Men's Personal Care: Hair Care

Here's something we've all done. Thought we were grabbing the shampoo bottle, turns out it was conditioner. Well, we'd like to offer a few tweaks to your hair care routine that can help you avoid those oops.

One of the first things you can do is create a home for all your haircare products. And home just means a specific place where you keep all your products together. That way, they're right where you need them every time. And if that home or place has a better lighting and/or more contrast than the rest of the room, even better.

Now, when it comes to the specific products themselves, it can be really helpful to use bottles or containers in different shapes, heights, and colors. For instance, if the conditioner is always in a big, rounded bottle, the shampoo is the short, slender bottle, and the body wash bottle is bright red, it will be easier to grab the one you need at the time.

But let's say your favorite brand of products uses the same size, shape, and color for all their bottles. Then it may be helpful to customize label somehow. One way to do this is to put a rubber band or hair band around one of the bottles to distinguish it from the others. Or try putting a scratch or notch into them to tell them apart. For example, use a file to scratch a notch into the conditioner bottle top and you won't mistake it for shampoo. There are also large print, high contrast waterproof labels you can use. And if you want even more great labeling tips, be sure to check out our labeling workshop.

Now, we're all too familiar with the phrase, "Bad hair day." Well, let's see if we can minimize those with a few tweaks to your styling routine. Of course, if you have been or planning to wear your hair in the same style all the time, you've probably been doing things like parting and combing your hair so long you don't even think about it. It's second nature, you just do it. But let's say you want to try something different. Well, here are a few styling tips to add to your arsenal.

One thing you'll hear a lot in our workshops is lighting, lighting, lighting. Putting yourself in the best lighting will help you get the best outcome in every situation. Anything you can do to reduce glare is always a plus. And if you're able to adjust or add more light, especially with overhead and vanity lighting, even better.

Now, when it comes to styling, some of us have hair that just parts naturally. Using your finger tips is easy way to feel where it starts and ends. But if you need to create a new one, use the tip of the comb to part the hair starting at the crown and sliding the comb down to the front of your head. Comb down one side of your hair, something you've probably done before. The new piece of information here is to use your hand to hold that side down. Then comb the other side down and run your fingers up and down the part to feel if there are any adjustments you need to make.

As always, ask a trusted friend or family member to take a look at your handy work. They care about you and would be glad to help. And if you have questions or your own tips to share, feel free to contact the learning expert. These workshops are designed to give you the confidence to look and feel your best, no matter your level of vision. So as with anything new, give yourself time, patience, and practice, and you'll get there.