Ladies – How to care for your moustache

Face it, men aren't clamoring for ladies with moustaches; and women aren’t rushing to the beauty store to buy a fake moustache, yet most women are growing one as you read this.

To keep your unwanted moustache at bay, have it waxed. Shaving it only seems to make the problem worse. It’s not that the hair really grows in faster; it’s just that when the hairs do begin to grow back the stubbles are dark and not very lady-like.

By having your moustache waxed, many women report that the hair grows back less and less over time.

Taming Hair Frizz and Clinging Clothes

I was out last week and near water when my hair started to frizz up on me; then I remembered an old trick. I reached into my purse and pulled out a sample size bottle of skin lotion that I always carry. I dumped some on my hands, rubbed it somewhat into my skin and then ran my hands through my hair. It tames my frizzy hair everytime. Although it doesn't replace hair products designed for the dreaded hair frizz, it is a great hair tip when your are in a pinch.

Lotion is good if you are wearing something that wants to cling to your nylons too. Rub your nylons with lotion while they are still on you, and the cling goes away. I used this trick for 20+ years when I worked in an office and wore nylons and suits everyday.

Removing Dandriff with Epsom Salt

If you are troubled with a flaky scalp, try removing dandruff with Epsom salt.

Here's how:
With your hair still dry - take one or two tablespoons of epsom salt and massage it into your scalp. The salt helps to lift and loosen those ugly dead skin cells (dandruff flakes are dead skin cells).

After a thorough massage, wash your hair with your regular shampoo using a scalp brush. Before you start to rinse your hair, comb the bulk of the shampoo out of your hair. The combing action pushes the flakes that you have loosened with the epsom salt to the ends of your hair for easier washout. Now, rinse your hair well and condition as usual.

Best of Allure
This product won an award from Allure's 2010 Best of Beauty nominations.

Product Features: Kills 88% of bacteria and fungi that causes dandruff; Stops the itching, flaking and static; Ball-tipped bristles gently massage your scalp; Flexible cushion pad

You Need a Clarifying Shampoo Now and Then

If you use shampoo, conditioners, hair spray, or for that matter any hair products, chances are you need a clarifying shampoo now and then.

When we use hair products, they build up on the hair, leaving it dull, unmanageable, and lifeless. Clarifying shampoos remove this buildup, leaving the hair shiny, soft, and healthier looking.

If you are unable to locate a clarifying shampoo in your supermarket, here's a mixture I use on my hair every three to four weeks:

To a plastic container I mix together 1/2 cup of my favorite shampoo and 1/2 cup baking soda. With this mixture, I wash my hair twice, rinsing well after each shampoo. I always finish the routine by conditioning my hair and rinsing well again.

When I feel products are building up on my hair again, I strip them off with a clarifying shampoo or I use this mixture.

Naturally Tighten Droopy Permed Curls

If your permed curls are droopy, simply tighten them up naturally with lime juice. Here's how:

• 1. Mix one teaspoon lime juice with one cup cold water.
• 2. Comb mixture into hair, then shampoo as usual.
• 3. Remove excess water from hair by patting, not rubbing.
  
  How does this work? The natural oil and citric acid from the lime juice tightens each strand of the hair.

Preventing Hair Dye From Getting On Your Face

Preventing hair dye from getting on your face could be a very good idea if by chance you pick up a bottle of hair dye that stains the skin. Along your hairline, coat your skin with petroleum jelly before dying your hair.

If you do get dye on your skin, gently wipe the skin with a soft cotton ball dipped in rubbing alcohol.

How to Shampoo, Condition, and Rinse Thin Hair

Thin hair easily becomes limp and lifeless throughout the day. Your most important steps for a fuller looking head of hair starts with your shampooing, conditioning and rinse routine ...









Shampooing
Use a mild shampoo, so you’ll need less conditioner. Lather the shampoo between your hands before using and avoid scrubbing your scalp. A gentle wash is more than enough for people who shower everyday. Your scalp produces natural oils and will increase production in response to the dry conditions created by harsh cleansers or hot water.

Conditioning
Limp hair gets easily bogged down with conditioners. When you wash your hair, use a very light conditioner on just the tips. Even if you use a “volumizing” conditioner, try to keep it away from the top 3-4 inches of hair closest to your scalp. Most conditioners are “pH balanced” because acidity makes the outside layer of each hair shaft contract and look shiny. This also causes the diameter of the hair shaft to become smaller and lay smoother. For people who need volume in their hair, this is not a desired effect.

Rinsing
Rinse your hair and scalp well, using plenty of lukewarm water (avoid hot water) to get out every trace of shampoo and conditioner. A good rule of thumb is to continue rinsing for 10 seconds more after it feels like it is completely rinsed. Once your hair is completely rinsed, quick it a quick shot of cold water.

