The Basics : Reasons and Treatment for Dry Hair

The Basics : HOW TO TREAT DRY HAIR 

Why Is Your Hair So Dry?

Scalp isn't Making Enough Oil

Hair has no natural lubrication. It relies on oils made in the hair root to keep your hair moisturised and looking lustrous. As you age, your roots naturally make less oil, leading to dry hair. Furthermore, a very dry scalp will peel and shed. This is dandruff.

Damaged Hair Cuticles

Each strand of healthy hair has a protective layer called the cuticle. Just as shingles shield your home from rain and sun damage, the cuticle shields your hair from heat damage. In a healthy cuticle, the layers lie tightly together and keep moisture in. When a cuticle’s layers separate and peel away from hair, its ability to hold moisture is compromised – some oil escapes.

What Can Damage Your hair?

• Over-washing or using a harsh shampoo strips away your hair's natural oils.
• Blow drying your hair too often, especially with alcohol-based styling products.
• Using heated hair straighteners or curling irons.
• Exposing your hair to lots of sun, wind or dry air.
• Applying chemical treatments, including dyes, perms and relaxers.

The Solutions

• Wash your hair less often. You may be able to get away with washing once or twice a week instead of every day (many people can). As a bonus, when you shampoo less frequently, you won't need to blow dry and heat-style it as much.
• Use a mild shampoo made specifically to help dry hair. It contains fewer drying detergents.
• Use hair products that don’t have alcohol. They are drying.
• Follow the shampoo with a moisturising conditioner. It will keep cuticles lying flat so they hold in natural oils.
• Massage jojoba oil or coconut oil into your scalp to replenish moisture.

After you've tried these techniques, if your hair is still dry and brittle, ask your stylist about a professional deep conditioning treatment. Be warned! Your dry hair may be a symptom of a larger health issue if it is accompanies by fatigue, intolerance to cold, muscle weakness or hair loss.

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My Armpits Are Flaky ... Help!

Keeping with the incidental theme of underarms, I've recently noticed that my underarms are feeling very dry. I have been using Rexona's roll-on which is very high in ammonia to help keep my perspiration at bay, and it works. Never going to give that one up! (This product incidentally is not sold in Singapore, which is where I'm living ATM, so I buy it from Australia when I go back.) The unintended consequence is that is has dried out the skin under my arms and if I'm wearing tight clothing around there, it hurts my skin.

I first tired applying Rosehip oil there, but I didn't see any results. In fact, I actually started to get mood swings - I'm positive it wasn't my imagination. After all, the armpits have immediate access to your bloodstream when anything is applied there and Rosehip has very strong hormonal balancing properties.

I've since moved on to 100% Pure Argan Oil and ... success. My skin has repaired itself! 

I still use my Rexona super antiperspirant during the day, so I rub just a little under my pits before I go to bed at night. 

Any of you facing the same issue and got a better solution? Would love to discover new products or ideas.

For More Info On What Argan Can Do For Your Skin, CLICK HERE!

Some People Can't Smell Their Own Stink

EUCALYPTUS & TEA TREE'S STRONG ANTI-BACTERIAL QUALITIES KILL THE BACTERIA WHICH TRANSFORMS SWEAT INTO SMELLY FATTY ACIDS THAT CAUSE ODOUR. 

We all know that generally men perspire more than women, but did you know that genetically some people are unable to smell their own odour? Also, certain medical conditions like thyroid disease and carcinoid syndrome can make sweating worse, as can the side-effects of some medicines like antidepressants.

What Causes Body Odour?

Perspiration itself does not smell, but it's the bacteria that lives on our skin that breaks down sweat into aromatic fatty acids which produce the unpleasant odour. So, body odour can be reduced by either reducing sweat and/or reducing the amount of bacteria on the skin. 

Body odour can also be caused by food. Foods that contain a lot of fats, oils and pungent foods like garlic can lead to odor. This is caused by the release of aroma occurs in the pores of the skin and mixes with sweat.

Find Out More About Body Odour Here

Everything You Need To Know About Tea Tree Oil

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My Guide To Using Essential Oils : The lazy version

I'm Dianne and I discovered the power of essential oils on skin while I was pregnant. Like a lot of mums, I was applying Rosehip furiously on my tummy (and other enlarged body parts) to prevent stretch marks. It worked! Then I thought, what else can essential oils do for my skin. I researched more and discovered that with the right know-how you really didn't need to use any big-brand name skin care to achieve excellent skin. Honestly, its not hard. True, there are many many many essential oils. But you don't need to know about them all. Just a handful is really all you'll need to tackle the more common skin care challenges. I've chosen ROSEHIP, TEA TREE, EUCALYPTUS and ARGAN. These 4 are really the basics in skin care in my opinion. 

You can visit my website at www.thelittleessentials.com if you want to discover more about the science on why these oils work and how you can use them.

But in the meantime, I wanted to share with you how I personally use essential oils in my day. Hopefully it will give you some ideas on how to use it in yours.

Diffuser

In my car : I reuse Glade car fresheners (the kind that comes in a bottle and clips onto your air-con vent. I wash out the wick and bottle and add lemongrass. Its a fresh and uplifting scent. 0.5 pumps of lemongrass into a diffuser. It makes my bathroom smell like a spa.

Skin 

Day : Eucalyptus spray under my arms. It kills odour causing bacteria which deodorants do not do. However, I use an antiperspirant after it dries to reduce sweat as essential oils do not help with this.

Night : Replace moisturiser with Rosehip or Argan

Day: Use a lemongrass spray on my legs. I'm prone to insect bites. Eucalyptus works too but doesn't smell as great.

Hair 

Agan on my tips to prevents fly-away hairs and repair split ends.

I use a tea tree hair spray to give my hair a nice scent. 

In the Pool : I rub Rosehip onto my hair to seal the shaft. It prevents chlorine from entering into it and drying it out. Rosehip is a dry oil so it won't dissipate into the pool

Face 

Day - Tea tree spray as a face toner. I suffer from acne and tea tree is toxic to bacteria found in acne. 

Night - I use 1 pump of Argan under my eyes, my face and neck. I do not own night cream. Although I'm prone to acne. Argan oil has actually reduced my acne.   

Wrinkles and Dry Skin : How Argan Oil Can Help

DRY SKIN AGES FASTER THAN WELL MOISTURISED SKIN. 

ARGAN OIL NOT ONLY KEEPS THE DERMIS WELL HYDRATED BUT PENETRATES THE SKIN, LIKE A SERUM AND INFUSES THE SKIN WITH VIT E, VIT C AND OTHER FATTY ACIDS WHICH KEEP SKIN YOUTHFUL. 

ARGAN IS GREAT FOR CROWS FEET, RABBITS FEET AND UNDER EYE CIRCLES. 

Find Out More About How Wrinkles Are Formed Here

Secret Tip #3 : Keeping Your Hair Hydrated After A Swim

Hair often gets dry and frizzy after going into the pool. Hair not only absorbs the chemicals in the pool but it's odour as well. To prevent this, thinly comb through rosehip

oil into your hair. It seals the hair shafts. And because rosehip is a dry oil, it won't dissipate into the water.