Fantasia Salon / Spa and Wig Specialists

An abundance of hair is universally considered alluring in women.  A healthy appearance is advantageous when it comes to finding a partner.  A healthy head of hair is part of a healthy appearance.

Our ancestors sought to procreate with the most healthy possible mate, with a head full of lustrous hair  - or bright eyes and a bushy tail, would have been a fair indication of reproductive viability.  Females with abundant hair tended to be selected as mates and give birth to offspring who went on to develop a similarly healthy appearance.  So,  until the present day hair is still rated by men as a prime factor in sexual attraction.

This is probably why balding in women can have such a catastrophic effect on their self-esteem.  Baldness is more of a social stigma for women than it it for men.  This is why it is rare for a woman to simply accept hair loss and appear in public with her head exposed.  She is far more likely than a man to look for a solution.

These days there are a wealth of products and techniques for the purpose of achieving the desired effect of a healthy head of hair.  For those who lead active lifestyles and are in need of hair replacement, there are wigs that you can sleep and swim in.  Cyberhair is the “invention” that allows this to happen.  Fantasia Salon carries a full inventory of Cyberhair wigs.

If thinning hair is the issue, there are Micro Links which are tied into your own hair and increase the volume by 400%.  Unless you tell them, no one need know they are there.  Again, this allows you to lead an active lifestyle.

Depending on tastes and budget, the solutions are almost limitless.  There are products to disguise the fact that a woman is losing her hair, treatments which inhibit further thinning such as Hair Loss Support, or, nutrients for the hair and scalp.

For the most effective prevention, expert opinion and analysis should be sought at the earliest possible sign of the symptoms of hair loss.  Whatever the ultimate choice of the solution, in today’s modern world a woman’s self-esteem does not need to suffer because of hair loss.

If you or a loved one are in need of a solution for thinning hair or hair loss, one of the Hair Replacement Specialist at Fantasia would love to help you.  Call today for your free consultation.

We know there are various reasons for thinning hair and we’ve talked about lots of them from illness and medications (chemotherapy) to genetics, inheriting your hair loss from a parent. Often hair thins because it is fine-textured to begin with, or because too many harsh chemicals have been used on it so it breaks easily. Here are some hair-care tips to help protect hair, prevent further hair loss and add volume to your existing hair.

Coloring. If your hair loss is heredity, you very likely have healthy hair overall. Therefore, your hair can benefit from permanent or semi-permanent color to give body and volume to hair. Medications can weaken harm causing it to break or fall out. Semi-permanent color is good in this case because it does not contain ammonia or peroxide. It will not damage hair but will give it body and volume.

If your hair is fine-textured, semi-permanent or permanent color is fine, as long as it is professionally applied. Colored hair can easily get over-processed, which damages it causing further hair loss.

Use volumizing products. We talked about this one before. Many over the counter volume-building products contain paraffin, which is beeswax. Beeswax is not good for the hair because it can build up and make the hair break.

However, volumizing products sold in salons can help. They won’t weigh hair down, and they won’t damage it. Mousse, for example, can be applied a the root area for support. Then, begin, blow-drying the root area, applying tension with a brush to build volume. Use a light finishing spray to hold it.

Shampoo and condition your hair when dirty. To protect your hair, the best practice is to shampoo only when the hair is dirty. Because fine hair gets dirty faster, people with fine-textured hair need to shampoo more frequently - even though fine hair breaks more easily. For that reason, fine-textured hair benefits from a good shampoo and volume-building conditioner.

Find a style that suits fine hair. Blow dryers should not be a problem even if your hair is fine. However be careful about putting high heat directly onto hair. Flat irons and curling irons can cause damage and breakage. Because they contain very strong chemicals, curl-relaxing products are a no-no for fine hair.

Perms. Perms can help give volume to fine-textured hair. But the hair must be healthy- not dry or brittle. Only a gentle body-wave is advised because tighter waves can damage the hair. Because the chemicals in perms are harsh, it should only be used as a last resort for fine-haired people. Make sure you have a professional hair stylist give you a perm so that your hair does not get damaged.

