MABH Reader Query: Haircut Ideas for Long Hair

Gayathri asks..

Hey Lancy,
Its such a pleasure to finally find a beauty blog run by Chennai-vaasi  :) I am 26 yrs and a married office goer with a kid. Typical to all south-ies, I have long hair (between hips and tailbone). I hardly leave my hair open as it gets very tangle-y and in Chennai's climate I feel extremely sweaty and hot. And, I am tired of plaiting my hair every single day.

I have never cut my hair before.  Can you suggest some hair cut ideas for a Traditional south Indian gal? I was thinking of going for side swept bangs and a deep U cut. What do you suggest? Can you direct me to a parlour for the same?

Makeup and Beauty Home's Reply:

Hair Cut Ideas for Long South Indian Hair:
Hey Gayathri :) Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Home.
It's great to know that you are a Chennai girl too. For long, South Indian hair, deep U haircut would suit perfectly as you prefer but you haven't mentioned your hair type here so I cannot suggest you anything blindly. Layered cuts would also be very fine if you have long hair; as long hairs of lots of choices when it comes to styling. You won't be losing much length if you get a layered hair cut done but make sure that you do not have curly hair if you wanna layer cut it. Layers make the curls more visible and prominent. In case if you have a straight or wavy hair type, go for deep U as you preferred and this would make you more comfortable with free hair styles unlike the feel you get with plain, even cut hair. Make sure to get it done in a good parlour. Side Swept bangs would flatter if done on women who have wide forehead; hence make sure that you do not have a narrow forehead if you are planning to get bangs. I myself have a wide forehand and yes, I have my bangs now :)
     And about the Hair Salons in Chennai, you can try Naturals Salons and Spa. I have read heard and read good reviews about them. If not, you can discuss with your friends/cousins to find a well experienced hair specialist in your place.
        Overall I have a little suggestion from my side 'Consider not to shorten your hair much :) We, South Indian girls are blessed with beautiful, long black hair but why should we always find it hard maintain? I have experienced many good and bad haircuts in my life made by my beauticians and finally, before 2 months I made a resolution not to cut my hair anytime thereafter. In case If I hadn't cut my hair for 3 two years, I would have been with knee thigh hair now. So think twice before getting your hair cut done. As a start, go for a slight U or V cut and invest more on hair softening hair spas. If you have softer, manageable hair without any tangles, you wouldn't be having this much interest in cutting your long beautiful hair. If you have a very dry, un manageable hair, get deep conditioning shampoos, conditioners suggested  by your hair specialist and use them. Go for a hair nourishing mask or hot oil treatment every weekend. You can also depend on hair sprays to hold you hair in a place'. Think twice, get suggestions from friends/family and that's all you will be done with your beautiful new hair cut.

So girls, which hair cut do you prefer for long Indian hair?
If you have any suggestions close to Gayathri's query, please don't forget to leave them below in comments!

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Reader Beauty Queries 2012 July Week 3

Hey guys! Here's a quick update of this week's readers beauty queries. Check them out and help few of our sweet visitors if you have any ideas. All your help would be highly appreciated. Please do leave your ideas and feedback in the comment section below without fail, so that it could help many divas out there.

Rahmath Shakera asks

Hi Lancy. I am 22 yrs old and have a wheatish complexion and I have dark circles around my eyes as well.. Could you please tell me what do I do to get rid of it and get fair and glowing skin within a month as its my engagement next month? 

MABH Replies:

Hello. First of all, my wishes for your engagement! All you need are good sleep and proper skin maintenance now.  Avoid sun as much as possible as it would make your skin look tanned and dulled.  If you're stepping out, don't forget to use a high SPF face & body lotion. Get your parlour facials done every week and make sure you get them done in a trust worthy parlour.  Do not try any new products on your facial skin for now, because in one month time, testing something new on your skin is not that advisable.
   If you're well used with natural face packs, use them every other day. Himalaya, Biotique and Vedic Line products are natural and really good. Alternatively, you can use a homemade clay face pack to remove tan and bring that glow to your facial skin. Mix a teaspoon of Fullers earth with few drops of glycerin, few drops of lemon juice and required rose water. Make this is a paste and use as your relaxing and tan removing face pack every other day. Make sure to moisturize your skin after packing. Drinking orange/lemon juice in empty stomach every morning would also help you clearing out your skin tone. For dark circles around eyes, extract juice from potato and cucumber. Mix them together in equal amounts and dab over your under eye dark circles. Leave on for 15-20 minutes and wash off with cold water. Get pure rose water and drop it into your eyes every night before going to bed. Doing these two every night will help to clear out your dark circles fast. Alternatively, you can also use a good branded eye cream.

