What Style of Hat to Wear

Check the dress code for your event. For example, at Royal Ascot in 2015, headpieces were allowable as long as they were at least 10cm in diameter.

Try lots of shapes and styles, with the outfit you will be wearing. Here are some general tips for your face shape.

• Oval: a wide range of designs will suit.
• Heart: disc headpieces work well. Avoid tine pillboxes which look out of balance.
• Square: wide brims and assymetric lines. Avoid narrow crowns. if opting for a pillbox, select a larger one and wear at an angle.
• Oblong: Avoid too-small pillboxes. Add volume and width with flowers and feathers.
• Round: Suit taller hats and pillnbox shapes, especially with trimmings that take the eye up and off the face.

Feature in Good Hoousekeeping, June 2015

10 Stroke Facts

Stroke is the third largest cause of death in the UK after heart disease and cancer with one in eight people dying within 30 days of suffering a stroke.

1. A stroke is actually a ‘brain attack’ when the blood supply to part of your brain is cut off. Blood carries essential nutrients and oxygen to your brain; without blood your brain cells can be damaged or die. 
2. Around 110,000 people have a stroke in England every year. It is the third largest cause of death in the UK after heart disease and cancer. Brian injuries resulting from strokes are a major cause of adult disability in the UK.
3. Although older people are most at risk, strokes can happen at any age – including in children and infants. In fact, one in four strokes in the UK happen in people under the age of 65. If you are South Asian, black African or black Caribbean you are at a higher risk of stroke than other people in the UK; it isn’t completely understood why this is, but it’s probably connected to the fact that you are more likely to have conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes.
4. Up to 80% of strokes can be prevented. You can significantly reduce your risk of having a stroke through a healthy lifestyle, such as eating a healthy diet, taking regular exercise, drinking alcohol in moderation and not smoking. Lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol levels with medication also lowers the risk of stroke substantially, as does taking anticoagulant medication if you have an irregular heartbeat due to a condition called atrial fibrillation.
5. If a close relative – be it a parent, grandparent, brother or sister – has had a stroke, you are at a higher risk of suffering a stroke. Studies have found certain genetic conditions can cause strokes. For example, sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder that affects your red blood cells and makes them more likely to block your blood vessels.
6. Symptoms and signs of stroke can differ from person to person but usually occur quite suddenly. As different parts of your brain control different parts of your body, your symptoms will depend on the part of your brain affected and the extent of the damage. The test to use is called the Face, Arm, Speech, Time test – or FAST. If a person’s face has dropped to one side, if they are having trouble lifting their arms or legs or if they have slurred or garbled speech – then head for the emergency room as quickly as possible. 
7. Strokes are like fingerprints and no two are the same. For some people the effects may be relatively minor and may not last long, while others may be left with more serious problems that make them dependent on other people. Unfortunately not everyone survives – around one in eight people die within 30 days of having a stroke.
8. You need to see a doctor if you have a mini stroke. There are mainly three types of strokes: haemorrhagic stroke – caused by bleeding around the brain, ischaemic stroke – caused by a blockage cutting off the blood supply to the brain and transient ischaemic attack or TIA – also known as a mini-stroke. TIA is the same as a stroke, except that the symptoms last for a short amount of time and no longer than 24 hours. This is because the blockage that stops the blood getting to your brain is temporary. Just because symptoms go away doesn’t mean it should be ignored. About one in three people who have a TIA later suffer a full-blown stroke.

30 Oct. 2015

Beauty Cream Abbreviations

Q. Increasingly beauty creams are referred to with abbreviations - but what do these actually mean and are they really that different? A. There is little difference between the different types of cream; they are basically  tinted moisturizers with added benefits.  

BB = “beauty balm” or "blemish balm"

• Texture is creamy and moisturising.
• Offers daily sun protection, extra hydration, and a touch more coverage than a tinted moisturizer.
• They tend to be a bit heavier and better for dry skin, with a focus on prevention and maintenance.

CC = “color correcting”

• Texture is lightweight and fast-absorbing.
• They contain a skin brightening primer, light foundation, moisturizer, sunscreen, anti-aging ingredients and sometimes collagen boosters.
• They tend to be slightly lighter in texture (so better for acne-prone skin) and focus on concealing existing issues.

 DD = "daily defense"

• Texture is creamy and moisturising.
• Offers daily sun protection, extra hydration, and a touch more coverage than a tinted moisturizer.
• Overseas DDs were created for dry areas like feet, knees, and elbows.

Are they worth it? They are a quick fix to give your skin a boost, but don’t have as much impact as applying separate products. They don’t cover up skin imperfections as well as using a proper foundation, and they don’t come in many shades. Useful if you are in a hurry but that's it.

Piercings and Inkings

Inkings (tattoos) and piercings of various body parts come in and out of fashion. But they both carry health risks. And they are usually permanent.

