
InStyle says False and I would have to agree. I think this might have been something that mothers told their daughters just to get them to keep their hair brushed, lol. If fact, the article says that over brushing can cause more of a problem that it helps. Creating a dull finish on your hair and if you use a "bad brush", it can harm your hair even more (see hair gallery). Just keeping your hair from becoming a rats nest is enough brushing.

3. True or False - Massaging your scalp stimulates hair growth.
Another False from InStyle. Your hair will still grow at it's normal rate, but messaging the scalp does help to relieve stress and increase blood circulation. I think that there are a lot of places that tell you a scalp message will help and they are not 100% wrong. Doing so will just not help you grow MORE hair.

4. True or False - Chemical straighteners change your texture permanently
False. As your hair grows, your texture returns to normal. The roots of your hair are not penetrated during this process, so the only hair affected is the hair that you see. I think that this happens more for African Americans that want to straighten their hair so they don't have the large afro puff all the time. Talking about severe damage to your hair, the chemical treatment is one of the worst.

5. True or False - Wearing a ponytail in the same area can give you a bald spot
This is our first TRUE. According to Doris Day, a dermatologist from NYC, "the constant tugging of a tight band can scar hair follicles and cause them to stop growing hair". Using a soft band for your hair is at least a little better then using a tight one all the time. Whatever you can do to keep the ponytail loose on your head is going to be better.

6. True or False - A cold rinse adds shine and tames fuzzy hair
This one is also TRUE. A cold blast of water at the end of your shower can flatten the cuticle onto the shaft and make the hair appear shinier. But remember to dry your hair properly and use conditioner to keep that affect. This sounds like another good tip, but beware that you still have to dry and condition your hair properly.

7.True or False - Hair can become immune to shampoo
False. All shampoo is for is to clean the hair. That it something it will always do. If your hair looks bad after using your favorite shampoo, it may be because it is leaving a build up on the hair. All you have to do is get a nice gentle clarifying shampoo to clean off the "gunk" and your hair should be back to normal. These types of shampoos are generally a bit more expensive, but you should never forget that you get what you pay for.

8. True or False - Coloring can change your hair's texture
This is TRUE, but really only temporarily. Permanent color removes the protection layer on your hair and lifts the cuticles so dyes are able to penetrate. Coloring can also swell the hair and give it body. You will notice this more if you have thinner hair or hair with grey roots. I think that any type of "treatment" that will change the hair texture, is not a good one. Keeping your hair forever is hard work, but it can be done by just avoiding some mistakes that people make.

Reading through these myths you can see some that are more well known than others, but really, it still comes down to the fact that if you treat your hair gently and properly, it will be around a long time.

How To Naturally Regrow Lost Hair

1. Ask all of the people you know that have great hair where they get it styled. Just say you like their hair and want yours to be more like it. They will be flattered, for sure!

2. Flip through a cool magazine for inspiration on a great hairstyle. Cut out at least 2 pictures of the hairstyle you want and take it into your fabulous hairdresser! Make sure it's a big enough change for people to notice, otherwise it's a waste of cash. Brave enough to dye your hair? Go for a color close to but not the same as your natural color. Go for streaks in the same color, but in different shades. For example, if you have blonde hair, go for blonde streaks in light or medium brown hair.

3. Now, the tools! You have a great cut now, but your hair is frizzy or just plain flat. To fix all these problems, you need a multi-styling hair straightener (yes, straightener). The ghd straightener is the bomb. It will straighten your hair in a few minutes! It will also help smooth down frizzies. Had a lot of trouble with straighteners in the past? None of them straighten you hair enough? Another great buy is the chi. It works like a dream, and takes less time than other straighteners. Here's the right way to straighten: wash your hair with your shampoo and conditioner, then add in your hair drying product. Then, when your hair is completely dry, straighten it and add your serum. If your hair is dead straight, you can use it to create texture and light waves. A good hair dryer is also needed. The ones with diffusers are the best, because they will leave your locks sleek and smooth.

4. One thing you always need is products. Firstly, a good serum. This baby will eliminate frizzies, smooth down hair, make your hair glossy, sleek and shiny - yes, all in one product! Also, a shampoo and conditioner for your specific hair type is a must-have. For example, if you have dry hair, get a shampoo and conditioner formed for dry hair. The same goes for frizzy, thin, damaged, or colored hair. Also, a product that you can put in your hair when you have just washed it is good. For example, a product that you can put in your hair before you blow dry and straighten it (l'oreal has great ones), or a product that you can put in your hair before blow drying it and texturizing it. If your hair has a tendency to frizz up or rebel against straightening throughout the day, a heated styling brush is a great idea. Just brush your hair with it on your breaks for sleek hair all day, every day! If not, a boar-haired brush is great for detangling without the pain. Also a wide-toothed comb is a must-have, as is a parting comb. The parting comb is good because you can change the part in your hair to make sure your new style stays new. For this reason, it is a good idea to get a flexible style cut in.

5. Style your hair naturally. It's easiest if you don't try and change your natural hair. If you have curly hair, style it, curly hair can be beautiful. Just do what you feel is great to your appearance whether it be spicing it up with curls or straighting with clips! Have fun with it.

6. Make updos look effortless. The newest thing this season are cute updos that look like they took 3 to 5 minutes (and maybe they did!) but still look chic and cute. Another fashion forward move to make is adding a couple little braids in your hair, or a french braided head band.

Choosing the right brush for your hair

Hairbrushes come in thousands of styles, materials, and designs. Here's some advice to help you choose the right brush for your hair.....

