If you haven’t heard of lace front wigs, you have unknowingly seen them.  Celebrities like Beyonce and Tyra Banks have been wearing them for years now. From long and straight, to big and wavy, front lace wigs gives hair styling a new twist.

These wigs are not new to people in the entertainment industry and health care professions where they were made popular because of their natural appearance.  Before they were moved into the mainstream, lace front wigs (LFW) were used for movies, theater products and drag queens, as well as for cancer patients and balding women.

Why are these wigs so popular?

What makes LFW useful is that they provide more versatility than traditional weaves and wigs.  You can change your style and hair color easily without using your own hair and most importantly, it looks completely natural.

LFW appear natural because of how they are made.  A custom made LFW is made with human hair.  Individual strands of hair are then pulled through a piece of lace mesh giving the illusion of coming out of your scalp for an even more realistic look.  Usually, when traditional wigs are worn, they are styled to include bangs or the hair is pulled out in the front.  But with a LFW, you glue down the lace so it looks like your own hairline.  In the picture below, you can see how the lace is dyed to blend with your skin color.

Although you can buy LFW’s a lot cheaper, most good custom made LFW’s go for about $2,000-$3,000.  Celebrities having a lot more money may spend anywhere from $5,000 on up for more expensive human hair.

There is something to take caution about the use of LFW’s.  The lace on the wig is very delicate and because there is glue involved, it is not something that can be put on and taken off quickly.  The glue is designed to chemically bond the lace on the wig to your head.  If not taken off properly the glue will rip out your real hair.  You should seek a professional to attach and remove these wigs.  A stylist that has experience in the wig application and removal will know the tricks of the trade to ensure that minimal damage occurs.

As remarkable as the technology is for these wigs, they are not without imperfections. The attachment can be visible to the eye and can come unattached due to sweat or highly expressive facial movements. If the forehead is moved to make an expression, a distinct line of where the lace ends and the natural muscles of then forehead begins are visible.  (See picture below.)

On television and in photos a LFW not as noticeable because there is a team of professionals making sure that every detail of the application is perfect.  Additionally, when you look at photos they can be digitally touched up to where you can’t see it.

LFW’s are fun and I can see why they are desirable.  But if you want to invest in a LFW, please contact a professional stylist who has experience (maybe a certification) in applying and removing these delicate hairpieces.  A professional will take precautions to ensure that your natural hair is cared for properly.

It use to be unheard of for African American women to dye their hair any color other than their natural dark tresses. However, due to high profile celebrities such as Mary J Blige, Tyra Banks and Mary Mary, who sport colors anywhere from platinum blonde to hot, fiery red, dark colors have been a thing of the past. Often times when celebrities are seen wearing new, cute hair styles, the mainstream wants to follow.

All of this is fine, but whenever you have dark colored hair and you want to dye your hair from dark to light, you run the risk of seriously damaging your hair. To get the blonde, brown, and red colors, the dyes have to penetrate the cortex of the hair.* Additionally, if you have dyed hair that is relaxed or that you straighten with blow dryers, curling or flat irons, this almost guarantees damaged hair, even to the point of breakage. Of course it is advertised that changing your hair color is a simple process that will soften, condition and moisturize your hair. However, the potential exist for hair to become extremely damaged.

How do I dye my hair without damaging it?

To avoid less damage to your hair try these three options:

1. If having dyed hair is preferred, dying it in its natural hair color will be less damaging.

2. If your hair is dyed, make sure to moisturize everyday. Dye dries out the hair and adding moisturizers will help to keep it moist and soft. Girl, Get Your Hair Back! explains what moisturizers are most appropriate for your hair.

3. Lastly, when shopping for hair color, be aware of the different types of hair coloring products. Compare and decide what dye would be best for you.

A. Temporary hair dye is great for first timers who want to try new colors. Temporary dye can be the least damaging because it has no penetrating dyes that physically alter the internal hair structure. It only coats the outside of the hair shaft.
B. Semi-permanent dye has the least amount of ingredients that can affect the internal composition of your hair. This dye is not as stable as permanent dye and is washed out after a few shampoos.

C. If you want to make subtle changes in your hair color or to cover some gray, demi-hair dye is the way to go. It does contain ingredients identical to permanent hair color but with much lower concentrations.
D. If covering large amounts of gray is your goal and you don’t mind getting touched up as fading and grow-out will occur, then permanent dyes is what you want to use. It makes a considerable permanent change in hair color. This dye has the highest amounts of ingredients that can affect the internal composition of your hair. If you ever want to get rid of this color in the future, it will be necessary to either dye it a color that matches your natural hair color or have it cut out.
E. If you are concerned about grow-out and fading, then progressive hair color is great. This dye gradually accumulates on the outside of the hair shaft or just under the outside altering the hair shade with a blanket color. As you discontinue using this type of dye, it begins to fade gradually.

