Choosing The Right Shampoo For Your Asian Hair Type
July 3, 2009 by admin
Filed under Asian Hair Care Tips, Asian Hair Color, Asian Hair Protection
There are many different brands and types of shampoos out there for the asian hair, from the cheaper and common brands you can purchase at the local supermarket, personal, pharmacy stores to branded and more expensive shampoo brands like Kerastas and Philip B. that can only be bought from speciality salons and stores. So how do one chooses?
First of all, you got to know your hair type. It is easier to determine what type of shampoo your hair will need if you have permed or coloured your hair recently. If your hair is permed, you might want to use a specialty shampoo for permed hair in order to protect the curls. If you had your hair colored recently, then you will need a shampoo that will protect the color and not strip it from your hair. Good shampoos for colored hair are also those with higher moisturizing content because your hair is usually very dry after a colour job. Is your hair dry? Oily? Thin or full and coarse? Then you will need different hair shampoo formulated to meet your special needs. You can get your trusted hair stylist to suggest a product, or do a search on the beauty or hair forum to see what people recommend for asian hair.
Always be aware of claims made by shampoo manufacturers, as some don’t really live up to their claims. The only thing regulated by the Food & Drug Administration is the list of ingredients on the back of the shampoo bottle and they have to reflect the contents used in the product truthfully. This means that manufacturers can make claims like their shampoos can moisturize hair or add volume to asian hair, whether or not they actually do. However, most consummers don’t even bother to read the list, let alone know what are the significance of the ingredients. If the product is cheap and affordable, you can buy it on trial and error to see if the shampoo really live up to its claim. If it’s expensive, you probably want to seek others for their opinion and experience via personal contacts or from online forums, before deciding if you really want to invest in it.
You also have to understand that most shampoos and conditioners work on your hair only temporarily by leaving traces of product residue behind on your hair after washing. They do not have long term effect on the condition of your hair at all, you will require regular usage of hair treatment conditioning mask in order to see improvement and it usually requires a longer term period. There are people who will rather buy cheaper shampoo and conditioner and then invest in more expensive treatment products. Of course there are also people who can afford and only buy the higher-tier and more expensive brands only. The thing is there are no hard and fast rules here.
Lastly, you do not have to believe that you have to use the entire hair product line from one brand in order to achieve best results. Every shampoo can clean the hair and every conditioner can condition your hair. It’s ok to mix and match products from different asian hair or non asian hair brands and stick with something or a combination once you find it working for you.
Choosing The Right Hair Dryer | Asian Hair
June 15, 2009 by admin
Filed under Asian Hair Care Tips, Asian Hair Protection, Asian Natural Hair Care
We all know that thermal styling can cause damage to your delicate asian hair and that by choosing the right styling tools you can reduce that damage considerably. But how do you know which tools are the right ones? I mean, the packaging on most thermal styling tools announces that the dryer or curling iron contained inside is your best option. With all of the manufacturer’s touting their products as the best on the market, just how are you supposed to choose your tools wisely?
When it comes to hair dryers, there aren’t very many options at the department store but you will find a wide variety of prices there. While many dryers will look different in style and design, most conventional dryers are fundamentally the same no matter how much you pay for them.
If you want to save on hair damage by purchasing a hair dryer at a department store, you should pay attention to how hot the dryer gets since heat causes the most damage. Also, look for a dryer that has heat control settings and a “cool shot” button. If you have naturally curly hair, try to choose a dryer that comes with a diffuser to eliminate frizz. The rest of the frills you can do without.
Aside from the conventional blow dryer found in most department stores, beauty supply stores have started to carry state-of-the art blow dryers and thermal styling tools that utilize ceramic and negative ionic energy to style hair and keep it healthy. A blow dryer that uses this type of energy dries your hair in half the time using less heat. The construction of the ionic blow dryer also utilizes ceramic heating elements instead of traditional metal ones to infuse moisture and health deep into the asian hair strand while at the same time drying it.
