To Go Short or Not
There are many reasons for cutting ones hair short; relationship break-up, birth of a new baby, to get rid of hair damaged by excessive dying and styling or an intense need to make a change. Whatever your reason going from long hair to a short hairstyle is something that requires a lot of thought and consideration. So here are a few things to consider before taking the plunge.
Does Short Hair Suit Everybody?
In theory short hair should suit everyone but in practice pulling off short hairstyles really depends on the individual and how they make it work. There are a few basic rules:
Oval Face Shape:
Basically anything suits this face shape, even a shaved head will look beautiful. Think of Natalie Portman.
Rectangular Face Shape:
Short hair with fullness at the sides of the face instead of the crown of the head will balance a long and slender face .
Round Face Shape:
Add volume to the crown of the head to make the face appear longer, keep sides of the hair shorter.
Square Face Shape:
Keep some long wispy layers around the face to soften the strong facial features. Avoid short hairstyles that are too structured as it can make your features look harsh.
Upkeep of Short Hairstyles
Many think that having a short hairstyle is easier to maintain than long hair. This is not true. With long hair if you are having a bad hair day you can tie it up in a ponytail and be done with it. Short hair requires styling and more regular visits to the salon to keep it looking stylish.
Basic Tips For Looking After Short Hair
- Try to limit the use of heated styling appliances such as the flat iron and hair dryer as they cause stress and damage to the hair giving it an opaque appearance and creating split ends.
- Do not apply hair products to the roots, keep it to the tips to avoid greasy and oily looking hair, after all you don't want to look like a pirate! Stay away from silicone based products.
- Wash your hair with more frequency as the natural oils will cover your hair making it look oily.
- Protect your hair from the sun using the same sunscreen you use on your body.
- Avoid chlorinated pools as much as possible, especially the first few days after dying your hair.
Is Agyness Deyn the 5th Beatle?
Agyness Deyn - the new "it" girl has carved herself out a nice little niche and all it took was some old op shop clothes thrown together with no thought, a hairstyle reminiscent of that worn by The Beatles, a coolness only rivaled by Sid Vicious, some amazing genes and did I mention very very cool hair.
Agyness Deyn
Aggy Deyn exudes style out of every orifice and she doesn't even have to try! She is definitely a trend setter with a fun and quirky style that makes everyone smile (or at least most people).
Short Bleached Hair
So if you are looking for a short trendy hairstyle , a punk short hairstyle or a really cute short hairstyle that will make a splash everywhere you go, why not try her super bleached, super short look.
Agyness Deyn looks great with punk style dark hair
Fishtail Braid Tutorial
Are you looking for a great new hairstyle without the use of scissors or dyes or hair stylists? Braiding your hair is a great way to achieve a new look and best of all there a many different braids to choose from and you can do them in your own home. Fishtail braids are great for adding a touch of class and elegance to your everyday look. Fishtail braids are fabulous hairstyles for weddings, proms or any formal occasion.
The fishtail braid is a beautiful DIY hairstyle that can be worn at weddings, any formal occassion and is also perftect for everyday life
Fishtail Braid Tutorial
- Comb through hair to get all the knots out
- Tie hair in a ponytail
- Add a fine mist of hairspray to the hair
- Divide the hair in the ponytail into two sections
- Take a small strand of hair from the right section and pass it over to the left section (how big you make the strands of hair depends on you, the smaller the strand the more delicate and refined the fishtail braid will look)
- Take a small strand of hair from the left section and pass it over to the right section
- Continue the above method all the way down the braid
- Make sure you hold the braid tightly applying a firm pressure with your thumb in the middle of the braid to avoid hair slipping out.
How to Take Care of your Gorgeous Blonde Hair
Beautiful blonde locks from highlights to platinum blonde hair requires maintenance to keep that brassiness away. Meet your new best friends; toners, silver shampoos and many different hydrating and protein based treatments to add the moisture that the bleach rips away. Following is a compilation of products that are tested and proven to work for your blonde hair to keep it an ash tone as opposed to that dreaded brassiness.