It is possible to add volume to your existing hair by trying some of these things. Find a good stylist to help you with this so you can flaunt your thin hair!

You have heard of Aloe Vera and how it works miraculously to help heal burns, right? Perhaps you didn’t know that it is the cure all for many other ailments and can be used both topically as well as internally. When taken internally, it is a wonderful cleanse, and can help remove toxins from the body.

Perhaps what you didn’t know is that Aloe Vera is fabulous for your hair and scalp. Some swear that it will even help prevent hair loss.

Aloe Vera has been used for centuries as a remedy to cure and relieve common skin disorders in North America, India, and the Caribbean. This miracle plant has been used to help relieve skin and scalp disorders and keep hair healthy.

So, what’s the connection with Aloe Vera and hair loss? Aloe Vera is known to balance out the PH in the human system and stimulate the production of enzymes on your scalp which in turn, helps to stimulate hair growth. If you are looking for a totally natural home remedy to help with hair loss or to simply keep your hair healthy, Aloe Vera to the rescue! Perhaps it can help keep hair on your head instead of in the bed!

Just before going to bed, dab a bit of Aloe Vera on your scalp with your fingers or with a cotton ball. Massage into your scalp and hair. You may remember from another post I did, that just the act of massaging your scalp will increase blood flow which can stimulate the hair follicles, which in turn can help the hair to grow.

After massaging Aloe Vera into your head and hair the night before, you obviously will want to wash your hair the next morning. Or, if you prefer not sleeping with the Aloe Vera on, massage it into your hair the next morning, leave it on for at least an hour, then wash it out. Longer is better and again, the massaging is probably almost as important as the Aloe Vera.

You should be able to find Aloe Vera at your local grocery store or drug store. If you live in a more remote area, check on-line. If all of this sounds like too much hassle and a lot of work, come into Fantasia for Hair Support System. This is a salon treatment followed by home care, with natural ingredients known to help with thinning hair and hair loss.

I write a lot about hair loss from the female perspective. Because that is the area Fantasia specializes in and I know a lot about it.

So, I thought just for a change, it might be interesting to look at it from the male’s perspective.

Recently, the Morris Plains-based company, Rogaine, conducted a study among nearly 4000 men. Most men say that if given a choice between keeping their spouse or significant other and losing their hair - they’d say, take my wife, please…

A group product director for Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Company says that hair loss and the way we perceive it has changed drastically in the last several years - it’s now top on the minds of guys. Men are making grooming and self-improvement a higher priority. For many, maintaining and regrowing hair is less of a taboo and more like working or or buying new clothes.

This study revealed that younger men were the most hair conscious with one in 4 men between the ages of 18 and 34 concerned about hair loss. According to the makers of Rogaine, this age group is representative of a new group of guys that are increasingly taking steps to regrow hair at the earliest signs of hair loss. No major comb - overs happening anytime soon for these guys!

Fifty percent of the men would rather deliver a large public speech than lose their hair and five percent of them would rather fall off a cliff. Only about twenty percent would give up watching television if it meant keeping a full head of hair but, twenty-two percent said they would give up their vacations. Almost ten percent said they would even give up sex in favor of keeping their hair. And we think women are vain?

Roughly sixty percent of the men would rather experience a demoralizing event in pursuit of keeping the hair they have. Twenty percent would rather get dumped than lose their hair and five percent were willing to trade in their significant others for flowing locks. Again I say - and we think women are vain?

To say that men are concerned today more than ever about hair loss would be a severe understatement. It would be more accurate to say they are consumed by it, and in some cases, even more than sex!

Several weeks ago, I wrote about something totally bizarre I had read about, the Bird Poop facial. Well guess what? I have stumbled across something equally as bizarre and that would be the therapeutic use of camel urine. Yep, it’s actually considered an ancient Islamic ‘remedy’ from the time of the prophet Mohammed and believe it or not it is big business for men and women in Yemen.

Camel urine has become fashionable among Yemen’s young people who claim that it strenghtens the scalp, slows hair loss and promotes healthy hair.