While the ionic hair dryers are the best for your asian hair, they come with a hefty price tag: most models cost around $100. When compared with the fact that you can purchase a conventional hair dryer for about $10, the cost may not seem worth it for many people. But for those who dry their hair daily and want to keep their hair shiny and healthy, no cost is too high.
The bottom line to choosing the right hair dryer is this: Choose the least damaging hair dryer that you possibly can while staying within your budget. If you can afford more, it is best spent at the beauty supply than at the department store where you will spend more for looks rather than quality.
A Rough Battle To Smoothen Your Dry Hair | Asian Hair
May 30, 2009 by admin
Filed under Asian Hair Care Tips, Asian Hair Protection, Asian Natural Hair Care
Dry hair occurs mainly due to heat, the use of excessive chemicals applied on your hair and also by not taking good care of your hair. This is more so a common problem with asian hair for asians love to dye their hair to other color other than staying black. Every person’s hair has a certain amount of moisture which preserves your hair and does not let it dry. When certain level of moisture goes down due to many of the common reasons then you have to take special efforts to maintain that moisture. One should keep in mind that excess experiments with your hair can cause problems and lead to dry hair.
Some of the common reason why many face this problem is the excessive washing of your hair. Your hair need not be washed daily as this washes out the nutrients from your hair leaving you ‘high and dry’. So washing is not an appropriate solution for your hair on a daily basis. Use of hot dryers, hot curlers or any of the things you use for stylizing your hair also leads to drying. Swimming in chlorinated water without a head cap makes your hair parched and even drier. By using some of the home based recipes you can make your hair last longer with a better look.
The use of mild shampoo is one of the initial steps to be taken when you are treating dry hair. Look for shampoos mentioned as ‘dry and damaged’ which would work in your favor. The use of conditioner is a must as this helps in preserving the lost nutrients and oil in your hair. This would give a beautiful look to your hair with the extra shine and bounce. A ‘moisturized’ hair will make natural asian black hair stand out more as light reflected on shiny black asian hair will look even more healthier. Snipping off the end of your hair would help in preventing further damage to your hair. Exposure to sun can also cause dryness. You can use hair sunscreen to protect your hair.
Use of some of the home made ingredients if properly blended can be very helpful. Some of the weirdest stuff can actually work for your hair, if you are brave enough you can try these out. Beer seems to work wonders on all kinds of hair, be it asian hair or not. You can spray your hair with beer once you have shampooed your hair. Mayonnaise is also a wonderful ingredient which brings life back to your hair as it is termed as an excellent conditioner. If you use mayonnaise, be sure to rinse it off after leaving it on for about 15 minutes, you will not want to walk around smelling like mayonnaise!
10 Tips To Improved Hair Care | Asian Hair
May 9, 2009 by admin
Filed under Asian Hair Care Tips, Asian Hair Protection
Hair care is an important part of looking good and feeling good, both inside and out. There are an endless number of asian and non-asian hair care products that promise to shape up, curl, straighten, moisturize and rejuvenate, but what is the best way to maintain healthy hair? Here are 10 tips to get you started.
1. If you notice split ends, have them trimmed. This will result in healthier hair and a better overall appearance. A trim is relatively inexpensive and should only take a matter of minutes at the local salon.
2. Use a low to medium heat on your hair dryer. Extreme heat can dry out the hair and cause the frizzies.
3. Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun, which is not only bad for your skin, but can dry out your hair as well.
4. Many people suffer from dandruff. If you are one of the many, avoid scratching or rubbing the head as this will promote flaking. Instead, use a shampoo and/or conditioner that is especially designed to treat dandruff and eliminate flaking.
5. If you have thin hair, add a volumizing shampoo for added body. If you have thick hair, using a healthy shine shampoo will bring out the additional beauty.
6. Avoid harsh hair care products, which can dry out or damage the hair. In some cases, individuals have even experienced hair loss in using certain at-home perm and/or coloring treatment products. Some DIY asian hair dye might be drying and damaging to the hair. If you want to have this type of treatment done, have it done at the salon.
7. In choosing a salon, make sure that you opt for one that has been in business for awhile and has a clean, professional workspace.
