Healthy Food for Healthy Hair!

The health of your hair not only depends on what you put on it, but also what you put into your body!

The cells and processes that support strong, vibrant hair depend on a balanced, protein-rich, nutritional diet that helps to fortify the hair follicle.

Although there are many factors that may affect the condition of your locks, food is definitely a priority and a main point of focus! Give your hair the TLC it needs by eating these nutritious foods!

Salmon

Besides being rich in protein and vitamin D, Salmon also contains Omega-3 fatty acids which the body cannot produce, and are essential for your body to grow hair. Omega-3 not only helps your hair, it is a superstar when it comes to your skin! While the vitamin D keeps your bones and teeth strong too!

Walnuts

Another holder of the amazing omega-3 fatty acids, they also contain biotin and vitamin E. These help to protect your cells from DNA damage, and reduce hair loss! The small amounts of the copper found in walnuts, is the perfect mineral that helps keep your natural hair colour rich and luscious!

Oysters

I know… Oysters are not everyone’s cup of tea, but with the amount of protein and zinc within them – they can have a huge impact on hair health! Not only does zinc reduce hair loss, it also adds moisture to the scalp – reducing the chances of dryness and flaking! Without enough protein, your body is unable to reproduce the hair that naturally sheds, or it will produce dry, brittle or weak strands. If you don’t like oysters, get your zinc fill from nuts, beef or eggs!

Sweet Potatoes

A super food packed with beta-carotene, an antioxidant that helps fight ageing! The beta-carotene is turned into vitamin A, which is essential for all cells in the body to function! Vitamin A also protects the scalp oils, maintaining moisture and reducing the chances of a dry, dandruff producing scalp! Of course if you aren’t a fan of this super food, this antioxidant can also be found in carrots, pumpkin, mangoes and apricots!

 

Eggs

An amazing protein source that is loaded with the minerals zinc, selenium, sulfur and iron! Iron is crucial as it helps cells carry oxygen to the hair follicles. Low iron is a major cause of hair loss – particularly in women! So make sure you eat your eggs for the iron enrichment you need!

Spinach

This leafy green vegetable is rich in nutrients and antioxidants! The iron, beta-carotene, folate and vitamin C all help maintain scalp oils circulating and keep the hair follicles healthy! It is also loaded with lutein, Vitamin B, C & E, potassium, calcium, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids which can all have wondrous effects on the body! No wonder Pop-eye loved spinach so much!

Lentils

These legumes are a great staple for vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters, and contain lots of protein, iron, zinc and biotin!

Greek yogurt

Not only enriched in protein, but also filled with vitamin B & D– which are all important for hair follicle health!

 

Blueberries

An amazing nutrient-filled superhero enriched with vitamin C! Vitamin C supports the small blood vessels that feed the follicles and is crucial for scalp circulation, while reducing hair breakage! The antioxidants in blueberries also protect you from premature aging! What a bonus!

Poultry

An extraordinary protein choice, as well as zinc, iron and B vitamins that help to keep strands strong. Since hair is almost all protein, eating protein-rich food is essential to form the building blocks of hair!

So there it is! A simple list of food that can be easily incorporated into your everyday life to ensure that you are getting the protein, nutrients and antioxidants required for the luscious, locks you have always dreamed of! Don’t forget to embrace great hair products as well, of course these also have a huge impact on your hair health!

Yours in beautiful hair xx

Match your look to your locks!

There is a huge variety of hairstyles that highlight different features of the face, and it is important to know the tips and tricks to enhance your look and style!

Bangs:

A heavy fringe has the tendency to attract attention to the eyes as the hair hits right at/or below the brows. Use muted metallic eye shadows, line the top and bottom lashes and apply mascara to make your eyes pop. Use a highlighting eye shadow right below the brows and on the inner corner of the eye for a brightening effect. With bold eyes, ensure that a nude or neutral lip colour is used!

Layered:

The most common layered styles usually consist of layers that typically hit at the middle of the face. This can create a shadow effect and an illusion of higher cheekbones. Use this to your advantage with a rosy blush and a pink-tone highlighter on the highest point of your cheekbones, only apply the products softly as too make product can look overdone and unnatural.

