News

Hair Density: What It Is, How to Check It and How to Care for It

Hair density is how many hairs grow on each square centimetre of your scalp. What studies measure, how to check yours at home and how care differs for low, medium and high density.

Types of Silk: Mulberry, Wild Silk and Common Weaves Explained

Silk is sorted two ways: by the silkworm that spun it, which gives mulberry, tussah, eri and muga silk, and by how it is woven, which gives fabrics such as charmeuse, habotai and crêpe de chine. On...

12 Year Anniversary Gift: Silk, Linen and Where the Tradition Comes From

The 12 year anniversary gift is silk or linen, with pearls on modern American lists: what the lists say, where the tradition comes from, silk gift ideas for him and for her, and how to check a silk...

Artificial Silk: What It Is and How to Tell It from Real Silk

Artificial silk is not silk. This guide explains which fibres lie behind the name, what the label must say, how to tell artificial silk from real silk and how to care for viscose, acetate and silk.

Why Won't My Hair Hold a Curl? Causes and Fixes

A curl from an iron or hot rollers is a temporary set that drops when it is released before it cools, when damp hair or humid air loosens it, or when the hair is too heavy or, as stylists find, too...

Hair Porosity Test: How to Check Low and High Porosity

A hair porosity test gives a rough idea of how readily your hair takes up water and lets it go again. Here is how the float, strand and spray tests work, how guides usually read the results, and wh...

How to Wear a Bonnet (and Keep It On at Night)

How to wear a bonnet: putting it on step by step, where your hair goes for each hair type, how firm the band should be and how to keep the bonnet on at night.

What Is a Pillow Sham? Sham vs Pillowcase, Sizes and Use

What is a pillow sham? A decorative cover for a bed pillow: how it differs from a pillowcase, whether you can sleep on one, the usual sizes, how to arrange shams on a bed and how to wash them.

Can You Wear a Bonnet With Wet Hair? How Dry Is Dry Enough

Can you wear a bonnet with wet hair? Not while it drips: how dry is dry enough, how to get there on a short evening, what is known about your scalp, and how to look after the bonnet after a damp ni...

Hair Oil Overnight: How Long to Leave It In, and Masks Too

Hair oil overnight: what oil does in hair, how long to leave it in, which hair it suits, why a mask's timing follows its label, and how to keep oil marks off your pillow and your silk.