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Why Should You Visit a Hair Salon for Colouring?

The most confusing question that arises when you consider getting your hair coloured is whether you need to get the job done by a professional hairdresser at a hair salon or just buy the product you fancy and do it yourself at home.

Hairdressers are called experts for a reason: they are trained and certified. There are bleak chances that you will dread your hair colour if you get it done by a hairdresser. If you are specifically looking for highlight or lowlights, you need a hairdresser’s expertise to get the job done without ruining your hair. If that isn’t enough to push you to book your appointment at the hair salon, remember that if you are unhappy with the hair colour they will fix it right away. Remember that dyeing your hair is a messy affair and if you spill a little onto the bathroom floor, another bout of work awaits you!

Here are four reasons why you should visit a hair salon for colouring:

• If three shades lighter is what you are looking at: Darkening of hair can be done at home. Dark colour can be achieved at home by selecting a shade and applying evenly throughout. Lightening is a trickier process. If you’ve thought about it, consider it again. Dark hair is embedded with a little red pigment. If not done right, red starts to show and you are left guessing about your next step. Leave the experimentation to the hairdresser. Lightening is a two-step process. The first step is removal of the existing colour followed by application of a toner. Then comes the hair colouring. It is difficult to get both these steps right on your own.

• Red head: Dyeing your head red is the most difficult hair colouring job on the planet. If red means red and not a carrot head, a hair salon is the place you must visit. If your hair colour is brown or black, adding red over it will leave you with a confusing shade of purple or burgundy.

• Fixing a bad colouring job: It doesn’t matter if your last hairdresser made you look like a cookie monster, a good hair stylist will set it right. If you attempt to set it right on your own, remember you are to blame for any kind of hair-crisis. If you are still sceptical about visiting a hair salon, consult hair colour consumer hotlines at Revlon, Garnier, Clairol or L’Oreal. Invariably, they will ask you to visit a hairstylist to fix the problem.

• Making light hair darker: Hair colouring is a tricky affair. The shade you see on the colour box is a far cry from the actual results. A shade of burgundy on dark brown hair will hide the hair colour making it visible only in the sun. Not to discourage you from trying, but even if you do end up with the colour of choice, the natural look is something that only a hair stylist can attain.

If a visit to a hair salon for your colouring needs is not feasible, do the touch up yourself at home and keep the visits monthly.

In your perennial quest to look beautiful, beauty salons help a great deal. Though, you may be regularly visiting these parlours for a wide variety of treatments and services, it is always advised to be informed and cautious about the procedures. You don’t realise but quite a few of the apparently mundane procedures have risks attached with them. Let’s take a look at different treatments and the risks they come along with. Also, we will discuss in brief what homework you need to do before getting any beauty treatment.

Potential dangers
• Manicure/pedicures: A carelessly done job has the potential to cause fungal and bacterial infections. All the instruments need to be properly cleaned before the commencement of procedure on any new customer.

• Eyelash tinting: This requires heavy use of chemicals. Since eyes and the areas surrounding it are very sensitive, there is always the risk of reactions, allergies and burning sensations
• Bikini waxing: Since the area is so sensitive and the hair is supposed to protect it, removal of hair exposes the area to potential infections.

• Botox: Since the treatment is basically paralysing the muscles to remove all the wrinkles, there are quite a few risks attached to it. Wrong dosage can lead to drooping of facial muscles. In some cases the damage could even be permanent.

• Laser hair removal: It could lead to burning and pigmentation of skin. Also, there could be permanent changes in the skin colour.

• Chemical peel: The name itself seems dangerous. It basically peels the old and dead first layer of the skin leaving the face looking fresher. But since chemicals are used here, it could lead to many complications like burning, darkening, pigmentation and infections

• Hair Bleaching: Bleaching of hair can lead to weakening of your hair. Bleach dries your hair and makes it very brittle and your hair becomes prone to damage.