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How to Style Thin Hair with Hairspray, Gel, or Mousse

The most favored ways to style thin hair is with hairspray, mousse, or gel. Use your favorite and apply to the top 3-4 inches of hair closest to your scalp.

• Hairspray: Use a medium hold hairspray, and spray lightly while lifting up sections to get full coverage.



• Gel: Use an amount smaller than a dime and mix it with a couple of drops of water in your palm.



• Mousse or Gel: Apply to your hair roots with your fingertips as evenly as possible; and then work it down the hair shaft 3-4 inches.

Blow dry your hair upside down, never holding the hair dryer in one place for too long. Start at the roots and work your way out. When your roots are dry and the rest of your hair is still barely damp, flip your hair right side up and style. If you have never done wet styling before, be aware that your hair will dry more quickly because of the alcohols in the hair spray, mousse, or gel you used.

Use a hairdryer with a “coolshot” button. Finishing with cool air fixes your hair in place and minimizes fly-aways.

Teasing or back-brushing will cause split ends over time and is not recommended for everyday styling ... unless you plan to keep your hair short.

Use a light-hold hairspray to finish. Spray lightly with the can about a foot away from your head, avoiding the roots where you have already applied product.

Makeup and Beyond Beauty Guide

Afternoon or Evening Quick Hair Perk Up for Limp Hair

Try these hair tips if your limp hair needs an afternoon or evening quick hair perk up - without adding more hair products. Unless you are very careful with your morning application, your hair already has as much product in it as it can stand, and adding more could just make it turn gummy.

For a quick hair pick me up, wet your fingertips and work them through the top couple inches of your hair near the scalp. Flip your hair over and blow it out upside down, finishing with cool air.

If you are out in public (and not shy), you can do the same thing with the kind of hot-air hand dryer found in many rest rooms, or

Use a light application of hairspray on the top couple of inches of hair and hang your head upside down for a minute, until the hairspray has had time to dry.

Ouch! Waxing at Home to Remove Unwanted Hair

Waxing to remove unwanted hair has been tried by many women in the privacy of their home. Waxing involves spreading a very thin layer of a wax mixture over the skin. A thin cloth or paper strip is then pressed to the warm wax. With a quick motion, the strip is pulled back (against the direction of the hair growth) taking hair and dead skin cells with it. It sounds easy enough, don't you agree?

Any part of the body can be waxed, although removing unwanted hair from the legs, bikini area, arm, lips, eyebrows, and under the arms is most common.

I had seen waxing done on TV many times and it seemed easy enough. I went shopping, bought my little wax kit and followed the directions, but apparently I missed SOMETHING!

I heated the wax; tested it so it wouldn’t burn my skin; put it on my skin with the little popsicle stick, put the paper strip on the warm wax, rubbed the paper … all was going well up to this point. Then, I began to get a lesson on why you hire professionals to remove unwanted hair with wax.

Holding my arm straight up in the air, I grabbed the strip at the top. The directions said to pull away the paper very quickly and in the opposite direction of the hair’s natural growth pattern. I don’t remember much of the next few seconds, except I was no longer standing or feeling confident in myself. Instead, I was sitting on the toilet seat, holding my arm close to my side, and trying to figure out how to get the remaining 90% of the strip off my underarm.

I thought about my readers. Before posting beauty tips on my website and blog, I like to test them out. I thought that I just would not write about my experience with waxing. Then I thought that maybe someone else might leave me a comment and tell me what I did wrong.

Back to the strip… Now I had 90% of the strip to remove and pulling it slowly only made the pain more unbearable. I’m a grown woman, so I womaned-up, put my arm back up in the air and yanked the strip off. I don’t remember labor pains hurting that much.

This waxing session with myself wasn’t over yet. Now I had little brown balls of wax clinging to my underarm – it wasn’t pretty. Removing each one was not easy, and shaving them off wasn’t either. Needless to say, this was my last wax job at home.

My recommendation to waxing at home to remove unwanted hair is think about it twice, then make an appointment with a licensed cosmetologist or esthetician that specializes in body waxing.

Avocado, Honey, Olive Oil or Mayo, Hair Conditioner

To 1/2 avocado pulp, mix 1 tablespoon honey and 2 tablespoons olive oil or mayonnaise. Blend ingredients to a spreadable consistency. Gently massage mixture into the scalp and hair; let hair rest 20 minutes with your head in a shower cap. Shampoo and rinse as usual.

Photo: Courtesy of California Avocado Commission

Dandruff Shampoo Warning for Processed Hair

According to Kim Boyce' book - Beauty to Last a Lifetime: A Step by Step Guide to Inner and Outer Beauty for Teenage Girls - if your hair is processed, beware of dandruff shampoos containing sulfur or other strong medications. These can cause the hair to “mat, tangle, and even clump together in a sticky mess of mangled hair”.

She suggests using mild dandruff shampoos for processed hair including those containing zinc, rather than sulfur. A leading dandruff shampoo, Head and Shoulders, contains Zinc Pyrithione instead of sulfur.

