Skip the old method of blowing into your hands and smelling your breath. Instead, lick the back of your hand, let the saliva dry, then take a whiff. What you smell is your true breath.
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Showing posts with label faq. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faq. Show all posts
Thursday, April 17, 2008
How Can I Tell if I Have Bad Breath?
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What Causes Bad Breath?
Most of your bad breath problems can be traced bad to poor oral hygiene. Bacteria that builds up on the back of your tongue or in between your teeth is the main culprit. These bad boys like to breed on the tongue and in crevices caused by gum disease, cavities and poorly fitting bridges or crowns. According to my dentist, bad breath can also be caused by antihistamines, nasal sprays and some anti-depressants. They can dry up your saliva, which leads to bad breath. This is why your friend's breath will smell more when she's sick.
So how to fix? Make sure to floss daily, brush your teeth thoroughly & scrape your tongue with a tongue scrapper (bought at drugstores). If this doesn't work? See your doctor.
Click here to find out how to tell if your breath is bad (don't try smelling your breath any other way, doesn't work).
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Is There A Cure for Bad Breath?
The key here is to get rid of the culprits. You’ll need to keep bacteria at bay by daily flossing and brushing. You also want to drink plenty of water. It’s especially important to brush and floss at night, when production of saliva slows down causing ‘dry mouth.’ Buy a tongue-scraper and use it in combination with brushing your tongue. Sugarless gum also does an excellent job of cleaning out the crevices where bacteria like to breed.
source from http://beauty.about.com
Thursday, April 3, 2008
How To Fix Under-eye Circles
Q: I have dark under-eye circles. Is there any way to get rid of them?
A.: Dark circles are famously annoying and unfortunately, there's no way to get rid of them. However, you have 3 basic options for concealing them:
Option 1: Use a proper concealer. Test out the best colors at a department store counter or at Sephora. (Tip: Tell the makeup artist you are looking to correct the undereye circles and are testing several different types before purchase). Choose concealer that's a shade lighter than your foundation. And if your circles are very dark, go 2 shades lighter. You might be choosing a concealer that's too light if you are getting a 'raccoon look.'
Great concealers include:
Revlon New Complexion Concealer
Estee Lauder Smoothing Skin Concealer
Cover Girl Smoothers Concealer
Neutrogena Smoothing Skin Stick
We find it works best to apply stick concealers with your finger dabbing a few dots under your eyes.
Option 2: Invest in a vitamin K-based eye product Eye creams such as Vita-K Solution gel or Peter Thomas Roth Power K Eye Rescue can help strengthen capillary walls so dark circles and veins become less visible.
Option 3: Laser treatment If you have a chronic case of undereye circles, you should contact a doctor about lasers. Lasers can thicken the skin by increasing collagen production, so you are less likely to see veins, according to
Thursday, March 27, 2008
I Overplucked My Eyebrows. What Can I Do?
Question: I Overplucked My Eyebrows. What Can I Do?
Answer: The worst thing one can do is overpluck. Well, not the worst. But be careful because once plucked, your eyebrows can take months to eventually grow back. Until that happens, fill in bare spots with a brow powder or pencil. It’s best to use light, feathery strokes to create a realistic look, rather then drawing a line. Set the color with brow gel.
How To Fill in Sparse Eyebrows
According to makeup experts, including Bobbi Brown in her book, "Beauty," almost every woman needs to fill in her brows as part of her normal beauty routine. Bobbi's claims are backed up by the editors of Allure's "Confessions of a Beauty Editor," who state that makeup artist Dick Page once informed them he'd never seen a model who didn't need her brows filled in.
If. like most women, you were born with sparse brows or simply went too far with the tweezers, there is a fix to filling in your eyebrows. All it takes is a pencil, powder, and an angled brush or a clean mascara brush.
Tip 1: Pick a Pencil and Powder Shade
Pencils and powders tend to stick to skin, not to hair, so if you don't have a lot of hair you'll want to shade in the skin where hair should grow.
Select a soft pencil (hard pencils tend to be too waxy) which is a shade lighter than your brows and a powder which matches the color of brows. If brows are super fair, choose a pencil that's a shade darker than brows.
Tip 2: Prep the Brows
First, comb out brows with a clean mascara wand. Examine brows for any sparse spots.