According to the Arab TV network al_Arabiya, hair salons the country are requesting this precious ‘tonic’ and are selling it at four dollars a litre, which is an outrageous price considering the income level of most of the buyers not to mention that is it is freely given to begin with!

One university student reports that she has been using camel urine since elementary school days. Since the first time a neighbor mentioned that she had been using urine for years because it made her hair more beautiful and shiny, the student reports that everyone in her home is now using camel urine. And, it’s not just women, reportedly, men are using it to stop hair loss.

A local barber reports that he is forced to buy large quantities of camel urine for his business.

A boom in the sale of camel urine has prompted people to begin breeding more camels and they are constantly giving them more liquids in order to collect more urine.

I am not making this stuff up, I wish I was!

Some people claim that camel urine is good for the liver however, the claim is discredited by the University of Sanaa who says it is harmful for the human digestive system. I’ll place my bets with the University.

The use of camel urine has its roots in Islamic religion. In the prophet Mohammed’s tradition, it talks of the benefits of camel milk and urine. Foreigners are said to have gone to the holy city of Medina with high fever and the prophet ordered them to leave the city and drink urine and milk from a camel to help them recover.

Personally, I think if you are trying to shore up your scalp and improve the health of your hair, Hair Support System and tweaking your diet would be far better than camel urine. Just my thought…do what you like…

Did you know there are people out there that think if you wash your hair too often you can go bald or get dandruff? There is no truth to the rumor, that washing your hair frequently causes baldness or dandruff. Having said that, I must tell you that I wear my hair short and spiky and the dirtier it is, the better! I realize that doesn’t work for everyone.

You might find that you are losing hair while in the shower or when combing your hair but that is perfectly normal.

The hair follicle has a three - phased life: growth, rest, and shedding. Five percent of your hair is in the shedding phase. That means - (ah-hum, refer to previous post) that it is normal to shed “80-100″ hairs per day. If you showered once per week, it may seem like you are losing a lot of hair but that would be hair which is ready to be released - or in the “shedding” mode.

If you are worried about hair loss, you should have it evaluated by a hair loss expert. A dermatologist will be able to diagnose the type of baldness, if you are - in fact, experiencing hair loss. It can be something as simple as a thyroid hormone imbalance, which can be corrected. There are many solutions for women’s hair loss. The worst thing you can do is stress over your situation, as I have talked about before, stress only exacerbates the problem.

Dandruff is not caused by washing your hair daily or frequently. Dandruff, otherwise known as seborrheic dermatitis, happens when your scalp is too try or too oily. Your skin produces natural oils, especially on the scalp, ears and the T-zone of the forehead, nose and chin areas. This oil is produced to lubricate both your skin and hair follicles. Excessive oiliness can cause dandruff to occur. Dandruff is an abnormal amount of flaking from your scalp, which is often accompanied by redness or irritation.

Actually, washing hair daily can improve a dandruff problem. Use a shampoo formulated for dandruff. If your problem is severe, you may need medicated shampoo or physician prescribed creams or pills. It’s also important to consider your diet. As we’ve discussed before, something like dandruff is an outward sign of something missing internally. I’ve written a lot about diet and healthy hair and skin if you would like to read some of the past blogs.

Okay, we’ve determined that it’s safe to wash your hair daily if you desire. But, there are some tips you should follow. Don’t use really hot water as that can lead to a dry, flaky scalp. Don’t vigorously scrub your scalp, hard scrubbing can pull follicles in the rest and growth phase. Hair is sturdy and strong, but it can be damaged, especially when it is wet. While it may not fall out, it can be weakened then subject to breakage.

So, for all of you who like extremely clean hair, knock yourselves out and wash it daily. As for me with my short, spiky do, I’ll wash it weekly whether it needs it or not!!!

Who told us that it is normal to lose 100 hairs per day? In every book I’ve read on the subject, that’s what they say. And, some say normal hair loss is 100-150 hairs per day. Because that’s what I have read, I have never questioned it and have repeated it many times. I must tell you, no matter how much I have read it and re-written it myself, I have always thought that I must not be normal because I am certain I do not lose 100-150 hairs per day.

