How to Identify Your Hair Type

Identifying your hair type is important for its care, maintenance, treatment and styling. Surprisingly, not many of us know the type of our own hair. This results in choosing the wrong kind of hair products, which are not meant for our hair type, and hence we do not get the desired results.

The first step to identify your hair is to identify your skin type. The scalp shows the same behaviour as of your skin. If you have dry, normal, oily, normal to dry or normal to oily skin, your scalp also follows the same pattern. Hair types are usually the same as skin types; but they are further classified as straight, wavy, curly, thick or thin.

Normal hair is shiny and a balanced secretion of oil from the glands is in the scalp. Dry hair is prone to damage and tend to break out because of insufficient oil secretions from the glands. This type of hair is coarse and rough and requires proper conditioning. Oily hair has highly active oil glands, which secrete a lot of oil. Oily hair is also shiny but it needs frequent washing; otherwise, the oil glands clog due to dirt and can even attract bacterial infections.

Human hair can be straight, wavy or curly. Variations occur in each type of hair type, and this is the reason why every human being has different hair from his fellow beings. To identify the hair type, one should wash the hair with normal shampoo and allow it to dry without using towel or hair dryer. Once your hair is dried completely, you are ready to identify your hair type.

Your hair is one or combination of the following patterns:
1. Flat and straight
2. Little body but no wave
3. Two or three waves but overall straight
4. Loose waves
5. Distinct waves
6. Slight curls
7. Lots of loose spiral curls
8. Bouncy curls
9. Tight curls
10. Tight S-shaped curls
11. Tight S-shaped curls falling in zigzag pattern.

Once you determine the type and extent of wave or curl in your locks, you can move on to the next step. Find out the thickness of a single strand of your coat and of you overall curl. For this, take a clean single strand of your coat and hold it in front of your eyes. If it is barely visible, or felt with your fingers, it is fine hair. Medium coat is visible and felt easily with your fingers but it is still soft like a cotton ball; coarse hair is thicker, definitely visible and feels slippery and wiry when held between fingers.

To identify the overall thickness of your coat, gather your hair in a pony tail and measure the circumference. Thin hair will measure less or equal to 2 inches; normal coat will be between 2-4 inches; and thick hair will be 4-4+inches.

Knowing the exact type of your hair can lead to healthy and beautiful hair with appropriate maintenance and care.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3806230

Easy Holiday Style by Lexi With the Curls!

Lexi from Lexi with Curls, shares her favorite quick and fabulous holiday style. This is perfect for your office holiday party or family get together. Happy Holidays from all of us at Ouidad!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from Knotty Hair Salon!

"May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!" 

~Author Unknown

4 Factors to Consider When Choosing the Right Hairstyle for You

How many times have you seen a photo in a magazine or the style books at your salon and loved it, but then when it was on your own head it just didn't look right? Even if your stylist did a great job cutting and styling it just like the photo, it just didn't look that great on you. Why? Or maybe it looked great leaving the salon but you just couldn't duplicate it yourself at home? There are a number of reasons why a dream come true in the salon might turn into a nightmare in the bathroom the next day.

Avoid disappointment by considering these four factors when you're selecting your new hairstyle:

Face Shape

The most common cause of an unflattering hairstyle is not considering your face shape when making your selection. If you're not sure what your face shape is, simply sit in front of a mirror, pull your hair back off of your face (including your bangs), and use lipstick or another easy-to-remove item such as soap to trace the edges of your reflection of your face in the mirror. Stand back and look at it. Do you have the ever sought after oval face shape? Do you have a round face shape? Do you have a square face shape? Or maybe you have a heart-shaped face or oblong face.

Consider these factors when selecting your hairstyle by using these guidelines:

Oval- Lucky you! You have the most desired face shape and can generally get by with any hairstyle you choose.

Square- You may want to avoid hairstyles that are chin length or full around the chin area. This will emphasize a wider jaw line and could enhance a square facial shape.

Round- If your face is round you may want to look for a style that isn't too full around the widest part of your face. Hairstyles that are fuller around the top of the head or bangs, or are longer in length will pull your overall shape upwards and/or downwards to create an elongated effect.

Heart- You have one of the most unique face shapes! Heart shaped faces generally are wider at the forehead with a tapering jaw and chin line. You can widen the appearance of your jaw line by selecting a hairstyle that is wider around the bottom or is blunted with the jaw line, such as a bob. Around the top of the forehead avoid flat or parted styles without bangs.

Oblong- For an oblong face shape, simply avoid long straight hairstyles with no fullness at the sides. Usually a more round shaped hairstyle will give a more rounded appearance in the face. Avoid styles that are in themselves elongated.

The rule of thumb here is easy to see, you're simply selecting a style that is essentially opposite of what your face shape is. By doing so you are basically overcompensating for areas you wish were larger or more pronounced, and downplaying areas you desire to be smaller or less prominent.