A little bit of homework
The above mentioned dangers are in no way exhaustive. They are just the more popular treatments that have risks attached to them. To make sure that you don’t become a victim of any mishap in a salon, few pointers are mentioned below to help you.

• Choose a reputed salon: We all are generally on a budget, but there should be no compromise when it comes to your well-being. If you don’t have a favourite, read the reviews and then make your decision.

• Salon professional: Make sure you are comfortable with the person servicing you at the salon. Ask for the qualification and make sure that the person is experienced if the treatment is complex.
• General hygiene: This should be automatically taken care of if you are going to a good salon, but being cautious will not do any harm.

• Know yourself: You know better than anyone else what works and doesn’t work for you.
So the next time you go to any salon, keep a check on things. Be an informed and conscious customer. Know all the pros and cons of the treatment that you are going to take and it will go a long way in keeping you safe.

You’re having a really tough day at work and the sound of getting a luxury massage at your favourite spa later seems like the only thing that’s going to get you through the rest of the day. Everyone needs a break every once in a while and I don’t mean wait for those two weeks of summer vacation once a year to plan your holiday.

Working wonders
Taking a spa weekend or a spa holiday every second or third weekend can do wonders for your life. A spa holiday can even be spending one day at a luxury day spa which can be done over the weekend. That way you don’t have to worry about asking your boss for leave unless you want to pick a spa resort somewhere else other than your city.
So what would you want for a perfect spa day? A nice relaxing full body massage in a dull lit room with scented candles, floating flower petals, and soft instrumental music to start off with. Followed by a refreshing steam or sauna, maybe a short swim in the heated pool and some drinks and good food at the hotel bar later. If this doesn’t complete the perfect spa day then nothing else will.

Depending on where you live, do some research on some good spas or spa resorts within the vicinity of your city that you live in. Usually, there are some luxury spas within the city or some really good spa resorts in the outskirts. You could ask a friend, your spouse, a family member to accompany you or you could even go by yourself for some well-deserved rest and relaxation from life’s stress.

Let’s take a look at some popular spa destinations around the world where you could probably plan your next spa holiday:

Thailand – thousands of people from all around the world flock to Thailand for the holidays, and not just for the amazing shopping and awesome nightlife. Thailand also has some of the most relaxing and rejuvenating places you could find yourself in – a real paradise on earth.

Phuket is one such paradise destination and the perfect spa holiday destination. Choose from any of Phuket’s five and seven-star hotels which already have luxury spas within the hotel or you could go to an authentic Thai spa for a relaxing head and foot massage. It also depends on your budget but Thailand has something to offer for everyone. Try out the chic Cape Sienna Hotel & Villas, which has the Balance Spa that overlooks the beautiful blue ocean. After all, Thailand is known to have the most amount of massage treatments anywhere in the world and not only are they extremely relaxing and distressing, but are very therapeutic as well.

Turkey – Istanbul has some of the best spas and spa resorts anywhere in the world. The Cappadocia cave hotels and resorts have a wonderful and tempting variety of spa and massage treatments that you can indulge yourself in. Experience the ‘hammam’ or Turkish bath at the Four Seasons Bosphorus Hotel overlooking the Bosphorus river for an unforgettable and ultimate spa holiday experience.

Kerala – located in India, the state of Kerala attracts many tourists primarily for its unique Ayurvedic treatments known to cure many ailments. The Lalit Resort and Spa in Bekal won the Luxury Spa Award in 2013 so you’d definitely want to pay this spa resort a visit.

Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT) happens to be a modern and logical massage therapy. It is founded on an understanding of the functions of the neuromuscular system. The principles of the neuromuscular therapy help the therapist in understanding the cause of your pain i.e. the trigger points, the posture, etc, and also how to treat it. The nervous system is the backbone of your body and controls everything including pain and muscle tension.

It is the most effective therapy for reducing lower back pain. Neuromuscular therapy is also known as trigger point myotherapy in some places. The American Academy of Pain Management has recognised this technique of massage therapy as the most effective treatment for back pain that is usually caused by an injury of the soft tissue.

