The strangest red carpet of all time took place yesterday, as the socially distanced, mask enhanced VMA’s returned for 2020. Lady Gaga, who can always be relied upon to bring something weird and wonderful to the red carpet, was the headline act, performing with Ariana Grande, both wearing masks which didn’t even allow for lip syncing, but still delivered a high octane performance that has been sadly missing during the lockdown, and it was also great to see some genuine glamour back after months of zoom type, top half only performances.

Maybe it was apt that glorious technicolour was making a statement in the red carpet looks on show. Sofia Carson wore a stunning ballgown of a lovely tomato red, not necessarily the sort of dress you associate with a musical red carpet, but she’s probably not had any other opportunities to wear it, so what the hell, it looked amazing.

Joey King also opted for red, albeit mixed in with some glorious green in a floral mini that ticked all the style boxes. I loved the pattern, and the long sleeves and high neck that contrasted well with the shorter length.

Nicole Richie was also in attendance, taking the green shade of Joey’s dress for a rather glorious, origami style folds dress that combined the lush styling of a ballgown, with the rock and roll short skirt. I think this was my personal favourite look of the night.

Miley Cyrus was also back and delivering a high glamour look that reminded me of the sort of Bob Mackie dresses favoured by Cher in the 1980s. It had a high flesh flashing quota, but it has to be said she looked great in it – if anyone can carry this sort of look off, it’s Miley.

And then there was Gaga, who wore a whole range of looks, each accessorised with some sort of face covering. Her red carpet look with a plastic bubble space helmet was probably my fave, particularly with her silver hair and stylish spaceman style look. Otherworldly, bonkers and pretty amazing.

The reason you might’ve stumbled upon this article is that you are having problems with hair loss. If not, you are here to know why excess hair shedding and hair loss happens so you’ll know how to prevent or treat them in the future. But, what really is our hair telling us when it sheds? Does it have something to do with the way we wash our hair? The products we use? The foods we eat? Well, hair loss and shedding happen for a lot of reasons.

Hair shedding isn’t really something one should worry about as an individual normally sheds 80-100 strands of hair a day. Sometimes, when a person only washes their hair twice or thrice a week, they may shed more than a hundred strands, and that’s totally normal. But when you start to notice that you are starting to shed more than you should every day and there are visible bald spots on your scalp, this may mean something else. For whatever reason your hair is shedding excessively, there are ways you can treat your hair loss problems. If you’re looking for a quick solution, any male or female hair loss treatment done by an expert is your best choice.

It’s been said that prevention is the key to avoid anything from happening or worsening, and we believe that’s the best thing to do. One way to prevent or reduce the chances of excessive hair loss is by learning its causes. Here are the main reasons why we shed so much hair almost every day:

You Often Style Your Hair

One of the most common culprits for excessive hair shedding and hair loss is over-styling. Over-styling your hair includes using heat styling tools like curling irons, straighteners, and hair dryers. For people who are born with curly hair, they want to have straight hair which makes them use hair straighteners every day. And the same thing goes for people with straight hair as they are likely to go for wavy or curly hairstyles. Little do they know that this styling equipment can cause substantial damages to their hair. 

Another hairstyling that can damage your hair is using hair ties the wrong way. People tend to tie their hair tight, especially when they’re doing physical activities like exercising and cooking. There’s nothing wrong with tying your hair; it’s just the way that you do it. Make sure that you don’t stress your hair by tying it too tight.

Too Much Chemical Processing 

Hair colouring is very trendy nowadays, especially to the younger generation, but too much hair colouring is not good for your hair. If you have a dark natural hair colour and you plan to bleach it, chances are you’ll experience a lot of hair shedding. Ammonia and hydrogen peroxide, which are both presents in hair colouring products, can make hair weak and brittle. If you’re not careful about how you colour your hair, this can lead to hair breakage and hair loss. Also, harsh chemicals can burn and damage the scalp. This is what makes your hair follicles weak from holding on to the strands of your hair.