Tattoos:

• Blood poisoning, hepatitis and other diseases can be spread by unsterilised equipment.
• Newer laser tattoo removal techniques can tone down and sometimes eliminate a tattoo with minimal side effects. They break up the pigment colors of the tattoo with a high-intensity light beam. Black tattoo pigment absorbs all laser wavelengths, making it the easiest to treat. Other colors can only be treated by selected lasers based upon the pigment color.
• Tattoo removal is not cheap. There is also the risk of scarring, and the treated areas may end up lighter than the surrounding skin. Check the dermatologist is properly qualified.

Body piercings:

• Can introduce infections, cause bruising, swelling, an allergic reaction or blood poisoning.
• If a blood vessels is pierced and bleeds, you can end up with the type of ear a rugby player has.
• Multiple piercings (such as the 2015 trend around the edge of the ear) leave permanent scarring where the holes later heal over, or dangling skin if very heavy earrings are often worn or very large earings have been inserted.

Hair Care

Frizzy hair?  Use a leave-in conditioner once or twice a week and an intensive conditioning treatment every couple of  weeks. # Ensure your hair is completely dry before you go out, as damp hair frizzes up in all but the driest climates. # Frizz at forehead and ears is due to drying hair from underneath with head flipped forward forces cuticles up. Use a round bristle brush to smooth areas down while drying and and a nozzle to control airflow.

Hair dye allergy. Allergies caused by the molecule pPD (found particularly in dark shades) are a concern. So Wella have introduced ME+, a new dye molecule. It has good colour coverage and vibrancy, with a reduced risk of allergy. The range isWella Koleston Perfect Innocence Colour.

How hair ages
We stop producing melanin as we get older, so colour looks less vibrant and greys appear. Decreased sebum production means hair gets drier. The follicles shrink so hair grows with a smaller diameter, and looks finer as a result. The hair growth cycle shortens so it can be harder to grow hair as you age. Damage from over-use of appliances and frequent colouring (especially bleach) can make hair look dull and more prone to breakage.

Do hair products stop working after a while?
No - hair is an inert substance with no living biological process in the fibre, so there is no way it can get used to an ingredient (unlike antiobiotic resistance). If we switch hair-care products, we do notice a difference  - but that is because the ingredients and their amounts can differ, which means the results won't be the same.

Best Blow Dry: To hold volume and stay frizz-free, hair has to be bone dry. To tell if you've missed damp bits, give hair final blast with cold air, and run fingers through it; areas that aren't dry will feel cooler.

How to wash your hair: sources don't always agree, but here are the most consistently cited tips.

1. Most people do not need to wash their hair every day. If you do, perhaps you are using the wrong products for your hair and scalp type.
2. Apply and massage hair oil (coconut, olive or mustard oil) into your scalp and hair 2 -3 hours before you plan to wash your hair. Shampoos contain harsh ingredients which can strip essential oils from your hair strands and oiling helps to fight this problem.
3. Rinse your hair properly for a minute with lukewarm water before applying shampoo.
4. Only apply shampoo to your scalp. Massage gently in small circles for a minute, then rinse with lukewarm water. (Piling your hair on top and scrubbing it will cause knots.)Work shampoo gently down to the ends of your hair and rinse thoroughly.
5. Forget about lather, rinse and repeat. You only need to shampoo once.
6. If you use a lot of silicone or wax products, try using a clarifying shampoo once or twice a month instead of your normal shampoo.
7. Curly hair is often dry; washing with conditioner alone will freshen hair without drying it out.
8. If you get skin flaking at hairline or temple area, dilute your shampoo by mixing it with water before applying. This will lower the concentration of shampoo applied on the hair and scalp.
9. If you have an itchy scalp after washing your hair, stop applying conditioner to your roots. Start from the mid-lengths and really condition the ends of your hair. Gently comb through and allow it to work for at least 1 minute, the longer the better.
10. Rinse your hair in cold water after making sure you remove all your conditioner as any residue can harm hair and make it look dull.
11. Never brush your hair when it is wet, use a wide comb to gently smooth your hair.
12. Don't rub your hair with a towel; this will cause damage and make hair dull. Gently squeeze out excess moisture and allow hair to air dry.
13. Leaving too much water in your hair after washing will dilute any product you put on and lessen its effect; squeeze out excess water and gently pat hair dry with a towel before applying any conditioner or styling or heat-protecting products.
14. Hair masks are essential if you use heat stylers or colour your hair. Normally this is applied between shampoo and conditioner.
15. Blow dry with hairdryer nozzle point downwards. This flattens the hair cuticle, helping to smooth hair and reduce frizz or flyaways.
16. Use the cold shot on your hairdryer. Hair sets as it cools, so blasting chillier air through your finished style helps keep it in place.
17. Dry shampoo is not just for cleansing; it is also great for reviving flat, limp locks - a few spritzes into the roots can add volume and texture.

Sources
http://www.hairromance.com/2011/04/how-to-wash-your-hair-10-tips-for-great-hair.html
http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/best-hair-wash-tips/
Items in Good Housekeeping, February 2015 and January 2016