Tip 3: Fill in With Pencil
Use the pencil to fill in the sparse spots with short, feathery strokes. Apply in the direction of hair growth. The key here is not to create a definite line, but to create the appearance of hair. Be careful not to pencil in the entire brow, which will result in an unnatural look.
Your pencil should be super soft so it goes on with little exertion. But if you have a pencil that's too hard, warm the tip up by rubbing it between your fingers.
Tip 4: Follow With Eyeshadow or Brow Powder
Dip an agled brush or a clean mascara wand in eyeshadow. Brush the powder along the brows. It should stick to the pencil, while also acting to blend in the color perfectly. For more staying powder, dampen the brush slightly before dipping it into color.
Tip 5: Two Colors Instead of One?
You can try two colors when filling in brows: A light powder where brows are thickest and a darker shade for the tail ends.
Tip 6: Set Brows
To keep brows in place, spritz hairspray on your finger and brush onto the brow.
Tip 7: Uh-oh, Overplucked?
If you've overplucked, it will take a few months to a couple years for hair to grow back.
Tip 8: Condition Brows
Conditioning your brows with castor oil is a great way to keep brows healthy and looking great, according to Rami Gafni in the September 2005 issue of Instyle Magazine. Gafni uses a clean mascara wand to apply the castor oil.
Tip 9: The Shape of Brows
Fuller brows are preferable to skinny ones. Have eyebrows shaped by a pro every four weeks. Use a good tweezer (Tweezerman is our hands-down favorite), to clean up the hairline in between visits.
Tip 10: Rogaine Can Help
If your brows don't grow fast enough, consider Women's Rogaine or men's extra-strength Rogaine applied to the sparse areas with a Q-Tip. According to the September, 2006, issue of Allure, experts recommend applying twice a day for four months. But do a test patch first on your inner wrist to make sure you don't get a rash. Check the patch after a day.
Some products we hear great things about:
Revlon Brow Fantasy pencil and gel($7.50 at any drugstore)
Cover Girl Natural Lash and Brow Mascara (purchase at drugstores)
Sephora eyebrow brush (at any Sephora stores).
MAC brow set (this colored gel is $12 at any MAC counter)
Bobbi Brown Natural Brow Shaper (Bobbi Brown counters at department stores).
DiorShow Brow & Liner Brush (www.dior.com).
Cle de Peau Beaute eyebrow palette ($65 at select department stores)
When Should I Throw Out Mascara?
Question: When Should I Throw Out Mascara?
Answer: Mascara is one makeup product in your bag that you want to keep tabs on. It's a breeding ground for bacteria. Most mascaras with a tube & a wand have an antibacterial agent in them that last about 6 weeks making you safe for at least a couple months & likely safe up to 4. You risk eye infection the longer you keep the product. If you notice the smell changes or the texture changes, throw it out. It's not worth it.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Don't Have Time To Do Your Hair?-Tips to look good without a lot of time or money
A woman recently wrote in with this question:
Hello,
I am 21, and just had a baby 6 months ago. I am very happy with my body already, but my hair is awful!!! I am having problems going to the salon to get it fixed (money and time), but I am very self conscience about it. I think I look 35 years old. It is straight, brown, medium length, and STRAIGHT! Did I mention it is straight? I can't even curl my hair with a curling iron or blow dryer. It is stringy but my husband doesn't want it short! HELP, what do I do with it?!?
Thanks :)
Canon City
Hi Bonny,
There is nothing worse than hating your hair and having little time to do anything about it.
Here are some time-and-money saving tips and tricks for moms (and anyone who doesn't have a lot of time or money):
Tip 1: Skip the fancy salons All you want is for your hair to look healthy, you don't need a fancy $50 haircut. Some of my friends with the cutest, heathiest hair go to strip malls and pay $15 for their cuts. Have the stylist cut off your split ends and make sure to go back on a regular basis. Trust me: For a simple cut, you can't tell if the person got their hair cut at Oscar Blandi in NYC or in a
Tip 2: The simpler the cut, the better. What you need is a cut that will look good as it grows out. I suggest a chin-length bob or perhaps long layers. A layered cut will add body and looks great blown out or scrunched up after a shower to add some natural waves. With a bob, you can just brush and go, letting it airdry naturally.
