Beauty Schools Directory - Blog

Highlights. Lowlights.  Blow-drying.  High-heat straighteners.   Bleaching. Chemical treatments. Metal bobby pins.  Let’s face it.  We’re not very kind to our hair, and yet each day we expect it to look perfect and give us the good hair day we want oh-so-badly.

As many hairstylists will tell you, sometimes less really is more when wanting to get healthy, better looking tresses.  Isn’t it odd that all that we do to our hair to make it beautiful often makes it just the opposite?

Since many of us may not be scientists or cosmetologists, let’s start with the basics.  Hair is fiber made up of three layers: the medulla, the cortex and then the outer cuticle.  Hair grows at an average of 1/4 an inch every month.  People have different natural hair life cycles—some may have a hair life cycle of up to six years, others may have a two year hair cycle.  However, the life cycle of your hair depends a lot on its health, too.

Over-styling, especially heat-styling can really wreak havoc on your hair’s cuticle, causing your hair to become dry, damaged, and lacking shine and luster.  What part of your beauty routine is damaging your hair?  Probably a lot of things you do regularly.  To keep your hair healthy, try to avoid or limit these activities:

1. Bleaching
2. Perming
3. Highlights and colors
4. Using a flat iron
5. Blow-drying
6. Wearing tight ponytails and braids
7. Extensions

We understand you can’t just give up styling your hair every day.  So, besides limiting the use of these styling products and routines, here are a three healthy hair tips from hairstylists:

•    Use a product made for heat styling.  Luckily there are now products that help protect hair from the high temperatures of the curling iron and straightener—use it every time you heat-style your hair!
•    Eat healthy foods and drink water! Crazy diets aren’t going to boost your hair health.  Eat a balanced diet of lean proteins, fruits, veggies, whole grains and yes, some healthy fats!
•    Know when to cut your hair.  Sure, you may want to grow out your hair, but you have to know when it’s best just to trim off the unhealthy ends.  Trimming your hair when it needs it will help it grow.

Here’s to your hair’s health!

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You may also enjoy The Top 10 Reason’s Women Change Their Hairstyle and Five Hair Styling Techniques for Curly Hair.

We all know how disheartening a blemish or pimple can be just days before some big event. You want to look your best and there’s this red, irritated thing on your face just staring at everyone else. Here’s a few quick ways to zap blemishes and pimples fast – without slathering on over-drying anti-acne creams/face washes.

Resist the squeeze
If you see or feel a pimple coming on resist the urge to squeeze. All you will do by popping a whitehead is a) create a potential scar b) further irritate the area c) potentially have the whitehead explode under your skin (infection potential!).

Chill out
If the pimple is small, take a q-tip, wet both ends and put it in the freezer for a few minutes. Gently apply to the pimple for no more than 30 seconds at a time to reduce any swelling. Then follow up with a salicylic acid cleanser, which kills bacteria and dries out the area. If the pimple is larger use an ice cube and repeat the other steps.

Cover up
Makeup won’t make things worse if you use an oil-free concealer. Apply a small amount with your finger or use a brush for bigger spots. Of course if you’re having potentially scarring breakouts, a dermatologist can inject cortisone in it to get rid of acne scars, but that should be a last resort.

Fade away
If the pimple leaves a mark, apply cortisone cream to it a few times a day for no more than a week. Also, be vigilant about wearing sunscreen. Any kind of skin discoloration will only get darker if you go out into the sun unprotected!

Based on the history of beauty, bigger and wider-looking eyes have traditionally been considered more attractive in our society. Japan embraced this big-eyed notion as depicted in their anime cartoons and fashion, and now it’s making a strong movement in America right now.

Big circle, beauty contact lenses are the rage today among younger girls across the country wanting to be part of the latest fashion trends. Current music sensation Lady Gaga released her music video “Bad Romance,” donning a digitally created big-eyed appearance causing the beauty contact lenses trend to reach an all time high. Beauty contact lenses themselves give the wearer doll-like eyes, presenting a unique look. However, as this trend grows larger, the price for wearing beauty contacts lenses also increases and we’re not talking about dollar signs.

