How To Cover Your Gray - A Complete Guide

Gray hair is stubborn and it can sometimes be difficult to color. In some cases it turns a smoky unnatural color and in other cases it simply does not cover at all. So, how do you get 100% gray coverage each and every time you color your hair?

The key lies in choosing the right color for your hair type. There are several types of colors including temporary (washes out with 1 shampoo), semi-permanent (washes out gradually over about 4 weeks) and permanent hair color (will not wash out). The main difference of each is the strength of the developer used in each. Color developer is the ingredient that is responsible for pushing the color beneath your cuticle layer so that it cannot be washed out.

In gray hair, this cuticle layer is extremely compact and difficult to open making it hard for the color to get inside the hair strand. If you don’t succeed at doing this, the color will not take or will wash out very easily and fade over the next few shampoos.

To make sure that you get your color into the hair strand, use a permanent color with at least 20 volume Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) as the developer.

Difference of hair color is caused by the amount of pigment that is in the hair strands. Blond hair has the least amount of pigment, then there is red followed by brown and black. Gray hair is lacking color pigment altogether. In order to get color back into gray hair, you need to go through all of the stages depending on what color you want to achieve. If you want blond hair, the process is quite simple. All you need to do is use a golden color. If you want brown hair, on the other hand, you need to choose a color with a red or warm base so that you can get a natural looking brown. If you use a green or ash base, you will end up with a greenish or smoky cast.


When coloring gray, you should also leave the color on for the maximum amount of time allowed by the instructions. Doing so will give the color sufficient time to deposit in the stubborn and coarse gray strands. The only time that you can skimp on time is if your hair is 30% gray or less. In those cases, the gray hair will absorb enough color to make it look like you have natural highlights and you can avoid the rest of your hair going too dark.

So, if you have had poor results when it comes to covering your gray, follow these tips to get complete coverage and you will have beautiful results every time.


Don’t Worry. You’re Not Alone...
 
Studies have shown that the average person is over 40% likely to develop gray hair before the age of 40. People who develop gray hair early in their lives are more likely to have less self-esteem.

Premature aging is caused by many factors including malnutrition, stress level, the environment and lifestyle. Over 70% of people with graying hair often seek remedies such as dyeing their hair. However, one has to keep in mind that harmful chemicals found in hair colors can lead to long-term side effects such as premature hair loss!

Learn more by Clicking Here!

Coloring Your Hair

Coloring hair is very fashionable these days. You can easily see people of all age groups going for hair coloring. People are experimenting with all kinds of colors to look fashionable. It is no longer just natural black or golden people are going for, but they are experimenting with even red, green and blue and coming up with new hair coloring ideas.

Hair coloring has been in use since the ancient times. Ancient Greeks used to color or lighten their hair, which identified with honor and courage. They used harsh soaps to lighten or color their hair. There is evidence that ancient Romans also used to color or lighten their hair. 

Now-a-days, coloring hair is very much popular throughout the world. According to some reports around 75% of women in the U.S. color their hair. Now people do not go for hair coloring just to hide their grey hair but to make a fashion statement as well. Young people experiment with many hair coloring ideas. The market for hair colors is huge spreading all over the world. 

There are many products for coloring hair available in the market. There are permanent as well as temporary colors. A patch test should be conducted before using any coloring product to see if the person is allergic to the color or not.  In the case the person is found allergic to chemicals used in hair colors the use of the same should be stopped immediately.  

Some people lighten their hair, which is also known as bleaching or decoloring. This process involves the diffusion of the natural color pigment or artificial color from the hair. 

Permanent hair coloring products contain oxidising agent and an alkalizing ingredient. These chemicals raise the cuticle of the hair fibre so the color can penetrate in the hair fiber. They also facilitate the formation of tints within the hair fibre and bring about the lightening action of peroxide.

In the case of temporary colors the the pigment molecules are large so they do not penetrate the cuticle layer. It allows only a coating action that may be removed by shampooing. Temporary hair coloring products come in various forms like shampoos and gels.