Texture

The next factor to consider when selecting the perfect hairstyle for you is the texture of your hair. This is every hairstylist's most difficult challenge. Consider what type of hair you have when you take them a photo of your desired new do. Ask them, "Do you think my hair would do this?"

Be realistic with yourself. Try not to make your hair do something it won't. You may resort to chemical treatments such as straightening, smoothing, or permanents to help you reach your goal. But sometimes you still may be limited.

For example, if your hair is coarse and thick, try to stay away from smooth sleek styles unless you're willing to receive a smoothing treatment and possibly use a flat iron and/or smoothing products daily.

If your hair is extremely fine, you may not want to select a very full style unless you're prepared to receive a permanent (perm) and are willing to use volumizing products daily. You'll most likely need to blow dry, round brush, or even use heated appliances such as hot rollers, curling irons, or flat irons as well.

Time

Next, ask yourself how much time you're willing to spend on your new style everyday. Be honest with yourself. Ask your stylist to help you understand what will be required to achieve the look you want. Are you willing to invest that much time to make it happen each day?

If your scalp and hair is oily and you need to shampoo daily, you'll be starting over each day. Will you need to blow dry? Will you need to use heated appliances? How many styling products will you need? Most important, how long with it take?

Be sure to also find out how often you'll need to have a trim or touch up in the salon. Are you willing and able to commit to the maintenance outside your own bathroom as well?

Cost

What's in your budget? Are you able to purchase the styling products and maybe the chemical services you need to maintain your desired style? What needs to be done and how often?

Hair grows, and chemical services need to be maintained. How fast does your hair grow? How often will you need a touch up?

Products are important and your stylist will show you how to use them and show you what is recommended. The good news about most professional salon products is that they tend to last longer than those purchased in the drug store. The reason is that they're more concentrated and are made from higher quality ingredients. This is also better for your hair.

If you're going to invest in chemical services, you'll want to maintain your hair properly. Using the right products is important. The last thing you want to do is spend a lot of money and time of a perm to go home and shampoo with an inexpensive shampoo that contains cheap ingredients. Many of the over-the-counter style shampoo manufacturers use detergents that contain chemicals similar to that of straigteners. To put it plainly, they'll take the curl right out of your hair!

If you're investing in hair color services, make sure to use something that will protect rather than strip all the hard work your stylist has done. Sulfates (a fancy schmancy name for detergents or cleansers) and other chemicals found in cheaper shampoos and conditioners can strip artificial hair color and cause premature fading.

There is a perfect style for you. You just need to be honest with yourself, consult with a professional, and commit to what you need to do to maintain it. You may not be able to get your hair to do what you see on someone else's head in a magazine. But that's OK. Select something your hair will go along with and be yourself! You'll be much happier when you leave the house in the morning-on time!


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7405468

Prom 2013 Hair Styles

Joel Green, hair and makeup artists for Tony Bowls, discusses some of the hot trends for prom 2013!

How To Choose A Hair Color To Go With Your Complexion

I heard on the news today that the temperature was going to hit the upper 90s again. If you are wearing hair color, and it does not matter what color you are wearing, I am sure you want your color to always look exciting. Many of you are spending days in the sun, at the beach and in the pool, which means chlorine and salt water, which can be very difficult on color treated hair. Did you know that the lighter your hair is from its natural color the more difficult it is to keep it healthy in these elements?

If your hair is blond and you want to keep it from turning green from the chlorine you might want to presoak it first and apply some conditioner in it before you get in the pool so that your hair does not absorb the chlorine. Redken has Color Extend Sun Solar Screen SPF12 that gives excellent protection, and Banana Boat has a very inexpensive one, Sport Body and Scalp Sunscreen at about $5.00 that works well. When it comes to shampooing, you also want to use sulfate free shampoos as well. Those that contain sulfates will fade your color and your color investment goes right down the drain. Because you need to shampoo often if you swim, go to the beach or work out in the gym, there is a need to shampoo more often. However, shampooing every other day or even every two days is sufficient and on those other days just use a conditioner and massage through your hair and scalp and rinse. Your hair will be clean; it will smell great and will look as if you shampooed it and won't feel weighted down.

If your hair is brunette, adding some subtle highlights would look great and give great natural highlighted look. I call it the sun kissed look. Just have it highlighted just around the face and just where the sun touches your head down to the tips with the look of perfect dark to light graduation. This can be achieved with balyage or with a large tooth comb and even smooshing it a little at the ends to achieve the desired look of warm caramels and honey gold with more blonde at the ends. Children have a natural sun kissed look after playing in the sun. If you see a child with the perfect highlights you admire, take a photo and take them to your hairstylist and see if he or she can duplicate them for you.

No matter what color or highlights you are wearing, they should enhance your face and never take away from your face. If you have warm undertones you are good to go with warm tones such as reds, coppers, gold tones and auburns. If you have cool undertones you are good to go with colors in the cooler tones or on the ashy side. Have you ever seen someone with warm undertones wearing ash blond hair? Did they look a little green to you? What about someone with a cooler complexion wearing straight up blond hair? Did they appear a tad bit washed out? You get the picture. Stay in your lane.

