We all want our hair to look great but keeping up with fashions often means completely changing the hair we were given with chemical products, hair driers, weaves and hot irons until the hair condition is so dry we need to spend another fortune to get it looking youthful and shiny.

Fashions come and go. In ancient Egypt wealthy women wore wigs but it was a wig worn over a shaven head. The idea being that long hair was not clean and could be lice ridden so the wealthy showed their status by cutting it short and wearing wigs.

Today we have the fashion for long, shiny, multi-toned straight hair, which can mean using bleach, relaxers, hot irons, and even long extensions taken from the hair of the poor. In England, footballers’ wives have long extended hair to show their status. All this can wreck the hair’s condition and growth and make it prone to fallout or break off. It seems that whatever hair we have we want to change it and women in particular are more psychologically bonded to their hair than men.

The hair coloring industry is huge, and it used to be a sign of great beauty to have long, thick, dark hair. This was achieved with weekly washing and a weekly massage with oil. Hair fashions now dictate it must have multi-tones and super shine that can only be achieved by conditioners that coat the hair with silicone and polymers.

Hair like everything in the body is a self-correcting mechanism; the more you wash it the greasier it gets. It is better for you to wash your hair weekly but it will take a while to self-correct so you will find that when you change your shampooing routine, by day four it may look a little lank; but eventually it will-self correct and your hair will be in better condition and only need a weekly wash. Most people use too much shampoo when washing and strip the outer hair of healthy natural oils leaving it dry, while the hair underneath closer to the scalp is lovely and soft.

The Romans where among the first to cut their hair as a sign that they were clean and civilized as at that time long hair was seen by the Romans as a sign of barbarianism.

Hair in the Gulf needs special care as it can be fried by the sun and affected by minerals and chlorine in the desalinated water. Traditional wisdom of the people who have lived in desert climates for generations recommend covering the hair from the sun and using hair oils to protect it. In a study, science proved that this traditional wisdom of hair care was correct and a three-step solution was developed.

Arden Healthcare, who specialize in natural products, have produced a must-have shampoo for use in desalinated water to remove all build-up of damaging mineral deposits from the hair and scalp. This shampoo is so gentle and good you will only need to wash your hair once a week leaving your hair moisturised. The next step is to use an extra moisturising conditioner, and Permea Plus treatment oil containing six natural oils to feed the scalp and strengthen the hair.

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Can you suggest a way to improve my will power, as I am always tempted to eat too much and make myself tasty snacks?

— Fathya

You need to think about a personal mantra to say whenever you are tempted to eat something you don’t need to eat. (When you are offered a chocolate or some cake, say your mantra to yourself). It will help you to have self-control and it will also give you a good feeling rather than feeling deprived or sad. Try saying: “Nothing Tastes as Good as Being Slim Feels,” or “I Only Eat Healthy Food,” or “I Only Eat When I Feel Hungry,” or “I Can Say No to Food and Feel Good,” or “A Moment on the Lips Means a Lifetime on the Hips,” or “I Am Healthy and Confident. I Don’t Need Comfort Food.”

I find that saying a mantra when I say no to a chocolate or biscuit makes me feel good, and not deprived.

— Alva