Knowing what brushes to buy begins with understanding the difference in bristles (boar, nylon, porcupine, and metal) as well as the four basic categories of brushes (vented, cushioned, round, and classic). Other than that, choosing a particular design really depends on your style of doing hair.

Types of bristles

A number of bristle patterns are available and they're used for different purposes. Each one is designed to create different styles or to care for specific types of hair. Knowing their basic purposes helps you buy brushes that work for, instead of against, your hairstyling efforts.

Boar bristle hair brushes

This bristle is the actual hair of a boar (hog). Boar bristles are considered ideal because they close the cuticle layer - the outside armor of your hair - and create shiny hair. Because boar bristles tend to be weak, manufacturers usually mix them with nylon bristles, so they don't collapse while you're brushing through the hair.
Boar bristles are natural, soft, flexible bristles that gently brush the hair and are suitable for use on children. Manufacturers often combine boar with nylon bristles to create a stronger styling ability.

Nylon hair brushes

This name represents a catchall category for all types of bristles made of plastic, nylon, rubber, or similar materials. Nylon bristles can be soft and flexible or stiff and firm.Nylon bristles offer little to maximum control, depending on how closely the bristles are placed and how flexible the material. As a rule, the stiffer and more closely spaced the bristle, the more control you have over the hair.

Porcupine hair brushes

Before you imagine quills running through your hair, calm down. Porcupine is a term used for a tufted bristle - multiple bristles grouped together - that usually includes a combination of boar and nylon bristles. It's gentle, but it exerts a good hold on the hair. This design is excellent for controlling fine hair, as well as for thoroughly brushing thick hair right down to the scalp.

Metal hair brushes

Unless you're styling a wig, stay away from this category of bristles. Metal bristles - even with soft plastic tips - are too inflexible to safely use on human hair. Not recommended for anything but wigs and hairpieces.

Adding some style to your hair

Trying to keep track of all the different styles of brushes can drive a perfectly sane person crazy, so you only need to be familiar with four basic categories: classic styling, cushioned, round, and vented. To be able to style any hair that comes your way, you should have at least one brush from each category. The following sections show you which brush or brushes you need for specific hairstyles.
Vented hair brush

This brush is an old-style sensation that made Farrah Fawcett's wings take flight. The brush has widely spaced, flexible bristles. Openings in the head (where the bristles are attached) allow for good airflow.

Today, vented brushes are primarily used for drying hair because they offer superior airflow, making short work of moisture. Vented brushes maintain natural movement because their bristles never force the hair into a specific shape.

The ends of the sparsely spaced bristles have tiny, protective balls to guard against hair damage. Frequently check the tips of all your vented brushes. If even one ball is missing, the brush needs to be replaced because the exposed bristles can damage the hair.

Cushioned hair brush

This category of brushes includes the oval-shaped cushioned brush (padded head where the bristles are attached) for simply brushing out the hair and the flat paddle brush with an air cushion that's used exclusively for long hair. The latter is an invaluable tool, by the way, because the cushion and bristles are designed to collapse anytime they meet resistance; hence, they prevent long hair from being stretched, split, or broken.

Round hair brush

Many round brushes have wooden or plastic handles with a variety of grips that ensure good traction and fit your hand. Round brushes look exactly as named: They have a round, metal barrel for more defined movement. Use a round brush any time you want the hair to have some bend or curl, but not as much as curling irons or hot rollers would provide.

Shop for this category of brushes carefully because many have heavy heads that put stress on your wrist while you blow-dry the hair. My absolute favorites are called thermal round stylers - round brushes with vented cores made of aluminum. The metal barrel fills with hot air from the blow dryer, while the vented holes create plenty of air circulation.

This design enables you to dry the hair in half the time and create a crisper hair shape. The one caution is to keep the blow dryer moving and check your handiwork frequently to avoid over-drying, or possibly damaging the hair.
Classic styling hair brushes

Classic styling brushes have a half-rounded head.

They traditionally have five, seven, or nine rows of stiff nylon bristles - seven being the most popular. This style is referred to as a half round brush because the head of the brush has a rubberized, slightly rounded shape to create a slight bend in the hair. The classic styling brush is the tool of choice when creating smooth, sleek, precise hairstyles that aren't stick-straight.

Women often prefer to use a seven-row styling brush because it is lighter, smaller, and easier to handle when blow-drying hair. On the other hand, many men love to manhandle the hair by using a larger, nine-row brush that is wider, heavier, and styles a larger section of hair at one time.

The answer is a simple, yes. Although most people really think that a "straight iron" will straighten your hair, you can also get some quick curl in case of an emergency that you don't have a curling iron.

Even though the curling iron's heat will destroy some chemical bonds in your hair, when the heat comes off the hair, the hope is the hair will come back more curly than it was to begin with. Styling with heat or chemicals can be 110% destructive to your hair. Since your hair is already dead, you must be completely careful how much you actually use heat or chemicals while styling. When you destroy the chemical bonds in the hair protein, all you can do is hope that it comes back to "life" and doesn't just fall out.

By holding your hair certain ways, while using the flat iron, can create different types of curls or waves. Soft curls can be created by wrapping 2 inches of hair around the flat iron and slowly pulling it through the iron. Try not to squeeze to tightly on the hair to keep the hair in a soft curl.
You can also flip the hair in or out. Simply take 2 inches of hair and gently squeeze the hair with the flat iron all the way to the end. When you get to the end just flip the hair outward or inward to create the "flip".

That is just a couple quick ways that you can curl your hair with a flat iron.