Thursday, May 20, 2010

Afro American Hair Products Warning

Afro American Hair

We’ve all known for years that the ingredients in hair relaxers, hair straighteners, perms and hair colors can be harmful to our hair and scalp. But, this doesn’t deter us from our quest for beauty.

Hair straighteners, hair relaxers and hair extensions can break, burn and otherwise damage the hair and scalp. It’s easy to believe that when you can buy these hair care products off the shelves that they must be safe, or at least safe to use at home . . . but it’s simply not always true.

“Afro American Hair Warning”In a recent article in Dermatology Times, by Paula Moyer, Dr. Marta Rendon M.D. associate clinical professor at both the University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, sums up her warning by saying, “They need to know that if something itches or burns, it’s not good for them.”

Pay Attention

“Several of the hair straightening products and practices can make things worse, because they break, burn and irritate the hair, and can cause allergic dermatitis of the scalp,” Dr. Rendon says. So-called “hair relaxing” agents are also often used by patients of Afro American heritage or others with very curly hair. In these hair care products, which loosen the curl and make the hair easier to blow dry and comb, the active ingredient is typically lye, which can also cause allergic contact dermatitis, dry scalp, and scalp infections.”

Some of the newer hair straightening products and procedures, like Brazilian treatments or Japanese straightening treatments are advertised as “formaldehyde-free.”  Earlier hair straightening products contained formaldehyde, which is a carcinogen and can cause life-threatening allergic reactions.

Afro American hair is much more fragile than Asian or Caucasian hair. Afro Americans have fewer follicles per inch on the scalp making the hair less dense. The Afro American hair type also has less strength, breaks easily and is difficult to comb.

“Patients who use hair straighteners, hair relaxers, blow dryers and flat irons can eventually lose their hair, Dr. Rendon says. “The hair just can’t tolerate all these procedures.” Other procedures that can cause traction alopecia are the gluing of hair extensions to the scalp and the fusing of hair strands to give the illusion of more volume. Some hair extensions are now fastened with clips, which create less traction than glue.

I learned early on in beauty school that any scalp disorder needs to be referred to a dermatologist immediately. Dr. Rendon points out that timing is critical to being able to influence the ability to treat the condition. “We get them very early or very late,” Dr. Rendon says. “Problems that are fairly new are more likely to be reversed, but those of long duration can cause permanent hair loss due to scarring.”

“Brazilian treatments are often smuggled in and done in someones kitchen, often with disastrous consequences,” Dr. Rendon says. “We can teach patients to ask their hairdressers to tell them the manufacturers of the hair care products they use, and to stick with reputable companies.”

“The major cosmetics companies have done their homework to make sure that their products are safe,” Dr. Rendon says. Dermatologists can also teach patients to be suspicious of discomfort, she says. “They need to know that if something itches or burns, it’s not good for them.”

Monday, May 10, 2010

Asian hairstyle: how to achieve a everyday casual look

This video (like the title says) is to show you guys how to achieve a casual look, NOT those super crazy anime hair.

If you also have thick and straight hair, this will help you the best.

Hair product:

In the video I used Gatsby grey color hair wax and finished with TresEmme Extra Hold Hair spray. I know Gatsy seems to be the coming leader of asian hairstyling product but there's no harm to try other hairstyling product. Other than wax, you could try putty or even the old school gel. I find gel gives a really nice shine great for special occasions. Putty can do great for that messed up look. 

Experience can be the key here.

Haircut:
The haircut plays an important role in hairstyling. Asian hairstyles tend to have many layers so when you go for a haircut, you should ask for layers. You may want to bring a picture of a haircut you would like to have. Don't expect to look exactly the same as the superstar in your picture. We all have different face shapes, head shapes and hair textures. If you don't know what would be good on you, just ask the hairstylist, he/she will give you suggestions.
Most of time, you probably look better than you think you look. 

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

2010 Kawaii hair styles for girls -girls cute hairstyles

2010 Kawaii hair styles for girls picture

Asian Kawaii hair styles which have recently become quite popular, originate from Japan. The word kawaii is Japanese for cute and refers to a culture that sprang up around the 1970's that focused on cuteness in a variety of aspects of life including clothing, entertainment, and personal appearance. Kawaii hair styles vary widely with some characterized by a very soft, flowing look featuring large waves or curls at the end of the hair, while others feature short chunky pieces cut in an asymmetrical style that require lots of styling gel to hold everything in place.

If you would just like to experiment with Kawaii hair styles without making the actual cut there are many different stores that sell Kawaii wigs. Kawaii wigs are available in a large variety of lengths and styles and most merchants will allow you to choose your own color for the wig. Streaks of unusual colors (think pink or electric blue) are another characteristic frequently associated with Kawaii hair styles. Opposed to actually dyeing your hair, you could pick up a few colored clip-on hair extensions to get the look without the work and possible damage you could do to your hair with dye. Kawaii hair styles are cute and trendy and may be just right for you.

Cute Japanese girls kawaii hair style

2010 Kawaii hair styles for girls picture

If a Kawaii hair style is something that you find attractive it is a good idea to go to a salon that specializes in this look since the initial cut is very important to maintaining this hair style. Having said that, in certain areas a Kawaii specialty salon may be hard to find, so your next best option is to go online and find one of the hundreds of pictures of Kawaii hair styles online and take it to your local hair salon. Make sure to choose a cut that goes with your face shape as Kawaii hair styles are definitely not for everyone and most cuts require a great deal of maintenance in order to look nice. Another thing to keep in mind about Kawaii hair styles, they usually look nicer if you hair is thin to medium thickness. Hair that is very thick is harder to maintain in this type of hair style.