Shiny blonde hair with beautiful tonality requires the right hair products
Toner
- Goldwell 10P toner or Goldwell 10V toner, which one you chose depends on which shade of blonde you prefer. It is quite a good product to keep your hair from going brassy and lasts up to 3 weeks. Your hair must be bleached quite pale to notice the effects of this product. Mixing the Goldwell 10P and the 10V together can also give beautiful results
- Iceflower toning mousse by Schwarzkopf for a platinum blonde produces quite good toning effect and cuts out brassiness
- Ultra White Minx water rinse by Roux
- Napro Live Silver Toner has a very pretty color and lasts about 8 washes. It is a good cheap toner that you can get in most drug stores or supermarkets
- Fudge Paintbox's 'Lighter Shade Of Pale'
Tone your hair regularly to keep the brassiness away
Shampoo and Conditioner
- Matrix shampoo- So Silver
- Matrix Earthy Tones conditioning tube- Violet
- KMS blonde shampoo
- Wella Bonacure Silver Reflex
- Alfaparf silver shampoo is very good. A trick with these shampoos is to leave it on for about 20 mins and it will act like a toner.
- De Lorenzo Silver Color Care Shampoo can be used once a week to maintain your perfect blond color
- Paul Mitchell Strength Range is good for bleach damaged hair to restore its strength
Purple Shampoos and Conditioners are great for cutting out brassiness
Treatment
- Redken All Soft
- Redken Smooth Down Butter Treat
- L'Oreal Techni.art Liss Control is great for fine hair
- Paul Mitchell Strength Super Strong Treatment
The right treatments can strengthen your blonde hair
Leave in
- L'oreal Intense Repair
- Redken All Soft Soft Ends
- De Lorenzo Instant Restructant Leave In Hair Treatment
- Redken Anti-Snap
- PPS Double Fixx for Blondes (will moisturize and cut the brassiness out of hair)
Leave in Conditioners can leave dry hair feeling soft and healthy
Masque
- L'Oreal Absolut Repair mask
- Kerastase Masquintense
- Matrix Moisturising Mask
Be kind to your bleached blonde hair and apply an intense treatment masque at least once a week
Layered Hair Styles
Layered Hairstyles are the most versatile and popular haircut of the past few years. Layered hair suits every face shape and is for softening out very strong facial features. Layering your hair can give movement and body to very fine thin hair or use long layers to tame a head of wild curls.
Find more great layered hair pictures.
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How to get Perfectly Straight Hair
Japanese Hair Straightening - Thermal Reconditioning
Curls, movement, waves and body... no matter how hard hair stylists try to tell us that they are in fashion, the majority of women still dream about straight hair. I am talking about the kind of straight hair that is wash and go, not one that requires hours of brushing with a hairdryer or ironing with a hair straightener. The type of hair that laughs in the face of humid weather. The big cosmetic companies know of our plight and have infinite hair products on the market that promise to make our hair sleek and smooth and straight, but rarley do the job alone without the help of heat appliances if at all. So then we start thinking about permanent hair straightening, the perm of our times... Thermal Reconditioning a.k.a Japanese Hair Straightening, ionic retexturing, rebonding, yuko system and bioionic straightening.
How does Japanese Hair Straightening work?
Protein and heat is used to restructure the hair bonds covering the hair in an anti frizz film that leaves it smooth and silky. The treatment takes between 3 to 8 hours to achieve and will leave your hair wonderfully straight for between 3 to 8 months. The beauty of this process is that you don't run the risk of ending up with porous or kinky strands. You should not wash your hair right after the treatment; wait for at least 2 - 5 days. The result is smooth, pin straight, silky hair without the need of dryers and you can give up your GHD to more unfortunate friends.
Things to be Aware Of When Getting Your Hair Straightened
It is very important to go to a hair stylist that comes highly recommended for this procedure as the end result is dependent on their level of skill. You should really do your research and ask around. Thermal Reconditioning will cost you between $300 to $900 with hair length being the deciding factor on price. Make sure that you get a free consultation from your stylist of choice as not all hair types are suitable. This includes some hair that has been colored, lightened hair (sorry you girls out there with platinum blonde), hair that has been straightened already with a sodium relaxer, henna treated hair, previously chemically treated hair permed curly or wavy and African hair (this hair is very fragile and cannot tolerate the heat involved in the process).
Looking After Your New Straight Hair!
Once you have had your hair straightened you have to take extra care of it by applying deep conditioning treatments 1-2 times a week to avoid dryness. Getting your regrowth done depends on how curly your hair is and how long you feel you can go without it. If your hair is quite long you can go longer as the long hair weighs down your roots.
Following are some examples of Japanese Hair Straightening:
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The Basics of Hair Care
The Basics of Taking Care of your Hair
Following this basic guide you will see results in the improvement of your hair immediately.
Always use the right hair products for your hair type. If you are unsure of what your hair type is ask your stylist.
- Always wash your hair when it is dirty.
- Trim your hair every 6 to 8 weeks.
- Very hot water damages your hair, wash your hair with warm to cold water.
