Scalp Conditions

Dandruff

What is dandruff?

Dandruff is excessive flaking of the scalp, or dandruff, is a common cosmetic problem experienced by millions of people. Dandruff is not contagious and is normally not a serious problem. Some cases of excessive dandruff accompanied by intense itching and patches of flaky skin on the face or elsewhere are actually a form of eczema. One commonly mistaken dandruff lookalike is plain old dry scalp. Some products have a knack for drying out the scalp shampoos are a common culprit. Regularly using a soap or shampoo formula that is too harsh (usually sulfate-based) will lead to scalp dryness over time. Other dry scalp instigators include weather changes, using water with a high mineral content or pH, and using water that is too hot. Those who chemically treat their hair with relaxers, texturizers, or hair coloring products and those who over dry their hair when blowdrying may also run into this kind of problem as those treatments/techniques tend to dehydrate the scalp. If you aren’t hydrating your body from within by drinking water, you’ll also tend to have dry skin not just on the scalp but all over.

People with dry skin tend to get dandruff more often. Winter cold air, combined with overheated rooms is a common cause of itchy, flaking skin. To prevent dandruff eat a healthy and balanced diet, avoid stress, limit the use of styling products and wash your hair regularly.

Treatment.

• Anti dandruff shampoos & conditioners
• Oil your hair with herbal oils or use special herbal gels.
• For more server dandruff a medicated shampoo might be necessary
• Tea tree oil
• Baking soda helps fight the fungus 
• Coconut oil helps moisturize dry and flaky scalp 
• See your doctor if the problem persists

Treatment may take a few weeks until you start seeing results

 

Psoriasis

What is psoriasis?

Scalp psoriasis is a common skin disorder that produces raised, reddish, and often scaly patches. It can appear as one or multiple patches on the scalp, affect the entire scalp, and spread beyond the scalp to the forehead, back of the neck, or behind the ears. 

Scalp psoriasis is not contagious. Like other types of psoriasis, its exact cause is unknown. But it's believed to result from an abnormality of the immune system that causes skin cells to grow too quickly and build up as patches. You may be more likely to develop scalp psoriasis if psoriasis runs in your family. Most commonly, people with scalp psoriasis also have psoriasis on other parts of their body. But sometimes the scalp is the only affected area. Scalp psoriasis can be mild and almost unnoticeable. But it can also be severe and long lasting, causing thick, crusted lesions that affect appearance. Intense itching can interfere with sleep and everyday life, and frequent scratching can lead to skin infections and hair loss. People with scalp psoriasis often report that it leaves them feeling embarrassed and ashamed.

Treatment.

Sometimes scalp psoriasis gets better without treatment. It can take a couple of months or longer to get scalp psoriasis under control. But once you do, you may be able to keep it from returning with special shampoos or moisturizers. See your doctor if the problem persists.

To soften the scales

• Apply salicylic acid gels to scales to make them easier to remove. 
• Gently loosen the scales with a brush or fine-toothed comb.
• Shampoo your scalp to remove the scales, using a salicylic acid shampoo or soap.
• Apply emollients such as petroleum jelly or thick creams, oils, lotions, or ointments while scalp is still damp.

To reduce the itchiness

• Use conditioner after shampooing 
• Limit using hot tools for styling
• Use wet towels, cold packs or cold water on itchy spots

Head lice

What is head lice?

Head lice have been around for many thousands of years. Anyone can get head lice.

Head lice are small, wingless, blood sucking insects. Their colour varies from whitish-brown to reddish-brown. Head lice only survive on humans. If isolated from the head they die very quickly (usually within 24 hours).

People get head lice from direct hair to hair contact with another person who has head lice. Head lice do not have wings or jumping legs so they cannot fly or jump from head to head. They can only crawl. Many lice do not cause an itch, so you have to look carefully to find them.

Head lice are found on the hair itself and move to the scalp to feed. They have six legs which end in a claw and they rarely fall from the head. Louse eggs (also called nits) are laid within 1.5 cm of the scalp and are firmly attached to the hair. They resemble dandruff, but can’t be brushed off. Head lice is mainly found in children.

Treatment

• Buying and using a head lice lotion or shampoo, following the instructions on the product
• Using the conditioner and comb method (described under ‘finding head lice’) every second day until there have been no live lice found for ten days.
• Head lice products must be applied to all parts of the hair and scalp.
• No treatment kills all of the eggs so treatment must involve two applications, seven days apart. The first treatment kills all lice; the second treatment kills the lice that may have hatched from eggs not killed by the first treatment..
• Apply the treatment near the scalp, using an ordinary comb to cover the hair from root to tip. Repeat this several times until all the hair is covered.

