If your hair is your crowning glory you might be tempted to splash out on expensive potions and products, but simple tweaks to your daily routine could be the real key to an enviable mane. 

Anabel Kinglsey is the daughter of the late hair guru Philip Kingsley, and has followed in his footsteps by becoming an expert trichologist, or hair scientist. 

She now works at her father's clinic in Mayfair in west London and has shared ten unexpected tricks that will overhaul your hair with Femail. 

Speaking to coincide with the launch of the limited edition Pomegranate and Cassis version of the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer, a product originally formulated for Audrey Hepburn, Anabel reveals how your white wine habit could be giving you dandruff, as well as the perfect hairbrush to use. 

1.Snacking between meals can help keep up hair growth

The energy needed to form hair cells, which are involved in growth, diminishes four hours after eating a meal, so snack between meals to boost energy levels. 

The best energy-producing between-meal snacks for hair are complex carbohydrates, such as whole wheat crackers, crudité and dips and fresh fruit.

Hair cells are the seconds fastest growing cells the body makes, so their energy requirements are massive! 

Your strands need a steady supply of energy and nutrients in order to remain in the growth (anagen) phase for their optimal length of time. Skipping meals or not eating enough can cause extra hair shedding. 

2. Use products with sunscreen in them to avoid discolouration

To avoid your hair discolouring and becoming lighter in the sun, use styling aids with sunscreens. 

This is also very important in order to avoid damage and dryness – UV rays act on hair protein much like bleach. 

Grey hair often needs added protection from sun exposure as it lacks protective pigment cells (melanin). 

3. Brushes with plastic, rounded prongs are best to avoid cuticle damage 

Brushes are wonderful styling aids, but you need to be careful when you use them. 

Incorrect brushing, and the wrong type of brush, can cause damage to your hair and scalp such as vigorous brushing can remove some of your hairs’ cuticle – the hair’s outer cell layer - which weakens it and causes breakage. 

One of the most common causes of brittle hair is over-zealous use of boar bristle brushes. 

Being quite scratchy (try running one over the back of your hand, or over your favourite sweater), they can tear away sections of your hair’s outer layer. 

This can seriously weaken strands as your hair cuticle is your hair’s main defence against environmental assaults and moisture loss. Instead, choose a paddle brush that has plastic, rounded prongs.

4. Drinking white wine, champagne and snacking on cheese is bad for dandruff 

Winter can spell trouble for those who are prone to dandruff. Sufferers who drink white wine, champagne and snack on cheese platters often find their condition triggered and made worse.  

Cheese is very hard for the body to digest and can cause an inflammatory response in certain people. 

The yeast and sugar content in white wine and champagne can also make the scalp cranky, exacerbating itching and flaking. 

Rule of thumb: foods that often trigger skin break-outs, can be similarly aggravating to the scalp. Stress that accompanies the holiday season can also flare-up a problematic scalp. 

5. It's not just your face that needs a toner - so does your hair 

Just like your face, your scalp benefits from daily use of a toner. It helps to balance the micro-flora of the scalp and ward off flaking and oiliness throughout the day. 

After shampooing and conditioning your hair towel-drying your hair, apply a scalp toner to your scalp in one-inch partings from ear-to-ear. 

6. There's no such thing as 'over conditioning'

There is no such thing as ‘over conditioning’ your hair. Limp or dull hair results from using the wrong conditioner, or not rinsing properly.

Conditioner is necessary for all hair textures as it smoothes the outer hair cuticle to lock-in moisture. It also adds shine and helps remove tangles.

You only need a small amount. Simply work it through the mid-length and ends of your hair, gently comb through with a wide-tooth comb (starting at your ends an working up) and rinse.

7. Shiny hair 

The secret to shiny hair is a smooth, healthy outer hair cuticle. The cuticle is composed of tightly packed scales that overlap like tiles on a roof. 

When these lie flat, strands reflect light incredibly well. However, when the cuticle scales are raised or damaged, hair looks dull. 

To attain immediate shine, use a conditioner and lightweight smoothing styling products. These help to flatten the hair’s cuticle. 

Long term, take steps to prevent damage to your cuticle; be gentle when you style and only brush your hair when needed – not simply because it feels satisfying. 

8. Dandruff is usually oily - not dry

Dandruff is not dry scalp. Dandruff is usually oily, so don’t rub in oil to remove it – you’ll only get oilier flakes. 

Do not confuse common dandruff with other forms of scalp flaking. If anti-dandruff shampoos do not help, visit your doctor; you may have psoriasis or eczema.

9. You can't cure dandruff 

You cannot cure dandruff forever. It's a skin condition — it doesn't mean that you're dirty, or that it's contagious, which is a common misconception.