8. Ask friends for referrals. If they have used a certain hair care product great for asian hair, which coincides with one that you are searching for, inquire about their experience. The same is true with salons, which are often best recommended by friends and family.
9. When brushing your hair, use soft strokes rather than those swiped in a hurry. A part of quality hair care is, just as the name implies, caring for your hair.
10. When using styling products, make sure that they do not overheat prior to using them on your hair. Extreme heat can and will damage the hair, not to mention the discomfort of a burn resulting from an overheated styling product.
The information contained in this article is to be used for reference only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional hair care advice. Anyone who notices a concerning condition, relating to their hair, should consult a dermatologist for proper diagnosis and/or treatment.
13 Asian Hair Dye Tips | Asian Hair Dye Care
March 23, 2009 by admin
Filed under Asian Hair Care Tips, Asian Hair Color, Asian Hair Protection
1. Before we go for hair dye, we should have a good understanding of the available hair highlighting colors and those suitable for asian hair, rather than just blindly expect our hairstylist to work miracles and give us what we want.
2. As majority of asians have yellow skin color, asians must try to avoid yellow color, because it will make the person look sick. The all-time safe hair dye colors for asians are brown or dark brown. These colors are suitable as whole hair color or as hair highlights and they are more suitable for those in 25-50 age group.
3. Violet, red and burgundy are popular asian hair dye colors, especially during festive seasons like Chinese New Year, it will also suit asians. These colors will also suit short hairs or as highlight hair colors for those with long hair. Dyeing of whole hair with such colors are more suitable for those in age group of 20-35, as they will look not too young or too mature to carry off these bright colors.
4. As a general rule of thumb, those with fairer skin can choose from wider selection of hair dye colors or more drastic hair colors against their skin color, whereas those with darker skin have narrower choices.
5. Hair should not washed before hair dye, as our hair secretes natural oil that can help protect the hair against the chemicals in hair dye. It also helps to protect our scalp and prevent infection. There is no need to worry, as the grease on our hair will not have any negative effect on the application of new hair color. If you wash your hair before hair dye (worse if you use fingernails to scratch your scalp during washing), it might result in sensitive scalp and can cause itchiness or infection later on. Moreover, washing your hair causes your sweat pores on scalp to be opened and making it vulnerable to harmful particples. If you apply hair dye immediately after washing, it will absorb the harmful hair dye chemical! So do keep in mind at all cost – NO WASHING of hair before hair dye!
6. Hair salons usually carry a range of hair dye brands. Those touted as better quality and more expensive hair dye brands with attractive features (such as moisturizing hair color) will only help to lessen the damage to the hair. The truth is there is actually no such thing as moisturizing hair dye. Your hair will still get damaged during the process, as long as chemicals are used. Even the best hair dye brand is no gurantee against allergies. There is NO hairdye that does not use any harmful chemicals, the issue is how extensive the damage can get or how good the damage control is.
7. Do you like to have odd colors like bright fiery red, bright pink, blue, green or blonde? If you are an asian, you most likely have to bleach your hair to get the desired results, as asian hair are naturally dark and such colors will not be achieved without first bleaching. In fact, the more drastic the desired color is from your natural color, the more you have to bleach. However, the bad news is bleaching is the most toxic form of chemical you can feed your hair. If your hair is not of optimal health, bleaching can ruin your hair with immediate effect! Unless you have lots of money to do expensive hair treatment every week, asians should avoid bleaching their hair. Those celebrities you see on television with such hair colors either have very bad hair quality and they managed to disguise it, or they religiously do good hair treatment every week to protect their hair. If you really want to bleach, make sure you find professional help and avoid DIY, as it could get very messy and damaging.
8. Comb your hair with a wide tooth comb before applying hair dye.
9. Avoid using hair dryer for long time or perm your hair immediately after a hair dye, as this will not just ruin your hair color, it will also damage your hair big time. If you want to perm your hair, a recommended time should be 7 days before or 7 days after the hair dye.
10. Its best to wash your hair 3 days after the hair dye, as this will maximize the absorption of the hair dye color and make it last longer. Also, try to keep out from the sun for this will cause your hair color to fade out.
