What Causes Your Dry, Damaged Hair?

Dry, damaged hair is extremely common and is often caused by excessive use of modern technology including hairdryers, straighteners and curling tongs. Many people do no take into consideration the damage that excessive heat can cause to their hair, and so they continue abusing the hair on a daily basis.
It is understandable that these modern hair styling equipment are indispensable in this day and age, however there are ways to protect the hair before you use hair dryers and straighteners on your hair.

The True Cause of Dry and Damaged Hair 

Hair is mainly made up of proteins which are hard fibrous types known as Keratin. The keratin in our hair can become damaged due to a number of different factors.   As well as hairdryers, straighteners and curling tongs, heat lamps and even sunbeds can also have a reaction on the hair, just like the sun can in summer. Other factors which affect dry and damaged hair include:

Your Diet  Another cause of dry hair could be due to your diet. In order to have healthy skin, hair and nails, you need plenty of good, fatty acids which you can get from foods such as oily fish including salmon and tuna, and flaxseed oil is also good. You can add flaxseed oil to your diet by adding two tablespoons a day to foods such as potatoes or even popcorn! Many people do not like the sound of flaxseed oil but it actually has a nutty, buttery flavor so most people do not actually mind it once they have tried it.

Shampoo  Although over washing your hair with heavy shampoo and conditioner can cause your hair to be oily, it can also cause your hair to become really dry too. Most people who have oily hair, have to wash it more frequently, whilst people who have dry hair should really only wash it a couple of times a week. This is because some shampoo can strip away essential oils which dry hair needs. It is always best to use a mild shampoo and to pay particular attention to the roots and the scalp.

Not Conditioning Enough

Conditioners can be a savior for dry and damaged hair, and in order to get the most out of your conditioner, it is better to towel dry your hair before you apply the conditioner. If your hair is particularly in bad condition, it is always best to leave conditioner on for at least 2 to 3 minutes. This helps to soak in as much moisture as possible before washing it off. Unlike with shampoo, with conditioner you really need to focus more of your attention onto the roots and ends of the hair.

If you want it to be even more effective, combing the conditioner through with a fine tooth comb will ensure that it is equally spread throughout the hair.

It is also possible to use mayonnaise instead of an ordinary conditioner, and with that you should leave it in anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour. For best results, always wash the hair with cool or tepid water which will help to close the cuticles and lock in the moisture providing longer lasting results.

As frustrating as dry, damaged hair can be, there are some treatments available to prevent and cure it. An example is if you constantly use hair dryers and other modern styling equipment, you can purchase products such as blow drying spray and hair styling shampoo and conditioner which helps to build up protective chemicals in the hair, before it is exposed to the heat.

Going to the hairdressers also helps and you should aim to have your hair trimmed every six weeks or so. This really does help to prevent and eliminate split ends, and it makes your hair look a lot healthier as it gets rid of the ends which are often the worst affected areas of the hair.

If you are somebody that likes to go swimming a lot, you may want to think about purchasing a swimming hat. The chlorine in the water can really damage your hair if it is excessively exposed to it. So either wearing a swimming hat, or shampooing your hair straight afterwards is essential for protecting the hair.

Overall, there are plenty of products including shampoo and conditioner, which can really help, the best way to eliminate dry and damaged hair is to prevent it in the first place. Be aware of how much heat you are exposing your hair to and buy the necessary protective products if needed.

4 Simple Anti-Aging Steps

Aging happens to all of us. It is a natural process over which we have little control. We do have control over many of the effects of aging, however. Here are four simple things you can do to help diminish the effects of aging.

Anti-aging articles are all the rage these days, so I thought I would chip in my two cent's worth. Well, at a penny a tip, four cents.
We cannot do much about the fact that we age, but we can do something about the effects that aging has on us. Here are four simple things you can do to delay and diminish the effects of aging.

Exercise

Eat

Play

Sleep

Think you can handle those? Exercise One of the most obvious effects of aging is what happens to the outward appearance of our bodies as well as what happens to our ability to use them. When we age, systems slow down, or even break down, we lose muscle mass, our heart begins to have problems, we lose our balance more often, we are more likely to break bones. If injured, we recover more slowly. Wrinkles form, breasts sag, stomachs poke out, and we gain weight.

