Hair Care

Stress and your hair

Whether it’s a myth or a fact, It has been said that stress can make you go grey, bald and can cause skin irritations and complications.

Even though you may sometimes feel like scratching your scalp & picking due to stress or depression or tearing your hair out due to personal, economic, and work-related stress, stress isn’t likely to be the direct cause of hair turning grey. Some studies have shown that unavoidable damage to the DNA in cells that produce the pigment responsible for hair colour is most likely the culprit. Genetics are the main cause of grey. On the other hand discussions have also lead to understand that genetics are the essence to psychological issues also, which leads to stress, thus, evidently seeing low health in your hair skin and nails. Stress accelerates the aging process and, as a result, triggers more tension in your blood, thus causes more diseases, and bodily complexities.

When a person develops stress, the level of the body’s stress hormone (cortisol) increases. This causes an increase in oil production, which can lead to oily skin, acne and other related skin problems. Stress has a negative effect on the barrier function of the skin, resulting in water loss that inhibits the skin’s ability to repair itself after an injury. When someone is under stress, hair can go into the telogen (fall-out) phase. Telogen effluvium is a very common hair loss problem that can occur up to three months after a stressful event. After the initial hair loss, hair usually grows back in six to nine months.

Here some natural tips to control the effects of stress both internally and externally:

*  Learn to recognize the underlying problem that is triggering your symptoms and develop positive habits to help minimize the stress.

*  Exercise helps release endorphins in the body that can reduce stress.

*  Avoid very hot showers or baths and use detergent-free soaps. Moisturize as soon as possible after bathing.

*  Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher daily to protect your skin from sun exposure.

Eating healthy is crucial to managing stress, unhealthy overloaded sugars, processed foods, fried dishes, fizzy drinks or fast foods clouds your mind and body thus lowering motivation and drive which triggers stress.

Drink plenty of water! This cleanses your mind body and spirit releasing tension or stress!

The question is what is stressing you to create unhealthy looking hair skin and nails?

Stress can be created from the smallest of daily circumstances such as:  you’re late to work or you’ve got a heavy workload. Short-term, everyday stress causes build up and tension which can create a long term problem. To balance out your stress levels you need to understand why you are stressed, and manage out your stress so you don’t feel like a small issue is a big one anymore. The key to healthy hair is: an overall healthy and balanced body, mind, heart and lifestyle.

Overall, take time to recognise your personal happiness and focus on small goals which will additionally lead to a healthy mind, heart and better looking hair, skin and nails

Key tips to tell if you need a haircut

That first glance In the mirror and thinking to yourself “something is not right about the way my hair feels or looks” you know within the months of not having your haircut you may feel like you can hold on to those extra lengths for a little more longer. Well you actually can! You should be able to clearly identify after reading this how to: not only tell when you need a haircut, but how much you actually need off rather than how much you choose to have off. The truth is: if you only ask for 1cm of length off, and really need 5cm off, you are actually allowing your hair to develop more damage than good, whilst leaving the split ends in your hair; you are providing more development for breakage.

But what if you don’t want a haircut? What if you are trying to grow your hair? Well you can actually treat your hair to engage self-sufficient natural oils and keratins to re produce back strength which can naturally heal your hair, thus not needing a haircut at all! You just need to follow the natural ways to treat your hair in your everyday lifestyle to gain back your natural heath (yes, that in fact does mean less Hair straightener use, and reduce the use of low quality products!) remember: low quality products and artificial use, equals: low quality hair!

1) The straw/hay feel: if you glance at your ends, and pick it up how does it feel? If you rub your ends together and it feels gritty rather than your ends sliding up against each other that instantly means you haven’t been looking after your hair the way you should. For thick course hair, using essential oils such as macadamia and argan oil (ends only) will not only provide the strengthening source of keratin that your ends needs, but will harmonise the texture between your roots and ends. If you do this twice a week, your hair will feel healthier and can prolong your haircut!

2) It looks like a tree branch! If you take a look at your ends and it looks like lots of different strands are separating from the one, these are called split ends. This is a serious case of lack of nourishment and in westernised society, we are over drying our hair with The GHD irons, curling tongs,  bleach, poor quality products, over hair drying (or lack of knowledge on how to use your hair dryer) and not to mention lack of humidity proof application products. Before you go into the sun or for a swim make sure you apply good quality protector cream or oil. This will become a strengthening barrier over your hair thus preventing breakage!