It seems like, the number 100 for normal hair loss was picked out of the air. Maybe it came from the assumption that the average head has 100,000 hairs, 10% of which are in the telogen, or resting phase. This means they are no longer growing and are getting ready to fall out. But, they are going to take about 100 days before they hit the shower floor, curl up in the sink drain or wrap themselves around the bristles of your brush. So, 10% of 100,000 is 10,000. Divide that by 100 days and, you get a loss of 100 hairs per day, the magic number.

All of this math is based on…..nothing. First of all, it’s never been proven that we even have 100,000 hairs. The number has just been passed down with no one ever questioning it. So, a professor of dermatology at Penn State College of Medicine, came up with a quick and reliable way to figure out if you are experiencing abnormal hair loss. He and his colleagues studied hair loss in 60 men, half age 20-40 and half age 40-60. All of the men studied had healthy heads of hair and no signs of going bald.

They were given identical combs and told to shampoo every day for three days. On day four, before shampooing, they each combed their hair forward over a pillow case for 60 seconds. Then, they counted the hairs on the pillow case.

The average number was almost identical for both age groups: 10.2 hairs on the pillow case for the younger men and 10.3 hairs for the older group. And, when the same men repeated the drill six months later, the counts remained the same, indicating they were in no immediate danger of balding.

It doesn’t matter what kind of comb or brush you use as log as you use the same one, says the professor. And, make sure it’s clean when you start. The range of hair loss in the study was 0-78 hairs for the younger men and 0-48 among the older men, though most lost about 10 hairs in the 60 seconds of combing.

The number of hairs on your pillow matters less than that the number remains consistent. Do this exercise three days per month, and track it for six months. If the numbers of hairs shed remain consistent with each 60-second comb-out, you’re probably not “over shedding”. But, if there is a big increase, you might want to consult a dermatologist for an evaluation. As we have discussed, there can be many factors for hair-loss including thyroid issues, low iron levels and elevated stress levels.

So, I may have to re-think things before writing again that normal hair loss is 100 hairs per day!

Recently I came across some tips for taking care of the hair and scalp to help slow down hair loss that I thought I would pass along. People take their hair for granted until one day when they realize they are beginning to lose it. Rather than wait till this stage, it would be better if we did some preventative things now.

So many factors influence how our hair will grow and whether or not we are prone to hair loss. As we have discussed previously, factors include hormonal changes, hereditary influences, environmental factors, stress and health. A change in lifestyle will impact what would become of our hair in the future. Consider following these tips in order to encourage the growth of hair and so that it is less likely to be dry, brittle and fall out.

Drink the recommended daily amount of water. Water meaning pure water, not soft drinks, coffee, and beer. When you are dehydrated your entire body feels weak and is easily exhausted. It is also another factor in hair drying out and breaking off. Being dehydrated also impedes hair growth. On average, women should be drinking 2-2.6 liters daily, men need 2.8-3.5 liters daily. Adjust these amounts for factors such as weather, age and weight.

Exercise a couple times per week. A 15 minute brisk walk will increase your normal heart rate. This then improves blood circulation which brings more nutrients to the hair follicles and scalp. It’s best to exercise at least an hour after eating in order to give time for digestion to finish and put less pressure on the system.

Maintain a proper diet. Avoid foods rich in salt, sugar, and fat. Those three components stress the kidneys and make our blood more acidic, resulting in hair loss.

Drink green tea daily. This will reduce the risk of hair loss as it contains anti-oxidants which inhibit 5-alpha-reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT. DHT induces hair loss and increases prostate size.

Indulge in aromatherapy. This alternative form of medicine has benefits both on our health and our mood. Massage the scalp with essential oils such as lavender and olive. This encourages healthier hair regrowth. Plus, it eliminates stress, which we know, is another factor in hair loss.

Avoid putting any strain on the scalp and hair in the form of tight clips and pony tails. Pulling your hair against the scalp can result in hair loss. As a result, bald patches may arise and this is known as traction alopecia.