Normally temporary colors are used to give brighter colors to the hair. It is because temporary hair colorants do not penetrate the hair shaft itself. Instead, these dyes remain adsorbed to the follicle and can be easily removed with a single shampooing.

The use of color can cause damage to hair in some cases. It is always better to visit an expert to for coloring hair to avoid any kind of harm done to hair. Coloring hair in some cases can cause breakage of hair strands, hair fall and dry scalp.


Don’t Worry. You’re Not Alone...
 
Studies have shown that the average person is over 40% likely to develop gray hair before the age of 40. People who develop gray hair early in their lives are more likely to have less self-esteem.

Premature aging is caused by many factors including malnutrition, stress level, the environment and lifestyle. Over 70% of people with graying hair often seek remedies such as dyeing their hair. However, one has to keep in mind that harmful chemicals found in hair colors can lead to long-term side effects such as premature hair loss!

Learn more by Clicking Here!

Benefits Of Folic Acid

Introduction:

Folic acid, a water soluble B vitamin,  occurs naturally in food and can also be taken as food supplements. Naturally occurring sources of folic acid includes green leaf vegetables (spinach, turnip), poultry, pork, shellfish, peas beans, liver, cereal and citrus furies. Folic acid is one of the necessary elements required for production and maintenance of human cell.



Folic acid deficiency and diseases:

Folic acid deficiency may cause various disorders.

Some of these are highlighted below.


** Folic acid deficiency may cause weakness, poor growth, graying hair, inflammation of the tongue, palpitations and behavioral disorder.

** Folic acid deficiency is also associated with common stomach disorders including diarrhea, mouth ulcer and peptic ulcer, loss of appetite and weight loss.

** Folic acid deficiency in pregnant women may cause premature delivery, low birth weight of infants and infants with neural tube defects (NTD s).

** Anemia is sometimes associated with the advance stage of folic acid deficiency.

** You may need increased folic acid intake if you are anemic, have kidney or liver disease, pregnant or breast-feeding. In all such cases you should consult your doctor before taking folic acid supplements.

** The maximum folic acid intake should be limited to 1000 micro grams per day or as directed by the health care provider.

** Some other medications may interact with folic acid includes medicines for epilepsy, medicines for controlling blood sugar, methotrexate (medicines for treating cancer) and diuretics. If you are taking any of these medicines, you should contact your doctor.

** If you are 50 years of age, you should carry out your vitamin B 12 level before taking supplemental diet of folic acid, as these are chances of interaction between B12 vitamins and folic acid.



Folic acid benefits:



Role of folic acid during pregnancy:

Neural tube defects (NTD s) is a major defect of brain and spine in babies causing damage to the brain or spine. The major NTD s include spina bifida ( spine problem) and

Anencephaly (brain problem) and up to 70% of these NTD s can be prevented by taking enough folic acid every day before conception and during pregnancy.

A woman is likely to be at higher risk to deliver a NTD s affected baby if she has a previous NTD s affected pregnancy, is diabetic, takes medicine to treat epilepsy and is of Hispanic ethnicity.



Every woman, who is likely to become pregnant, should take 400 micro grams of folic acid every day. Consuming supplemental folic acid in addition to a healthy folic acid rich diet before and during pregnancy significantly reduces the risk of having neural tube defects in babies.



Spina Bifida and Anencephaly disorders: 

Spina bifida is a spine disorder and part of spine at the lower end is damaged and a sack of fluid is entrapped in the baby’s back. Most children born with this spinal disorder survives full life and often has lifelong symptoms including unable to move lower part of the body, loss of bowl and bladder and fluid pressure to the brain.



Anencephaly is a brain disorder and part of the brain skull bones may not form in babies. Most of the babies having this defects die before or just after birth.

Role of folic acid and heart disease:

Low concentration of folic acid may increase the amino acid homocysteine in the blood levels and consequently increases the risk of heart disease. High level of homocysteine may damage the coronary arteries or can cause the blood clots, however there is no evidence that supplemented folic acid will reduce the risk of heart disease.