The technique of Neuromuscular Massage Therapy
Alternating levels of concentrated pressure is applied on the areas that are experiencing muscle spasms. The pressure is applied using the fingers, knuckles or elbow. It is very important that the amount of pressure applied to the muscle spasm remains the same for about 10–30 seconds.

The approach of Neuromuscular Therapy
It is a very detail-oriented massage therapy that focuses on muscles, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, etc. The precision of this massage therapy helps release tension from the problem areas usually missed during a general massage.

The thumb or fingertips are used to explore the muscles and tissues while performing a neuromuscular massage. The elbows and forearms are only used when it is necessary. The tense muscles in the body often form bands of muscle fibres that are even more tighter than the other muscles in your body.

Neuromuscular Therapy also includes the treatments for the craniosacral system, connective tissues, joints and internal organs. Pain can be caused due to a problem in any of the systems of the body by the creation of high-intensity nerve impulses, which stimulate muscles to contract.

• Neuromuscular Therapy is based on the following principles
• The Adhesions of body structures i.e. they can be glued together.
• Facilitation of the tendency of the nervous system to easily do what it has done multiple times before.
• Hypertonicity, which is an excess of tension in the body muscles.
• The restriction of blood flow to a particular body part known as ischemia.
• Joint Fixation, where very tight joints can create tension in the body muscles.
• Nerve Compression is caused when a bones or cartilage is pressed on the nerve.
• Nerve Entrapment is the result of tight muscles entraping nerves.
• Muscle tension can cause pain when the tension crosses the pain threshold.
• Misalignment of the body in gravity can lead to muscle tensions that can cause a postural distortion.
• The body has points of high electrical activity that have the ability to send pain to areas away from it. These points are known as trigger points.

The massage therapist understands all these points and uses this knowledge to help reduce any kind of pain or discomfort during Neuromuscular Therapy.

Since the introduction of laser hair removal therapy, it has grown in popularity and many people, both men and women have chosen this treatment of hair removal over the traditional methods. This is a process in which concentrated beams of light are used to kill the follicles of hair. The cost of this treatment is more than that of traditional methods so most of you will ask if this is worth it. This article will talk about how effective this treatment is and how you could benefit from this.

Is it really permanent?
Even though many people opt for laser hair removal, this treatment is not really classified as permanent, but is said to be in the permanent hair reduction category. You cannot really stop the growth of the hair totally because the skin keeps regrowing the follicles and these have to be further removed. Most results show that there is a drastic decrease in the number of active hair-producing follicles between 20 and 90 percent. These results mainly last for a few months or even up to a few years.

You should wait for about a year or so to decide how effective your laser hair removal treatment has been. It is important to have regular follow-up sessions with the therapist for the areas in which the hair has regrown. The result of your treatment also varies with how well the follicles of your hair absorb the light from the laser. This type of treatment works best for people who have dark hair and slight skin. It is not usually recommended for those people with darker skin or have hair that is blonde, light brown or light red. This is due to the fact that the laser is not very effective in targeting the follicle of the hair when the pigment is less as the laser does not get absorbed by it.

Pain
For a lot of people, pain is also a factor that is very important with regard to hair removal. Laser treatment is considerable less painful than electrolysis as there is no invasive treatments that are needed. The lasers may pain a little due to the heat. But you may find that the result is worth the pain.

Cost effectiveness
The cost of this treatment is higher than that of the traditional methods but in the long run you usually do save a bit of money and a lot of hassle if you do choose to get this procedure performed. Compared to the monthly cost of going to the parlour, just going in for a couple of sessions of laser therapy may cost more in the beginning. If you calculate the cost over a year or more which is the average time laser hair removal can last for, it is comparatively cheaper.

At the end of the day if your skin is suitable for laser hair removal and if you consult a good doctor or a good clinic, this is the most effective hair removal solution that is available.