If you are prone to it (and over 70 per cent of the population is), you can only control it. But modern shampoos, treatments, and tonics made for this purpose do so very effectively but don’t shy away from not shampooing. 

Think of any skin condition - like acne - you need to apply topical products daily to see results. If you aren't shampooing, you aren't removing the dead skin cells. 

10. Baby shampoos aren't better for your hair

Baby shampoos are specially formulated so as not to sting the eyes. But they are not better for your hair – or baby’s. Quite the contrary. 

The best ‘baby’ shampoo is your own shampoo diluted: one part shampoo in four parts of purified water.

This article appeared on DailyMail.com

Certain CEOs won’t spend over $20 and contend that paying more is pointless. But, as barbershops evolve, spending a little extra can make a big difference. Inside the debate over the value of a man’s coiffure
 

ON A NARROW, cobblestoned street in Milan, I got the best haircut of my life. At the halfway point of a two-week work trip, my normally close-cropped hair was creeping over my ears and sprouting into a cowlick. With Google’s help, I found Barberino’s, a throwback shop with a tidy tiled floor, marble counter tops and two bearded, 20-something barbers. The price exceeded what I typically pay—$35 compared with my usual $25 at a Brooklyn barbershop. But, boy, was that haircut good. The young stylist disciplined each errant follicle, cleaved my hair into a precise part and groomed my nape to perfection. Compliments came instantly and continued a week later when I returned to the office in New York. I wondered: Was $10 extra all it took to look that much better? And more generally, what are other men spending on their haircuts these days, and what kind of value do they expect for their outlay?

Static in your hair is incredibly annoying. Getting rid of static electricity can be just as annoying. Preventing static from building up in your hair is the first step, but sometimes (especially in winter), it just can't be helped. Here are a few static-busting strategies and products to try.

1) More Moisture
Preventing static in the first place is the best way to banish static problems. The big rule with static is that more moisture equals less static. If you're not using conditioner, it's time to start. Don't make the mistake of using a two-in-one shampoo/conditioner; they're not bad in summer, but in the dryness of winter, they're not up to the job.

This is especially important for kids. They don't produce much sebum (hair's natural oil) until puberty hits and they turn into greasy monsters. For now, any moisture in the hair has to come from a conditioner.

Apply conditioning products (conditioners, oils, leave-in moisturizers) mainly on the ends of the hair (the ponytail section) if you're concerned about greasiness or conditioner weighing your hair down.


2) Dryer Sheets
Dryer sheets are made to zap static, which builds up in blankets, hats, and clothes—and can charge your hair on contact. Don't relegate them only to the laundry room.

Hairspray—even a light-hold formula—not only helps reduce static charge but also can keep your hair from floating in the sky. Spray a little on your brushes before you use them.

A word to the wise about hairspray and static control: Easy does it. Too much hairspray actually can make the static problem worse. Most hairsprays are full of alcohol, which can dry your hair out. For a kinder, gentler spray, try Aveda's Witch Hazel Light Hold Hairspray.

4) Hair Oil
Hair oil is used for so many different hair- and skin-related issues, and static control is at the top of the list. Use it on your ends before you blow-dry to keep them moisturized. Rub a few drops through your fingers and finger-comb your hair after it's dried.

A little goes a long way here; make sure you keep the oil concentrated on your ends to prevent a greasy scalp.

Want to try something from the pantry? Try natural coconut oil. It's solid at room temperature, so just put a bit in a cup or bowl and set that into hot water for a few minutes. 

5)  All-Day Static Control: CHI Pliable Polish
When you need something that will help all day but you don't want your hair to feel like it's full of product, Pliable Polish from CHI does the trick. A very small amount rubbed on your hands and smoothed over your hair (particularly the ends) provides all-day static control. The product isn't sticky and adds a lovely shine to your hair.

6) Moisture Protection: Sexy Hair 450 Style Protect
Many products geared to protect your hair from heat also excel at preventing static buildup. If you're going to apply hundreds of degrees of scorching heat to your hair, try Sexy Hair's 450 Style Protect to help it retain its moisture.

7) A Better Blow Dryer
People tend to keep blow dryers far past their prime. If it's been a while since you've replaced yours, consider upgrading to an ionic model. This type not only helps reduce static but also reduces your blow-dry time significantly. That, in turn, prevents the lack of moisture that aggravates static.

8) All-Natural Static Zapper: Static Schmatic Anti-Static Spray
A good static-eliminating spray can bust through static in an instant, but many smell terrible and are full of chemicals. Static Schmatic, on the other hand, is all natural, with only five ingredients.