Also Read: Fair Skin in 30 Days - Homemade Herbal Face Pack

    Be happy! Leave stress and enjoy your days. Smile often to bring out a beautiful glow to your face :) Happy beautiful life! My advanced wishes for your engagement and wedding.

Nazneen asks

Hi! I am a PG Student. My skin tone wheatish; I have pimples, pimple marks on my face and dark circles around the eyes. I tried some homemade face packs but they don't seem to work. If i use lemon immediately skin tone changes to dark. Can you please help me out from this problem. I want soft,smooth,marks free,fair complexion skin tone
My marriage proposals are going on.

Sangeetha Nair asks

I happened to see your blog while browsing and thought to write some queries i have. I have tan on my face (which got tanned 3 years ago when I went to Disney world). I was out for the days for the entire week. I didn't take any steps and now after 3 years it becoming worse and worse. Also i have darkness under my eyes for the past 2 years. I want to get rid of this suntan from face and darkness under my eyes.  My wedding is fixed after 3 months, can you please suggest me an excellent solution for this suntan and darkness?

MABH Replies:

Hi Nazneen and Sangeetha. Your queries are similar to that of Rahmath's (Above query). Please find the ideas above.  And Nazneen, for using lemon juice, are you experiencing your skin turning dark every time you use it ? It might be the citrus nature of lemon causing it. Stop using any acidic or citrus based natural ingredients on your face and go for soothing home ingredients like rose water, sandalwood and milk cream. For dark eyes, you can also use diluted potato juice around your eyes before going to bed at night. Good luck! Happy married life both of you sweeties :) Enjoy!

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Kaleem Fatima asks

Hi Lancy. This is Fatima. I had a fair skin tone but due to the sun i have developed tanning and I want my baby complexion back. I read one of your post and found it very interesting. But I don't have Tulsi powder. Can I use something else place of it? Please let me know

MABH Replies:
Yes of course you can! Mix orange peel powder (Instead of or including Basil powder) with Neem powder, Multani mitti (Fullers earth) lemon juice and rose water. Make this a paste and smooth over your cleansed facial skin! Wash off after 10-15 minutes. This face when used regularly will naturally lighten your skin gradually. Use a good SPF lotion whenever you're stepping out. If you are out in sun for more than 3 hours, reapplication is necessary, by this way your can prevent further tanning. All the best for your clearer glowing skin!

Deborah d'souza asks

Hi Lancy

I have come across your Herbal Face Pack Recipe and quite convinced to try it since I have blemish and spot prone skin. Appreciate if you could please let me know the following:

1. Alternatives to holy basil powder (Tulsi) and neem powder?
2. Can I make a jar of this mix and use it over 30 days?

Thanks!

Hi Deborah. Check the above query and answer once; it was about the same recipe as well. For Neem powder, there isn't any alternative as changing both the main ingredients might change the nature of the pack however try using mint powder for the same. You shouldn't mix the liquid ingredients if you're storing the powder for 30 days. Store the powders separately and add the liquid ingredients to required quantity when you're applying it. Store the remaining powder in refrigerator. By this way, you can store it safely and use them everyday for 30 days.

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Kalyani asks

I am a 20 yr old college girl. My skin tone is wheatish but uneven, pimple spotted and the worst of all it has very bad dark circle. I want to make my skin tone even and remove the dark circles. Please do reply me fast I am waiting very badly.

MABH Replies:
 
Hi Kalyani. In order to maintain a clear, even toned skin, stick to exfoliation once in 2-3 days. It will help you a lot in clearing out the uneven skin tone on your facial skin. For dark circles, have a good night sleep and relax your eyes with cold eye pads every evening. Try these and let us know how it works.

