Many women think that letting their hair dirty will ease the work of hairstylists in doing their updos, since squeaky clean hair is difficult to work with. The fact is, you do not have to unwash your hair for several days before getting your updo (and no one wants to work with dirty, greasy hair). Women have different hair conditions, so the real idea is not getting your hair greasy and dirty, but to create balance between moisture and oil in your hair, so that your hair will hold a style.

Here are some advices to prepare your hair for an updo:

1. If you wash your hair everyday, it is best to wash your hair a few hours before your salon appointment. If you do not wash your hair everyday, consider to wash your hair a day before the event. Overnight should give your hair moisture enough time to be properly balanced.
2. It is best to add some products to your hair after you wash it, like mousse or gel. It will prepare your hair to hold the curl and the style. Work the product through your hair with a comb and dry.
3. If you know where you want your hair parted for your updo, place your part before it dries all the way. It can sometimes be hard to “replace” your part once it dries.
4. If your hair is straight, it can be helpful to blow dry your hair with your head tipped upside down to add body and volume.
5. If your hair is curly and you want to wear it curly, allow your hair to air dry or blow dry with a diffuser to preserve your curl. Use curl friendly hair products to ensure that your curl behaves itself and does not become frizzy.

We perhaps have heard or read thousands of advices related to the danger of UV rays exposure to our skin, but do you know that UV rays exposure can also do some damage to our hair? Sure, cancer is not the main concern of our hair, but prolonged exposure to your hair can damage it from the cuticles to the inner structure. Prolonged exposure of UV rays to hair can cause problems such as faded hair color, dry or brittle hair, broken or split ends, as well as weakened and thinning hair.

If you have activities that will cause constant exposure to your hair, consider these tips to protect it from the exposure.

1. Use a hat. The best way to protect your hair is covering it with a hat. Whether you decide to put on a baseball cap or don a wide brimmed beauty, most hats provide 100% protection from the sun’s rays.
2. Use products with SPF. Many styling aids, leave in conditioners, and hair sprays have an SPF right in them! There are varying options on how high the SPF should be for your hair, but it seems that the general consensus is to use an SPF of 10-15 in hair products, with SPF 12 being a very popular choice by many hair product manufacturers. Do not forget to treat your hair with clarifying shampoo once a week to avoid product build up.
3. Make your own protection solution; dilute 2 teaspoons of SPF 25 sun block down with one cup of water. Using a spray bottle, spray the product into your damp hair before styling. For additional protection, you can mist the solution on throughout the day.
4. Protect your hair condition since you are inside the room; depp-condition your hair one in a week to keep the sun damage at minimum; since the sun breaks down keratin (hair’s protein), use a deep conditioning treatment with keratin or protein.

Many women have some sort of love-hate relationships with makeup, especially when they tend to have acne breakouts. We rely on makeup to cover the pimples caused by the breakouts, but putting too much makeup can create more blemishes that you will have to cover more. So how to ensure that our makeup will not sabotage our skin? Here are some practical tips.

1. Do not sleep in your makeup
No matter how tired you are when you come home, never skip the important step of cleaning your face and neck from makeup trace. Use a gentle toner and cleanser, and wipe your face gently but thoroughly.

2. Choose noncomedogenic cosmetics
Noncomedogenic makeup does not contain ingredients known to clog the pores. Reducing the amount of pore blockages is a good start when treating acne, and some women find their breakouts lessen just by changing to noncomedogenic makeup.

3. Clean your makeup applicators frequently
Half of the fight against blemishes is reducing the amount of acne-causing bacteria on your skin. And makeup brushes and applicators are bacteria magnets. Wash all makeup brushes with antimicrobial soap a few times each week, and thoroughly spray them with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol after every application. Use disposable applicators whenever possible, and dispose of after each use.

4. Choose powder-based makeup instead of liquid
Liquid-based makeup indeed gives more coverage, but it is usually oil-based. Powder-based makeup has the ability to help absorbing excessive oil.

5. Try switching brands
If your acne seems to worsen after wearing makeup for several days in a row, you may want to try a different brand. Certain makeup formulations can cause breakouts in sensitive individuals. If this seems to be the case for you, try another brand.

6. Go bare if it is possible
Leave your face free from makeup at least a few times in a week, to allow your skin to breathe and heal. And every time you want to wear makeup, remember that less is better.

Blonde color is among the most favorite shades of hair, and many women from various origins like to experiment with this particular color. So, once you have colored your hair blond and spent great deal of money, you will want to protect your hair from fading or bad condition. The chemicals found in hair dyes leave the hair cuticles susceptible to UV damage, chlorine and hard minersls in water and styling tools, which can cause fading and brassiness.

Here are some tips that might be useful for you.