9) A Shampoo Vacation
Daily shampooing dries your hair, which in turn promotes static—so skip a day or two (or more). When you do need to shampoo, choose a moisturizing formula to add that all-important moisture.

10) Comb and Brush Swapout
If you're using plastic combs or picks, you're asking for static to rule your world. Switch out your plastic combs for metal or ceramic—or purchase a comb or brush that's specifically created to prevent static buildup.

If you're sticking to the regular type, bear in mind that combs with wider-spaced teeth produce less static than their closely spaced counterparts. As for brushes, choose natural bristles instead of plastic. They cost more, but you'll notice a significant change in the amount of static you're fighting.

11) A Humidifier
Especially if you live in a dry climate, a humidifier in your home battles the effects of dry air, including static. From your hair and skin to your clothes and blankets, increasing the moisture in your house will be an investment you won't regret. A humidifier will make your dry indoor environment so much more comfortable that you'll wonder why you didn't buy one sooner.

12) Leather Soles
Believe it or not, one of the best ways to remove static from your hair is to make a change on your feet. Rubber-soled shoes are comfy, but they accumulate electronic charge and send it through your body. You know that sudden, jarring zap you sometimes get when you touch metal? That's static, and it can make your hair (and you) crazy. Opt instead for leather-soled shoes and don't live in fear of the zap.

Next time you’re on social media see if your cyber friends are sporting these new dos. You might find yourself lost on different hair stylists pages contemplating what hair journey you’ll take next.

Art has no limits, that much is known. It should come as no surprise then, that pretty much every material can be made into an art piece, which is what artist Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir does with hair.

Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir, also known as Shoplifter, is an Icelandic artist that created intricate and more often than not large pieces using a mix of both synthetic and human hair. “I was working on portraits and I attached a braid onto one sometime around 1998,” Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir told Lonely Planet remembering how her experiments with hair started. “I was inspired by an old postcard of a ‘senorita’ from Mallorca where real fabric and fibre were used for the figure’s dress and hair”.

Since then, her artworks haven’t stopped featuring hair. “I like to use [it] as an art material because we are all so emotionally connected to our own hair and hairstyles in general,” she explained to Lonely Planet. “I am obsessed with it because it has the ability to be simultaneously morbid and beautiful”. The hair she used was synthetic at first, but since then her “hairy journey,” as she herself puts it, has included both fake and real human hair.

Intrigued by Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir’s works? If you’d like to see them in person, you can find them in the upcoming months in Washington, D.C., at the Nordic Impressions exhibit until January 2019 and in Helsinki from February 2019 at a major exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir is also going to represent Iceland at the 2019 Venice Biennale, and so you’ll find her large-scale installation titled Chrono Sapiens there from May 2019.

If you want to know more about Shoplifter and her projects, you can visit her official website here.
 

Episodes:
My Favorite This Month

Bag Man

Uncanny return of Agnew's politics

Is it possible for an American Vice President to carry out a criminal enterprise inside the White House and have nobody remember?  To have one of the most brazen political bribery scandals in American history play out before the country while nobody’s paying attention? In her first original podcast, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow goes back 45 years to dig into a story that got overshadowed in its day.
 

Cosmetologists learn everything from the anatomy of a hair follicle, to how to consult with real clients, to picking the right hair color based on client skin tone, and everything in between. That “everything in between” includes tidbits and nuggets of knowledge you may not have known.  

Here are just a few:

• Fine hair does NOT absorb color at a faster rate than coarse hair. Color absorbs at the same rate for all hair types, a fine hair follicle just has less space to fill up than a coarse hair follicle, causing the process itself to be finished quicker.
• You cannot apply red to ashy hair.
• Lightener can be used on hair that is too warm, too cool or too dark. For example, when coloring hair, if hair is slightly cool, you first must remove some of that coolness.
• The average color of the North American population’s hair is a level 4 (medium brown).
• Europeans/those of European decent have an average of 100,000 hairs on their head.
• Red hair is the most difficult to lift (yes, harder than black) because color can be concentrated in the cortex.
• Hair is usually made up of 12% water, but this varies on a person’s environment. In a humid area, a person’s hair can be made of up to 16% water, whereas in a dry environment it can be made up of as low as 10% water.
• Hair on the head grows, on average, at a rate of 1 mm every three days.
• The rate at which hair grows is based on how much androgen, the male hormone, a person has (yes, females have this too). But, too much androgen causes hair loss.
• Hair is pronounced dead as soon as it comes off the scalp.
• A single strand of healthy hair can support 6.5 lbs of weight.
• During chemotherapy, people lose their hair due to the fact chemo is designed to go after fast-moving cells, like hair.