Monday, September 29, 2008

Only 1 Month

...Not really. I just thought I would share. I have been using Mega-Tek on and off and only washing with Indian soaps and pre-poo'in with indian oils.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Hair Rinse

A hair rinse is one way of conditioning the hair. It is usually added to the final rinse, after you shampoo your hair. A good hair rinse should help to restore the acid-alkaline balance of the scalp, which can be upset by harsh shampoos and chlorinated water. It also helps to add shine and body to the hair.

Many home ingredients can be used as a hair rinse. Tea and beer rinses are known to improve the look of the hair. For a tea rinse boil used tea leaves in enough water. Cool the liquid and use as a last rinse. It
adds body and shine to the hair. Beer is also said to add body to the hair and make it more manageable.

Lemon juice can be added to a mug of water and used as a last rinse. This should benefit oily hair. Honey helps to moisturise a dry scalp. One age-old recipe suggests that 40 to 50 drops of honey can be added to a pint of water, to make a honey lotion for the hair.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

The Effects of Hard Water On Hair




You need water to shampoo your hair and hard water makes it harder to wash your hair. Each hair shaft is made up of little scales, like shingles on a roof. Hard water tends to make the scales stand up, which makes your hair feel rough and tangly. Since your hair is tangled and rough, it is more difficult to rinse out all of the soap. Soap is less effective in very hard water because its reacts with the excess minerals to form calcium or magnesium salts. These are not easily soluble in water and can result in soap film. Washing hair in soft water will have a different result because it leaves fewer insoluble deposits on the hair.

If your water is very hard you can use a weak acid rinse, like vinegar or lemon juice. The acid makes the scales lie down flat, and again allows the soap to be rinsed more easily.




Many ask, What is Hard Water?




Rainwater is soft and mineral free. But, when it falls to the ground it seeps through the soil and rocks and dissolves minerals which give it its character. If the rainwater water passes through hard rock, it remains soft. However, if the ground water seeps through softer rocks, like the limestone very common in the Great Lakes Basin, it dissolves lots of minerals, principally calcium and magnesium, along the way. The degree of hardness becomes greater as the calcium and magnesium content increases. The term “hard water” was originally coined to refer to water that was difficult or hard to work with. Hard water requires much more soap, shampoo, or detergent than soft water; and the minerals in hard water can decrease soap’s lathering capabilities.


Friday, September 19, 2008

Mayonnaise

Yes, you read it right. The condiment you love to dump all over your hotdogs and fries can make your hair beautiful. Weird as it may sound, plain mayonnaise is an effective hair care product. It’s made from oil, eggs and vinegar, all of which can nourish the hair, give a protective covering and close the cuticle layer. If you’ve got some left over from making your potato salad, feel free to use it on your crowning glory.
Mayonnaise can help you get rid of split ends and dry hair. Put a dollop on the palm of your hand and massage to your head. Leave it on for five minutes, then take a bath to remove it.

Mayonnaise is also a good conditioner. Apply it to your wet hair, and then comb through to even it out. Cover with a plastic cap, then leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes while staying under a warm dryer. Rinse it off afterwards. Your hair will feel smooth and more manageable.
As effective as it may be, there’s one disadvantage when using mayonnaise: it can be pretty smelly. The trick is to wash it out thoroughly. Work your way through the scalp and use your fingers to rub it all out, so you won’t have to smell like salad dressing all day.

Eat Corn For Your Hair!

Corn – Rich in biotin, this little kernel stimulates the production of keratin a major component of hair strands, thus making you hair stronger and lustrous!

I loveeee corn!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Natural Way to Condition Hair



This was taken from: Beauty Tips for Indian Women and Skin-Sational: Tea Ideas for Healthy Skin

1.) Add a couple of teabags to 3 cups of boiling water. Boil for about 2 minutes, remove from the stove. Strain immediately. This will make a weak tea. Cool this weak tea. Rinse hair with this mild tea infusion. Let this dry for ½ hour then rinse off with water. Gives a nice shine to the hair.