Simple fact: Regular moderate exercise tightens muscles, builds lean muscle mass, helps keep us flexible and strong. It keeps systems and organs in peak health and operating at optimum efficiency. There are people in their 80's and 90's who are doing "athletic" things. Of course, some of this is related to our genetic makeup, but almost anyone can improve their overall health and fitness through a regular program of moderate exercise.

Exercise doesn't HAVE to be exercise, by the way. Gardening is exercise. So is walking, bicycling, aerobics in front of the TV (Richard Simmons, ladies), yoga, weight training, and playing with the grandkids.

Divide exercise into three types: Muscle building and toning, aerobic (cardiovascular) activity, and stretching. A simple weight training routine two or three times a week, a walk five times a week, and a few minutes of stretching every day should do it. Regular exercise keeps you looking, and feeling, good.

EatWhen people age, their nutrition often suffers. First of all, we have all kinds of exhortations to eat less, lose weight, etc. At the same time, as we age, our metabolism slows down and our body's ability to process certain nutrients diminishes as well. Many seniors lose interest in food. Our taste buds even betray us.

For seniors, eating should be fun, of course, but it needs to become a bit more logical. The body requires nutrients, but is having a hard time processing nutrients. Metabolism drops, fat starts packing on, but we need to keep our nutrient level up at a time that our sense of taste is deserting us and we are losing interest in food and a lot of other things anyway.

The exercise I was talking about earlier will help keep the appetite up while raising metabolism and increasing our enjoyment of life as well. It will also be necessary to make yourself eat what you are supposed to eat when you are supposed to eat it. If you have any doubt about your ability to get the appropriate nutrition from the foods you do eat, supplement your diet with vitamins and minerals. At the least, you might want to take a daily multivitamin supplement. Look for the ones that say they are for seniors.

Seniors also tend to not get enough protein. You might not need to butcher a whole cow, but try to make sure that you are getting your protein. While not perfect answers, supplements such as Ensure can help you get protein and other nutrients if you are not sure.

If you are exercising regularly and eating properly, you will feel more like having fun!PlayHaving fun can have many benefits to anybody at any age, but can be of particular importance to seniors. As we age (I am 62) many of us begin to feel isolated as we quit going to work, friends die, it gets harder to get around, everybody around us (those young folks) seems to enjoy things that seem meaningless to us. Based on what a friend of mine, a geriatric nurse, told me, this is the slippery slope that leads many perfectly healthy and normal people to a chair on a senior daycare porch. She told me that many of her patients were fine, they had just figured that there was no reason to be interested in life any more.

Social interaction can keep juices flowing that otherwise would dry up, and I am talking actual chemicals, hormones, and enzymes. Spend time with friends and family. If you no longer have a job to go to daily, why not volunteer in order to keep physically, mentally, and socially active. Find something you always wished you could do, but didn't have the time because you were so busy earning a living. People with partners and pets live longer, healthier lives. There's a clue.

Keep your mind active with puzzles and games. Believe it or not, a little Sudoku, or a few logic puzzles can not only help mental alertness and thinking ability, but can actually contribute to physical health.

Just thought I'd mention, sex is good for you too!SleepRest is important at all stages of our lives, and it becomes very important as we age. Regular exercise, proper nutrition, and some fun will help you fall asleep at night and sleep well. Most of us, both young and old, should be trying to get between six and eight hours of decent sleep a night. Just because you wake up a couple of times to take care of some urgent business doesn't mean that you need to stay up.

If you feel you are not getting enough sleep, or are just not rested enough, by all means have it checked out medically. In the meantime, maybe some meditation during the day can help. Hey! That's M-E-D-I-T-A-T-I-O-N so you don't need M-E-D-I-C-A-T-I-O-N!Have a happyScience Articles, healthy life.

Do You Really Need Nutritional Supplements?

Nutritional supplements are one of the ways to fill the nutritional gap that may be arising due to improper diet. It fills this gap by providing the vitamins, minerals, and other substances that we may be missing out on.

