MABH Reader Query: Haircut Ideas for Long Hair

Gayathri asks..

Hey Lancy,
Its such a pleasure to finally find a beauty blog run by Chennai-vaasi  :) I am 26 yrs and a married office goer with a kid. Typical to all south-ies, I have long hair (between hips and tailbone). I hardly leave my hair open as it gets very tangle-y and in Chennai's climate I feel extremely sweaty and hot. And, I am tired of plaiting my hair every single day.

I have never cut my hair before.  Can you suggest some hair cut ideas for a Traditional south Indian gal? I was thinking of going for side swept bangs and a deep U cut. What do you suggest? Can you direct me to a parlour for the same?

Makeup and Beauty Home's Reply:

Hair Cut Ideas for Long South Indian Hair:
Hey Gayathri :) Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Home.
It's great to know that you are a Chennai girl too. For long, South Indian hair, deep U haircut would suit perfectly as you prefer but you haven't mentioned your hair type here so I cannot suggest you anything blindly. Layered cuts would also be very fine if you have long hair; as long hairs of lots of choices when it comes to styling. You won't be losing much length if you get a layered hair cut done but make sure that you do not have curly hair if you wanna layer cut it. Layers make the curls more visible and prominent. In case if you have a straight or wavy hair type, go for deep U as you preferred and this would make you more comfortable with free hair styles unlike the feel you get with plain, even cut hair. Make sure to get it done in a good parlour. Side Swept bangs would flatter if done on women who have wide forehead; hence make sure that you do not have a narrow forehead if you are planning to get bangs. I myself have a wide forehand and yes, I have my bangs now :)
     And about the Hair Salons in Chennai, you can try Naturals Salons and Spa. I have read heard and read good reviews about them. If not, you can discuss with your friends/cousins to find a well experienced hair specialist in your place.
        Overall I have a little suggestion from my side 'Consider not to shorten your hair much :) We, South Indian girls are blessed with beautiful, long black hair but why should we always find it hard maintain? I have experienced many good and bad haircuts in my life made by my beauticians and finally, before 2 months I made a resolution not to cut my hair anytime thereafter. In case If I hadn't cut my hair for 3 two years, I would have been with knee thigh hair now. So think twice before getting your hair cut done. As a start, go for a slight U or V cut and invest more on hair softening hair spas. If you have softer, manageable hair without any tangles, you wouldn't be having this much interest in cutting your long beautiful hair. If you have a very dry, un manageable hair, get deep conditioning shampoos, conditioners suggested  by your hair specialist and use them. Go for a hair nourishing mask or hot oil treatment every weekend. You can also depend on hair sprays to hold you hair in a place'. Think twice, get suggestions from friends/family and that's all you will be done with your beautiful new hair cut.

So girls, which hair cut do you prefer for long Indian hair?
If you have any suggestions close to Gayathri's query, please don't forget to leave them below in comments!

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Reader Beauty Queries 2012: April Week 2

Hey girls and guys! Hope you're enjoying this lovely April month. Do check out now, some queries asked by our sweet readers and help them if you have any particular knowledge/suggestion/experience regarding those. Make use of the tips displayed here and share your own tips to help others! Let us make this an informative space from now. Every week we will be checking out a 'Ready Queries' post to share beautilicious things with each other. Thanks and go ahead! 

Amandeep Singh asks..

I am 34 Male from Punjab, Can u suggest me any good moisturizer cum SPF cream for men? I have combination skin type and presently using Loreal Men's active moisturiser & it is very costly about Rs. 550/- per 120 ml. 

Answer:

Most of the men suggest Neutrogena Men Triple Protect face lotion SPF 20 for a non greasy look. It costs Rs.450 and works pretty good for protecting men skin from UV rays and it also helps in healing dryness and razor rashes. Please do check it out.

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Abha Agarwal asks..

I am 27 yrs old with a very sensitive skin. My T zone is oily while the cheek areas are dry. But if I apply moisturizer on the cheeks during summer, there are small eruptions. Currently, I apply juices of cucumber and tomato on my face, and also ubtan and a paste of orange peels seems to be working fine. I have deep laugh lines on my face. Is there any way to get rid of it? [Lemon juice and  Rose water doesn't suite me] 

Answer:

You have combination skin type if you have dry cheek areas and oily T-zone. Do get special products for combination skin type and treat your skin with natural  home remedies to improve the skin texture. Use Neem & Tulsi facial packs to soothe the eruptions and improve your skin texture. Warm almond oil and massage your facial skin with it for 15 minutes. Allow it to sit on your skin for 20 minutes before washing, thus makes your skin absorb all the nourishment from the oil. Almond oil contains Vitamin E, which helps in reducing fine lines and other laugh lines. Mashed strawberries can also be applied on your skin to reduce lines, as it is a great alternate to lemon juice in providing Vitamin C, a great source of Collagen (Meant for elasticity of the skin). Other than these natural remedies, maintaining a healthy diet is also necessary to achieve younger looking skin. Good luck!

 

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Lakshmi asks..

