Beauty and Personal Grooming

It's not a good idea to  drink alcohol anytime, anywhere, no matter what the research says. You may think that you are an occasional party drinker, but without your knowledge you may soon develop an addiction for it and the repercussions can prove to be disastrous. Instead, why not use rum and beer in your hair care routine? These are known to be very good hair conditioners and can impart bounce and shine to your hair.

M asks: I’m a 20 year old girl and have fine, medium length hair. My hair tends to get greasy within a day or two of washing it and so I have started washing it daily. Is washing the hair everyday good for my hair?

Sulfates are your hair’s enemy. If you were a superhero, sulfates would be your arch nemesis dressed in a foreboding costume and seeking to inflict harm on you. Sadly, sulfates have surly sidekicks which also lurk in the shadows and try to harm you and your hair. The good news is that you have the superpower to eradicate evil sulfates (and other harmful chemicals!) from your hair’s life simply by educating yourself on the best possible organic shampoos to use for your particular hair type. In this post you'll find some of the best tips for finding out exactly how to use your superpowers to have the best possible hair with the simplest changes to your beauty regimen.

When you think about beauty products like lotion, shampoo, facial toner and makeup remover you usually do not think about them being made at home. However many of these items are easy and inexpensive to make yourself. All you need is a few common ingredients that you can pick up at your local supermarket and you too can create your own homemade beauty products for much less than store bought brands. Here are some simple recipes for you to use:

Kids have the same issues with their hair as adults do. They get split ends, have frizzy days and need to get out tangles. Thankfully there is more than one type of children’s shampoo out there. Some have detanglers to get out those tough and painful knots, some have tear free formulas so they do not hurt kid’s eyes, and some have gentle fragrances for kids with skin allergies. Here are the top five shampoo brands for kids:

Sometime back, on an impulse, I had picked up Sunsilk thick & long shampoo as well as conditioner. It was the older variant, not the new Sunsilk lusciously thick & long, specially formulated for Sunsilk by seven internationally renowned hair experts Rita Hazan, Yuko Yamashita, Jamal Hammadi, Dr. Francesca Fusco, Tom Taw, Ouidad, and Teddy Charles.

With monsoon in full swing in India, it’s time to look for a shampoo that helps fight frizz. The extreme humidity and rains in monsoon tend to make hair rough, frizzy and unmanageable. So when I came across an ad depicting the virtues of Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Fortifying Shampoo as the perfect frizz-control shampoo, I immediately purchased it. I don’t stick to shampoos or conditioners of the same brand ; I like to experiment with different combinations. It’s a myth that changing shampoos frequently causes excessive hair-fall . All you have to look for in a shampoo is the ingredient list (some may have issues with the presence of SLS/SLES in shampoos), it’s suitability for the season and the hair-type.

Is it necessary to use shampoo and conditioner by the same company? This question keeps bugging us, usually as shampoo tends to finish before the conditioner. Pros say that it isn’t really essential to use shampoo and conditioner of the same brand, you can go ahead and mix and match different shampoos and conditioners to see what works for your hair. Chris Gummer, a researcher at Procter & Gamble, England  however advises: “If you do mix brands, try to find products with ‘complementary technologies’. For example, if you have dry hair, you want extra moisture all around.While it’s true that a same brand combo gives you that conveniently, hydrating formulas from different labels work fine too."

I have tried Fiama Di Wills shower gel and loved it. ITC’s products have always been rated well by consumers. But have you tried their shampoos? I haven’t, but my friend who has used the variant ‘Everyday Mild’ says that neither is it a ‘bad shampoo’ per se nor is it out of the world. She washes her hair daily and therefore wished to use something mild on her hair. Her hair is not exactly straight and tangles easily after a wash. This Fiama Di Wills—Everyday Mild shampoo with the extracts of Thyme and Juniper and claims of imparting soft, tangle-free hair seemed just the thing to her. Plus, she liked the packaging; in fact, the bottle was transparent enough to see the color. After using it for over a week she quite liked the aroma of the shampoo and it did leave her hair tangle-free after a wash. However she found that when she had thoroughly oiled her hair the previous day before shampooing , it did not exactly cleanse her hair that well, she had to reapply it a number of times to ...

I’ve used these four shampoos by Ayur. Packed with wonderful herbs, Ayur claims that these shampoos not only cleanse your hair but also help with hair problems like thinning hair , dandruff , gray hair and lack of luster . Certainly I haven’t experienced any problems while using these shampoos and they did leave my hair squeaky clean, though they didn’t give me absolutely great-looking hair. How about you all? Let me know in your comments. Here’s a brief profile of those shampoos: Ayur Amla , shikakai with Reetha shampoo Ayur Amla, Shikakai with Reetha Shampoo This shampoo is an excellent mixture of nourishing, cleansing and foaming agents. It stimulates the scalp, strengthens the hair roots and prevents thinning of hair. Ayur Soya protein shampoo Ayur Soya protein shampoo Soya provides all the essential proteins required by thin and delicate hair. It enriches the scalp to get thick and dense hair to provide luster and bounce. Ayur Lemon Shampoo Ayur Lemon Shampoo Lemon...