11. For those with skin allergy, it is best to avoid going for hair dye, unless you can put up with the itch.
12. How your new hair dye color turns out depends on several factors like how healthy your hair is and how well it absorbs the color particles. If you have healthy hair, with dense hair quantity and a natural shiny black color, then you have the best hair condition and the hair dye color will most likely turn out well and will be what you desired.
13. Last but not least, natural black hair works like a charm for asians, especially for asian women. It is the only asian hair color that asians look the best and most unique in. It is also shiny and reflects light whether is it indoors or outdoors, these are special qualities that dyed black hair can’t really achieve. So for those with natural black hair should treasure their hair and celebrate it by wearing it natural once in a while!
10 Great Hair Care Tips | Asian Hair Care Tip
March 10, 2009 by admin
Filed under Asian Hair Care Tips, Asian Hair Color, Asian Hair Protection, Asian Natural Hair Care
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 hair. Whether you have asian hair or not, 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. If you have asian hair, you can try Japanese brands, as these products are usually made for asians.
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 do.
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?
How To Choose The Right Hair Color
November 4, 2008 by admin
Filed under Asian Hair Care Tips, Asian Hair Color, Asian Men Hair Styles, Asian Women Hair Styles
Ever ask yourself what hair color would look best on me? Want to know what color goes best with your skin tones? These are the questions you’ll need to ask yourself and a hair care specialist before changing your hair color. If possible, always go for a personal consultation with a trained colorist to get the best result.
Let’s start with the FAIR SKINNED girls (and guys too…)
If your skin makes you look like you’re allergic to the sun, it’s best to stick with light colors: blondes, warm blondes, gold, coppers, natural to strawberry.
For the fair girls with a healthy glow (warm undertones):
You’ve got more colors to play with. Try anything that makes you happy: from a Marilyn platinum blonde to the light browns.
For our MEDIUM TO DARK SKINNED ladies (or gents):
Your look is the exotic type, maybe you’re the island girl with the tan all the other gals envy. You’ll want to run with that as far as you can, so pick from a medium blonde to a dark brown. That is an extremely wide range of colors and tones you can play with, try out a few before you make a permanent decision!
And finally, our CHOCOLATE SKINNED folks:
Your look is smooth, well polished, and you need to work with your dark tones if you’re going to keep looking pulled together. For the most flattering look, stay between a medium brown and dark brown base color.
Add highlights in the mid-light ranges of brown and lows in the darker more chocolaty browns. Keep the base natural or reddish. Golds don’t show up in hair colors this dark. Red is your only warm option, unless you are pre lightening sections to achieve brighter colors.
Living in the 21st century means we get to improve on mother nature sometimes! Picking the perfect color for your hair will highlight the best features of your complexion, letting your inner beauty shine more brightly.
Tips on how to have healthy strong thick hair | Asian Hair Care Tip
October 29, 2008 by admin
Filed under Asian Hair Care Tips, Asian Natural Hair Care
Have you notice that people from India always have nice, strong and shiny hair? They tend to have full-bodied hair and seem to face lesser hair loss problem. Apart from having good hair genes, indians also have a popular remedy – coconut oil! Yes, it’s one of the best kept asian hair secrets.
We all know that coconut oil contains a lot of saturated fat and consuming it too much will lead to high cholestrol, but yet it can be one of the best treatment for skin and hair. Asian hair has benefited much from this source of natural oil.
Virgin coconut oil in particular, is an excellent skin and hair moisturizer. It is easily absorbed into hair as compare to other types of hair oil and helps to protect and retain protein on hair (hair damage is usually due to loss of hair protein).
Indian parents have the habit of applying coconut hair oil on their kids’ hair, so most of them grow up with it. The way to apply is to massage the coconut oil on your scalp and keep it whole day or leave it overnight. If you leave it overnight, you might need to wear a showercap or place a towel on your pillow to avoid oil stains on it. Shampoo and condition your hair mildly on the next day.
You can also use coconut oil to moisturize your body, simple oil your body an hour before shower. This will ensure that the coconut oil gets fully absorbed into your skin.
