Which Is Better-Combing Or Brushing?

If you use a soft brush, brushing is less damaging than combing, but a stiff brush does cause more damage to the hair than a comb.Prolonged brushing also harms hair considerably.Back combing also damages the hair.It ruffles the scales of the cuticle as well as it causes knotting which is difficult to untangle.

Wet hair should never be combed or brushed as this causes greater damage to the hair.A good comb should have rounded and not sharp teeth.Nylon brushes with spiky ends also damage the hair.

How To Choose Your Shampoo? 

Most shampoos are detergent based(lauryl sulphates).To this are added several chemicals-stabilisers, preservatives, conditioning agents, perfumes and colours.

A shampoo should be judged by its performance-not by its appearance, colour, perfume and definitely not by its price.It should clean hair and rinse out easily, leaving the hair smooth and manageable.Lots of lather is not a measure of its efficiency-though it may indicate a high detergent content.Neither does a thick consistency mean that the shampoo is more concentrated.

There is a good range of products-labelled as "for oily hair", "for dry hair", and "for normal hair".The differences in these shampoos is in the type of detergent used and also in the concentration of the detergent (being greatest for greasy hair) used.

Regarding the pH of shampoos, it is generally agreed that neutral or slightly acidic shampoos are better for the hair, especially the hair that has been physically or chemically damaged.

How Safe Are Shampoos?

Shampoos are very safe for the hair because they do not contain any harsh detergents, therefore the natural coating, the hydrolipidic film, is retained on the hair.

How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?

This depends on the type of hair and scalp, and also on the environment.If your hair is greasy then you would need to wash it frequently, say even 3-4 times every week.This is especially necessary if the environment you work in is dirty.Frequent shampooing is not harmful for the hair.

Which Conditioner To Choose?

Conditioners are generally used after shampooing.If the conditioner is not rinsed off well, the hair may appear greasy.Sometimes the conditioning agents are incorporated into shampoos; the conditioning perforamance of such combination shampoos is inferior to the perforamance of the 2-stage shampooing and conditioning.The term "balsam" is frequently mentioned in connection with creme-rinses.The term is applied to conditioners which contain plenty of oils and protein.Exotic natural additives such as collagen, gelatin, allantoin and henna are also being used in the conditioners.

Setting Of Hair:

What Are Setting Agents And Hair Sprays?  Setting agents keep the hair set longer.They are applied to wash the hair before it is set.Both, setting agents and hair sprays have very little chemical effect on the hair proteins.They both contain soluble polymers, but in different formulations.

Blow Drying: Heat is potentionally damaging to the hair because it results in the loss of natural oils and moisture, thereby making hair more prone to damage.

Blow Drying Tips:

a.Use the dryer when the hair is comparatively dry.

b.Be gentle.

c.Use a warm/cool setting on the dryer and keep moving it, so that no one section of hair is subjected to heat for too long.

d.Don't hold the dryer too near your head.

e.Direct the warm air along the direction of hair growth, so that you are blowing flat on the scales of each hair shaft and not ruffling them up.