1. If you plan to be out under the sun, cover hair with a scarf or hat because sunlight causes color to fade more rapidly. If you choose to use a UV spray, reapply every 20 minutes. You can even actually spray facial sunscreen on hair to protect it.
2. If you swim a lot in salt or chlorinated water, rinse hair thoroughly before diving in. Hair can only absorb so much water so you will not harm hair much if you soak it first.
3. To prevent dullness and a green tint caused by chlorine and hard minerals in water, shampoo with a clarifying shampoo once a week. Look for the word “clarifying” on the bottle.
4. To prevent brassiness, stylist Louis Licari recommends in Allure Magazine shampooing once a week with a purple-toned shampoo such as Clairol Professional Shimmer Lights Shampoo or Alterna Caviar Blonde Shampoo.
5. If you use styling tools, always use a protector on hair before applying the flat iron or curling iron or drying with a blowdryer.
6. If your hair has turned brassy, apply a rich gloss treatment made to reduce brassiness, such as L’Oreal Paris Tone Refiner.
7. If your hair feels like straw after it has been colored, try an after-sun hair mask to restore its softness.

Many of us have probably experienced this: we went to the salon to change our appearance for good, but we ended up with hair that is too short or wrongly colored. Before you decide to lash out on your hairstylist, you might want to check this tips list to avoid getting the hairstyle you hate.

1. Consultation is important
When we sit down and wait for our stylist to get the job done, we probably only invest a little time to consult about the best hairstyle or color that we want. If you are trying out a new hairstyle or color, schedule a 10 or 15 minutes of consultation when you book the appointment. The stylist and the colorist need to see what your hair looks like dry and styled as you typically style it. This is to make sure that you are in the same page, and do not forget to be polite.

2. Bring the pictures
Sometimes, words are not enough to describe what we want. Instead of just saying “I want to look like Jennifer Aniston (Jennifer Aniston when? In 1998, 2002, or 2010? Jennifer Aniston in long, layered hair or short hair?),” bring 2 or 3 pictures that describe what you want. After explaining all of these, do not forget to ask the stylist “do you agree?” This will make him or her feels as a participant, and he or she will oblige to try the best.

3. Prepare questions and listen to your stylist
If your hair styling process is going to take time, prepare the list of important questions so you would not forget about what you suppose to ask, such as “will I look good in this style/color? What style/color that best suits me?” If your hairstylist says “no, because…,” you had better listen.

4. If you can, show it
To avoid getting your hair cut wrongly (“I asked her to cut 3 cm of my hair, and she cut it 8 cm”), instead of saying how many centimeters or inches you want your hair to be cut, actually make a cutting or chopping movement on the part that you would like to be cut.

5. Be honest
Be honest to your hairstylist about the kinds of treatments that you have exposed your hair to. Also, tell the hairstylist about what kind of routine treatment you give to your hair every day, so that he or she knows what kind of style or treatment that suits you best.

6. Pick the right stylist
If it is possible, call ahead to the salon you want to visit and ask for someone who specializes in, say, curly hair styling, cutting-edge style, or blonde coloring.

There are times when we need to detangle our hair, especially when it becomes very dry. Problems usually occur when we have not only dry but also naturally wavy or curly hair. Detangle our hair in the shower may be much easier since the hair is wet, and we also can use conditioner to make it becomes more slippery. But when the hair is dry, you will need extra efforts to detangle the hair.

To completely detangle dry hair (and without hurting yourself), you will have to save about 10 to 30 minutes, depends on your hair’s length and thickness. You will also need a wide-tooth comb, a rat-tail comb, a spray bottle filled with water or water and oil mixture, and hair clips. It seems like a lot of work, but the result is worth it.

Firstly, divide your hair into sections using the rat-tail comb. The numbers of sections may vary depend on the thickness and length of the hair (you can choose between three to eight sections). Use hair clips to keep the rest of hair out of the way. Spritz the hair if you need it; adding moisture can greatly help you through the entire detangling process.

Using a wide-tooth comb, begin at the bottom of the first section of hair. While using one hand to comb, use the other hand to firmly hold the section of hair near the bottom. Slowly work the comb through until the bottom is free of tangles before moving up the hair. Continue to spritz hair if it dries and you need additional moisture.

Work your way up the hair section to the root, making sure you can comb freely down to the ends. Once a section is detangled, clip it out of the way or loosely twist or braid it to prevent it from tangling again. Repeat this for all sections of the hair.

There are times when we need to detangle our hair, especially when it becomes very dry. Problems usually occur when we have not only dry but also naturally wavy or curly hair. Detangle our hair in the shower may be much easier since the hair is wet, and we also can use conditioner to make it becomes more slippery. But when the hair is dry, you will need extra efforts to detangle the hair.

To completely detangle dry hair (and without hurting yourself), you will have to save about 10 to 30 minutes, depends on your hair’s length and thickness. You will also need a wide-tooth comb, a rat-tail comb, a spray bottle filled with water or water and oil mixture, and hair clips. It seems like a lot of work, but the result is worth it.

Firstly, divide your hair into sections using the rat-tail comb. The numbers of sections may vary depend on the thickness and length of the hair (you can choose between three to eight sections). Use hair clips to keep the rest of hair out of the way. Spritz the hair if you need it; adding moisture can greatly help you through the entire detangling process.

Using a wide-tooth comb, begin at the bottom of the first section of hair. While using one hand to comb, use the other hand to firmly hold the section of hair near the bottom. Slowly work the comb through until the bottom is free of tangles before moving up the hair. Continue to spritz hair if it dries and you need additional moisture.

