Black Hair Care Tips | 2013 Hairstyle Trends

Black hair (African-American hair) is different from Caucasoid hair or Asian hair. The most typical character of the black hair is that it is strong and rigid transversally but is very flexible length wise. Because of this presentation, the hair body often curls tightly and takes up a spiral appearance. The shape of African hair has a resemblance to a twisted oval or ribbon.

Another feature of black hair is that it is irregular in diameter. Neither the fiber diameter nor the cuticle diameter is the same all through its length. Because of this typical structure and coiling structure the hair has many fragile points. The outside of a tight curl puts stress on the outer hair fiber cortex and cuticle. At some points outside the curls, cuticle becomes very thin and flakes easily. These areas of stress in the hair fiber are prone to damage by chemicals. Even vigorous combing is enough to flake the cuticle and damage the hair.



Another undesirable feature of the black hair is its low moisture content. This character also makes the black hair more susceptible to weathering. Since the black hair is too curly in nature, it is difficult to comb. It is prone to hair breakage and hair shedding.

Because of these difficulties, black hair requires more care than any other type of hair. The following black hair care tips help in preventing some damage to which it is naturally susceptible.
Massage the scalp regularly to encourage oil production.

Always use a wide-toothed Afro comb. Combing helps spread the natural oil through the hair, making it look shinier and healthier.

Use intensive pre-shampoo treatments.
Shampoo your black hair as often as you feel necessary but only lather once, using a small amount of shampoo. Rinse thoroughly.

Always towel-blow your hair and never rub it with towel. .
Try a hot oil treatment once a month. It lubricates dry scalp and help in moisturizing black hair.
Choose non-greasy formulas for your hair gel so that they don't take away the healthy sheen.
If you want to braid your black hair, use a softening shampoo that maintains the right moisture balance. You can also try a natural oil based moisturizer.

While combing your hair, start from the tips and work towards the roots, it will be less damaging to the hair.
Have a regular trim to remove split ends as it prevents hair breakage.
Whether it's in cornrow, braids or bun, try not to repeat the same 'pull-back' hairstyle too often. The stress on the hair may cause it to weaken around the edges.

Try to avoid the use of heat treatments, chemical relaxers or hot hair drying of your hair.
Don't use any hair care product that has any harsh chemical. Only use natural hair care products.
Avoid use of alcohol based products.

Cotton pillow cases and sheets help in breakage, use a silk or satin scarf to wrap up your hair while sleeping.

Besides these natural hair care tips, there are certain black hair products that can be used for taking care of your hair. Black hair has its own specific characters and its unique problems. So special black hair growth products need to specially formulated for taking care of the more fragile black hair. The best black hair care or hair growth products are the ones that use the natural hair care products.

The common ingredients of the black hair care products depend largely on the requirements of the black hair care. The research has found that black hair is less dense as compared to other ethnic hair. Studies on black hair have shown that it also has less hair re-growth potential. Because of these factors, more Afro-American women are concerned about hair loss or alopecia. These women are mostly looking for products that offer them better hair growth other than frizz control. Natural hair care products offer these black hair care products more credibility over other products.

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Black Koi Fish

Black is one colour that is never out of fashion. Black is classy, black is smart, black is evergreen, black is dignified...black is black. From cars to apparels to pets, the colour black has a kingdom of its own. And the world of Koi is no exception. Among Koi lovers, be they professional breeders or hobbyists or simply Koi enthusiasts, black Koi has caught the imagination of many. There are many who specifically look for black Koi. And why not, a black Koi swimming gracefully along the other brightly coloured ones is a sight to relish. Apart from its colour, two other reasons that have added to the popularity of the black Koi are its larger size and its ability to change colour. The colour change occurs due to a change in water temperature (seasonal) or due to a change in their food.

And 'logic' can well be the third reason. A black Koi is less visible to predators against the dark background of the pond. So the colour is an insurance policy, isn't it? Feel like LOL? Well, it was meant to be a joke!

It is important to note here that there is no difference between the coloured Koi and the black Koi. They are just the same. 'Black' is just another colour in which Koi is available. You can get an 'all black' Koi or a black with some colourful markings. Some Koi varieties have been classified into various categories based on their black colour.

These are listed below.:



- Karasu - This can be called an all black Koi as the parts of its body that are visible to the spectators' eyes are black. However, the belly of this fish can be white or orange. Since the upper body and fins are completely black, this Koi is also called 'crow Koi'. Also, Karasu literally means crow in Japanese.




- Matsukawabake - This Koi is a mixture of black and white. It can turn completely black (or white) in certain circumstances, due to seasonal colour change.





- Showa Sanshoku/Sanke - It's a black Koi with red and white markings. But sometimes the white on the body increases so much that it can get confused with Taisho Sanke, which is a white-skinned Koi.