How To Deal With Excessive Hair Shedding?

If you’re currently experiencing too much hair shedding, there are ways to reduce the shedding. Here are some of the best tips:

Avoid Stress

Yes, stress can cause hair loss, and if you’re beginning to see too much hair shedding, you might have to consider reducing your stress. Try to find calming activities like watching movies, going for a run, baking, painting, or listen to your favourite music. These are simple yet fun activities that will undoubtedly lower your stress. Do the activities you love to do, as this will help you even more to reduce stress.

Stress can be hard to avoid, but its outcome is not good for you, especially your body. How can stress affect my hair? Well, stress causes your hair follicles to be weak and undernourished. This can trigger scalp problems like hair loss and baldness.

Drink Essential Vitamins

Vitamins and supplements are there to help maintain your hair’s health. Biotin is an essential nutrient that the hair needs as it helps to strengthen the hair and encourage its growth. Another essential nutrient is vitamin A which helps increase hair growth and support sebum production. This sebum production is what coats your hair and scalp with natural oil to keep them moisturised.

Avoid Chemical Processing

We’ve mentioned earlier what too much chemical processing can do to your hair why you should avoid it. Well, changing your hair colour is not ultimately bad unless you do it too often. Some people tend to colour their hair once a month because they want to try all the colours that are available. If you plan to colour and bleach your hair, make sure that your hair is healthy enough to take in the chemicals. Also, wait until your virgin hair grows back til you decide to bleach and colour again.

There will never be a stranger time to return to school than September 2020. For many children and teenagers this will be the first time of setting foot in a classroom in six months, and all the rules and routines they have been used to will have disappeared out of the window, in favour of new safety regimes and regulations which make school a very different beast from the one kids last walked out of.

If you have primary age children, you no longer need to send them to school with a bag. My lad went back to Year 6 in June, and each child had their own equipment that was for their use solely, and they were asked not to bring anything else, other than a water bottle and packed lunch.

But the story is very different if you are just starting, or are going back, to High School. There we have been sent a rather extensive list of equipment that your child needs to take, every single day. It also includes items like headphones, calculators, extensive stationery lists and those aforementioned water bottles. Different coloured pens, whiteboard pens and markers are also on the list, as well as pencils, rulers, rubbers and a pencil case.

You may want to give your child help in other areas. There are essay editing services who may be able to look at work produced and give pointers to improvements and ways forward, particularly useful for those who have missed so much schooling. An editing company could help refine work to a better standard.

If you have a child who is just starting the Comprehensive this September, here are some items that may well be worth an investment.

Pen Heaven

Pen Heaven is your destination for decent pens, ink cartridge pens and beautiful notebooks, which may be very useful for homework and note making.

Moleskine Large Limited Edition Harry Potter Notebook – Phoenix
£21.90

Lamy Safari 2020 Special Edition Mango Fountain Pen
£19.50

Parker Jotter Original Green Ballpoint Pen
£8.95

Water Bottles From Wilko

Wilko has a really good range of water bottles that cover all budgets and range from sleek, metallic styles, to those that can also infuse fruit for those who want to add a bit of extra flavour to their water.

Wilko 700ml Purple Fruit Infuser Water Bottle 0447946
£2.50

Wilko Pink and Blue Ombre Double Wall Bottle 0490579 £5.00

Orchard Toys Times Tables Heroes 

If your child has not been at school for six months, you may invest in games and toys that will help them learn whilst still having lots of fun. The Orchard Toys Times Table Heroes game is just such an item. It features two very different games, catering for two levels of difficulty. The first is a board game where players complete multiplication sums from 2 to 12 and battle it out to save the city with their superhero powers – making it great for imaginative play too. The second is a fast-paced bingo where players practice their 2, 5 and 10 times tables as they race to get three in a row. The game is a brilliant learning tool as it develops number, counting, personal and social skills, and promotes imaginative play.