How to Properly Condition Your Hair – Tip #18

Tina offered a great tip the other day on the right way to condition your hair.

Here’s what she recommends. Even though it takes a few extra seconds, after you wash your hair, and before you put in your conditioner, towel dry your hair. Yes, stop and give it a once over. What’s happening is that by pulling out the moisture, the conditioner can now penetrate the shaft and perform its magic. This step will help you avoid that slick coat feeling you get when you add conditioner to wet hair.

Lorrie tried it…and it works!

Make Sure to Take Care of the Back of Your Head – Tip #17

How does the back of your head look? Does it look finished, smooth, managed? Or does it look like you spend most of the time on the front of your body and not the back.

A few pointers.

• People do look at the back of your head, so if need be, get a mirror to see what’s going on.
• Some people think it’s okay not to wash their hair or shower every day. For most, this is a definite mistake. Fluff that mane all you want, chances are you still have bed head…and it’s in the spot you’d least likely notice it…the back of your head. Add to that the odor (that you may not notice, because you’re used to your own scent) that steams off your head and possibly offends others. Take the time to shower and clean up; people who don’t aren’t fooling anyone.
• If you feel that this will damage your hair, look at alternatives to always blowing drying it.
• Don’t pull your hair forward if you’ve got long hair. It makes your hair in the back look like it’s got a part down the center. Your hair is supposed to flow down the back and over your shoulders.
  

The other day I sat behind a woman who obviously had hair extensions. I guess she liked the length but did not consider what the rest of her head looked like. At first, I thought she had bugs in her hair. Then after a closer look, I realized all the metal clips were showing. (See above photo.)

A few minutes could do wonders.

Making the Right Color Choices with Color Charts – Tip #10

I’d like you to pause for a moment to think about all the other shoppers you’ve ever witnessed clothing shopping during your life time. Now, I’d like you to try to count the number of times you’ve seen someone walk around with a color chart in their hands.

Can you give me a number? Bet you could count the number of times you’ve seen this happen on just one hand.

Now let’s get personal. How about you? Do you carry a color chart when you’re shopping? If you’re like the rest of the world, you don’t. That’s because you fall into one of three categories: 1-You think you already know what’s good for you and don’t need a color chart, 2-You’ve never even thought about having one or have never heard of color chart for clothing, or 3-You’ve got one, but you leave it at home instead of storing it in your purse.

For those who haven’t seen a color chart before, it can range in size from a checkbook to an elongated deck of cards, and consists of fabric swatches in colors that suit the skin/hair/eyes of a person depending upon which color category they fall within.

Hey, “I look great in green and some blues.”

Yes, you may look great in green and a few blues, but what if I were to tell you you’d get that same fantastic look in 62 other colors. And, what if you knew which values of green and blue work the best with your skin, hair, and eyes. A color chart gives you a tool to follow when you walk into a store to shop and it can make all the difference in the world. If used properly, having the chart handy will:

• Make it easier when shopping, as you’ll avoid/turn away garment colors that don’t match.
• Force you to not purchase anything that does not fit within your color pallet.
• Help with color ranges, given that there are ranges that work best.

Here are the benefits.

• If you use the color chart properly, you can quite literally walk into a store and skip by any color that does not fit your color chart. This may seem insignificant and yet I’ve watched women walk a full store looking for items that might work for their body.
• If you eliminate color first, upwards of three quarters of the store may not work for you. If you’re going to spend a few hours shopping, the color chart could save you countless hours and a lot of walking.
• Your wardrobe will be more precise, given that the clothing you purchase will actually work with your look. If we used a quality color chart to organize your closet, we’d be chucking out several items, some you may even adore and yet, they are completely wrong for you.
• The chart will keep you not only on target with the right colors, it will give you limitations as to what will work and what is out of range. Again, we’re talking a quality color chart.

Yes, there are some people who are naturals at selecting the right colors, there are others who look good but not great, and there are those that have no clue. For everyone, a color chart is a great investment.

Fashionalysis 1: The Magic of The Right Clothing

While traveling home last week from Alabama, I sat next to a young lady reading Redbook June 2008. While flipping through the magazine, she stopped on this page where I noticed that the writer did not offer enough descriptives as to why the outfits did or did not work. I selected these two outfits out of their lineup to show how simple changes can create huge results. Notice how in image Number One the woman appears waist heavy and a little dumpier. The pants stretch in the waist, the jacket flares out like on a pear and the rolled up sleeves don’t work.

If you feel that making the changes to the next picture are too much, just changing the style of pants and shoes would go a long way to fixing this outfit. A pair of straight-leg jeans or pants would at least remove the central focus.

Outfit Number Two is the same woman wearing different clothing. Wow. Yes, the same woman. She does not look full in the waist. (The smile does help) She also appears taller and has a bolder statement. The combination exemplifies how you to can make simple changes to give a completely different look.