- Utsurimono - This black Koi has a red, white or yellow marking.





- Kumonryu - It is a black doitsu scaled fish with curling white markings. It is also known as the dragon fish because of the resemblance it bears to the pictures of dragons depicted in oriental paintings. These are famous for changing colour with season.

In addition to these there are some varieties that are not actually black but appear to be black, when viewed from the top, due to their very dark tones.



These include the following varieties.


- Tsumi Goromo - This is a type of Koromo Koi. It has a very dark burgundy high overlay, patterned in a manner that creates the effect of a grape bunch. Due to this extremely dark colour it appears to be almost black.




- Magoi - This fish has deep bronze scales and thus appears to be black. Some do not consider this to be a true Koi. As they are free from the stunting effects of breeding for colour mutations, they can grow really huge.

Due to this quality their blood is being reintroduced into some Go Sanke bloodlines to maximize the growth potential.

Could you ever imagine that 'black' could be so 'colourful'? In the magical world of Koi, colours are like refraction from a prism; a slight change and you have a different set of myriad colours!

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Hospitality Management Training | Business Tips

Quality standards have always been central to the lucrative service industry. Whether in tourism, hotels restaurants, customers the world over expect certain levels of service and are unlikely to patronise if these levels are not up to expectation. This is why staff in service establishments can benefit greatly from ongoing and specialist education in how to provide quality service, and this benefit in turn spills over into greater returns for businesses.

Reservation Sales Skills

Staff who take room reservations and answer front desk queries are at the forefront of any service business and present the face of an establishment. Considering the fact that an effective conversation with a customer or potential customer can determine whether or not an organisation takes or keeps the business of this customer, against the lure of the competition, makes hospitality management training in this area vital. Staff can learn the seven steps to managing a call, the phases of taking a reservation, effective communication techniques for sales and rhetorical tips to guarantee bookings.

Up-selling Skills at Front Desk

Moreover, being the first point of call at the front desk of a hotel, sales counter or restaurant gives staff the opportunity to offer customers an upgrade to a higher category of service. This up-selling, whether it be of a higher value room, a better seat on a plane or a luxury lounge in a dining establishment, is integral to growing the brand and profit margin of a business. Yet it can also be a difficult skill to master and thus hospitality management training in this area is useful. Staff can master identifying every up-sell opportunity, learn how to sell value over price and equip themselves with quick-win selling techniques.

Negotiation Skills

From the front desk to the boardroom, hospitality management training is ever efficacious. One of the key aspects of a director or manager's role is the successful negotiation of contracts and stakeholders. Since this is at the core of maintaining and growing the business, managers and directors are well-advised to educate themselves to improve their ability to set objectives in meetings, negotiate through conflict, and navigate the steps of a MICE contract.

Front Office Organisation Skills

If the front office does not function efficiently and consistently behind the scenes, it will impact sales and customer relations. Front office managers should undertake hospitality management training so that they can learn how to set up successful procedures, plan and administer operations and concisely evaluate the work of the office by reliable standards.

Complaint Handling Skills

Finally, at the heart of meritorious service delivery is effective complaint handling. This difficult skill set can be mastered by a greater understanding of customer expectations, conflict negotiation skills, use of the WINNER formula and an appreciation of the role of emotions and feelings in this area. If these skills are developed well, complaints can actually be positive for a service business.
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Business | Successful Leadership

My daughter has just won several leadership level awards with her company - one of which is for all of Canada! Many of her co-workers and customers have expressed their thanks for her work while others stand in awe hoping that they can learn from her.

Kristal adopted and used the following success principles that will help you to improve your performance should you choose apply them:

Accept your role as problem-solver - It doesn't matter what career you are in, there are people who will turn to you for help. Do not become annoyed or frustrated with their questions but instead be thankful that they trust you.

Develop good system so you are always organized - If someone asks Kristal a question more than once, she sets up a chart, graph or handout that she can have ready for others who likely will have the same questions or needs. Email is sorted into folders so it is easy to find and she always plans her schedule well in advance.

Communicate and follow-up in writing - It is easy for people to say that they "don't remember" or "didn't understand". If you put things into a written format, they can read it over and over again. Also, if they claim they lost it or didn't get it, you can easily forward a copy to them.

Do what your employer requests (Even if your co-workers don't) - When you are asked to take a course, use technology or write reports it is important that you comply. Many employees decide that they don't have time or that these requests aren't important but management asks you to do them for a reason. You will never understand the reasoning properly until you do what is asked.

Set goals - Anyone can, with a little practice, learn how to hit a target with a bow and arrow - unless you are blindfolded! You also can't hit a business target if you can see it. Write down the goals that you have for daily, weekly, monthly and yearly progress.