I love reading Rosemary Rodgers romantic novels. The heroine always has red hair and green eyes. This combination is always a good fit, don't you think? That is because on the color wheel, green and red are opposite which means they are complimentary colors.

The point I am getting at is color should complement your eyes and skin color. I have created a chart and you can select where you are with your eye color, skin color and hair color. From there, you can pick the correct color family that is perfect for you. The right hair color will change your life.

If your eye color is dark brown or black, gray-blue or dark blue, hazel with, gray or blue flecks, you fall in the cool category. If your eye color is dark warm brown, golden brown, green, green blue or turquoise, hazel with gold or brown flecks, you fall in the warm category. Now for skin color, if you have very dark brown to medium brown with olive undertones, true olive (some blacks, Asians and Latinos), medium with no color in cheeks, medium with faint pink cheeks, medium with golden undertones, pale with no color in cheeks, brown or bronze when tan, you fall in the cool category. If you are brown with pink undertones, golden undertones, pale with peach or gold undertones, freckled, ruddy or golden brown when tan, you fall into the warm category. For the natural hair color, if your hair color is blue black, deep coffee brown, medium ash brown, medium golden brown, dishwater blond or white to silver, you fall in the cool category. However, if your hair has red undertones, red, strawberry blonde, then you fall into the warm category.

If you checked mostly cools, then you are naturally cool, likewise, if you are mostly warm, you are naturally warm. If you are naturally cool you want to stay away from yellow, gold, bronze and red because they will make you look washed out. You would look great in shiny black dark ash brown, cool browns or cool blonds in platinum. Of course it also depends on your skin tone. You can even wear those awesome bright red lipsticks that other people would look less flattering wearing.

Naturally warm people should avoid jet black hair for sure, violet and blue hair because it will not be the best look for you. You will find that your best look, depending on your skin tone will be deep chocolates, golden browns, auburns, warm gold, red highlights, and golden blonds to make your look pop. I love adding highlights in warm tones to compliment.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6473201

Chic Hairstyles For Short Hair

Short hair is by far the easiest to maintain but there are fewer styles to choose from when compared to long hairstyles. But all is not lost as how you have it cut, blown dry, curled, or straightened, can make a world of difference to the way you look. If you are fortunate enough to have a patient hairdresser who is also game to trying out something new each time, you can be sure that heads will turn every time you give yourself a hair makeover.

Using a straightener or a curling iron innovatively can result in a hairstyle that will be the envy of even celebrities. Like for example the really chic straight hair that breaks into large lovely curls just below eye level that frame your face. Or you could part your hair to one side and layer the top portion of your hair that should be given a professional 'messy' cut to suggest a carefree demeanour that also means business.

Then there is the fringe with waves to die for resting just over the eyebrows, or a side fringe running into a mass of short wavy curls just about resting on the shoulders. A short layered cut at chin level with the ends blown dry to turn outwards would give you a very chic and professional look. If you want to go in for a breezy look, try the really short haircut with thick tight curls all over the head.

You could go for a shoulder length hair cut with neat layers, and emphasize the layers by alternating between brushing inwards and outwards while blow drying. Or keep it really short with a centre parting, and very straight before dissolving into a riot of soft curls and spiral waves. This hairstyle looks great with the right highlights. For blonde hair, use burgundy highlights, and on light brown hair, blonde highlights.

The highlights look great on short hair cut in spikes too. This will definitely make you look very adventurous and doesn't require much maintenance. You could always take the really brave step of going for a buzz cut and still carry it off well with the right clothes and accessories. There is really nothing you cannot do with short hair if you set your mind to it.

The best hairstyles do not come from blindly copying from a celebrity but rather something that will also reflect the shape of your face, your skin tone and colour, your personality, your attitude to life, the clothes you wear, and even the type of work you do. If your job is in the corporate sector, you may not be able to play around with your hair as much as you could if you were in the entertainment sector.

But if you do a bit of research and discuss your options with your hairdresser, you will soon find out what will suit you the best. In any case, don't hesitate to try out something new as you just might find a new gorgeous hairstyle. Let your imagination fly!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6349944

Knotty Hair Salon Is Auctioning Decroated Trees To Benefit The Leaven. Bid By Dec 21st For Great Cause

How to Keep Dyed Hair Color Bright

Learn how to keep hair color bright after dying so that your locks will stay vivid for weeks. Here are some tips on how to keep hair color bright after dying.

Hair Don'ts for a Round Face

The right hair style can slenderize a round face, be sure to avoid these "hair don'ts" and use styling tips that compliment a round face, while being chic and modern.

Moroccanoil Treatment

Learn more about the Moroccanoil Treatment in this video. 

Moroccoanoil products are available to purchase at Knotty Hair Salon!

601 Main Street, Suisun City, CA

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Tuesday thru Friday

9:00am ~ 6:00pm

 Saturday

9:00am - 4:00pm

 Sunday & Monday

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