Check some interesting homemade scrub recipes HERE

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Priya Sharma asks

Hey I am 24 years old. My skin is very sensitive,dry and even patchy in winters. My back skin is very dull,full of pimples, not clear, tanned. What should I do to clear my skin with some home made products because they don't have side effects. Please help me.

MABH Replies

Hi Priya
When you have dry skin and tan together, you need to use an exfoliator without fail. The exfoliator you use should be well scrubbing and as well as it shouldn't strip off excess moisture from your skin. Use a good dry skin scrub every other day to make your skin tan free and clean. You can use the Vedic Line Avacado Facial Scrub  for facial exfoliation as it is good and you can go for some other home remedies for body skin. Check an interesting recipe below.

Homemade Yogurt & Oats Body Scrub
Get half a cup of creamy yogurt, add 2 teaspoons of orange peel powder and a tablespoon of coarsely ground oats to it. After having a bath, apply this mixture over your wet body skin and scrub well with your hands. Scrub well more on the back, knees and elbows. Leave on for 5-10 minutes and wash off. This acts as an excellent body scrub to remove darkness and tan from your body. You can add few drops of olive oil to this scrub recipe if you have extra dry skin. Do this once or twice every week and let us know the results!

For Patchy Skin in Winters
And for patchy skin in winters, follow up with moisturization after every scrubbing/cleansing process is done. Moisturization is must after every facial wash! You can carry a moisturizer with you in your handbag in order to maintain your skin soft, supple and smooth in winters. Olive oil can be massaged and washed off for better results where you are at home. Good luck!

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Ankhita Shobha asks

How are you? Please suggest me some good home made packs for fair glowing skin. Mine is wheatish complexion and had good skin before. But since I am an Architect, I will be outside for site visit most of the time. I live in Dubai. Please suggest some good sun screen moisturizer for my dry face and the body also. Its  really becoming dark with tan and blemishes . Kindly suggest some natural product pack to use everyday to avoid the damage to my skin.
             I really owe to you to you suggest some good homemade pack that works in the fastest way to maintain good fair skin. Kindly help me to get rid of dark skin.

MABH Replies:

Hi Ankhita!
For natural homemade fairness tips and packs, go HERE.
We suggest you to try Nivea Sunscreen Lotions. They are really good in protecting skin from the harmful rays of sun. Make sure to reapply your sunscreen in once in 3 hours if you are continuously exposing your skin to sun. Good luck!

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Vidhu asks

Hi Lancy.. Please suggest me with some best tips.

I have acne and pimples on my face for 8 yrs. I even had a visit to my dermotologist and tried all medicines. But it had worked me for just 1 yr and after that again I am suffering from the same problem. My skin type is combinational of OILY AND SENSITIVE SKIN. And I had also tried many home made remedies but it doesn't work for me and even it creates more breakouts.

Please  suggest me with useful tips to get rid of my acne and pimples problem completely. Shall I apply sandolwood paste,turmeric and milk paste for my problem? And I also have dandruff problem.

MABH answers:

Hi Vidhu. It's sad that none of the treatments work for you. Why don't you try visiting your dermatologist again and explain your problem? Do not try anything on your face newly yourself making at home except few herbs. Do try this recipe and let us know, it worked magically for many to combat pimples. Grind equal amount of fresh basil leaves (Tulsi) and neem leaves together to fine paste. After cleansing your face at night, smooth this paste on your facial skin and go to bed. Wash off skin with plenty of cold water in the morning. Use a good oil clearing face wash 2 times a day to cleanse your facial skin and splash cold water 5-7 times a day to wash off skin without using your cleanser. Make sure to keep your facial skin clean and oil free all the time but don't ever ignore your moisturizer. Use water based light moisturizers to combat moisture loss.
       Sandalwood and rose water can be mixed to make your DIY pimple curing face pack but don't risk using turmeric on your face before patch testing as it usually gives a tingling sensation on sensitive skin types. As your skin is oily, it is better to avoid milk (If there are any breakouts while using) and cut down the intake of junk foods and oily items as well. Use herbal facial packs, gels and water based skincare products. Avoid creamy soaps, shower gels and other creamy moisturizing products on your skin to control oiliness. For dandruff, you can perform a hot oil hair massage at home every weekend to cure it. It might be dandruff which is giving your stubborn pimples so please visit your dermatologist once again in case the above remedies don't work. Good luck!