Make sincere promises and honour them - When you state that you will do something - DO IT! So many people over-promise and under-deliver.

Develop healthy professional boundaries - You are hired to do a job and going to work to have your social needs met is not honest or productive. You do not have to like the people you work with or for but you do need to respect them and offer ethical service.

Always be open to learning - Everywhere you turn there are ways that you can improve yourself and your career: read a book, talk with an expert, research on the internet, take a chance!

Honour your relationships - When Kristal is out of town she finishes her site visits and then returns to the hotel. While she is waiting for room service to bring her dinner, she does her exercises. Then, when the meal arrives, she SKYPES her family and they all eat together while they talk about the day.

Celebrate success - Once you have reached a goal, treat yourself! You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars. Perhaps a new pen, specialty coffee or visit with a friend would be enough to say "Good job!"
Unfortunately, customer service is not always very good but this fact, couples with your commitment leaves the door open so that with a little bit of organization and effort, you too, can win the leadership awards just like Kristal.

And now I would like to invite you to claim your Free Instant Access to a complimentary list of 10 Steps to Making Your Life an Adventure when you visit http://lindahancock.com
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Vision Insurance Tips

Although it is unquestionably imperative to have good vision, it may or may not be critical to have vision insurance. Many consumers overvalue this coverage and pay too much for it.

To know whether you get what you paid for when you purchase vision coverage, it is imperative to know what eye coverage covers and what it doesn't include. Having knowledge of the limitations of vision coverage is necessary to determine whether you should pay extra for the coverage.

You should know what the extra coverage will include. Vision coverage covers expenses that are associated with prescription eye glasses or contacts. Typically vision or eye insurance will cover an eye examination. It may also cover part of the cost of prescription lenses.

You should also know what it doesn't cover. Vision insurance does not cover the expenses associated with eye trauma or diseases that impact the eye. Medical insurance will usually cover these health care costs.

Neither your optical insurance nor your medical coverage is likely to include coverage for laser eye surgery. Surgery to improve vision is usually specifically excluded by medical coverage policies. This is different from surgery to restore vision.

The standard health care insurance policy will exclude coverage for corrective lenses. Typical health care insurance policies don't cover for the eye exams necessary to get corrective lenses. Corrective lenses can be either prescription contacts or prescription eyeglasses.

Medical expenses associated with eye injuries and diseases that affect sight are still paid for as part of the health benefit. A separate eye or vision coverage rider is not necessary to have eye injuries covered. Many consumers pay extra for vision or eye coverage because they believe that their medical policy will not cover anything associated with sight.

When comparing medical coverage policies that include vision or eye insurance, be sure to see how extensive their coverage is. Since some eye care insurance policies will only cover the cost of the examination, those policies are less valuable than insurance plans that will not only cover the exam but will also pay towards glasses.

Another issue to consider is the availability of eye care professionals. Most vision plans will limit the places you can go to have your eye exam to network providers. You should make sure that there are optometrists or optometrists near you and that you will feel comfortable using those optometrists or optometrists.

It is a waste of money to pay for eye care coverage only to find that none of the in network eye doctors are ones you can or want to visit. Often consumers will routinely check to make sure that their physicians are in the network, but will forget to check for dentists and optometrists.

Knowing the value of the added coverage is essential if you are going to make the right choice. If the eye or vision insurance only includes an annual exam, you should call an optometrist and ask what a vision examination costs. If the policy also pays something toward glasses you should add that to the cost of the exam. Multiply the cost by the number of family members that will be covered. Then divide that cost by 12 of your policy premiums are being paid monthly. This will allow you to properly compare the extra cost of having eye or vision coverage with the additional cost for the coverage.

Eye insurance is often worth the additional costs, but sometimes it won't be. Frequently people will compare different plans that are otherwise the same and choose the one that has eye care coverage without the properly weighing the costs and benefits. Now you know how to look at the costs and benefits and only pay extra if the additional coverage is worth the additional price.

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Time Management Skills

Time management skills are simple. The problem is all of us are different, and each of us has to learn which skill works best for us. Often when we fail, we feel discouraged, depressed, stressed, and our confidence is affected. Failure is a state of mind however, and can be resolved rather quickly. It only takes a minute to screw up something, but it can take a lifetime to restore it. Therefore, simplicity is a state of mind we want to cultivate to manage our time wisely, as well as avoiding generalizing.

Let's take a look a few tips to get us started on thinking simple, and then we can move forward to time management while avoiding over generalizing our plans. Keeping it simple is the process of thinking smart. If you are constantly worrying, your time is wasted, since worry does not resolve anything. Simple is more defined as free from all the elements that contaminate our minds. Elements such as guile and vanity: Simple is more of a humble attitude that holds a modest position in life.