Avoid using heat and chemicals on your hair such as straightening, perming, coloring, and excessive blow drying. These processes only weaken the internal structure of the hair and damage its chemical bonds. They may also cause dryness and irritation, making the hair fall out more easily.

So there you have it, just some common sense tips, which if implemented, could make a big difference for your hair and scalp now, causing you less stress in the future.

I’m not saying or suggesting you would ever want to do this but, if you did want to look unique like Amy Winehouse, you could do it with the help of a fancy dress wig.

Wigs can be worn for fun and fashion, not just for necessity. Typically you can find inexpensive wigs at the mall in the novelty shops or in some salons. You should probably know because they are synthetic they can be hot, depending on the amount of hair.

Wigs can be a fun way to change your persona. There are always 60’s and 70’s parties going on where a wig would come in handy. You can go all out and be the life of the party. The last 50’s party I went to I wore a bee hive wig in addition to white  glasses which had major wings on the sides, a pink prom dress and some chalky pink lipstick and, ta dah, it was back to the 50’s!   It was a hoot. One of the guys had on an Elvis type wig with very extreme side burns.  He also doused himself with English Leather cologne which was a tad nauseating! But, a great time was had by all!
Wigs are still a hot item. Wigs for fashion, wigs for parties, wigs for hair loss or wigs simply for a great change of style - instantly! Wigs for holidays such as Halloween, Christmas or other occasions. And you don’t have to spend a fortune on them which is why they continue to be so popular.

Today, the younger set who frequent the clubs are having fun with Afro wigs, red, pink, purple and blue party wigs, 70’s wigs, beehive wigs, mullet wigs, Cher and Abba wigs just to name a few.

So, when you are in the mood to show your alter ego, be it Amy, Cher or whomever, do it with a wig!

What you eat does not only apply to the shape of your body and the condition of your skin. Would you believe it applies to your hair also? A poor diet will contribute to thinning hair and hair loss. Before I posted that I expect to see people dealing with this issues at younger and younger ages due to the the decline in the diet and the extreme diets which abound. There are steps you can take to feed and grow your hair.

Breakfast is a really good idea for too many reasons to list here. And, it should be a good breakfast, not sugar/carbohydrate based. Good clean protein is a great way to get your day started. If you can’t face having meat in the morning, that’s fine. Try a protein smoothie with whey protein. They are so versatile. You can throw in frozen fruits such as berries and bananas. Add some fiber and you have a delightful, filling breakfast and are off to a good start for your day! This not only gives your body needed energy but you are also improving the condition of your hair.

Balance things out. Remember Grandma said all things in moderation? Be sure to have all of the food groups during your meals such as good fats, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and vitamins. You should place a high priority on protein as it is a necessary building block for your body. A diet for hair loss sufferers should include good amounts of protein since it’s known to be a good stimulant for hair growth. I’m a huge fan of undenatured whey protein as it’s such a great, clean protein. At Fantasia we promote Isagenix. The basis of their program is their undenatured whey protein shake. They have chocolate and vanilla and unlike many protein shakes on the market, these taste great!

Have you ever seen a plant in dire need of water? It’s listless and limp. Give it a drink of water and watch it come alive. Well, your hair is the same way. Make sure you drink plenty of water, for overall health and for the health of your hair in particular. The recommendation for 8 glasses per day is good, but it you have been extra active or it’s a hot day, you may need more than this. If you have been working up a sweat, you need to replenish your body’s fluids. Water is a crucial part of a diet for proper hair care.

Today we know there are vitamins and minerals which are great for the hair. At Fantasia we sell Hair Support System which is essentially, supplements for the hair applied topically and taken internally. Protein is essential for healthy hair as mentioned above and so is zinc and iron. Lack of iron and zinc in the body contribute greatly to the development of hair loss.

Most of this is pretty basis stuff and good not only for feeding the hair but for your overall general health. Through the practice of having a proper diet, you can do a lot to prevent hair loss from happening.