Healthy Hair: Beauty Secrets From The Pros

For most women and some men primping and preening their hair is a daily Olympic event that may or may not win them any medals for the way they look. In fact from bed head to hat head, most of us tress obsessed are prone to bad hair... probably because most of us suffer from bad hair hygiene.

Want healthier, shinier, sexier hair? Don't despair, instead, "do what you're told, and not what you do":

Shower Power:

1. Go Au Natural: Most store bought shampoos contain astringent cleaners, which can be damaging to hair, note professionals. However, using products made from natural ingredients are less likely to rob your locks of essential oils and nutrients.

2. Get Familiar With Product Protocol: Make your product work for you. According to experts, the best benefits are achieved by emulsifying shampoo or conditioner in your hands, prior to applying. Massage into roots, crown, then lastly, down sides of shaft (hair shaft, that is).

3.Less Is More: While washing hair daily may make you feel like it's squeaky clean, but in reality, daily cleaning can be damaging and drying. Instead wash hair every other day or two to three times per week. On "off days", rinse with water and apply conditioner as needed, mainly at the ends.

4. Go Deep: Heat and color treated tresses need to be deep conditioned at least once a week. If hair is extremely damaged, experts recommend a concentrated hair mask in place of daily conditioner (for use from midshaft down).

Styling Suggestions:

1. Avoid Burnout: Many modern dryers are efficient at speeding up the drying process, but experts note that they were designed to be held high above the hair (preferable by a stylist) and to be circulated around a lot, so as to avoid overheating and damage. To avoid dryer burnout, experts recommend removing the nozzle and point your dryer downward. And, they suggest treating damp hair with a heat-protectant spray prior to drying.

2. Go With The Flow (Of Your Hair): Use fingers when styling your hair until it is about 80 percent dry, then pull out the brush. And, don't try to fight its natural tendencies.

3. Let It Breath: While many de-frizz or anti-frizz silicone based products help keep strands smooth and sexy, experts suggest applying them AFTER heat styling (for best results). Otherwise, they note they can have a "shrink wrap" effect, depleting your mane of moisture.

4. Brush Up On The Type Of Brush Your Using: According to experts, the best brushes are those with natural (boar) bristles, because they disperse your scalp's natural oils and keep them well greased.

Feeding Your Follicles:

1. Nourish Your Roots With An Adequate Diet: The best follicle fuel is found in omega-3 fatty acids, according to the experts. So, dive into some cold-water fish such as salmon and tuna and don't forget the protein (found in nuts and cheese).

Salon Suggestions:

1. Time Your Touch-Ups: Frequent color touch-ups according to the experts, can be beneficial in not only covering up the damage time has done, but also in preventing chemical damage, especially since keeping up with color means only roots will need a quick fix and stylists won't have to leave color on that long.

2. Protect Yourself (from color-fade): Professionals suggest ensuring color lasts by refraining from shampooing for 72 hours, using only color safe products. However, if you need a shower to style your hair only wet your hair and apply conditioner.

Salon Secrets:

A quick fix for frayed ends is simply applying a leave in treatment then giving them a blast of "fresh" air with a dryer.

Stress Management through the Use of Flowers

Roses, as some might say, are part of the inviolate triumvirate of stereotypical gifts men give women, along with chocolate and wine. Lotuses tend to be associated with narcotics and opium dens by some, likely due to the lotus being a popular motif in depictions of organized crime in early 19th century China. Chrysanthemums and peach blossoms once had cultural connotations and links to the Japanese and Chinese imperial thrones, respectively. Cherry blossoms, sakura to the Japanese, are treated as nature's subtle and beautiful way of reminding mortals of the short, evanescent nature of life as believed by Japanese who practice their Zen and Shinto religions. Flowers can have many meanings and many implications, varying from culture to culture, but there is one that (apparently) even science is not disputing: stress management.

Studies conducted by various organizations and groups in Japan and South Korea have found data that appears to indicate that growing flowers or simply viewing a flower garden is a viable form of stress management. This was quite observable during hanami, the three days of spring in Japan where most Japanese traditionally spend a day viewing the blooming cherry blossoms. According to studies, most of them showed remarkably lower levels of stress compared to those who did not. This effect has been associated in the past by other cultures and countries as well, as exemplified by the popularity of vast flower gardens in European palaces and estates. The study also showed that flowers, whether being viewed or received, had immediate effects on a person's mood, at times even alleviating the effects of depression and anxiety for a few minutes. Evidence also suggest that they make excellent ways to regulate someone's mood, which is considered a component of any attempt at stress management.

Common sense has long told people that being around flowers make people feel happy, or at least a little less dismal and drab. Now, science is starting to realize that common sense, in this case, was not entirely incorrect. There is currently no real data on how or why flowers are able to have such effects and if these effects are universal for all known flowers. However, there can be no disputing the fact that flowers being used for stress management and emotional therapy actually do work, even though how effective the tactic is varies from person to person. It is also unknown if the scent or the appearance of the flowers have any influence on the effect, though it is notable that no one wants to receive rotten flowers. There might also be links to memory-based reactions to the flowers, but this has not yet been fully explored.

There have also been some notes on how certain flowers seem to trigger specific emotions and areas of the brain. For example, roses seemed to stimulate areas of the brain that are known to react to intimacy and romance, which might explain why they're such popular choices for dating. The aforementioned cherry blossoms and peach blossoms both appeared to have a soothing effect, relieving tension, particularly in large amounts. Gardenias, hydrangeas, and other small flowers were notable because they gave test subjects a sensation of tranquility and calm, stimulating areas similar to those touched upon by cherry and peach blossoms. The study noted other effects caused by other flowers, but noted that they were similar to the ones noted above.