Tip 3: Bored with your color? Buy a bottle and dye your hair. Just be sure to select a shade that's no more than a couple shades lighter or darker than your own hair so you don't have to spend a lot of time upkeeping your roots. If you have some money, getting a half-head of foiled highlights will brighten blah brown and the highlights effect tends to last a bit longer than overall color, because you don't have to hassle as much with upkeep.
Tip 4: Ponytails are your savior. Few women your age look older in a ponytail. Pull hair back and you'll not only accent your face, you'll love how carefree not having that hair in your face all the time makes you feel.
source from http://beauty.about.com
Is It Bad to Wash My Hair Every Day?
Question: Is It Bad to Wash My Hair Every Day?
I get this question a lot: I have oily hair, is it bad to wash it every day?
Answer: Ahhh, the oily hair conundrum. You've probably heard that if you can make it a few days, your oily hair actually stops looking oily, but I don't really believe it. As someone with oily hair, I've never made it more than a couple days without washing or sprinkling baby powder on my crown to soak up the oils (oh how I love that trick).
Most experts agree that it's safe to wash hair daily with a mild shampoo (if you have dry hair, you can go as long as a week without washing, lucky you). Concentrate on washing the roots because it's your scalp that's oily, not your hair, according to beauty expert Mitchell Barnes in the March 2007 issue of Real Simple magazine. Contrary to popular belief, you do need to condition oily hair, just leave the conditioner to the bottom two-thirds of hair. Conditioner on roots will only help weigh hair down more.
Not shampooing daily can leave hair limp, however, so I suggest sprinkling a bit of talcum powder along the roots and crown or using a dry shampoo like Bumble and Bumble Hair Powder.
If you insist on washing daily, try this trick I got from Harper's Bazaar a few years ago: Apply conditioner first only to the bottom third of hair (if you have oily hair, don't use conditioner on the roots, it will weigh hair down). Keeping the conditioner in, apply shampoo to the roots and lather up. Rinse everything off. "Your roots will be lifted, but the rest of your hair will retain its shine," says Arsen Gurgov, a stylist at Louis Licari salon and the originator of this great tip.
source from http://beauty.about.com
Is It Good To Rinse Hair in Cold Water?
Question: Is It Good to Rinse Hair in Cold Water?
Answer: The jury is no longer out on rinsing hair with cold water. According to much of my research, rinsing hair with cold water at the end of a shower closes the cuticle. This creates a healthy, shiny appearance, apparently. Many experts believe blasting hair with cold air also works by smoothing hair. This is why most dryers come with a cool air button.
Do 2-in-1 Shampoos & Conditioners Work?
Question: Do 2-in-1 Shampoos & Conditioners Work?
Answer: They do for those of us with normal, healthy hair. But if you have oily hair, you don’t need the added conditioning and if you have dry hair, the moisturizing agents in these 2-in-1 products are not enough. You need to use a separate, creamy (rather than clear) conditioner.
Do You Really Need To Wash Hair Twice?
Question: Do You Really Need to
Answer: I challenge you to find a shampoo bottle that doesn't contain the directions to 'rinse & repeat' (or some version of that). But should you. I have to wash my hair twice because it's very thick. So I say use common sense: If you have short hair, a good initial wash will do you. If you have long or really thick hair (like me), a second coat may be optimal. Personally, I've always wondered if companies put that on the back to get you to use more shampoo.
Help! My Hair is Falling Out? How Much Is OK?
Question: Help! My Hair is Falling Out? How Much Is OK?
Answer: Before you go to the doctor worried about a major vitamin deficiency, take deep breaths. Hair loss is typically normal, especially in the fall months. Why? Read on.
Everyone loses between 40 and 120 strands a day, depending on how much hair you have, your age and your hair's growth cycle. People with fine hair tend to have more of it and therefore will lose more of it than their thicker-haired sisters and brothers. Your hair also thins as you get older, particularly after menopause for women. But unlike aging men, the thinning tends to stop after awhile.
Here are common causes of thinning and hair loss:
1. Seasonality. You'll lose the most hair in the fall -- typically November and December when hair reaches maturity in its growth cycle.