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Prachi asks

Hi Lancy..
I would love to use the Egg Conditioner for Dry Hair which has been published on MABH but can you please tell me how these Vitamin-E capsules look a like if you can upload the photo of the same or provide some more information on same. Another Q's that I would like to ask is whether we have to use a complete Egg or only the Egg white. If you can rply me soon so I can use the same on tomorrow that's on Sunday.

MABH Replies:


Hello Prachi. We apologize for the late reply.
You can use the complete egg or just whites as per your wish. If your hair tends to get limp soon, avoid egg yolks. Egg yolks are good and nutritious for dry, damaged hair. And about the Vit-E Caps, you can get them at your nearest pharmacy anytime for an highly affordable price. Evion is a good brand, do try it. They simply look like capsules filled with some oil. Hope this helps; do share with us your results after trying the conditioner :) Good luck.



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                                Hey guys! Hope you liked this week's queries and solutions :) Help with your ideas below.

                                           You can also submit your beauty queries to us. Go here for that please. 

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Frizzy Hair, Dry Skin & Sudden Weight Gain [Reader Query]

 

Pearly asks..

My hair is frizzy and a little dry. I really want it to be smooth and soft. My scalp is clean and healthy. The only problem is my hair which was was once very thick and beautiful but now lost its lustre. Also I've gained a lot of weight these months. I need to loose my weight up to 15 kg by the end of this month. I've got an elliptical machine with me but i also wanna have a healthy body and i wanna reduce without having mark. My skin is dry and I've become tanned. I wanna maintain the lustre of my skin and wanna have a soft one and of course an even toned skin. Please suggest some tips that would make by skin healthy and fair in a month. Please tell me suggestions for my problems which I can do for a month so that I can schedule time and work them out. Thank you so much in advance.

MABH Replies:

For lifeless frizzy hair:

First of all, you need to moisturize your hair and nourish your scalp regularly in order to get back the lustre. Make sure to wash your hair every other day if you sweat a lot and work in pollution. Use a mild shampoo to wash your hair and always use a good hair oil to massage your scalp and the tips of your hair. You can either make your own hair massage hair oil at home. Check a natural homemade hair massage hair oil recipe here. This is completely natural and works fabulous on bringing back the lustre of your hair. If you have no time to prepare one, use Parachute Advanced Ayurvedic Hair Oil. It works great on any hair type to control hair fall and nourish hair roots. All you need to do is heat some oil and massage your hair and scalp with the heated warm oil one hour before your hair wash. This can be done twice to thrice a week for maximum benefits.

        If these processes don't work even after a month of usage, it might be some heath issue causing your hair thinning and lifeless hair. Consult with your physician immediately to prevent further hair loss. 

Also read: How to Make Your Hair Wash Cream at Home - Photo Tutorial 

[Using this cream instead of your store bought shampoos works like a wonder to bring back your shiny, beautiful and lustrous hair]

Weight Gain Problem

It is actually not safe to follow any home treatments for weight loss without consulting your physician so please avoid that thought. You can follow some natural ideas to keep weight in control. Mild exercises and low calorie intake can help you but you shouldn't ever starve yourself. Include fresh fruits, veggies and greens in your daily diet. Drink lemon juice every morning in empty stomach, this not only helps keeping weight in control but it also helps clearing out your skin tone. Cut fat items, junk foods from your eating routine and jump to fruits and veg salads. Sometimes, genetics may be related with sudden weight gain, you need to talk to your physician for this. Consult with your physician and follow what he/she says, including with daily exercise and fruit intake.