Preventing head lice
Check your child’s head regularly with comb and conditioner, and avoid direct contact on each others hair.

Written by Becc.

Oxy-Bleach

Fair, smooth and even coloured skin is every women desire. Bleaching is one of the beauty treatment commonly used to get fair and even coloured skin. Bleaching is a process of lightning facial hairs as well as removing any dark spots on the face. It also helps in whitening your skin. Bleaching is done by utmost care.

Bleach helps maintain skin health by removing suntan and preforms a 3-dimensional task, first is camouflages facial hair to match skin colour, it then thoroughly cleanses the clogged pores of the skin by removing the first, making it breathe a lot easier. Lastly it gives instant fairness to the skin, lightening the skin colour by a couple of shades, but also nourishes the skin with the release of active oxgen into the skin.

Oxy bleach is what we use in our salons and it is the latest variety of bleach which is said to be the safest bleach ever. It comes with a pre bleach cream which forms a protective shield on your skin. 

If you have never used oxy bleach before we recommended to do a patch test on your neck first before applying to the whole face. This is easily done by applying a small amount of the bleach to your neck and leaving it on for 10 minutes, this will determine whether you get a reaction to the product or not.

Oxy bleach takes around 5 minutes to apply on the face and depending on your hair type on your face if it is course or fine and how well it covers will determine how long the product will take to process, could be up to 20-30 minutes.

It can be re applied every month. 

Written by Becc

Hair dryers Vs Straightening Irons

As a lot of you may know using flat irons (straighteners) on your hair all the time can be very damaging on the hair, and by having the temperature to hot in some cases it can fry the ends of your hair. Ironing your hair can cause two different types of damage,depending on whether the hair is ironed dry or wet. Ironing dry hair causes racking along the edges of the cuticles, which can lead to chipping. Ironing wet hair causes the moisture to burst out in little steam explosions. This causes bubbling and buckling of the cuticle that appear as tiny hair blisters under magnification. Both types of damage can lead to breakage and slip ends.

                                    
Using blow dryer will give you a lot more volume to your hair then a iron would, because when using flat iron you are concentrating on straightening the hair from the roots straight down, but when using a blow dryer you can pull the hair up which will create the volume.

If you have curly/wavy hair and you are finding your using the flat irons a lot on your hair because it takes a long time to straighten, your best option is to dry your hair off first after you wash it with the blow dryer and then blowave it using the brushes. This will smooth out your hair easier and better then what the flat irons would, because you have more chance of getting all the individual hairs that glide through while using the brush.

Using a heat protector spray before using any heat on your hair will protect the top layer of your hair from the heat that comes from irons and blow dryers.

Written By Becc

Before & Afters

BEFORE                                             AFTER

BEFORE                                             AFTER - Balayage   

                                                  

BEFORE                                             AFTER - Ombre

BEFORE                                             AFTER - Red

BEFORE                                             AFTER- Concave Bob

Maintaining Hair Colour

• Try not to wash your hair every day, and it slowly washes out the toner that we put onto your hair, which results you to having to come back to the salon sooner then usual to get it re toned. Try and wash your hair around every 3 days, the longer you leave your hair unwashed the better as it has time to produce the natural oils in your hair. If you have oily hair and feel like you have to wash it almost every day give dry shampoo a try. 

• Regular hair trims every 6-8 weeks maintains the healthiness of your hair and gets rid of your split ends to make your hair grow, also bleach of any kind can dry out your hair because in most cases you have to bleach your hair to get the correct result, and bleach almost always leaves your hair slightly damaged this is why haircuts are recommended.

• Use the irons less because your hair is at the poorest stage especially after you first get your colour done, and can be damaged quite easily. Blowaving your hair instead of using irons will make a massive difference as it can be less harsh on your hair. Before using any heat equipment on your hair use a heat protector spray, this will protect the top layer of your hair from the heat from the irons/blowdryers.

• Hair treatments produce great results. Applying treatments once a week leaving it on for 10 minutes on your coloured hair can help repair breakage & dry hair. Hydrating, reconstructing and any treatment with protein will give the best results.