While waxing at times is inevitable, the process might be really painful. However, there are some smart ways to make it a lot less painful. Some of these ways include:

Begin waxing on a small scale: If you plan to wax your legs, make sure that you begin with your ankle. Just in case you are waxing your arm, begin with an area that is as small as your wristwatch. It is not really easy when you do it for the first time. If you apply wax across your entire leg, removing it will be really painful. Additionally, the hair might not get removed from the roots.

Do yoga before waxing: Just in case you want to wax a large part of your body, being flexible won’t really hurt. Thus, you could try doing some yoga before getting on with the waxing exercise. Flexibility would go a long way in ensuring that you suffer from less pain during the process.

When you go for waxing your eyebrows, mark the intended section with eyeliner: Remember it is not an easy exercise at all to wax your eyebrows. Thus, it might help if you mark the intended area for waxing with eyeliner. This would significantly help in setting a guideline. As soon as you get done, you could try removing the additional wax with the help of baby oil.

Apply wax that is a little cooler on your pubic area: Well, it is always better to apply cooler wax on your pubic area. It is important to understand that something that might seem warm on your arms might seem very hot down below. People often make the mistake of applying hot wax on the concerned area that could actually take off some skin. Mind you, that might really be painful.

Use numbing creams: Numbing creams really work. You need to apply the same on your waxing zone about half an hour prior to the beginning of the exercise.

Consume an off-the-counter pain relieving pill before the waxing exercise: Ingest one of those popular over-the-counter pain-relieving medicines before you get down to the waxing procedure. Sometimes, it might really help in lessening the aggravated pain that might be experienced during or after the waxing process.

Try and concentrate on something else if you are undergoing waxing at home: You might want to keep yourself busy with something when you are waxing yourself at home. This might significantly help in reducing the hardships that are otherwise encountered during the process.

You might try using an exfoliating scrub on the areas when you intend to do waxing: The process of exfoliation might rid you of all those dead skin that might be trapping the hairs. This is important to remove the hairs on the first attempt itself.

Following any or all these procedures will help you during the waxing process. But then again, you need to be sure as to what suits you best before zeroing in on the strategy.

Hair Volume and the Salon

Has your hairdresser recently pointed out that your hair is thinning? If so, then treatments to help increase hair volume might be a useful avenue for you to follow. With science evolving every day, there are now proven ways for you to help increase the volume of your hair. Read on to find out what some of them are.

Nutrition
Before you even begin to think about treatment, it is useful to know that hair thinning is usually a symptom of a larger issue. Some hormonal disorders, like thyroid, may result in thinning hair. Make sure that you get yourself checked out by your doctor if you are confronted with suddenly thinning hair. There may be larger issues at place.

Volumising treatments
Shampoos with zinc, mint oil and other compounds are often a good method to encourage induce hair thickness. Lots of salons offer personalised thinning hair treatments, which often involve the application of a shampoo, conditioner, serum, and a mask, if not more. Regularly going for these treatments, especially if you start to see a noticeable difference, can help you quickly reverse your hair thinning trend.

Apart from treatments at the salon, there are also at-home treatments that you could pursue, often in the form of using salon-recommended products to promote hair growth. In the last few years, more and more dermatology journals are confirming the effectiveness of active ingredients like zinc in the promotion of hair growth. These products can help you get thicker hair from the root up.

Hairspray
Why hairspray, you might ask? Well, you may want to make your hair seem thicker while you are undergoing treatment, and a good hairspray really helps you sport a voluminous look. Get your hair styled regularly in the salon as well, and then use the hairspray on your hair to help you prep for subsequent hairstyles.

While hairspray is great at mimicking thickness, make sure that you choose a good brand of hairspray that won’t make your hair thin further.

Hot rollers
Hot rollers are a great way to get some volume in your hair without damaging the hair too much with heat. Ask your hairstylist to use hot rollers to give you that extra bounce, especially at the roots.