Also read: Top Ten Tips to Lose Weight in 30 Days

[You can get natural home remedies here, do check]

Dry Skin & Fairness Remedy

Dry skin is caused due to extreme moisture loss. This happens in winters a lot. Make sure to moisturize your skin after every wash and before going to bed at night. If your body skin is rough and dry, a rich creamy body butter or body lotion is a must. Try massaging facial skin with milk cream every morning followed by a gentle face wash, this process nourishes dry facial skin with the milk nutrients to make it soft and supple. Heated olive oil massage is also very beneficial to achieve soft, supple skin.

Also Read:

• Exfoliate at Home for Brighter Complexion
• Remove Sun Tan at Home
• Improve Complexion in 30 days at Home

Hope this post helps you Pearly :)

Follow these ideas and do let us know the results after a month. 

Others who would like us to do a post like this for your query(s) can drop us a mail at makeupandbeautytips@gmail.com
Your help would be appreciated girls! :) Please do leave in the comment section below if you have any ideas regarding Pearly's query.

Reader Beauty Queries 2012: April Week 2

Hey girls and guys! Hope you're enjoying this lovely April month. Do check out now, some queries asked by our sweet readers and help them if you have any particular knowledge/suggestion/experience regarding those. Make use of the tips displayed here and share your own tips to help others! Let us make this an informative space from now. Every week we will be checking out a 'Ready Queries' post to share beautilicious things with each other. Thanks and go ahead! 

Amandeep Singh asks..

I am 34 Male from Punjab, Can u suggest me any good moisturizer cum SPF cream for men? I have combination skin type and presently using Loreal Men's active moisturiser & it is very costly about Rs. 550/- per 120 ml. 

Answer:

Most of the men suggest Neutrogena Men Triple Protect face lotion SPF 20 for a non greasy look. It costs Rs.450 and works pretty good for protecting men skin from UV rays and it also helps in healing dryness and razor rashes. Please do check it out.

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Abha Agarwal asks..

I am 27 yrs old with a very sensitive skin. My T zone is oily while the cheek areas are dry. But if I apply moisturizer on the cheeks during summer, there are small eruptions. Currently, I apply juices of cucumber and tomato on my face, and also ubtan and a paste of orange peels seems to be working fine. I have deep laugh lines on my face. Is there any way to get rid of it? [Lemon juice and  Rose water doesn't suite me] 

Answer:

You have combination skin type if you have dry cheek areas and oily T-zone. Do get special products for combination skin type and treat your skin with natural  home remedies to improve the skin texture. Use Neem & Tulsi facial packs to soothe the eruptions and improve your skin texture. Warm almond oil and massage your facial skin with it for 15 minutes. Allow it to sit on your skin for 20 minutes before washing, thus makes your skin absorb all the nourishment from the oil. Almond oil contains Vitamin E, which helps in reducing fine lines and other laugh lines. Mashed strawberries can also be applied on your skin to reduce lines, as it is a great alternate to lemon juice in providing Vitamin C, a great source of Collagen (Meant for elasticity of the skin). Other than these natural remedies, maintaining a healthy diet is also necessary to achieve younger looking skin. Good luck!

 

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Lakshmi asks..

I'm gonna move to Chennai in June. I'm from Andra Pradesh... All I'm afraid is about is the climatic conditions of Chennai. Presently I'm using "Lotus-herbals anti-tan gel with SPF 30" . Do you think this would suffice the climate there? Or else suggest me some other good sunscreen.. by the way.. my skin is combination with occasional oily t-zone

Answer:

The one that you are using at present is pretty good. I myself used a tube and it works good in removing tan and protecting skin from the sun. Make sure to reapply it once in every 3 to 4 hours for extra protection, to bear Chennai Summer [It is really hot here ] :( Whatever sunscreen you chose, make sure to chose a higher SPF one for longer protection. Nothing can  help except reapplication when it comes to sunscreen.

 

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Hope these answers were helpful, wait for more suggestions from our other sweat readers. A big thanks to Amandeep, Abha and Lakshmi for sending us your queries, they may benefit many others.

And buddies listen please.. Please do submit your suggestions and ideas below in the comment section, regarding this week's reader queries. We would be really glad and thankful! Do you want your queries to be answered here? Do visit our Reader Queries page. Thank you and have a nice time!