How to Get a Close Shave with A Razor Blade

Before shaving, it is helpful if the hair and skin have been wet for at least three minutes.

Wash the area to be shaved with warm water,and with a gentle body wash to moisten the skin and hair. Washing raises the hair held down by dirt and natural body oils.

Apply shaving gel in a circular motion to add a layer of protection to the skin. For best results, let the shaving gel rest on the skin one minute before shaving to further moisten the hair for a closer and more comfortable shave.

Use a sharp razor with three or four blades when shaving; the more blades,the closer the cut; and there is less pulling and tugging on the hair.

Lightly move the razor over the hair. The blade should do the work, not your wrist. Pressing down too hard with the razor scrapes and irritates the skin.Rinse shaved hair and gel from the razor often as you shave.

After shaving, rinse the skin clean, pat dry, and immediately apply a favorite hydrating moisturizer.

To sum it all up: If your razor is sharp, the hair and skin clean and well moistened, and the skin's protected, you'll get a great shave.

What works best - olive oil or store bought hot oil hair treatment?

I've used warm olive oil in my hair, and it makes it feel very soft and bouncy, but I prefer to use a good quality hot oil hair treatment purchased from the store.

My reason is that olive oil is thicker and more difficult to remove than the lighter-oil hair treatments available in stores.

Avocado Pulp Hair Conditioner

Avocados are packed with vitamins! A,C, D, E, and potassium. To soften hair naturally try conditioning it with avocado.

1. Peel the avocado and toss the peel.
2. Mash the pulp of a very ripe avocado, and then spread it on the hair.
3. Place a shower cap or plastic bag over the coated hair.
4. Allow the nutrient-rich avocado to coat the hair for a few hours.
5. Remove all the avocado with a gentle conditioning shampoo.

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Thousands of new hairstyles for those who can't decide...

If you are looking for a new hairstyle or color, but don't know where to turn, we recommend that you hop on over to http://www.4hairstyles.com/ where you will find thousands of hairstyles. We stumbled across their site by accident, and were pleasantly surprised by what we saw.

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Is Dandruff the same as Dry Scalp?

According to New York dermatologist Albert M. Lefkovits, MD in the summer/fall issue of New Beauty: "Dandruff, or seborrheic dermatitis is caused by excessive oil on the scalp that leads to inflammation, whereas simply dry scalp is itchy and dry because it it dehydrated."

He goes on to suggest ..."treating dry scalp with a mild shampoo and conditioner to help hydrate, and dandruff with prescription-strength treatments like cortisone gels or lotions and shampoos containing selenium sulfide, pyrithione or zinc, or antifungal drugs."

(A friendly reminder: this website does not practice medicine, nor are we medical professionals. Talk to your doctor for medical advice.)

Beach Hair

If you like the look of care-free surfer beach hair, but you don't have time for the beach, try this trick:

• Bend over and dry hair brushing it toward the floor until it is almost dry.
• Straighten back up and toss hair back, but do not comb it out;
  Gently apply hair gel or mousse to all of hair.
• Taking a small section of hair at a time, lift, scrunch and release hair until the entire head of hair has been scrunched.
• Use a blow dryer with an attached diffuser to finish drying hair without distrubing the curls.
• Before turning off blow dryer, turn the setting to cool and move cool air over hair to help hair set.

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Underarm Shaving with Eye Makeup Remover

A woman shared her secret with me for itch-free underarms that sounded crazy so I had to try it. Her skin is very sensitive and even with a new razor her underarms itched from shaving until she started this...

She first applies a few drops of Mary Kay® oil-free eye makeup remover on her underarms with her fingers. Next, she lightly layers shaving cream on top of the eye makeup remover and then shaves.

It may seem like a crazy idea, but I tried it and it worked for me. It must be the emollient in the Mary Kay® oil-free makeup remover that helps coat the skin. I tried shaving using only the eye makeup remover, but it alone didn't work. Shaving was too dry with only the eye makeup remover.

For more beauty ideas, visit Makeup and Beyond at http://www.makeupandbeyond.com/

Wet Rinse-Free Shower Cap with Shampoo and Conditioner

Wet, rinse free shower cap with shampoo and conditioner built into the cap are available for those who are unable to wash their hair the traditional way. They create an easy way to clean the hair for people who are bedridden, in the hospital, have difficulty moving about, campers, boaters... Just put the cap on the head, rub the cap around the head, remove the cap and then allow the hair to dry. They can even be heated for warmth. Simple, no clean-up, and convenient.

My daughter who recently had surgery was given these caps while in the hospital and I was surprised how well they worked. Her hair was clean and soft. Too bad it didn't include a blow dryer, but that's left for our grandchildren to invent. Guess we can have everything!

For more beauty tips, visit our website Makeup and Beyond at http://www.makeupandbeyond.com