Highlights
While highlights seem like a good idea for thinning hair, too many could actually cause thinning hair. However, with the right products and professional help, highlights can help your hair seem fuller and thicker. Make sure that your hair isn’t too dark or too light, for both tend to expose the scalp. Instead, go for mid-hue highlights that add some body and shimmer to your hair.

Haircuts
Sometimes, the quickest fix for your hair might be getting a trim. You’re not doing your hair any favours by keeping it damaged and long. Ask your stylist to give you hair a cut with long layers or blunt ends, both help to make the hair look thicker, and to remove all the split ends and damaged parts. A good haircut can help you hair look thicker as you explore other hair thickening treatments.

Body Wraps: Are They as Effective as Claimed?

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear honey, clay, butter, chocolate and eucalyptus? No, these are not ingredients for an exotic dish but the requirements of a rejuvenating body wrap. Body wraps are the latest fad introduced by day spas. A body wrap promotes blood circulation and increases the body temperature to enhance your body’s functioning.

Body wraps: What are they?
When the concept of body wrap was introduced, they were known as herbal wraps because of the ingredients used. Then, linen sheets were used instead of thermal blankets or plastic sheets. With time, body wraps evolved to grow beyond the ‘herbal wrap’ tag. A favourable choice for a spa day, the procedure of a body wrap is carried out in a dark room with relaxing background music. The procedure involves laying the thermal blanket on the massage table, over which a plastic sheet is placed. You are wrapped with this sheet and a third layer of warm towel cocoons you.

At first, a scrub is applied and a gentle massage exfoliates the dead skin to expose the soft and supple new layer. Scrub options include mud, green apple, pear, walnut, blueberry, rock salt, and so on. Post scrub, a warm shower washes off all the debris. The process of scrubbing is the preparation stage for a body wrap.

The wrap ingredients are smeared over the plastic sheet in a thin layer before wrapping it around the body. Once the wrap is completed, the electric blanket is pulled up to keep you warm. The temperature maintained by the blanket will leave you sweating for the entire duration which may last anywhere between half an hour to forty five minutes. If it’s your first time, the experience may be a tad bit uncomfortable because for the entire duration, your body movement is restricted.

Cooling down is a slow process. Moisture retaining body lotion is applied post rinsing to mark the completion of the procedure.

The options for body wrap include:
Detox wrap: The main ingredients include mud or seaweed that pull or tighten the skin.
Moisturising wraps: The ingredients and lotions used are many.
Cellulite treatment: Herbal concoctions that target the cellulite.
Slimming: The material used is smaller in size and the wraps are snugger.

Are they effective?
For a detox wrap, the claims made are promising, while there is lack of scientific validation that a mask drains out toxins from the body. Detoxification is dermal which means that sweating it out opens up clogs on the skin surface but the kidney and the liver are unaffected. The effectiveness of the wrap varies from spa to spa based on the ingredients they use. The effect of any slimming mask is temporary. Losing water weight gives the illusion of weight loss and the results are evident for a maximum time of two days

The verdict: Keep your expectations real. Yes, your skin will feel soft and fresh. With repeated treatments, the overall appearance will be improved.

What to Expect from Spa Days?

Every spa ‘virgin’ experiences many uncertainties before entering the spa. They are clueless on what to expect out of their visit. Before you get too vexed on the how’s, here is an itinerary for the events on a spa day.

• Arrival: On arrival, the first thing that you encounter is the receptionist who will hand over a questionnaire. The questions here are quite basic inquiring about your health conditions and complications, if any. You are also asked to change into a pair of slippers; this is done to instill a sense of relaxation prior to the commencement of the services.

On completing the forms, you are directed to the area where you can change into the robe that is provided by the spa. Every spa provides a locker on arrival to keep your valuables. After changing, you are given a tour of the premises and a detailed explanation of all the services offered. You are shown the steam room, the various service stations, the eating area, gym and the swimming pool.

Ask your guide to show you beforehand the station where you are to receive the services so that you avoid being late for the treatment. Generally, it is advisable to wait in the waiting or relaxation room, commonly referred to as the ‘meditation room’, 10 minutes before the scheduled service is to begin.