Mid-length locks:

Follow the gesture of the cut towards the bottom of the face, and focus on your lips! Defined, bold lips are a perfect complement to mid-length locks! Conceal around the lips for definition and choose a vibrant lip hue like red, wine, plum or berry. When focusing on bold lips, make sure your eyes and the rest of the face are natural and soft. Use neutral eye shadow colours with a light layer of eye liner and mascara and a neutral blush colour - too many bold features can appear clownish!

Pixie cut:

A style that tends to shine a spotlight on the top zone of the face! In other words, it is essential to keep your brows neat and groomed. We wouldn’t want the spotlight to focus on the unplucked, stray brow hairs just above your gorgeous eyes! Apply a pearly taupe eye shadow over your lids, with mascara and a rosy lip colour to suit your crop cut!

Long & Luscious:

With long hair comes a full face focus with all the features on display. So with flawless hair comes flawless skin! Use a brightening foundation, a natural peach highlighter and gentle eye makeup to enhance your gorgeous complexion! Don’t forget to wear powder and use blotting papers to remove oil and improve the longevity of your makeup!

Matching your makeup to your style will help to enhance your features and will also enhance your hair. Don't forget to use quality hair products to ensure for perfect, healthy hair!

Yours in beautiful hair xx

Water can change your life!

We all know that water is essential for human body function, but did you know that water has a very positive effect on the mind as well? Water not only works with internal features of the body, it is also beneficial for your external features and your mind!

©       Flawless Skin

Water is important for flawless, gorgeous skin! Water helps the skin stay plump, hydrated and resilient against wrinkles and can improve appearance by making the skin look and feel healthy. It can also assist in reducing dryness and breakouts by replenishing skin tissues, moisturizing skin and increasing elasticity.

©       Healthy Hair

Although shampoo is very important in achieving healthy hair, water is just as important! Dry, dyed, bleached and broken hair can be disastrous if it is not looked after. Make sure you are consuming lots of water in order to maintain hydration and improve your hair strength and elasticity, reducing breakage and maintaining hair quality and health! Make sure you are also using a good quality Shampoo and conditioner, to make sure that your hair is not stripped of hydration and nutrient. The bhave Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner are the perfect combination, for hydrated and healthy hair!

Don’t forget! If dehydrated, the body will use all the water in the nails and hair to compromise for the lack of water consumption.

©       Strong Nails

Do you want to know the secret to the beautiful natural nails seen on so many women? The secret is water! Drinking water is so important for the appearance and health of nails. Dehydration will contribute to dry and brittle nails that will peel and break! This is definitely not the look that we want! Drink plenty of water and don’t forget to use a nail strengthener for maximum strength.

©       Exercise

As water regulates body temperature, you will feel more energetic and your muscles will be fueled by the water intake. Water also helps to burn calories, must make sure that when you exercise that you are constantly consuming more water!

©       Better productivity & a good mood

Drinking water will help you think better, and be more alert and concentrated. As your body loves water, it will make you feel good and will improve your mood. It is a psychological process, where if you know you are doing something to help yourself than you will be a lot happier!

©       Fatigue relief & increased energy

When water flushes out toxins and waste products, the body does not have to work as hard to function. Therefore you will have more energy, your body functions will speed up and you won’t feel as sluggish!

©       Weight loss

Water is the perfect ingredient for weight loss. It is calorie-free, reduces hunger and flushes down the by-products of fat breakdown. This combined with the increased energy and exercise is the best approach to weight loss (and healthy eating of course!).

So don’t forget if you drink the recommended 2 litres of water a day, you will feel mentally and physically healthy and happy! You hair, nails and skin will all improve, along with your quality of life. Your body will also improve its functions and will work faster, providing more energy!

Yours in beautiful hair xx

Fashion Weekly

The bhave riot control oil and the bhave award-winning deep intense conditioning masque have both been listed on the 'Beauty Wish List' in Fashion Weekly (July 2013 Issue 09).

Which bhave products are on your beauty wish list?

Yours in beautiful hair xx

Happy Birthday bhave! GIVEAWAY

We are celebrating our 2^nd birthday and we want to celebrate with you! We are giving away 6 of our 2013 award-winning deep intense conditioning masques as our way of saying thank you for all your support over the past 2 years!