Role of folic acid and cancer:



Folic acid is one of the essential elements involved in the synthesis of DNA and its deficiency may cause defects in DNA and consequently may lead to cancer. There are enough evidence to conclude that the deficiency of folic acid is associated with the increased risk of breast, colon and pancreatic cancer, however it is not advisable to supplement folic acid for reducing the risk of such cancers.


Pharmacy In Vegetables is a unique e-Book where all information people want to know about the health benefits of vegetables and best tested home remedies were put together. Learn more by Clicking Here!

10 Great Hair Care Tips

If you watch the tabloids, you know that even the stars have bad hair days. It just seems that when the professional stylists are out of the picture, it is inherently human to have a less than glamorous mane. But you can do your part to stay ahead of the battle by following these great tips for hair care.



1. Use a professional conditioner that is formulated for your specific hair type. While you can skimp a little on the shampoo, a good, professional conditioner is a must have. Look for products in salons that are customized for your hair type. For instance: If you have color or a perm, choose a conditioner that is for chemically processed hair. And stay away from those all-in-one shampoo and conditioner combos.



2. Choose a cut tailored to your face and body shape. The number one mistake that people make when choosing a new hairstyle is to pick a style based on popularity rather than how it will enhance their features. Always choose a new cut based on how it will enhance or detract from your facial features and build. If you have broad shoulders, choose a full-bodied cut over a close cropped head hugging doo.



3. Don’t forget your UV protectants. Just as your skin gets damaged by wind and sun, so does your hair. To combat this, look for finishing products such as mousses, gels and sprays that block UV rays.



4. Keep your appointments. Did you know that your hair will split faster than it will grow? You need to get a trim every 6 to 8 weeks, even if it’s just a micro trim. A good hairdresser makes them good because they know what to leave on the head, not take off.



5. Leave chemicals to the professionals. There is a reason why beauticians need to go to school to learn how to handle chemicals and hair processes. You can do irreparable damage with these products even if the package says that it’s way easy. And even if you don’t make your hair fall out, you could end up looking like a clown and paying a stylist big bucks to fix your mess. (Note: Most stylists charge double the rate for corrective color than they do for normal color processes)



6. Get color for interest and body. Every cut needs a little bit of color to make it truly breathtaking. No matter whether your taste is subtle or dramatic, you can add interest and volume to your tresses with a color process. Highlights, lowlights, all over color, gray coverage, you name it, it’s all good for your look.



7. Do weekly conditioning treatments. Even if your hair is extremely healthy, it is constantly on the attack from wind, sun, cold and heat. During the summer months, your hair is battered even more when it absorbs chlorine and other chemicals from your pool.



8. Get an ionic ceramic flat iron. Instead of frying your hair with a conventional metal plated flat iron. Straighten your tresses, add shine and infuse moisture with one of the a negative ionic flat irons. We personally use T3 irons for all our work.



9. Choose your styling products wisely. Avoid products that leave build-up on your hair. If you see white gunk, that means that your product is not water-soluble and may be coating your hair shaft. Build-up causes limpness, breakage and inability to curl not to mention the white flakes.



10. Did you know that if you use a towel after your shower to dry your hair you are causing split ends and adding static electricity to your hair. Don’t rub the towel back and forth over your hair, scrunch the towel around your hair like your would scrunch crackers in your soup.



While all of these tips won’t make you look like you’ve hired a personal hairdresser, they will help you look the very best that you can each and every day. When it comes to hair care, remember that you wear your hair everyday. Now isn’t it worth the time, effort and money that it takes to keep it looking spectacular?


Don’t Worry. You’re Not Alone...
 
Studies have shown that the average person is over 40% likely to develop gray hair before the age of 40. People who develop gray hair early in their lives are more likely to have less self-esteem.

Premature aging is caused by many factors including malnutrition, stress level, the environment and lifestyle. Over 70% of people with graying hair often seek remedies such as dyeing their hair. However, one has to keep in mind that harmful chemicals found in hair colors can lead to long-term side effects such as premature hair loss!

Learn more by Clicking Here!