In addition, personal food preferences, lifestyle habits, or special health needs may prompt a person to take nutritional supplements in order to remain fit and healthy.Before taking any nutritional supplement you must know the deficiency in your body and then accordingly with proper consultation through some health experts you can start taking nutritional supplements.

Reasons to take nutritional supplements

• Nutritional supplements aid in the body’s abilities to ward off disease and sickness. When the body has a proper nutritional balance, it is better able to fight off infections or sickness.

• Nutritional supplements can enhance your body’s function. It cleans the human body and restores the deficiencies present inside.• Nutritional supplements helps in better healing. Choosing the right supplements for the specific needs a person has will provide the body the fuel it needs to enhance re-growth and healing within the body.

• If you are vegetarian then you may not get all that you need from your diet and therefore a nutritional supplement can keep you on top form.

• Some people either dislike dairy products or only like a few and therefore to fill the basic nutritional requirement of the body you must go to some external means. Nutritional supplements are the best to solve such issues.

• Smokers and alcoholic beverage drinkers need a greater supply of vitamins B and C since they find it harder to absorb these nutrients. Those on a weight loss diet should use supplements to ensure that their nutritional needs are being met even as they eliminate or reduce the amount of certain foods in their diet.

• Pregnant women are advised to take supplements that contain ingredients beneficial to them and their babies, such as folic acid, vitamin D, iron, phosphorus, and calcium.

• Nutritional supplements also help to enhance memory and mental functions. It keeps you healthy and gives natural nourishment to your brain.

Nutritional supplements if taken properly are an excellent way to ensure your body has all it needs to be healthy.

Overcome Depression. Do not suffer any longer!

The key to winning your battle with depression is knowledge. You simply need to know how to overcome, and all the information you need can be given to you. Find out what the doctors don't even know.

Depression is an unbearable pain that no one can understand unless they have been through it. Pain so intense that death seems like a good option, an adequate escape path. Sometimes death even seems like the only way to escape the torment.

BUT there IS a way out!

I suffered from depression and anorexia most of my childhood and teenage years. I didn't know what was wrong with me. My depression worsened year by year, and I got increasingly suicidal. At the age of seventeen I completely broke down. I couldn't fight the battle any longer. I just wanted to die.

I had written suicide letters, straightened out my belongings, and was ready to carry out a suicide plan. I was at boarding school, and it was late at night. I had waited until my roommate had fallen asleep, and was ready. Then a friend of mine came into my room for no reason; she just felt something was wrong. Having been miraculously stopped from committing suicide, I decided I wanted to live, but only if I could live without depression and anorexia.

So I saw a psychiatrist and a counsellor, I took anti depressant medication, I read books and I studied everything I could find on depression. I then found out exactly how to overcome depression, and you can too. I now have a wonderful life, a gorgeous husband, and an awesome son. I now enjoy life, which I never thought possible.

To find out how you too can overcome depression go to www.overcomedepressionnow.com You have the right to a life that you enjoy; a life with meaning, joy, laughter and hope.

You deserve a life worth living.

The Truth About Asthma Cough

That chronic cough may well be a symptom of asthma. But how will you know? This article explains why a persistent cough should not be ignored!

It's difficult to predict if a chronic cough could be asthma related however, instead of trying to ride out the symptoms, people are encouraged to see their doctor.
If the coughing seems to be worse during certain times such as night time or following any type of exercise then mild asthma could be at play. So what do you do and how can you tell? Well, medical opinion is the best course of action to take. Many people would use some form of cough suppressant however, it must be noted only asthma medications will effective if the cough is a symptom of asthma.

Asthma Or A Cough?Asthma cough is not suspected by many sufferers initially simply because the symptom could be associated with any number of other conditions. However, persistent and chronic night time cough should not be ignored and you should seek your doctor's opinion straight away.

Not Just A Child's Disease It's important to realize asthma is not just a disease affecting children. In fact, adults have a better than 10 percent chance of developing asthma symptoms in their lives and that's why it's important to recognize a persistent cough as possibly more than just a by-product of a severe cold or flu.

During an adult's working life, they may be constantly exposed to non allergic triggers such as workplace irritants or even hormonal changes. Isolating the times when a cough is at it's worst is important when discussing your situation with a doctor.