The bhave™ deep intense conditioning masque provides intense moisture & repair to extremely stressed, coloured, dry or damaged hair. Enriched with Replicine™ Functional Keratin®, it is the perfect deep conditioner that works to restore elasticity, improve hair strength and boost shine.

Providing you with soft, healthy, shiny and well-bhaved hair we all dream of having!

It's very simple! All you have to do is visit the bhave facebook page, click on the Contest WIN tab, and fill in your details!

There will be 6 lucky winners announced on Friday the 28th of June!

Don’t worry if you don’t win! There will be many more bhave™ giveaways very soon!

Yours in beautiful hair xx

Winter Woes & Frizzy Fro’s! Weather-proof your locks

As we enter June, we also enter winter! As much as we all love winter fashion and dressing up our outfits with boots, scarves and jackets, it also means it’s time for some extra TLC towards your hair!

Harsh winter conditions can strip the hair cuticle, making it rough and susceptible to dryness, static and breakage – definitely something we don’t want to deal with!

Of course, these tips are beneficial all year round, your hair is always happy to get pampered and we all love having beautiful, soft, healthy hair all the time!

Good quality products

It is so important to use good quality hair products! Try use products that are free of parabens, sulfates and sodium chloride in order to prevent chemicals and harsh ingredients from breaking down your hair.

When washing your hair, use a repairing shampoo and conditioner such as the bhave Rescue Intense Repair shampoo & Conditioner. It will repair and moisturize your hair, preventing dryness and breakage while leaving your hair with the soft and silky feeling we all know and love! Try not to wash your hair too often in order to prevent natural scalp oils from being stripped and on days that you don’t shampoo, you can simply rinse your hair (with water only) or use a dry shampoo!

End your shower with a cold-water rinse to smooth and seal the cuticle in order to prevent dullness from dry, jagged cuticles! Absorb the water from your hair, with a soft towel, rather then vigorous rubbing which can cause further breakage.

Before drying your hair, use a leave in conditioner (the bhave Leave-In Crème is perfect for this), this will ensure that moisture is locked into your hair, and makes your hair more pliable. It will also leave your hair feeling soft and healthy! Finally, seal with an oil! Protect your hair from the elements while reducing frizz and adding shine to your hair (the bhave Riot Control Oil is great for taming frizz- you can use the oil before or after drying!)

Pamper your hair

This doesn’t have to be done every time you wash your hair, use it to pamper your locks once a week.

After shampooing your hair, apply a deep conditioner (such as the award-winning bhave Deep Intense Conditioning Masque) and leave it in your hair for 20 minutes and then rinse. You could also apply to dry hair and leave it over night for best results (don’t forget to wear a shower cap!).

Heat reduction

Using heat on your hair will causing drying and will reduce hair moisture – no matter what time of year it is! When blow-drying your hair, try to keep your hair dryer on a low heat setting to reduce as much damage as possible. Rather than styling with other heat-based tools, why not try wearing your hair natural, tying it in a braid or bun, or even using rollers (unheated) to give your hair smoothness and volume.

I do know that this may not be an option for everyone! In that case, try using your straightener or curler on the lowest heat setting, and try to reduce the number of times you use your heat tools a week (only using them after washing your hair, rather than everyday), and make sure you apply a product for heat protection before!

If you are looking to increase volume in your hair without using heat, try using a dry shampoo!

Weather Protection

Protect your hair from the weather! Wear a hat to protect from wind and cold air, or an umbrella for rain protection! If hats aren’t your style, try wearing a jacket with a hood, and tuck your locks away whenever you need to!

Hydrate

It is so important to maintain hydration levels! Not just for hair health but for your overall health and well-being. We all know how important water is, and it is very beneficial to ensure hair does not dry out, and stays in a strong and healthy condition.

What are your favourite hair care tips and tricks for winter?

Yours in beautiful hair xx

Over the rainbow!

Balayage hit the world by storm and was seen strutting down red carpets for the past year!  However, the newest trend in the Hollywood scene presents a whole new look to hair.  A fun, bright and creative trend – that will definitely turn heads!

All over the red carpet we have seen the appearance of pinks, lilacs, blues and a mixture of bright and pastel shades!  Whether dip dyed, streaked or a full head of colour.  This new trend has created a whole new meaning to standing out in a crowd!