3) Your ends are changing colour, or looking lighter: it’s not a different kind of Belayage! Your natural pigmentation has lifted out due to the high levels of dehydration to your lifestyle. Are you in the office with air conditioning the majority of the week? Are you over ironing your hair? If your ends looks like this you definitely need a trim. Make sure you have it cut just enough that the dried out areas are completely gone (always talk to a professional for advice!)

4) Your ends are breaking and you don’t know why: You need to refer back to the causes of this. Are you using the GHD too much? Are you applying too much artificial chemicals in your hair you teasing your hair the wrong way? Your split ends are causing to snap of under these circumstances and definitely need to cut your hair otherwise your hair will break higher and higher remaining overall hair breaking (also known as a chemical haircut)

Cara’s Advice: Acknowledge the way you treat your hair, I recommend you to use more natural base remedy products to seal your cuticle and to revitalise your hair. Natural shampoo, conditioners and organic hair care can only be bought and sold at professional hair salons (don’t settle for the cheap products as they will do more harm than good). It’s always important to source all natural ingredients for your hair to not only stimulates additional hair growth but to maintain the ideal hair that you initially desire. Try to put down the hair iron and pick up the hair treatment. If you need to straighten your hair refer to the hairdryer and round brush as this is a lot healthier than any iron.

Key tips for healthy hair every day!

Whether you are running out the front door in a hurry to get to work and not laying a brush through your hair, or forgetting to add a quick 2 min treatment in your hair, here are some easy ways to maintain your hair health, vitality and strength for not only gorgeous looking hair, but stronger longer lasting healthier hair!

1) Find a shampoo that lathers less. Foam in shampoo doesn’t essentially define clean—sometimes, it means the opposite!. Shampoos that lather too much are often overloaded with moisturizing products, or even harsh low quality chemicals which strip out the natural oils in your hair which causes more damage than good! This can leave a very un healthy residue in your hair, making it look and feel dirtier quicker. So opt for a sulfate-free formula.

2) Give your locks a rush of cold water at the end of your shower. turn the cold water on for a second and quickly rinse it through your strands. It helps seal the cuticle, adding a sleek finish to your surface texture!

3) Use cold temperature settings whilst you blow-dry and alternate with hot.  When using a round brush to dry your hair in sections, start from the roots and dry all the way to the ends, letting the brush remain at the tips of your strands. Let your hair cool off like this on its own for five seconds, then repeat on another segment. Alternating amongst heat and cool-down time benefits the setting of your style, and your Blowdry will gain more volume!!

4) Apply a quick home treatment between color appointments. treatments seal the cuticles and rough textures in your hair cuticles, helping smooth your hair and applies moisture and protein back into your hair. This maintains your Colours shiny and bright finish so it lasts longer and looks better. All you need to do is purchase one from your local professional hair salon, I recommend Macadamia oil treatment masque retailing at around $33.95 which lasts up to 4 months!

5) Use rollers for high-volume. For a Brigitte Bardot –esque lift, blow dry your locks until they’re dry. Then, section off the hair on top of your head—between your temples and all the way back to the top of your hair. Split that section into three smaller pieces vertically (as if you were making a mohawk), and wrap each in a 2-inch velcro hair roller. Let your hair sit like this for 30 minutes, and then unwrap your strands, lightly comb them out, and spray for hold.

6) Don’t leave a towel wrapped around your hair! Keeping wet strands of hair wrapped in a compressed rough towel for a half-hour as you do your make-up will just cause frizz and tangles! The roughness of the cotton forces your hair cuticles open, making your hair to tease up! Instead, squeeze out excess water as soon as you’re out of the shower, using a basin comb and your favourite leave in treatment ( I love Macadamia hair oil RRP $25) comb your hair from your ends up until you reach your root area,  then let your hair air-dry for five or ten minutes before blow drying.

7) Apply your salon professional products in your hair 10 minutes before you style. Whether you’re curling, straightening, or waving, applying product 10 minutes in advance helps it fully absorb into your strands so you get all of its benefits!

8) Sleep on a satin or silk pillowcase! Always!! This will create long term benefits to your hair. Sleeping on a satin or silk pillowcase will allow your hair to slide around ever so softly during the night, preventing tangles, splitting and promotes hair growth unlike cotton which roughs up your hair causing teasing, knotting, dandruff due to tension on the scalp and leaves your hair looking like messy bed hair in the morning!