Hair Removal at Home with Sugar Waxing {Reader Beauty Query}

Jahnavi asks in Reader Beauty Queries..

Question: How can we remove body hair naturally and effectively at home? Waxing leaves my skin reddish and causes an uneven growth. 

MABH answers..

Instead of chemical waxing, a natural homemade sugar waxing can be done at home with simple steps. If your skin is too sensitive and unbearable of waxing, you need to go for turmeric hair removal. This procedure doesn't removes hair instantly, but gradually weakens hair roots and removes it permanently with regular use. Mix turmeric with water to make a paste, apply this paste over the areas you want to remove fine hairs. Leave it overnight and wash off in the morning. If you need instant results naturally, homemade natural waxing is the only way. You can apply cold cream to calm down the skin and reduce redness, after waxing. Let me give you the instructions. Be very cautious and careful while performing this at home.

Homemade Hair Removal with Sugar Waxing

Ingredients

1. Sugar - 2 cups
2. Water - 1/4 cup
3. Lemon Juice - 1/4 cup
4. Corn Starch - 2 pinches
5. Fabric cotton strips - required

Method

• Add the sugar, water, lemon juice and corn starch to a sauce pan and light the stove.
• Simmer the stove and blend the mixture gently until the sugar melts and forms a thick brown mixture.
• When it is totally melted, switch off the stove and allow the wax to cool a bit, not too much, the wax's heat should be bearable for you.
• Now at bearable heat, apply the sugar wax on your clean and dry skin evenly and immediately press a fabric cotton strip over the wax, seeing the direction of your hair growth.
• Leave on for few minutes until it's dry and pull of the strip fast, opposite to the hair growth direction. Wash with cold and clean water (to close pores) and apply rose water or any cold creams to calm down your skin. If the hairs are not completely removed, you can wax one or two times again until you get soft, hair free skin.

Hope this helped, be very careful and cautious while performing this homemade waxing procedure. Take care!

How to Make Natural Sunscreen for Skin and Hair? {Reader Beauty Query}

One of my reader Jahnavi Jha asks in Reader Beauty Queries..

Beauty Query: Is there a natural sunscreen which we can make at home both for hair and skin protection? 

MABH Answers..

Yes. You can make your own sunscreen lotion at home with few natural things easily. In this post, I will instruct you how to make homemade sunscreen lotion for skin and a sunscreen hairspray for healthy hair.

Homemade Sunscreen Skin Lotion

Ingredients Needed:

1. Emulsify wax : 4 gm
2. Vitamin E Capsules : 7 nos (Evion is a good brand)
3. Grape seed oil : 4 to 5 drops
4. Aloevera gel    : 2 tablespoons
5. Distilled water  : 100 ml
6. Essential oil of your choice : 30 ml
7. Jojoba oil : 50 ml
8. Zinc Oxide : 15 gm (Acts as a sunscreen ingredient)

Method:

• Pour the jojoba oil, wax and zinc oxide in a bowl and place the bowl above the double boiler.
• Blend well with a clean until the wax melts. Keep aside.
• Now add distilled water and allover gel in separate bowl and heat it until the mixture is lukewarm. This is the important step, don't skip it or else the mixture wont mix up well.
• After this step, add this lukewarm aloevera mixture to the wax mixture. Blend well again.
• After this step, take the bowl down from the double boiler. Add Vitamin E oil (Extracted from the capsules), essential oils and grape seed oil. Grape seed oil acts a natural preservative.
• Pour the lotion into a clean bottle and allow it to cool before closing with lid. Store in a cool, dry place. This lotion contains natural SPF 20 and preservative (Grape seed oil). So it can be used for about an year without fear.
• You can also add avocado oil, lavender oil and any other essential oil as you wish.

Natural Sunscreen Spray For Hair

I'll give you a simple hair spray recipe which nourishes hair, protects and repairs sun damage. It also gives a nice aroma to hair. What all you have to do is, mix few drops of grape seed oil in 200 ml of fresh rose water. Store it in a spray bottle and shake well. Use this hair spray before you go out in sun every time. As grape seed oil is a natural sunscreen ingredient, it protects and develops hair texture.