• If you find that the tone of your hair (in most cases if your blonde) starts looking brassy and don't have time to get it re toned in the salon, you can purchase a blonde shampoo from any retailer and use it on your hair just like any shampoo once a week this will help maintain the clean blonde your wanting to keep in your hair.

• If you have really vibrant red of purple hair, there are ways you can maintain this as much as possible at home. As you may know reds and purples can fade quite quickly especially if you find you are washing your hair quite often, you can purchase a shampoo specifically for the colour of your hair which prevents the colour from fading.
  

• Try and avoid swimming in chlorine water, in some cases chlorine has turned blonde hair to slight green tinge, because the chemicals are so strong it grabs on to poorest hair first. To avoid this always rinse your hair straight away after swimming. Salt water tends to strip your toner if you are blonde and can make your hair brassy, can easily be fixed by applying a toner or using blonde shampoo.

Written By Becc

Eyelash & Eyebrow Tint

Eyelash and eyebrow tinting is a process like dyeing hair but only on your eyelashes or eyebrow . A small amount of tint is mixed with a small amount peroxide and applied to the eyelashes or eyebrows during this process. This tint is completely different to what you would use to colour your hair. Many clients that go to beauty salons love getting their eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair dyed all at once. As women and men age, their hair colors change may even turn grey, and they want to look younger with the simple use to tint or dye.The most common colors used when doing eyelash are black and brown. Eyelash and eyebrow tinting only take up to 15 minutes to process the colour. Another reason why people get there eyebrows tinting is if they have coloured there hair quite dark and have light eyebrows, after they have tinted there eyebrows it can make your hair and brows look more natural.

EYEBROW TINTING

Many people that do not like applying mascara like getting their eyelashes tinted, so that they do not have to worry about putting it on everyday. Eyelash tinting is also very easy to maintain.

Eyebrow and eyelash tints safe for use and a lot of women (and men) enjoy the benefits of it without having had one negative reaction to the dye. If you are worried that you may get a reaction, you can ask for a patch test on your arm, this can be left over night to see if you get a reaction or not. 

EYELASH TINTING

Both eyebrow and eyelash tinting last up to 4 weeks.

We provide this service at both of our salons.

Eyebrow - $15.00

Eyelash - $17.00


Written by becc

Henna Tattoo

The art of henna has been practiced for over 5000 years in Pakistan, India, Africa and the Middle East. There is some documentation that it is over 9000 years old. Because henna has natural cooling properties, people of the desert, for centuries, have been using henna to cool down their bodies. They make a paste of henna and soak their palms and soles of the feet in it to get an air conditioning affect. They feel its cooling sensation throughout the body for as long as the henna stain remains on their skin. Initially, as the stain faded away, it left pattern on skin surface which led to ideas to make designs for decorative purposes. In the ancient Egyptian times mummies wore henna design and it is documented that Cleopatra herself used henna for decorative purposes.

WHAT IS HENNA

Henna is a paste made out of crushed leaves and twigs of henna plant. The paste can also be made from dried leaves of the plant by mixing it with hot water. When this paste is applied on skin (just like writing from a marker) and left for few hours, it leaves orange to dark maroon stain on the skin which fades away in 7 to 14 days.

TRADITIONAL HENNA
Henna is traditionally used for special occasions like holidays, birthdays and weddings in Africa, Pakistan, India, and the Middle East. The most popular of the traditions is the Mehndi (henna) Night where the bride, her family, relatives and friends get together to celebrate the wedding to come. The night is filled with games, music and dance performances that may have been rehearsed for months prior to the event by those closest to the bride while the bride gets extensive henna patterns done on her hands and feet that go to her elbows and sometimes, knees. The bridal patterns can take hours and are often done by multiple henna artists

The guests will usually receive small designs (tattoos) on the backs of their hands as well.

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HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR HENNA

Follow these tips to get a great stain.

· Let the paste dry for at least 1 hour; depending on where the tattoo is, overnight (if possible!) may be best.

· Don't wash the paste off! Instead, scrape it off using your nails, butter knife or something like a credit card.

· Rub off extra bits of henna with olive oil, not water.

· Try not to get the hennaed skin wet for 12 hours after you remove the paste.

· If the stain isn't very dark when the paste is removed, don't worry! The natural dyes in henna oxidize and the stain will darken over the next 2-4 days.

· Also, avoid pools and/or chlorinated water. These make the skin exfoliate faster, thus making the tattoo fade faster. Try not to scrub too hard in the shower.

We do henna service at both of our salons. We also do bridle henna, henna parties and mobile service.