Work your way up the hair section to the root, making sure you can comb freely down to the ends. Once a section is detangled, clip it out of the way or loosely twist or braid it to prevent it from tangling again. Repeat this for all sections of the hair.

If you ever wonder about secrets of super sexy hair, the real deal is not expensive hair treatments, but about how you treat it in daily basis. Without having to afford pricey hair treatments, here are some simple, inexpensive secrets of super sexy hair.

1. Yes, you can shampoo daily
Most shampoo products nowadays are gentle enough to be used every day, especially if you have oily hair. Shampooing daily does not do much damage to your hair, but blowdrying or flat ironing does. So just make sure that you have time to air-dry your hair after washing it.

2. Dirty hair is easier to style
Before doing an updo, do not wash your hair in the morning. It helps create the perfect texture for an updo. Keep this tip in mind when creating your own updos. Soak up extra oils with baby powder, which creates the same texture as dry shampoo but at a fraction of the cost.

3. Do nor bring the brush too often
When blowdrying hair, separate tangles with fingers until hair is about 80 percent dry then try brushing. You want to make sure your fingers glide through hair effortlessly before introducing a brush to wet or even damp hair.

4. Do not grow hair long but do nothing afterwards
Growing your hair long without styling it is fine, but it does not look so impressive. Cut some layers to add accent and extra dimension to your whole appearance.

5. Do not wait too long before your next color touch-ups
If you get your color touched up on a regular basis (about every 28 days) you may actually keep your hair from unnecessary damage. Not waiting too long means your stylist will not have to dye your whole head due to color fading. In the meantime, cover up roots with a home hair-color kit.

6. Keep your buns loose
A loose, casual updo is a quick way to look pulled together. Simply finger-comb hair into a low, disheveled bun or knot and attach with a ponytail holder and bobby pins.

The result from a perfect blow dry can last for several days, but unless you pay for the service of a professional hairstylist, we usually cannot get the same perfect result with what a salon hairstylist can get. However, as long as you are willing to take the time and do it the right way, you can get a salon-style perfect blow dry that can last for several days. It only requires 15 to 30 minutes, depends on the length and thickness of hair.

First, wash your hair. Apply conditioner in the shower if you have dry hair. If your hair is normal, condition only the ends. Dry your hair with a towel (but careful not to rub it) to get rid the excess of moisture.

Second, add some good styling product and make sure you coat every strand with it. It gives body to limp hair and keeps the frizz away from curly hair. If you have dry hair, use leave-in conditioner, straightening balm or shine serum. Start by coating the ends, working your way up the hair shaft. Finish by combing the product through hair. If you have flat, limp hair, use thickening spray or work in a mousse. Stay away from gels.

Next, divide combed hair into sections and secure with clips or ponytail holders. If you have super thick or heavy hair, try dividing each of your sections. One above the other helps manage the blowout. Leave out a section to start with.

Pull your fingers through hair starting at the roots. Pull hair out a few inches and hold it while you use the dryer to shoot air at the crown on down. After the roots are dry, move on to a round-barreled brush. Pull the brush through hair as you blowdry, pointing the nozzle downward onto hair. Start with the ends, because they tend to dry fastest.

As you pull the brush through hair, follow the brush with the dryer. Imagine there is a point six inches in front of your nose. Stretch the hair toward that point as you dry. When you are done, the tips will not flip under or up, they will just fan out over your shoulders.

Lock in style with the “cool button.” Pull hair taut with the brush and blast it with cool air from your dryer. You can also each dried section up in a Velcro roller. Continue through all sections until hair is dry.

Finish off with a serum. Weigh down random frizzy bits with a shine serum or balm. Skip this step if you have limp, oily hair.

When you are trying to grow your hair long, trimming the ends must be an appalling experience. Most women who try to grow their hair long usually try as best as they can to avoid trimming or cutting the ends.

However, there are times when you really need to trim the ends if necessary, since there are only two options for these conditions: having long hair with ragged, stringy ends or shorter hair that is healthy all over.

1. When you have split ends
There is no cure for split ends but trimming or cutting them. The longer you wait to rid your hair of split ends, the higher the likelihood that split ends will turn into split hair strands that are even more damaged. Take a look at the ends of your hair; split ends are easy to spot. Instead of a single hair strand that is intact all the way to the end, a split end shows two separate strands of hair at the bottom of the hair shaft, sticking away from one another.

2. When your hair is damaged
Whether you have ironed your hair with extreme temperatures, applied hair-color that left your hair in bad shape, or experienced bad tangles, this compromised hair needs to be removed. Damaged hair is often lost its elasticity, becomes very porous, breaks off with ease, or is crunchy and hard. There is usually little you can do except to start from scratch, with a trim or cut.

3. When your hair is out of shape
Your hair may be perfectly healthy, but you’ve noticed that your hair experience a lot of flyaway strands, or you have to put more time in to get it right. This is another sign it may be time for a trim. The longer your hair grows, the more it gets pulled down due to its own weight. It is not so good if you like gravity-defying styles that feature details such as flipped bangs and choppy layers. Make regular trim appointments with your stylist for this case.