This whole process seems quite an effort. You might hate the massaging part or even the oily feeling on your hair. However, if you keep to this regime for a few months, soon you will find your hair getting stronger, healthier and shiner!
10 Healthy Hair Tips | Asian Hair Care Tip
October 4, 2008 by admin
Filed under Asian Hair Care Tips
Do you want to have smooth, silky and healthy looking hair, just like the gorgeous hair of those models you see in the magazines? In this post, we share with you healthy hair care tips that are suitable for both asian and non-asian hair, which will help you achieve your ‘hair’ dreams!
1) Use a good deep cleansing shampoo
This will effectively help to remove any dirt or grease residue on hair and hair scalp. Note that this kind of shampoo is not suitable for frequent usage. Your hair might be damaged and will lose the lustre if you use if on daily basis. For those who have the habit of applying lots of hair products, use once a week, otherwise once a fortnight is good enough. Squeeze about 7.5ml of shampoo on your palm and make it foam by clapping your hands together before applying on hair.
For best results, comb your hair before shampoo, this will help clear any hair wax or other hair produce residue on your hair and scalp and will your hair get cleansed better after that. You can also use shampoo twice each time you use a deep cleansing shampoo. The first time helps to remove the dirt, the second time helps to moisturise your hair.
2) Ginger Juice
One of the ancient chinese hair growth products and secrets is to apply ginger juice on your scalp, this will help your hair to grow out faster and healthily.
3) Use a good hair and scalp mask
Using a good hair and scalp mask once a week will help to moisturise your hair and cause any dandruff to fall off quickly. It also provide nutrients for your hair and promote healthy hair growth.
4) Soda water
If you go swimming in the sea or in the swimming pool, using soda water will help to remove the salt and chlorine residue on your hair, and then follow by using a normal hair shampoo to wash your hair after that. Put hair conditioner or hair oil treatment (jojoba, rosemary, Flaxseed, olive etc) on your hair after shampooing, leave it on and wrap your hair with a towel or cover it with a shower cap. Wash it off only after cleansing you body as the heat from the water will help your hair to absorb nutrients faster.
5) Hair dryer
Its best not to use hair dryer on too often as this will be very drying to your hair and might damaged it. If you must use it, do detangle your hair with your fingers first before using the hair dryer, as this will help your hair to dry faster. When holding the hair dryer, make sure your hand is in quick ‘twisting’ motion, instead of staying stationary at one spot, this will prevent your hair from getting damaged.
6) Leave-in hair conditioner
Use a good leave-in hair conditioner to keep your hair moisturised. The best way to apply leave-in hair conditioner is to apply about 5ml of leave-in hair conditioner on your comb and comb it through your hair. This will help to apply it evenly throughout your hair. Another tip is everytime after you apply your day and night moisturiser, run your fingers through your hair with the left over moisturiser, so that your hair gets mositurised as well.
7) Hair Mist
We all know the sun UV rays can be damaging to the skin, and it is equally harmful to the hair. Its always good to wear a cap or bring an umbrella whenever you are out to protect your hair against the harmful rays. We should also refrain from coloring our hair too often as the chemicals can easy damage our hair beyong repair. It is always good to carry a bottle of hair mist with us, so we can give our thirsty hair some water whenever it feels dry due to sun rays or after a hair coloring job.
8 ) Vitamins
Taking Silica, Vitamin B complex, Lysine and hair skin and nails complex will also help to keep hair healthy. Also refrain from taking too much vitamin A and caffeine, as this will cause hair loss.
9) Stress and diet
Too much stress is a killer, it harms not just your hair but every part of your body as well. Stress often leads to bad diet or bad digestion. Try avoiding or reducing stress if possible, or make lifestyle changes to eliminate stress. Once stress is gone, your hair will get back its health.
10) Medical condition
People suffering from anemia, low thyroid or hormonal problems tend to encounter hair loss problem. Of course, other health conditions might cause hair loss too. If your hair loss problem is worrying you, the best line of defence is to consult a doctor. Seeing a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) doctor can also help to recondition back the body to healthy state via traditional chinese herbs and medication.
