Big Brother is alive and well in Scotland

There is a disturbing trend recently to get your hairdresser to become an amateur shrink. I have written in the past about the hairdresser as therapist in the article Your hairdresser knows more than you think, But one such recent attempt is right out of a Orson Wells novel . . . would you believe the Scottish government wants hairdressers to counsel their clients on potential suicide thoughts. I kid you not, you must read the article hairdressers in city salon try to cut suicide rate from news.Scottsman.com.

Can’t you just picture some downhearted Scottish lass sitting in the chair for her monthly trim and hearing “Are you feeling suicidal today? Should I contact the government authorities for you? . . . Now that is a scary thought.

“I would be howling
in protest”

If I were a Scottish hairdresser I would be howling in protest at even the suggestion that I break the sacred bond between me and my clients.

Somehow I just don’t see my peers in the hair styling business being too excited about such efforts to get them to spy for big brother. I know that as a hairdresser I was too busy thinking about what I was doing to get too involved in the melodrama of my clients personal lives.

Barb Quinn on Google+  

Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!

• How to Break Up With Your Hairdresser
• Hairdresser Heals Haiti Quake Victims
• Funky hair styles don’t get better than this!
• Where to go for the Best Cut, Color and Style
• Hair Care Salon Job Postings
• Curl Your Hair With a Flat-Iron
• Frizzy Hair Options

Real Simple Testers Pick Top Hair Sprays

Winter has a way of doing a number on a hairstyle. Wind and snowy weather will flatten or frizz even the most carefully arranged hairstyle. Hair spray can help. Real Simple staffers in December tried hair sprays with three levels of holding power. Flexible hold keeps curls defined but allows hair to move; medium hold works best to tame fly-a-ways and frizz; and maximum hold gives updos staying power. The Real Simple testers were stuck on these winners and runners-up:

Flexible Hold Winner ~~ Frederic Fekkai Coiff Fini Sheer hold Hair spray

• Flexible Hold Runner Up ~~Goldwell Styling Light Kiss Fleixble Hair Spray.

Medium Hold Winner~~ Philip B. Jet Set Precision Control Hair Spray.

• Medium Hold Runner Up~~L’Oreal Professionel Infinium Level 2.

Maximum Hold Winner~~ Phyto Pro Instant Hold Hair Spray.

• Maximum Hold Runner Up~~Garnier Fructis Full Control Ultra Strong Hair Spray.

Five Other Things Hair Spray Can Do

• Safeguard a child’s chalk drawing~~ Mist it with hair spray and allow to dry. The spray acts as a fixative and keeps the colors from smudging.

• Zap insects~~ One blast causes wings to stiffen, immobilizing bugs in midair. (Unfortunately, you’ll still have to sweep them up.)

• Create wrapping paper ~~Spray the Sunday comics to add a sheen to the newsprint and seal in the ink.

• Deslick the soles of new shoes~~ The tacky texture of hair spray helps you avoid slips until the soles get scuffed with wear.

• Stop static cling~~ in a pinch by lightly misting a slip or a skirt.

Barb Quinn on Google+  

Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!

• 6 New Uses For Hair Spray
• Frizzy Hair, Curly Hair, Kinky Hair Product Review
• Hair Products Reviews
• Great Hair Product Reviews
• How to Get Irrestible Gray Hair
• Hairstyle News From Around The Web November 2007
• New Hairstyle Product News

How to Get Healthy Hair

Maybe you have found yourself asking these questions (If not, just humor me):
“Healthy Hair lies down smoothly and reflects light”
What purpose does hair actually serve? It may provide some insulation, but not much to speak of really. Scientists believe that the evolutionary function of hair was to provide:

• Protection of vital parts of the body from cold.

• Additional layer of protection for the skin. We have less hair today than our ancestors and future humans may eventually become hairless.

It’s ironic your hairs’ lack of function is what gives it our cultural meaning. Healthy hair is your crowning glory . . . a decoration of sorts. Hair is one of the most important defining statements about your self-identity.

If your hair is not in order, all other attempts to create a statement of who you are will fall short. Hair is protein . . . the same protein that makes up your fingernails, teeth and skin. The scientific name for this protein is keratin. Soft shiny hair is an indicator of good health, like clear skin and strong fingernails. Your hair is fed by blood, which first feeds your essential organs such as your heart and brain. Whatever nutrients are left goes to the extremities. This is why dull lackluster hair sometimes indicates an illness or vitamin deficiency.

Let’s take a closer look:

• The cuticle~~ The outermost layer of your hair is made up of overlapping scales, as on a fish. Healthy hair cuticles lie down smoothly and reflect light, giving hair its shine. This is the only protecting layer for your hair. A conditioner can help smooth the cuticle. Most women can tell whether they need conditioner by the way their hair feels, such as dry, brittle, broken ends. Here’s a test to find out whether your cuticle is damaged. Shampoo and condition your hair, then comb it out. If the comb sticks in your hair down toward the ends, your cuticle is either dry or damaged, and you will benefit from a deep-moisturizing conditioner.

• The cortex ~~The bulk of the healthy hair strand, makes up 90 percent of its weight. It gives the hair texture, strength, elasticity, and color because it contains melanin, or pigment. Some leave-in conditioners with protein actually penetrate the cortex and build up the hair from the inside out. (When you use permanent hair color, it needs to penetrate the cortex in order for it to take).

• The medulla~~The light, air-filled core. We don’t know just what it does, and some people with fine hair don’t have it at all. Anthropologists think that this might be a throwback to our caveman ancestors, who needed insulation to keep them warm.

Barb Quinn on Google+  

Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!

• Hair Talk How-To
• How Hair Straightening Treatments Differ
• Friends New Hairstyle Not Good . . . Do I Tell Her?
• Hair Types – Ending the War
• Learn How to Perm Hair!
• Cosmetology Schools Teach Life Lessons
• Paula Abdul Hairstyles will be missed