This is one definition, but other definitions define simple as lacking in knowledge and expertise or not socially or culturally sophisticated. So, to understand the fine line then between simple smart and simple stupid is the opening door to success. As a complex writer and thinker, I avoid generalizing also. This is a definitely sign of simple stupidity. Generalizing is a form of making irrational decisions based on one or more statistics.

So therefore, we should not generalize or avoid complex issues when it comes to managing time. Keeping it simple helps us to stay alert of our situation. Keeping an open mind when it comes to planning and organizing can help us to achieve steps to our long-term goals. Simplicity makes a difference when a bad situation arises. If your mind is stressed, then you might or might not make a wise decision to resolving the problems.

Therefore, when a problem develops, rather than stress, analyze the problem carefully to find a solution of resolve. Most problems are not as complicated as they may appear, so we can think sufficiently if we feel confident, knowing the issue is addressable. If we over generalize, it blocks our mind from seeing the main points that can terminate the problem, and these course of action wasted valuable time, and often leads to bigger problems.

Do not put the cart before the horse in other words. When we train our minds to stay alert, and cultivate good traits that enforce our course in life, we are on a well-rounded road to success and our time is managed accordingly. If you have a problem with remembering your tasks, don't be ashamed to post notes wherever you will see them daily.

Even if your co-workers or spouse believes you are a slob, forget their illusional state of mind, and focus on what works best for you by keeping it simple and adhering to an open mind.
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Benefits Natural Skin Care

Skin care products have developed greatly since the ancient Egyptians started using natural ingredients back in 4th millennium BC. Use of natural ingredients such as bee venom (which incidentally has made a comeback in skin care), milk and honey to enhance their skin was well documented as were the many natural cosmetic ingredients found in our mothers and grandmothers kitchens such as oat masks and sugar rubs.

--> Then came the big guys. Obviously the Elizabeth Arden's and Helena Rubenstein's started out small but the timing was right; women had more disposable income, and sales and marketing departments were starting to pay attention to the wants and needs of women so suddenly a whole cosmetics industry sprang up.

The cosmetics industry was, and still is, largely unmonitored and so they could add ingredients to their products and also make claims about them that may not have been in the best interests of their customers. A very frightening 90% of the 10,000+ cosmetic ingredients identified by the US Food and Drug Administration have never been checked for safety by any of the appropriate institutions. Most of them are probably perfectly safe, after all you never hear of people immediately dropping dead after applying face cream, we may very well be dying slowly from the use of the rest!

--> As a result of this casual approach to skin care ingredient, many mainstream skin care products made today contain synthetic chemical ingredients including dyes and fragrances and of course preservatives such as parabens, which can mimic the hormone oestrogen, which has been shown, in some studies, to be linked to breast cancer and urogenital abnormalities.

Sometimes there are very good reasons for putting parabens, in particular, into a product; a cosmetic is likely to be more toxic if it has gone off than the preservatives themselves so it is the best of a bad choice. One of the reasons why preservatives are so important is because big manufacturers make huge batches of their products and ship them around the world and the products need to withstand uncontrolled shipping and storage environments. Also if they did have a batch that went off the cost of recalling hundreds of thousands of products from around the world would be astronomical, not to mention the bad publicity.

The inclusion of synthetic perfumes and colors is purely cost cutting, as are all the fillers that are added. Phthalates which are often found in synthetic fragrances are a hormone disrupter known to cause birth defects, damage sperm, cause infertility and cause the feminization of boy babies. So choose your skin care without the nice smells unless the perfume is essential oil based.

Now that we are getting a little wiser and understand that our skin is our largest organ and whatever we apply to it ultimately gets absorbed into our bloodstream, we are demanding more natural cosmetics, and the market is turning full circle and starting to address our concerns.

Fortunately natural skin care has also come a long way. For a long time most natural products were thick and gluggy and blocked pours, more importantly, they also did not work. Now there are several ranges on the market that can actually do what they claim to do, enhance the skin. Even sun screens are moving away from being mainly chemical based to natural, while still providing 30+ SPF broad spectrum protection and they are much more pleasant to use.

The use of specialised ingredients such as CO Q10, marine collagens, bee venom, and vitamins and minerals are being included in natural skin care ranges added in bases that can easily be absorbed by the skin and so now we are seeing a difference. These products are now not only pleasant to use but they will plump up skin, stimulate collagen and elastin production and as a result will reduce fine lines and make the skin look brighter and firmer. Generally the best of both worlds.

So remember if it smells nice, step away from the cosmetic, and where possible use a natural product that incorporates active ingredients such as bee venom, marine collagens and vitamins and minerals.