 

Having coloured hair is the perfect way to add a fun, edgy look to an outfit, or as seen on red carpets – it definitely would attract the cameras and create very memorable moments!

Inspired by style icons including Katy Perry, Rihanna and Kelly Osborne - They have all been seen sporting a full head of colour, and obviously it seems to be a huge hit!  

Kelly Osborne dyed her locks a gorgeous lilac colour that the producers of Fashion Police, loved so much that they asked her to sign a contract to keep the hair colour for two more years!  Rihanna has been sporting a bold, edgy red look and Katy Perry has displayed both pink and blue looks recently.

Of course a full head of colour may not be everyone’s cup of tea, which brings in many other options of how to incorporate colour!  Cher Lloyd has used a form of dip-dye incorporating two colours into her ends, while keeping her gorgeous brunette roots!

And for those who aren’t very daring, or may be scared of colour!  Have no fear – there is an option for you!  January Jones has a beautiful, elegant blonde look, however by adding a few subtle, pink streaks her hair still has a look of creativity and fun, without making too much change.

For those too scared of a permanent colour, there is always the option of clip in extensions – Realistic hair extensions, are a perfect way to add a pop of colour to a look for a night out but still ensures your boss won’t complain about crazy bright pink hair in the office!

Who’s been brave enough to follow this colourful trend?  If so, which colours have you used?

Yours in beautiful hair xx

Do you suffer from tress stress?

Shiny, bouncy, healthy hair – it’s undoubtedly at the top of every woman’s beauty wish list.  But as much as we treasure our tresses, we put them through torture!  Speaking from experience (and on behalf of all my girlfriends) a bad hair day can ruin my mood, not to mention that I feel very self conscious and want to hide away from the world!  I could be wearing a designer frock while having a bad-hair day and still feel awful or I could be wearing a potato sack while experiencing an awesome hair day, feeling on top of the world!  Weird?  Some people may think this is an extreme statement, but I think most of you would agree with me.

Hair Psychology

Yes, this real affliction has even been studied at Harvard Uni and Yale!  They found that women actually felt younger after a haircut, colour or both AND it actually showed a drop in blood pressure!   So gals, wouldn’t you agree that it’s extremely important for our health (LOL!) to make sure that our hair always looks good?! 

Apart from “good health”, our hair plays an important part in our self expression.   It’s the first thing people notice about us!  When you look good, you feel more confident.  It’s easier to go out there and get what you want when you’re feeling good.  Research has shown that when you’re feeling positive and good about yourself, things go better for us.   On the other hand, a study at Yale determined that when hair mis-bhave’s, people felt that their self-esteem dropped, increasing social insecurity, self criticism and had an overall negative effect on their mood.

Your hair will bhave™ even if you don’t!

Fear not!  All is not lost!

Get regular haircuts

The first and most important aspect of creating more good hair days is getting regular hair cuts.  I believe in spending more in this department (you get what you pay for!).  It is important to find a hairdresser that listens to you, but will also help you with a style that works with your shape face, hair texture and lifestyle.  When you spend more, you are in the safe hands of an expert stylist who will help you on your journey to attain the “I feel awesome!” look.

Healthy-hair diet 

I know I may sound like your mother now, but this does make a difference!  Make sure you nourish your hair from the inside as well as the outside.  Eat a healthy balanced diet that will feed your hair the essential nutrients it needs.  Eat plenty of proteins (animal and/or vegetable) as your hair is made up of proteins (keratin), vitamins (helps hair growth) and essential oils (keeps hair moisturised).  Not only will your hair look good, but you will feel good too!  Double whammy!

Use good hair products

I cannot stress enough how important it is to use the right products.  A good cut is always a good start, but if you don’t use the correct products at home, your bad hair days will return quicker than you can say “bad hair day!” 

That’s where we come in!  The bhave™ hair care collection has been developed in conjunction with hair industry experts who understand your hair care needs.   Enriched with Replicine™ Functional Keratin® (would you believe that it is almost identical to the naturally occurring keratin in your hair?), the bhave™ products have been designed with your hair health in mind.  Each bhave™ product has been carefully created and blended to both restore and deeply fortify your hair, leaving it extraordinarily shiny, silky and well-bhaved, right from day one!   

NOW YOU CAN GO OUT AND CONQUER THE WORLD!

Yours in beautiful hair xx