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• How to have a great hair day

How to have a great hair day

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Essential Hair Care Tips

Manhattan-based Frederic Fekkai, one of the world's most sought-after hair stylists, advises alternating different shampoos to keep hair strong and bouncy. Fekkai's range of hair-care products, which is used in several five-star hotels across the US, is now available here from Mecca Cosmetica (see www.mecca­cosmetica.com.au).

The correct application of hair-care products is crucial. Always leave treatments on for two minutes so that your hair can absorb the ingredients, then rinse twice as long as usual.

Don't rub hair too vigorously while wet, but make sure that it is 80% diffused dry (use the diffuser attachment on your hair dryer) before you start wielding a brush.

To prevent split ends, have hair trimmed every five to six weeks.

Shower before getting into a pool or spa - the water expands your hair cuticles, lessening the risk of chlorine damaging the interior of the strand. If you prefer to do most of your swimming in the sea, the regular use of protein treatments will keep hair soft and shiny.

Tress test: for a quick check on the health of your hair, pluck out one strand and drop it in a glass of water. Tap lightly with your finger. If it "swims" it's healthy; if it sinks it's damaged or dry.

Hormonal changes, cell renewal slowdown and medications that treat high blood pressure and cholesterol all affect the condition of your hair as well as your skin. To keep your hair looking vital, use a colour-protecting conditioner.

Use lightweight products and allow your hair to dry naturally as much as possible, turning down the heat when you are using a blow dryer.

Hair-care tales: fact or fiction?

1. Hair is dead.
Technically. Each hair strand is a dead protein called keratin, but the follicle in your scalp it grows from is very much alive. That's why eating correctly has such an impact on the health of your hair. Foods that contribute to healthy skin, cell renewal and good circulation are all good for your hair, too. So make sure your diet contains foods rich in protein, iron (red meat, dark greens, beans, fortified cereals), zinc, copper (shellfish, nuts, seeds and meat) and vitamin A (orange, dark green and yellow fruit and vegetables).

2. Yo-yo dieting and low- kilojoule diets can make your hair brittle.
A firm yes to this one. That's why women suffering from anorexia or bulimia have unhealthy, dry and brittle hair. When your body digests food, it directs nutrients first to the internal organs like the heart, brain and kidneys, then the hair, skin and nails.

3. A certain amount of daily hair loss is natural.
True. The amount of hairs we lose daily is affected by our genetic make-up, diet, levels of stress and even the medication that we are taking at the time. The "normal" range of hair loss is between 20 and 150 hairs a day. Factors that lead to temporary hair loss are hormonal changes during pregnancy or menopause or the use of hormonal medication. Prolonged stress has also been linked to hair loss. And excessive blow-drying, straightening, chemical treatments such as perms and the use of the wrong products can also contribute to the problem.

From HealthSmart Magazine - August/September 2009 Issue