I'm gonna move to Chennai in June. I'm from Andra Pradesh... All I'm afraid is about is the climatic conditions of Chennai. Presently I'm using "Lotus-herbals anti-tan gel with SPF 30" . Do you think this would suffice the climate there? Or else suggest me some other good sunscreen.. by the way.. my skin is combination with occasional oily t-zone

Answer:

The one that you are using at present is pretty good. I myself used a tube and it works good in removing tan and protecting skin from the sun. Make sure to reapply it once in every 3 to 4 hours for extra protection, to bear Chennai Summer [It is really hot here ] :( Whatever sunscreen you chose, make sure to chose a higher SPF one for longer protection. Nothing can  help except reapplication when it comes to sunscreen.

 

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Hope these answers were helpful, wait for more suggestions from our other sweat readers. A big thanks to Amandeep, Abha and Lakshmi for sending us your queries, they may benefit many others.

And buddies listen please.. Please do submit your suggestions and ideas below in the comment section, regarding this week's reader queries. We would be really glad and thankful! Do you want your queries to be answered here? Do visit our Reader Queries page. Thank you and have a nice time!

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Hair Removal at Home with Sugar Waxing {Reader Beauty Query}

Jahnavi asks in Reader Beauty Queries..

Question: How can we remove body hair naturally and effectively at home? Waxing leaves my skin reddish and causes an uneven growth. 

MABH answers..

Instead of chemical waxing, a natural homemade sugar waxing can be done at home with simple steps. If your skin is too sensitive and unbearable of waxing, you need to go for turmeric hair removal. This procedure doesn't removes hair instantly, but gradually weakens hair roots and removes it permanently with regular use. Mix turmeric with water to make a paste, apply this paste over the areas you want to remove fine hairs. Leave it overnight and wash off in the morning. If you need instant results naturally, homemade natural waxing is the only way. You can apply cold cream to calm down the skin and reduce redness, after waxing. Let me give you the instructions. Be very cautious and careful while performing this at home.

Homemade Hair Removal with Sugar Waxing

Ingredients

1. Sugar - 2 cups
2. Water - 1/4 cup
3. Lemon Juice - 1/4 cup
4. Corn Starch - 2 pinches
5. Fabric cotton strips - required

Method

• Add the sugar, water, lemon juice and corn starch to a sauce pan and light the stove.
• Simmer the stove and blend the mixture gently until the sugar melts and forms a thick brown mixture.
• When it is totally melted, switch off the stove and allow the wax to cool a bit, not too much, the wax's heat should be bearable for you.
• Now at bearable heat, apply the sugar wax on your clean and dry skin evenly and immediately press a fabric cotton strip over the wax, seeing the direction of your hair growth.
• Leave on for few minutes until it's dry and pull of the strip fast, opposite to the hair growth direction. Wash with cold and clean water (to close pores) and apply rose water or any cold creams to calm down your skin. If the hairs are not completely removed, you can wax one or two times again until you get soft, hair free skin.

Hope this helped, be very careful and cautious while performing this homemade waxing procedure. Take care!

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How to Make Natural Sunscreen for Skin and Hair? {Reader Beauty Query}

One of my reader Jahnavi Jha asks in Reader Beauty Queries..

Beauty Query: Is there a natural sunscreen which we can make at home both for hair and skin protection? 

MABH Answers..

Yes. You can make your own sunscreen lotion at home with few natural things easily. In this post, I will instruct you how to make homemade sunscreen lotion for skin and a sunscreen hairspray for healthy hair.

Homemade Sunscreen Skin Lotion

Ingredients Needed:

1. Emulsify wax : 4 gm
2. Vitamin E Capsules : 7 nos (Evion is a good brand)
3. Grape seed oil : 4 to 5 drops
4. Aloevera gel    : 2 tablespoons
5. Distilled water  : 100 ml
6. Essential oil of your choice : 30 ml
7. Jojoba oil : 50 ml
8. Zinc Oxide : 15 gm (Acts as a sunscreen ingredient)

Method:

• Pour the jojoba oil, wax and zinc oxide in a bowl and place the bowl above the double boiler.
• Blend well with a clean until the wax melts. Keep aside.
• Now add distilled water and allover gel in separate bowl and heat it until the mixture is lukewarm. This is the important step, don't skip it or else the mixture wont mix up well.
• After this step, add this lukewarm aloevera mixture to the wax mixture. Blend well again.
• After this step, take the bowl down from the double boiler. Add Vitamin E oil (Extracted from the capsules), essential oils and grape seed oil. Grape seed oil acts a natural preservative.
• Pour the lotion into a clean bottle and allow it to cool before closing with lid. Store in a cool, dry place. This lotion contains natural SPF 20 and preservative (Grape seed oil). So it can be used for about an year without fear.
• You can also add avocado oil, lavender oil and any other essential oil as you wish.

Natural Sunscreen Spray For Hair

I'll give you a simple hair spray recipe which nourishes hair, protects and repairs sun damage. It also gives a nice aroma to hair. What all you have to do is, mix few drops of grape seed oil in 200 ml of fresh rose water. Store it in a spray bottle and shake well. Use this hair spray before you go out in sun every time. As grape seed oil is a natural sunscreen ingredient, it protects and develops hair texture.

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