• Treatment expectation: A good spa starts off with a consultation with the client. The therapist first inquiries about your health conditions and your skin condition. Following which, the treatment that you’re about to receive is explained. All the steps and each one’s benefits are spoken about. If you are stuck not knowing if you have to remove your clothes or keep them on for the process, simply ask the therapist. Usually, it is only the back massages that require nudity. Procedures like facial, manicure and pedicure do not require the same. If you are required to strip, there are many draping techniques that the therapist follows to keep only the area to be worked over accessible. While the session is on, don’t hold back from expressing your like or dislike with a certain massage stroke. If there needs to be more pressure applied, say so, and the same goes for reducing the pressure.

• After treatment: On completing the treatment of choice, you can spend the remaining day enjoying the other benefits of the spa like the fitness and health facilities, if they are a part of the chosen package. A relaxing dip in the pool, time in the sauna or breaking into sweat at the gym: the choice is yours. You may also avail other services like a facial or a pedicure depending on the staff availability and spa traffic. A day spa, in general, gives you the choice to choose more than one treatment per day spa appointment. It is advisable to make a booking for the services that you are interested in beforehand to save money. While exiting, the guests are required to sign in a register and leave comments.

Everything You Need To Know About Deep Tissue Massage

This is a kind of massage technique that primarily concentrates on realigning the deeper layers of connective tissues and muscles. This massage therapy is very useful for alleviating chronic pains, stiff necks, and pains in upper back, tightness in leg muscles, sore shoulders and low back pain.

Contrary to common belief, people go through deeper relaxation stage while receiving a deep tissue massage. A massage therapist makes use of direct pressure and warm oils so that your muscles top layer is relaxed and eventually reaches the inner layers in your muscles tissues.

Techniques of deep tissue massage
If someone goes through a chronic muscle injury or tension, he or she may experience adhesions i.e. rigid and painful tissue in ligaments, tendons and muscles. Such adhesions can cause obstructions in circulations thereby causing restricted movement, inflammation and pain. A deep tissue massage functions by physically decomposing these adhesions so that there is relief from pain and normal movement can be restored. Massage oil is used by a massage therapist along with deep and direct pressure. Your muscles should be relaxed well so that the massage therapist can access to the inner muscles tissues.

Is deep tissue massage hurtful?
When a massage therapist is performing the massage, many people may find some sort of pain and discomfort. If you are one of them, it is crucial for you to inform your massage therapist. This means notify him if you are experiencing any kind of pain, soreness or hurt that is beyond your range of comfort. In case you do feel any type of pain or stiffness after a session of deep tissue massage, you should not worry as this will subside within a couple of days. Your massage therapist may recommend that you apply a cold pack on the affected location after completing the massage.

A Deep Tissue Massage has various merits:

It concentrates on a particular problem like injury rehabilitation, chronic muscle pain and is beneficial in the following cases:
• Mobility is restricted
• Lower back pain
• Chronic pain
• Postural problems
• Strain injury that is repetitive in nature
• Recovery from injuries such as sports injury and falls
• Sciatica
• Osteoarthritis pain
• Piriformis syndrome

Can everyone go through a deep tissue massage? Here are some of the cases when someone should avoid undergoing a deep tissue massage:

• Soon after a radiation or chemotherapy session unless the doctor recommends for it
• Just after undergoing a surgery
• If there is an infectious disease of skin, open wounds or rash
• People who are vulnerable to blood clots. If a person suffers from a heart disease, he or she must consult a physician prior to having a deep tissue massage.
• Has osteoporosis, it is better to meet a doctor before undergoing this type of a massage.
• Has inflamed skin, bruises, abdominal hernia, tumours, recent fractures and unhealed wounds.
• Women who are pregnant should consult their gynaecologists before going for such a massage. They should approach a therapist who is a veteran in the field of pregnancy massages.