Women's Beauty Secrets

Chapter 33: How to Wash Your Hair

 

Shampooing and Conditioning

·         Brush your hair through to get rid of any tangles and dirt from the scalp.

·         Wet the hair thoroughly, leaning over a bath or basin. Use a shower attachment to make sure the hair is wet all over.

Pour a small amount of shampoo into your hand. Massage the hair well with your fingertips, starting at the scalp and working through to the ends.

Rinse your hair thoroughly and check that there is no shampoo left in your hair.

Squeeze out any excess moisture with your hands.

Rub a small amount of conditioner into the hair – not the scalp.

After a few minutes, rinse away the excess conditioner; don't be afraid to rinse thoroughly, as your hair will have absorbed all the conditioner it needs.

Blot the hair with a towel; never rub it, as the hair is at its weakest when wet.

Wrap your hair in a toweling turban and leave it to absorb the moisture. When the hair is damp rather than wet, comb it through and dry in the usual way.

How to Wash Different Hair Types

·         Oily Hair  – It should be washed frequently (every day if you wish) with one application of a mild shampoo and warm, rather than hot water. A final rinse of clean water with a little vinegar or lemon juice will restore the acid/alkali balance of the hair.

Dry Hair  – It does not usually need to be washed as frequently as oily hair; use one application of a shampoo specially formulated for dry hair. Massage the scalp thoroughly and finish with a good conditioner.

Normal Hair  – It simply needs to be washed with a balanced shampoo whenever it gets dirty.

Combination Hair  – It should be washed with a single application of a mild shampoo. Use a conditioner on just the ends of the hair.

How to Set Your Hair

Setting and perming can both be used to add extra body, bounce, or curl to your hair. Setting is a temporary measure – the effects can last for anything from a few hours or until next washing of your hair, depending on your hair type and the setting technique you use. Perming, as the name suggests, is permanent – the effects last as long as the permed hair lasts.

Roller Setting

Rollers have more holding power – than heated setting appliances. Hair that is naturally curly or wavy will curl more tightly, and needs larger rollers than fine or straight hair. Only a small section of hair should be wound on to each roller, or your hair will take a very long time to dry and the finished effect will be uneven.

Standard Set for Body and Bounce Hair

·         Wash your hair and towel it dry, leaving it slightly damp. A setting lotion or gel applied at this stage will help keep the set in place.

·         Use the tail of a rattail comb to divide off a small rectangular section of hair, and comb it through.

Hold the hair out from the head, straight but not stretched, and wind the ends round a medium-sized roller.

Wind the strand evenly and firmly round the roller, down to the scalp. Secure with a hairpin pushed in at 45 degrees to the scalp. If the hair is rolled under, the pin points up, and vice versa.

Insert rollers in the same way all around the top of the hair.

Set the rest of the hair in even sections, working from one side round the back to the other side.

·         Dry the hair with a blow dryer, or leave to dry naturally. When full dry, remove the pins and rollers.

Hair Setting Agents

The styles of today are easier than ever to keep in shape. Natural looks are the order of the day – no longer do hair dressers set the hair into regimented rows if cylindrical curls. Sets are used instead to give the hair life, thickness, wave or soft curl.

·         Setting lotion is a thin liquid that is often used in roller setting. It is combed through the hair before the rollers are put in, and holds the curls in place once the hair is dry.

·         Setting mousses have created quite a revolution in hair styling in recent years; they give short styles shape and body. The mousse is sprayed onto the hand from an aerosol, spread through the hair, and then the hair is blow-dried into shape.

·         Gels can be used to sleek back the hair for a very streamlined look, or to hold shape in spiky styles. They are also good for holding down wisps of wavy hair if you want a smooth finish.

Hairsprays these days are fine, light, and virtually invisible, and very easy to brush out. They can be very useful for holding a style in place, especially outdoors.