An Asthma Fact Asthma causes thousands of deaths each year so it's a potential killer. Asthma should be treated as an on-going maintenance project and sufferers need to be on guard 365 days a year. Avoidance of known triggers and consistent use of medication give sufferers every opportunity to lead normal lives. Asthma Cough Facts Wheezing is associated with this type of cough and it's described as non productive, meaning it doesn't produce wheezing. It's an irritating experience in the fact it has an almost hollow sound and the irritation in the throat seems unmovable. If the cough goes unchecked, shortness of breathe or even episodes of vomit can occur. Children In children, the episodes will be frequent and parents should keep a check on when the coughing is at it's worst.

Isolating these times is valuable information for your doctor. It may occur most when the child is at play or during the night. You also want to check the child's breathing and look for rapid breathing. If the cough is breaking up normal sleep habits or it's so pronounced that it wakes the child, then your doctor will need to know. Breathe Easy Rescue inhalers Free Reprint Articles, or short term medicines are the most common type of asthma medication. Long term medications include anti-inflammatory preparations such as Corticosteroids and Leukotrine modifiers.

What is the best course of treatment. This is an area your doctor is best placed to advise you about but usually a combination of both is the best management practice. Inhalers are quick relief and great for diffusing potentially harmful episodes while long term medicines will help prevent and reduce swelling in the airways.

Is My Makeup The Reason For My Dry Skin?

Dry skin affects a lot of people. They deal with it daily and have to keep to skin routines that work and be able to adapt with different products in the case that one starts to lose its effectiveness. Dry skin can mean dull skin, usually leading to a tight feeling, itching, flaking.

Some people have worse dry skin than others, with itching becoming truly annoying and requiring emollient moisturizers and extra care. You may find that you become especially vulnerable during winter months when the harsh cold temperatures, drying winds, and low humidity virtually lay waste to your skin.

You may find that there are many reasons why you have dry skin, and among them, the makeup you wear may only be adding to your dry skin problem.
Many forms of makeup are created every day. Liquid eyeliner. Lipstick with a wet shine like lip gloss. Liquid eye shadows. Mascara that takes several steps instead of one little swipe in order to get that long lash look. While many of these may not bother you, the one thing that goes completely all over your face is foundation.

Finding the right foundation for your skin type is a must. Generally you do not have to worry about other types of makeup unless you realize they happen to be doing adverse things to your skin, but usually something like mascara will not be of any bother.

Foundation, on the other hand, is meant to cover your entire face in order to even out skin tone, hide blemishes, and if you have the right foundation, help protect your face from the outside elements that typically damage your skin (though if your foundation has a sunscreen in it, usually it will not be very strong and you will require additional sunscreen for actual sun protection).

Some makeup items may contain talc, which is a known drying ingredient that is occasionally used in cosmetics. Talc may also be referred to as talcum powder, and is created from talc, a mineral that is very commonplace. If your makeup or foundation contains talc, then you have a problem right there.

You will have to replace any items that contain talc, which may also have other negative effects on your skin. Talc has come under fire from some researchers as a cause for certain types of cancer. However, despite drying your skin, there has been no concrete study done to prove talc is dangerous, and as it has been used safely for years in society, these claims may be unfounded.

Still, talc in your makeup means dry skin for you. Talc is not the only skin drying ingredient your makeup or foundation may contain, so you may want to do some research on the ingredients found in them, specifically in your foundation. If your foundation claims it is meant for dry skin and your skin is still drying out, it may or may not be your foundation.

You must remember that not every cosmetic or product will work for you, even if it is meant for your skin type. Everyone's skin will react differently to a product, so if you notice adverse effects, you may want to look into switching up.    
A good way to help your skin stay moisturized even when you plan on wearing makeup is to put on a lightweight moisturizer before adding your foundation and color cosmetics. Doing so will also make it much easier to smooth on your foundation and help to give you extra moisture and protection against drying agents in your immediate environment.

It may seem tedious to go over all your cosmetics to be sure they have the right stuff, but if you want to help save your dry skin, then it is a necessary tactic and something your skin deserves.