2. Diet. Hair loss can occur through poor dieting. According to dermatologist George Cotsarelis, M.D., director of the
3. Aging. Marc Avram, MD, a
3. Pregnancy Some women experience hair loss with pregnancy or as part of post-pregnancy hormonal changes. Other women experience hair loss when going on or off (usually off) the birth control pill.
4. Illness or intense stress Sometimes hair loss occurs as a result of illness. Stress, excessive weight loss, iron deficiency and thyroid problems can also cause hair loss.
If you're really worried, ask your doctor, however, experts say you really only need to worry if your part is getting wider or you can see your scalp through your hair. For severe cases, you might consult a "trichologist," a physician who specializes in hair loss.
Extra tip: If you're a woman you won't experience male-pattern baldness. Women's hair tends to thin all over. The only FDA-approved hair loss treatment is minoxidil. Minoxidil works in 60-70 percent of cases by improving the follicle's ability to produce hair.
source from http://beauty.about.com
Hair Extensions Look So Real, How Do They Work?
Question: Hair Extensions Look So Real, How Do They Work?
Answer: Celebrities such as Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton have popularized hair extensions in the past, with Jessica going so far as to go into the extension business with her best friend and hairstylist Ken Paves.
While synthetic hair is about a fourth the cost of human hair, most celebs use human hair extensions, such as Great Lengths (Hilton and Nicole Richie's company of choice) to get the long hair nature hasn't blessed them with. Each strand is "pre-tipped" with a synthesized keratin protein that acts as a glue to bond the strands onto hair. Heat may be used to bond, or "melt" the glue, or some stylists use FastFusion technology, which uses air pressure to bond individual hairs in faster time.
Prices run anywhere from $10 for a single extension to $2,000 for a full head of not-your-own-yet-still-human hair. Visit www.hairuwear.com for a list of salons and to see before and after shots.
Don't want extensions glued to your own hair? Clip-ons made from human or synthetic hair (Ken and Jessica's line includes hair made from Vibralite fiber) let you flirt with a new look without committing to it. Popular brands include PutOnPieces by Hair U Wear and Easihair.
Clip-ons are easier to use and don't require professional application. You simply slip them in just below the crown, while keeping top layers out of the way with clips. Because they are do-it-yourself, clip-ons are cheaper than the more permanent version. For an idea of prices or to buy now, check out Jessica and Ken's extensions.
What's the Deal About Boar Bristle Hairbrushes?
Question: What's the Deal About Boar Bristle Hairbrushes?I got this letter from Laura in
Answer: I know, I know. Every magazine, it seems, is on a Mason Pearson hairbrush kick. They make you feel as if your beauty cabinet just isn't complete if you don't have a boar's bristle hairbrush. So is it all hype or is there a real benefit to natural bristle hairbrushes?
Yes, there is. Boar bristles are easier on hair than cheapie plastic brushes and they redistribute oils throughout hair, boosting shine. There are many natural bristle brushes on the market, Mason Pearson is just the Cadillac of hairbrushes at $85 on up. Cheap, plastic hairbrushes aren't necessarily bad for hair (except for the ones with the double bristle, one long, one short -- these can tear at hair), they just don't benefit hair as much as natural bristles.
When looking for a good brush, consider if you need a round brush (great for blowouts)or a paddle brush (best for detangling). Also consider a brush with a mix of nylon and natural bristles if you have normal to thick hair. Natural bristles alone can be too weak for tangles and are best for fine to normal hair, according to the Mason Pearson Website. If you have coarse, thick hair, consider an all-nylon hairbrush, which tends to be stronger.
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How Can I Tame My Curly Hair?
Question: How Can I Tame My Curly Hair?
We got this email recently:
I have coarse, super-curly hair that frizzes if I don't blow dry it straight. The problem is all this drying is causing it to dry out even more. Help!
Answer: Women with curly hair who want to go straight, should try a professional hair straightening at the salon. The solution is much like a perm, only instead of curly hair, it straightens it. I'd suggest finding a stylist who specializes in hair straightening or who has super-curly hair herself.
In the meantime, women with super-curly hair should limit heat styling to 2 to 3 times a week. Any more and you could risk damaging your hair. When blow-drying or using a hair straightener, protect hair with a spritz of a heat protectorant product like Pantene's new Pro-V Frizz Control
Also, let hair airdry for as long as possible before turning on the blowdryer.
source from http://beauty.about.com
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