2.) Adding Shine to Your Hair:

The sun can streak and highlight your hair. However if you find the effect too harsh, you can soften the look with a tea rinse. Shampoo as you regularly do, then rinse with plain water. Next, rinse your hair with a brewed black tea that has been allowed to cool to a comfortable temperature. Leave in for at least five minutes, then squeeze out the liquid from your hair as much as possible. Let your hair dry naturally, then style as usual. Your hair will be noticeably, albeit temporarily, darker and shinier. Choose teas by the color they are when brewed. Chinese blacks like Keemun or Yunnan and Indian Assam will give the darker color; Ceylon blacks and Darjeeling will give a more golden hue.


3) Nettle Tea
This tea boosts circulation and hair growth while adding shine. Brew a half cup, allow to cool and then massage into the scalp, leave for 5 minutes or so and then rinse.


4) Rosemary Tea
Brew a cup and then allow to cool. Saturate hair for five minutes or so and then rinse with cool water. All the residue that has been dulling your hair will disappear.


USAGE of ALMA
To use amla powder, make a hot water infusion with the powder and strain it. The tea can be used to rinse the hair after shampooing. Amla is best used in combination with shikakai, aritha, neem, bhringraj and tulsi powders. When using the herbs in combination, steep all of the herbs in water and strain the tea. The tea should be kept refrigerated and used within 4 days or preserved with an anti-bacterial preservative.
Alternatively, you can make an oil infusion by warming sesame or olive oil in a double boiler with the herbs for 4 hours. After 2 hours has passed, replace the spent herbs. After 4 hours, strain the infusion and preserve it with rosemary oil extract or T-50.
Like we didn't already know that! DUH! :) Just thought I would share. I think I will be buying a coffee maker tonight to keep from making a mess every time I go to strain my tea mixes.

Indian Products I Want to Try..



Description(for dry hair)
(i) It increases blood circulation of the scalp. (ii) Ensures fast and luxuriant hair growth. (iii) Checks falling of hair. (iv) Prevents premature graying of hair.
Ayur Coconut Shampoo is enriched with coconut extracts.


Dry hair, on its own, look dull & rough. They have too much static & are prone to breaking & split ends. This unique formula hydrates, conditions & makes hair lustrous all in one go. Properties of Coconut check Premature Graying & hair fall.



Henna Tulsi Shampoo


Description(perfect hair & scalp vitalizer) HENNA: is a conditioner which: (i) Restores the body and bounce of limp hair. (ii) Restores the loss of moisture in hair. (iii) Prevents falling of hair as it contains calcium. (iv) Helps prevent graying of hair as it contains Iron.
Ayur's new Henna Tulsi Shampoo is a SELF HAIR TREATMENT. Hair acquire a shine and healthy look with HENNA TULSI SHAMPOO.


This unique preparation gives new life to dull, listless & damaged hair. Powerful properties of Henna & Tulsi, besides enriching the hair with Vitamins & Proteins, also prevent hair fall & premature-graying. And the result is the Crowning Glory, one can be proud of.

Indian Turban Treatment

Indian turban treatment:

A towel is draped round a bucket of boiling water, but only the centre is dipped in the water and the edges of the towel are left hanging on the sides of the bucket. The towel is then removed, the extra water squeezed and then it is wrapped round the head. Taking two towels in alteration, one towel is removed from the head as soon as it cools and is replaced by another hot one. This process is repeated 5or 6 times. This method helps the pores to open up and enables the scalp to absorb oil with excellent results.

Lots of Braids...


I am loving my micros this time around. The braids look so neat. I believe because my hair has gotten a lil thicker, my braids no longer anorexic! At the time I was getting them done, I was mad because the girl was taking so long to finish. But all that waiting time is paying off.


Friday, September 5, 2008

New Growth (Mega Tek)


I have been using my mega tek faithfully now for around a week now. I have to say it seems like my growth kicked up a little. Check the pictures out below for yourself!