Whether you wish to tackle hair problems like dandruff or excessive hair-fall or simply crave for a shampoo with a conditioner that isn’t harsh on your hair, Dabur Vatika range of ‘natural shampoos’ are just the right ones that will fulfil your needs or so they claim . Take a look. Dabur Vatika Black Shine Shampoo Dabur Vatika Black Shine Shampoo This shampoo claims to maintain the color of your raven black hair; it has ingredients like black olive and amla, that help maintain the jet-black colour of your hair. While olive oil nourishes your hair to give it lustre, amla helps retain its color. Dabur Vatika Root Strengthening Shampoo Dabur Vatika Root Strengthening Shampoo As the name suggests, this shampoo claims to strengthen your hair your hair strong from root to tip without damaging them. It has ingredients like coconut milk that helps in moisturizing and nourishing the scalp and almonds, which contain almond oil possibly helps to activate the sebaceous glands and sti...

I’m not too fond of store-bought shampoos, not even the herbal ones. By and large, I prefer washing my hair with homemade herbal shampoos ; preferably the ones with Amla , Shikakai and Reetha powder -- these have helped me a great deal in keeping my hair healthy and also in preventing hair-loss . And oh! How can I forget those wonderful homemade after shampoo hair rinses ? Especially the decoction that you get after boiling fruit pieces of amla ( gooseberry ) works out to be a great hair rinse . So never forget to use after shampoo hair rinses after washing your hair – they impart bounce and shine to your hair. You might try some of these conditioners also.Still, when I do run out of these dry shampoo powders I go and purchase one of those herbal or chemical shampoos, I happened to try Pantene Sleek and Shine Shampoo with conditioner a few days ago and it wasn’t bad. Nyle Herbal Nourishing Shine Shampoo. (with Shikakai and Apricot extracts)

My hair tends become dull and limp in a couple of days of shampooing . So I’m always on the lookout for a good shampoo. So when my friend raved about the goodness of this shampoo called ‘Pantene Pro-V Smooth and Sleek Shampoo with conditioner ’, I decided to give it a try. Though my hair is a bit oily , I went in for this particular shampoo meant for normal to dry hair as I didn’t want to strip my hair of all its sebum by using other strong shampoos. And I must admit that it didn’t let me down; all I can say is Smooth and Sleek Shampoo & Conditioner really helped make my hair smooth and manageable and it stayed that way for nearly a week. I could feel the softness from the very first wash. It even did something to the texture of my hair; now it’s highly manageable with no unruly flyaway hairs and simply looking great. The shampoo itself has a pleasant and light fragrance and I am planning to use it for a long time.

Shampooing hair at a salon can prove to be dangerous and even fatal to the aged. Ever heard of the ‘Sink Shampoo Syndrome (SSS)’ ? During a shampoo session at a beauty salon, the head is bent backward over the edge of a basin and if this position is maintained for a long time it can trigger strokes in elderly persons. Arching the neck backward over a sink and in extreme positions can apparently diminish the blood supply to the brain, triggering a stroke. This can also occur to those who h ave to bend back for other reasons like during a chiropractic treatment. Dr. Weintraub, the neurologist after a comprehensive study spanning a year has said that although the risk of this hazard is more in elderly, it can apply to other persons, (esp. youngsters born with hidden malformation of main artery leading to the brain) who visit beauty salons as well, as such an extreme position of backward arching and bending of the neck for prolonged periods interferes with the blood flow to the b...

Thinking of changing your shampoo ? For a change, try one of these 2 simple home-made shampoos on your hair. They require the minimum possible ingredients and are very easy to make. You will be amazed at the good results. Shikakai has been used since ancient times to wash one’s hair. Methi and moong not just cleanse the hair, but have a conditioning effect as well. Methi Shikakai Shampoo Ingredients: Methi seeds(Fenugreek) – 250 grams Shikakai – 1 kilogram Dried orange/lemon peels – handful Method: Crush all the ingredients to a fine powder and store. Use this powder shampoo to wash your hair as you would do with others. However, remember to soak this powder in ½ cup of boiling water 2 hours before using it on your hair. Methi-Moong Shampoo Ingredients Moong (Green gram) – 1/4 kilogram Methi seeds – ¼ kilogram Hibiscus leaves Rice Kanji water Method: Combine the first two ingredients and make a fine powder of it. Store well. Just before using it on...

Why should you shampoo the hair? Shampooing is an integral part of hair care. Dirt from the air, natural oils and scalp secretions, hair dressings, hair sprays, gels etc. cling to the hair shaft and make thorough cleansing absolutely essential.Shampoo cleanses the hair and gives it a pleasant, lingering fragrance. Clean hair is beautiful hair. Use a shampoo and not a soap to clean hair It is a must to use a shampoo and not soap. Soap has carbonate in it, which remains on the hair after it has been rinsed and over the long haul makes the hair coarse and brittle. Choosing the right shampoo The ideal shampoo is the one which removes dirt and oil from the hair without drying or damaging the hair, leaving it clean, bright and manageable. Today the market is flooded with various brands of shampoos. Choose your shampoo very carefully according to the condition & type of hair. Shampoos are ‘tailor made’ to suit different needs. For instance, dandruff prone scalps require medicated shampoos...