Thursday, May 26, 2011

Your Glory And The Sun

It has been known, that your hair is your glory. After the rain, the sun will shine. The Sun is composed primarily of the chemical elements hydrogen and helium; they account for 74.9% and 23.8% of the mass of the Sun in the photosphere, respectively. All heavier elements, called metals in astronomy, account for less than 2% of the mass. The most abundant metals are oxygen (roughly 1% of the Sun's mass), carbon (0.3%), neon (0.2%), and iron (0.2%).
Is the sun good or bad for your hair? does the sun help hair growth (faster) or make it grow slower? Well, you need a healthy dose of vitamin D from the sun, too much is bad for you and your hair (obviously) and too little isn't that great either. The sun doesn't really have direct correlation with the rate of hair growth, but it can make it healthier and give it a sunny tint- for some people. The sun's waves are categorized by their intensity. There are three categories of light waves. These are UVA, UVB and UVC. The UVA and UVB can both damage the hair in a variety of ways. The UVA rays can burn the hair cuticle which is the outer hair layer. The cuticle contains a web of tiny overlapping scales. If the scales are damaged they can not lay flat, like they are supposed to, and will look lifeless, brittle and dry. UVA rays can also burn and damage unprotected scalp. It is even possible to burn the part of  where scalp is unprotected. UVA rays can damage the skin on the scalp in many ways and activate free radicals which accelerates aging. A several sunburn on the scalp has even been known to cause some cases of hair loss. Sun damage to the hair can manifest as faded hair color, brittle and dry hair shafts and split ends. Check out the following ways to prevent damage to your hair. Start by avoiding trouble. Minimize your hair's exposure to the sun between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m when the rays are the most potent. If you must be out during those times, wear a cover-up to shield your strands from sun exposure. Start the summer season with a salon trip to eliminate split ends and handle hair repairs. If your hair normally dries out during summer months, consider having a preventive professional deep-conditioning treatment to ward off potential damage.  Using Salon On Point Moisture Retention Shampoo and Conditioner replenishes and hydrates
your hair to it's normal state.
Ask your stylist about Salon On Point Products!
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Tuesday, May 3, 2011

PRESS YOUR WAY!

Many African American women are turning away from chemical relaxers in favor of natural methods of maintaining their hair. There are many beautiful styles that can be accomplished with healthy, chemical-free, afro textured hair. Twists, braids, sisterlocs, natural afros, are just a few of the many options. One hair maintenance option that often gets overlooked, or looked upon negatively, is pressing. Hair pressing is when tightly coiled, or highly textured hair is straightened using a heated appliance such as a pressing comb or a flat iron. Pressing, if done properly, can provide another means for the natural African American woman to wear her hair without chemicals. Hair pressing has advantages and disadvantages. In this article we will look at both to help you decide whether or not pressing is for you.

Advantages:

Pressing is a chemical free way to straighten hair. Unlike the chemicals in relaxers which often irritate and damage the scalp, pressing requires no chemicals to straighten the hair.
Pressing is reversible if it is not done aggressively or too frequently. One misconception that people have about pressed hair is that it has to be done so that the hair is stick straight. Pressing hair to this extreme causes hair damage by permanently altering the protein bonds in the hair. If hair is pressed at a reasonable temperature, and it is not done too frequently, the hair will revert to its natural texture when it is washed.

The heat from pressing helps oil penetrate the hair shaft. If you press your hair using a natural hair oil, you will find that the heat from the pressing comb helps the natural oils to penetrate the hair shaft, which helps the hair to be softer.

Pressing is relatively inexpensive. Unlike chemical relaxers, which must be maintained with touch-ups every few weeks, wigs, weaves, and extensions, which can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, hair pressing is very cheap, and with practice, can be done at home.

Disadvantages:

Pressing is reversible. Unlike a chemical relaxer, if your hair is pressed and you get caught in a rain storm or sweat profusely, you will find that your hair will revert back to its natural texture before you intended it to do so.

Pressing can cause burns if not done carefully. To press hair you are using a heated appliance, and you must be careful when you use it. If you are not careful, or not paying attention to what you are doing, you may burn yourself.

Some women feel that wearing pressed hair is a denial of their ethnic heritage. They believe that wearing their natural textured hair is an affirmation of who they are and that anything else makes them artificial. I understand that feeling because I felt that way too at one time. I don’t feel that way anymore, but I also don’t believe that pressed hair is for everyone. Pressing is just one additional way for the African American woman to take care of her hair. As you can see, just like any other hair care method, pressing has advantages and disadvantages. The choice is up to the individual as to whether or not pressing is for her.

O. Franklin is the owner of Pressing-Hair.info, a website that provides tips on safely straightening Black, African, Curly, and Highly textured hair. Visit her site at http://www.pressing-hair.info/

Using Silk Serum by Salon On Point products adds to achieveing a beautiful none greasy silk
press.
"For The Healthiest Hair In You"
http://www.salononpoint.com/
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