CAROL'S COLUMN Views & tips from your side of the counter........

Colouring hair when pregnant We are often asked whether its safe to colour your hair during pregnancy. There is really no danger in this, but hormonal changes in the body can mean you may experience a difference in texture and its general condition. Vegetable colours or semi-permanents are particularly good during the early stages of pregnancy, when hair can be lank and unmanageable. Lasting six to eight washes, these are gentle and will help improve the overall condition of the hair. But do not stray too far from your natural colour, because you do not want heavy maintenance during those first months of motherhood.

An excess growth of hair can be a cosmetic problem for women, especially when on the face, and can be caused by hormonal disorder. Coarse, dark hair sometimes grows on a womans face, trunk and arms just like a man. This is very often natural and normal, though unsightly, particularly if it happens after the menopause or in Asian or Hispanic women. However, excessive hairiness (hirsutism) may be a symptom of an underlying disorder, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, or a disorder of the pituitary or adrenal gland. Such disorders upset the balance of hormone production so there is an over production of the male hormone. Hirsutism can also be the result of taking anabolic steroids.

Although this can be a particularly upsetting condition for a woman, hormonal tests are relatively easily done and imbalances can often be corrected. Your GP will be able to give you support with the problem.

If however the cause is not hormonal and is cosmetic but you feel it is still a problem, consulting a beautician will put you on the right track as bleaching or electrolysis may be the answer. Electrolysis can be costly and will need repeat treatments but it can remove the hair on a more permanent basis. Shaving, although cheap and convenient will very often make the hair coarser and can be psychologically upsetting to women who feel a loss of femininity.

Wrinkles and sagging skin may well reflect that a body is short of collagen. Collagen treatments have been available at salons for many years, but collagen masks have little effect unless used daily and even injections have a limited life span. It may be better to combine collagen treatments by applying a collagen product to the skin daily and supporting this by taking a collagen supplement eating collagen rich foods. Suitable supplements include Collaflex Gold by Higher Nature who also do collagen facial products. Foods rich in collagen are fish, meat and chicken, the best source being deep-sea fish.

              

Want to get that fully charged, energetic feeling first thing in the morning? Then you need dopamine running through your body! Dopamine is produced in the body to give us enthusiasm and get-up-and-go. In the early hours of the day dopamine is converted to noradrenelin - the neurotransmitter which makes us feel happy and energised. The best way to ensure you start the day right is to include good sources of it at breakfast time - cheddar cheese, tuna, peanuts, oats. Almonds, sunflower seeds and prawns are all great. A little unusual at breakfast but definitely worth a try.

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