- Towel dry your hair with care.
- Make sure you use heat protecting products on your hair designed for use with your flat iron or hair dryer. This will greatly reduce the damage done to your hair.
- De-tangle and brush your hair delicately, remember that it breaks easily. Use a comb on wet hair.
- Use brushes made of natural bristle. They are quite expensive but it is a one off cost as they last forever and are very good for your hair.
- Apply an intensive hair masque once a week. Make sure it is suitable for your hair type.
- Let the hair dry naturally whenever possible.
Taking Care of Different Hair Types
Normal Hair
Normal hair has natural volume and is easy to brush as it molds easily and has elasticity. It is neither too thick nor too fine.
- Use a ph neutral shampoo.
- Wash your hair every 3 days or only when dirty. It is not necessary to wash it everyday.
- Pay special attention to the ends of your hair when conditioning it.
- Apply a deep conditioning hair masque at least once a month.
Dry Hair
Your hair is dry if it is very hard to brush and knots and breaks off easily. Dry hair has a dehydrated and opaque look, it lacks shine.
- Use a hyrdating shampoo especially formulated for dry hair.
- Always apply conditioner to your hair. Use conditioners for dry hair with hydrating oils like olive oil or almond.
- Use a deep conditioning masque for dry hair at least once a week. A good idea is to keep it on for a few hours and place a shower cap or plastic wrap over it. This will help the proteins penetrate the hair.
- Try to avoid whenever possible the sun, chlorine and saltwater.
- Use a silicone serum at the ends of your hair to keep them smooth.
- If you are going to use a hair dryer make sure you use the lowest setting.
- Always brush your hair with extreme care.
Oily Hair
Oily hair appears dirty very quickly. It does not keep hairstyles very easily.
- Wash your hair frequently.
- Avoid aggressive hair products and use shampoo for oily hair.
- Adding highlights or dying your hair will help dry it up a bit so that it appears less greasy.
- Add astringents to your hair to help regulate the oil in your hair and give you a natural shine.
Great Hair Galleries:
No commentsBleaching Hair Platinum Blonde
Lets hit the bottle of bleach hard and turn our locks of hair into that beautiful shade of all shades, the ethereal platinum blonde.
Of course you can do this at home with powdered bleach but to be safe I recommend seeing your stylist. If you just have to take matters into your own hands and do it yourself at home then here are some suggestions to achieve that perfect color:
- Use a 20% developer over two or three different sessions. 30% and 40% developer will lift the color more rapidly but will also do much more damage to your hair.
- Do not bleach your hair more than once a day. If you try to take your hair from dark to pale blonde in one day you will totally fry it. It is best to keep it to once a week or leave it even longer between sessions (if you can bare it) as your hair needs time to recover. This is the hardest part because depending on how dark your hair is you will go through various color stages and not many of them are very nice. Bright orange or fluro yellow hair anyone??
- Make sure you add deep conditioning treatments to your hair regularly to add protein back into your hair. Also use a leave in protein conditioner. Basically the more protein you can add back, the better your hair will feel. After beating your hair up with bleach it is now time to be very very nice to it.
- Get rid of brassiness by using a toner. The toner will be purple based to counteract the yellow color. For platinum hair use a silver toner. I think that toner brands are a highly personal thing. Everyone has their own which they love - play around until you find the one that suits you best.
- Use a purple based shampoo designed for maintaining blonde hair about once a week. Keep heat based styling appliances like your straightener and blow dryer to a minimum (not that possible in the real world, I know) and always apply a heat protecting product before hand.
Ok now lets take a look at some pics of beautiful starlets and their platinum blonde locks! I am thinking, Marilyn Monroe, Debbie Harry, Scarlet Johansson, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Paris Hilton and more. Have a look at the hairstyles gallery.
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Beautiful Brunettes
Brunette hair color is a great choice as it suits most skin tones and face shapes and it is one of the easiest hair colors to maintain. You can go for solid block color or add highlights to lighten the brown hair and provide texture.
This hairstyle photo gallery provides those sexy brunettes out there with fabulous ideas for brunette hair from medium to long lengths. Some of the hairstyles are elegant and classy while other haircuts are a bit more edgy.
Have fun!
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Men’s Shag Hairstyle
Medium to long length with texture and a dishevelled look is what it is all about when it comes to men’s shag hairstyle. This hairstyle gives you a cheeky boyish charm while also being quite acceptable during business hours.
Get your hair stylist to cut different layers into it to avoid it looking flat and to give it texture and body. The great thing about this haircut is that it looks amazing on straight, wavy or curly hair.
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