There are certain dangers associated with wearing these big-eye creators. What are they?

For starters, circle beauty contacts lenses aren’t FDA approved; hence, they’re illegal. You can’t get them from your local eye doctor. United States law requires contacts to be prescribed. So how are people in America getting these over sized beauty contact lenses? The same way Americans seemingly get other “illegal or pirated things” – the internet of course. For around $20-30 a pair you too can have this doll-like eye craze, but buying illegal contacts is the least of your concerns.

You could get serious eye infections.
With all contacts you have the risk of eye infections and the scary possibility of losing your sight within 24 hours if not careful. But with circle beauty contact lenses the risk is much more severe. This leads us to the next point.

Contacts need to fit properly.
Contacts are personalized for the individual wearing them. That’s why you go to the eye doctor – to get your correct eyesight diagnosed and proper contact fitting. Not one person has the same eye shape and as a result these big-eyed, one size fits all contacts may improperly fit, potentially scratching the cornea, triggering infection and causing irreparable blindness.

Consult a doctor.
If you absolutely want to be part of this big-eyed fashion craze then do it the smart way. Consult your local eye doctor and ask what kind of various contact alternatives he/she can prescribe you. At the end of the day fashions come and go, but you wouldn’t want to say the same about your eyesight.

The Marinello Raw Talent High School Scholarship contest competition awarded scholarships to five lucky participants to help them pursue their dreams of a professional career in the beauty industry. The first place winner received $10,000 and the four runner-ups will received $5,000.
This year’s first place scholarship winner was Jessica Wylie, a cosmetology student at the Marinello campus in Redding, California. Wylie moved the scholarship committee with her essay Beauty from Ashes, which described a goodwill program between Marinello students providing free cosmetology services to young female victims of abuse, inspired by her own experience volunteering as a mentor at a safe house for victimized girls.

The $5,000 runner-up winners included:

• Metzli Gallo, a cosmetology student of Ontario, California
• Maricela Lopez an esthetics student attending the San Francisco campus
• Leonel Torres, a cosmetology student from the San Diego campus
• Ruth Rubio, an esthetics student at the Burbank, California campus

Congratulations to all the winners!

Curly hair can be on tough styling challenge. It frizzes, curls back out when you don’t want it to and fights you every step of the way. The key is to try to work with your curls instead of against them. Use these five curly hairstyles to help manage the frizz and enhance your natural curl.

Straighten it out
It’s no secret that women with curls covet straight hair. But have no fear curly heads, you can straighten your hair with a flat iron and maintain a sleek, straight style all day.

Use a comb to part your hair and divide your locks into several sections. Use a hair claw to keep each section separate. Unclip one section and partition it into smaller sections. Run the flat iron through each partition from root to tip. Repeat for all sections.

Wear it long
The key here is to have enough length to weigh down some of the curls. Ask your hair stylist for a layered style that’s medium to long. Go for layers that are angled back. Use a relaxer if you’re worried about the curls taking over and curling back.

Scrunch for volume
Scrunching is one of the easiest ways to manage wet, curly hair — and makes a great no-fuss look for summer. After towel drying, work a curl-defining cream through your hair near the scalp. Then, scrunch the tips of your hair with a curl-enhancing cream to infuse moisture and refine curls. Lastly, boost volume with a blowdryer using a diffuser attachment to maintain the shape of your style.

Clip it
Creating updos with long, curly hair is more difficult than with straight hair. Curls tend to take up more space and prevent the claw from attaining maximum hold. But there’s an easy fix: Use claws with multiple thin tines instead of those with only five or six thick tines. Secure hair in a low ponytail first for more support.

Embrace bangs
Women with curly hair often avoid bangs, as they require a lot of maintenance. However, bangs are especially stylish. This is particularly true when paired with long, wavy hair. Try thick, long, sidestepped bangs with long layers. These can be flat ironed in seconds, eliminating the hassle of fringe cuts.