*How Stuff Works http://science.howstuffworks.com/hair-coloring3.htm

There are countless claims that hair care companies advertise about what makes your hair beautiful. So many claims, that sometimes it can be hard to tell which ones would benefit your type of hair. Although there are many advertisements of great looking hair, I want to uncover just 5 myths that will save you money.

1. Remember the Suave commercials that asked if you can tell which person used the expensive brand and who used Suave? Well that commercial is actually true. If you have been paying for expensive hair care products thinking they are better than inexpensive ones, well think again. When you begin to read the ingredients list of hair care products, you will see that there is little to no difference between products in inexpensive lines and expensive lines.

 
2. When you look at commercials and ads of hair models with the most beautiful, shiny, long, flowing hair, it’s not just because of the products being advertised. Instead what you see is a lot of work at the hands of a lot of people. Believe me, if they are advertising a hair product that will make your hair thick and shiny, they will pick a model with genetically thick hair and not a model with thin hair. Once they have picked their model, they use a great hairstylist that has styled the hair for at least a couple of hours. Great lighting and a top notch photographer who uses a lot of digital touch ups, can make the models hair look fabulous.

3. There are a lot of hair products on the market that include natural ingredients. This has people thinking that an all natural hair care product is supposed to be better for your hair. Is there really a such thing as an all-natural hair care product? I would think not because the ingredients derived from natural sources such as coconut, milk, grape seed, etc. do not retain their natural composition once they are processed and altered to cleanse and/or condition hair.

4. Have you ever thought about why shampoo lathers better the second time you wash your hair than from the first time? Let me give you a secret about shampoo that can save you a little money. Lather ingredients are added to shampoo for emotional appeal and they have no effect on cleaning. People think that lots of lather means the hair is getting thoroughly clean. But the lather is unrelated to the cleaning ingredients in the shampoo. The lather you get while shampooing is directly effected by the amount of oil and debris on your hair. The more oils, debris and styling products that reside on the hair, the less lather will be produced as you shampoo. The lather ingredients were deactivated by the presence of the oil and debris. Hair lathers better the second time you wash it because it was cleaned on the first go. There is no need for a second wash and this will save you from using more shampoo.

5. There are no cosmetic hair care products out there that can make your hair grow. Do not be confused with products that can aid your hair in keeping it healthy while it is growing, and those who claim to make hair grow. There are, however, pharmaceutical drugs that have met FDA testing and have proven to help hair grow. Almost all the hair care products advertising hair growth do not contain pharmaceutical or over-the-counter regulated drug ingredients. So be careful what kind of hair growth aids you buy. Hair care companies can make hair growth advertisements without requiring proof and they don’t need to validate its effectiveness or safety. To find out more about hair loss and what will actually work, sign up for your free article on hair loss.

I am the oldest of four children and out of the four children there are three girls’. My mom had the job of taking care of three little girl’s hair every week. And as you may already know, this is not always a fun thing to do. However, no matter how much work it was and how time consuming it can be, there was one thing my mom did to ensure that her daughters had the healthiest hair: she never gave us a relaxer. In her opinion, she understood a relaxer would not be good to our hair. But a relaxer is just one solution to childrens’ hair care.

Children’s hair is very delicate. It is important that we care for it appropriately and not do what is convenient for us, the parent. A lot of times, parents decide to styles to their child’s hair in ways that is not the healthiest. Besides adding relaxers in children’s’ hair, parents have added extensions for braids or weaving. These styles are usually pulled into tight parts which cause the child pain and/or loss of hair.

There are no quick and fast steps in caring for your child’s hair. Their hair needs just as much love and attention as you would give your own. So by remembering to take these steps listed below, you will help ensure your child has good looking healthy hair.

1. Let’s be honest, most really young children don’t care that much about how their hair looks because they are so active and interested in the new world around them. So by styling their hair in its natural tresses is the way to go it will stay healthy, full and long.

2. In my opinion, I think it is absolutely adorable for little children to have afros, afro puffs, braids and twists. Teaching our children the significance and beauty of natural kinky, curly, wavy hair will set a wonderful foundation for self-assured and powerful adults.

3. Children go to school and get into a lot of things through out the day. In play, a lot of dirt, sand and sweat gets into their hair. Try to shampoo and condition their hair every week. Teaching proper hygiene for their hair is equally important for their body too.

4. Make certain to keep their hair moisturized. Maintaining a proper moisture balance is vital because it keeps it soft, pliable and eliminates stressors that can cause breakage such as rubber bands, balls and barrettes. Proper moisture will keep their hair growing strong.

5. When styling, listen to your child if they say the style is too tight. Be extra careful not to apply too much pressure and tension on the hair. If you decide to give your children braid styles that require extensions, try to wait until they are 9 years old or older. Having extensions on the hair can be too heavy for hanging or corn rowed hair. The extra weight can pull the hair and cause thinness and sometimes permanent breakage. Extensions should be used to hold and support their natural hair for cornrows and single braids. It should not exceed the amount of natural hair.

For additional information on children’s hair care, check out No Lye by Tulani Kinard. She has great information on children’s hair care and hair styles.