Color has a dramatic effect on people. Just as complexions have been debated about continuously and people go to great lengths to get a fairer complexion, thanks to Eugene Schuler, hair coloring has become a realistic option. Pigments that are present in melanocytes, determine the color of our natural hair.

So how do these hair colors work?

Simply put, a certain chemical reaction between the chemicals present in the hair colors and the pigments in your hair is going to determine the ultimate color.

This is not as simple as it sounds for certain reactions are irreversible and if you do not exercise caution you will be left with a headful of colored hair not particularly to your taste. Look before you leap into the world of hair colors.

Hair coloring tips : Do not buy the first hair color that you can get hold off. There is what is known as a color Swatch.

This guides you into choosing the appropriate hair color.

The color swatch talks of the term levels which merely indicates the intensity of lightness or darkness of hair. Remember, the darker the hair, less the reflection and lower the level. and the lighter the hair, more the reflection and higher the level. So Black hair is level 1 and blonde hair is level 11. Now comes the hardest bit.

Identify the level of your hair, take into account your natural skin tone and the color of your eyes and choose a hair color that is going to blend with and enhance those tones. If your are one of those fair complexioned beauties with steely blue, hazel or green eyes, choose a hair color combination of gold or blonde, and if your are dark skinned with black or brown eyes , go in for copper colors or mahogany. If you choose a hair color that is really contrary, God help you. You may be stuck with it for the rest of your life.

Now for a little bit of chemistry and math while using hair colors. Remember when we are changing the color of the hair, we are lifting it from 1 level to another level and if this involves jumping from level 1 to level 11, that is becoming a blonde from being dark haired, a little bit of subtraction and addition of undertones is what the process involves.

Since the jump is drastic, hair colors work in two ways. It first nullifies the dark pigments of the dark hair and then incorporates the new pigments into the base color of the blond or yellow hair. Whew! That is quite a jump. However, for amateurs, temporary colors like color rinses, color gels and mousses, hair crayons, and glitter sprays which wash off with shampoo are ideal to experiment with.

Everyday could be a new hair color day. Green purple, red, violet, blue name it and you have it. Once you make up your mind though as to what hair color you want to settle for, go in for a semi permanent or a permanent hair color.

A word of caution though – Always do a strand test on a few strands of uncolored hair to get an idea of the color you are ultimately going to obtain. You can do a little bit of mathematical juggling by adding more or less of a particular color to get the desired color. Hair colors can make you or mar you. Feel free to play around, but for drastic changes in hair color do get professional help.

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Beauty lies in the eyes of a beholder! How true this statement is as definition of beauty differs from person to person. We often here the term ‘natural beauty’; and what does this mean? It actually relates to the unadulterated beauty of a person. It is a woman without make-up.

Today, beauty has touched artificial levels. There are fewer and fewer people satisfied with how they look. The result being they opt for cosmetic surgery or then a closet full of beauty products. Very few women can be seen without layers of cream and make-up.

Beautifying the face with make-up is actually not a new concept. When you read Classical English literature you come across phrases like, ‘The lady is busy painting on her mask’. In fact one of the earliest finds of make-up was in the relics of the Indus Valley Civilization, where archaeologists found lipsticks and eye make-up.

In fact, make-up and other beauty products are regarded as an essential as the form a kind of a cocoon over the face, shielding it from the pollution and harmful rays of the sun. Sunscreens in fact is a must have for every age group. Even most lipsticks manufactured have moisturizers that prevent the lips from drying and cracking. Cosmetics such as rouge and eye-shadow do enhance one’s beauty if applied correctly.

However, beauty is defined as plastic when one goes for surgeries to correct the lips, nose, raise the cheekbone, plastic surgery, etc. Glamour queens in the modeling and acting industry, across the globe, have popularized these surgeries. While such ‘beauty enhancing’ methods do bring about magical results, they do have their own side effects. Many precautions are to be taken. It would not be going too far to say that life is not the same after a nose job.

While make-up and cosmetic surgeries enhance the face, there are other beautifying methods for the rest of the body such as silicon implantation for breasts, liposuction to reduce fat, colored lens for the eyes, hair color, body piercing and body tattooing, the list goes on and on…

How far can one go towards reaching the pinnacle of beauty depends on one’s desire. But then, Cleopatra was a beauty like none other and at an age when there were no provisions for artificial beauty enhancements. So, when going for any beauty rectifying therapy ask your mirror… How beautiful am I? ~ editor Karishma Bajaj. Copyright©Indianchild.com.2005

Beauty Category editors : Annie Zaidi, Sakina Kadiwala, Karishma Bajaj, F. Peris, M. Coutinho,

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From time immemorial, women have all over the world have yearned for smooth, flawless skin with no fuzz at all.Over the years, and in the more recent times, technology has helped make this a reality.  However, the word ‘permanent’ when it comes to hair removal appears to be a misnomer, because one finds that in this case ‘permanent’ does not mean forever!

For the purpose of definition – ‘permanent’ could mean anything that could last a few weeks, months or even a year.

What most of the permanent hair removal systems really offer is hair reduction, which lessens over time.  Most hair removal systems work towards the complete destruction of a hair follicle’s ability to grow hair yet again.

For those looking for permanent hair removal, the market offers a number of methods which are not quite 100%.  You could probably take a look at some of these options.

– Electrolysis has been proved to be clinically safe and effective.  It is a method where a hair-like metal probe is inserted into a hair follicle (ensuring the skin does not puncture) and an electric current is delivered to it through the probe.  It thus causes damage to the areas that generate hair.  The only disadvantage with this method is that it can be painful. Tedious and expensive.

– Laser hair removal is a method through which light is delivered at a specified wavelength from a hand piece into the skin. It targets the pigment in the hair and causes damage to the hair follicle while sparing the surrounding tissue.  This method is considered safe if properly executed.  The re-growth is usually lighter in color or finer in texture.  However, this method too can be expensive, painful and requires eye protection.

– Flash lamps/ Intense Pulsed Light is a process by which filtered light is delivered from a hand piece into the skin and causes damage to a hair follicle.  It has delivered fairly successful results, but has been found to be ineffective on unpigmented hair, and even on red and blonde hairs.

Added to that, improper treatment can cause burns, skin discoloration, which can last several months or result in patch/grid-like re-growth. The other hair removal methods are electric tweezers, photo epilators, and transcutaneous hair removal ways in which to acquire that smooth silky feeling even for a short duration.