Snip, Snipity Snip

The topic of Trimming hair is taboo to so many women! The idea of cutting off hair they have worked so hard to grow just does not go down well. My dear dear ladies, the truth is, if you do not trim your hair when it needs it, you will lose the hair through breakage. Every time you wash it, every time you comb it, every time you whip you hair, every time you dutty whine, every time you turn your head to check out a hottie, your hair will break. Give your hair a little trim ladies, you'll be happier for it....trust me, I am a hair doctor. (No not really LOL) 

Trimming is important to remove split ends or small knots that cannot be unravelled.

There are 3 main ways to trim hair depending on the length of your hair, the extent of damage in your hair and how much hair you are willing to take off.

The first method is the Search and Destroy method.

This method is for people who want to lose as little length as possible. Simply take very small sections of hair, seek out any damaged/split strands and carefully snip approximately a centimeter away from the end of the strand. You can do this as often as you need to.

The one small disadvantage to the method is that you might end up with slightly uneven hair but at least what you have left is all healthy hair and you save a lot of length.                                    (that is me actually searching and destroying)

Method number two is Dusting. This is for people who regularly get knots and split ends. The method is to cut off less than half a centimetre of hair regularly (about every 6 to 8 weeks). It ensures that the problem does not get enough time to travel further down the hair shaft. However, if you are forced to dust more regularly, you are probably doing something wrong with your hair care regimen. Change things up. Do some research to solve the problem.

                                                          (that is me pretending to dust)

The final method is the regular trim. This is great to remove old unhealthy ends and is a good base level to start off managing you hair better. After a regular trim, you can then move on to the dusting or search and destroy methods. A regular trim takes off as much hair length as is necessary to fix the problem. Taking hair in small sections, cut off about an inch or more at a time until all the unhealthy parts of the hair have been removed.

NOONE should have to do this regularly.

 

(That is me pretending to do a regular trim and praying to Jesus I do not cut off my hair by accident)

 

Something  to note, Always use sharp scissors.

 

This next tip is for your general hair care.

If you go to salons regularly, do not be afraid to tell your hair dresser what to do! I have sat in fear, saying prayers to God on one hand and convincing myself on the other that my hairdresser knows what she is doing as I had my hair butchered or endured bad relaxers, or somebody combing through my whole hair with a fine tooth comb, or slathering pomade in my hair, or walking out of a salon with stark dry hair, and all manner of abuse. 

If you think your hairdresser is doing something wrong, Speak up! half the time they have no idea what they are doing. It is your hair. 

 

xx

Cleanliness is Right Next to Godliness: Part 2

As a makeup artist, dirty brushes are the bane of my existence. I have had many fantasies of midnight elves who scurry in and take care of my dirty brush problem while I sleep soundly but alas, this has yet to happen. I remain hopeful though.
In the meantime, here is the method I use and it works really well.

First you need dirty brushes

\

Then you need some good old washing up liquid

and some extra virgin olive oil

Pour one part olive oil and two parts washing up liquid in a bowl

Swish your brush around in the mixture until the bristles are completely covered

And the mixture starts to get a little foamy, then swish the brush around on your palm for good measure.

Rinse the brush off with some warm water 

Voila! Clean brushes

Let the wet brushes lay out to dry on some clean paper towels overnight.

Repeat the process if the brushes are not entirely clean.

Some things to note

Try not to get water past the neck of your brushes as water looses the glue that holds the bristles together and if that happens, your brushes will start to shed.

I have had absolutely no problems with breakouts using this method so be confident that it is safe.

The brushes shown are by a company called Real Techniques. I got mine from Boots

xx

Cleanliness is Right Next to Godliness

I had a little look in a friend's makeup bag recently and I was truly horrified by what I found.
The outside was not bad at all. In fact it was a rather nice bag, sleek with gold hardware. Then I open the zipper and looked inside... Dear God I looked inside.
First, the entire interior had gone from black to a sort of moist brown. Each product was covered in well.... other products and to top it off, you could just tell that she had had some of those products for more than a few years.

If this is starting to sound like you then consider this your little slap on the wrist.
It is important to keep your makeup clean and germ free to avoid transferring germs to your face.
A little wipe down with the trusty rubbing alcohol and a kitchen towel is a really good way to keep makeup germ free.
With powders, spray a little bit of the alcohol on the surface of the products and keep them open until completely dry.

Finally for arguably the most ignored part of makeup care, ladies ....and gentlemen who wear makeup, here is a little chart I created to save you from breakouts and quite frankly, blindness. It tells you how long on average to keep different types of products.
Print it out, Pin it up and Follow it!

You can thank me later.
xx