Q: Do not brush your hair from the roots straight down to the ends; this causes even more snags, knots, and tears. Instead, work in small sections, and brush your hair starting from the ends first. Make sure that the brush you are using has soft, flexible bristles. Do not brush your hair while it is still wet, unless you have curly hair. If you have curly hair, brush your hair while it is still wet using a wide-toothed comb. If possible, do this before you rinse out your conditioner. The conditioner will help your comb glide through your strands with less resistance and breakage. Consider using a hair detangler spray or gel to make brushing easier. This product will make it easier for the brush or comb to glide through the hair strands. These sorts of styles can weaken the hair shaft over time, causing it to become brittle and break. Instead, try to wear your hair down or in looser styles, such as low ponytails or braids. Trimming your hair gets rid of split ends. If you don't trim your hair regularly, the damage may creep further and further up the hair shaft, causing even more damage. If you must chemically treat your hair, then do the perm or relaxing first, wait two weeks, then do the coloring. This gives your hair enough time to recover and prevents further damage. If you dye your hair, try to stay within 3 shades. Going too light will over-process your hair and cause it to become dry and brittle. Avoid using rubber bands or anything that has sharp, metal edges. Instead, reach for fabric-covered scrunches, plastic hair clips, and elastic hair ties. These will put the least stress on your hair. Not only do cotton pillowcases dry your hair out, but they cause too much friction, which results in tiny snags and tears. Alternatively, you could wrap your hair with a silk scarf before you go to bed. You can use a hat, hood, or scarf. The hot, blazing sun can be very damaging to your hair, but so can the extreme cold. Both extreme heat and extreme cold can sap your hair of moisture, leaving it brittle and dry. This leads to damaged hair. These foods won't erase the damage or make it go away, but they will help ensure that the new hair is healthy and strong. Be sure to maintain a healthy and balanced diet by eating other healthy foods as well. Foods that are high in fatty acids include avocado, salmon, and olive oil. Fatty acids help reintroduce moisture to your scalp and hair. Protein-containing foods include eggs, fish, and meat. Protein helps your hair become stronger. Vitamin C-rich foods include broccoli, citrus, and spinach. Foods high in Vitamin B include berries, eggs, nuts, fish, and other vegetables. If you have a lot of stress in your life and don't sleep enough, your hair will appear unhealthy; unhealthy hair is more prone to damage than healthy hair. You can keep your hair healthy (and thus reduce damage) by sleeping more, and trying to manage your stress levels. Here are some ways you can reduce stress: Try meditation, yoga, or breathing exercises to focus your mind. Exercise to get your body moving. For example, you could jog, play a sport, walk, or even work out in a gym. Take up a hobby, such as drawing, knitting or crochet, gardening, painting, playing music, reading, singing, or writing.
A: Brush your hair properly. Avoid hairstyles that strain your hair, such as high ponytails tight braids. Trim your hair every six to eight weeks. Avoid coloring, perming, or relaxing your hair too often or all at once. Use the right hair accessories. Consider investing in a silk pillowcase. Protect your hair from harsh weather by covering your hair. Try eating more food that contain fatty acids, protein, and vitamins. Try getting enough sleep and reducing your stress levels.

Q: Knowing the background of the text and its author can help you understand the influences on the text. To understand the context of the text, answer the following questions: When was the text written? What is the historical background of the work? What is the author's background? What genre does the author work in? Who are the author's contemporaries? How does this text fit in with the author's larger body of work? Did the writer provide their inspiration for the text? What type of society does the author come from? How does the text's time period shape its meaning? The theme encompasses the subject and the writer's thoughts on that subject. It helps to think of the theme as the message of the book. What is the author trying to say? A short story might have 1 or 2 themes, while a novel might have several. If the text has several themes, they might be related. For example, the themes of a sci-fi novel might be "technology is dangerous" and "cooperation can overcome tyranny." The main ideas will likely be related to the theme of the text. Examine the characters, their relationships, and actions, and the issues that arise in the text to identify the main ideas. Notice the character's words, actions, and thoughts. Consider what they convey about the character, as well as possible themes. Watch for symbolism, metaphor, and the use of other literary devices. Pull out direct quotes where the author illustrates their points. For a longer text, you will likely find several. It's a good idea to note as many as you can, especially if you've been assigned an essay or will be tested over the material. You can use these quotes to support your own claims about the text if you write an analysis essay. The writer's style can include their word choice, phrasing, and syntax, which is the arrangement of the words in a sentence. Although style can be strictly an aesthetic quality, it can also contribute to the text's meaning. For example, Edgar Allan Poe's style of writing enhanced the effect of his poems and stories in an intentional way. If you were analyzing one of his texts, you'd want to consider his individual style. As another example, Mark Twain uses dialect in his novel Pudd'nhead Wilson to show the differences between slave owners and slaves in the deep south. Twain uses word choice and syntax to show how language can be used to create a divide in society, as well as control a subsection of the population. The author's tone is their attitude or feeling toward the subject. Through their language choices, sentence structure, and use of literary devices, the author can create different tones that lead you as a reader to feel a certain way about the subject. Common tones include sad, solemn, suspenseful, humorous, or sarcastic. Tone can be indicative of not only what's happening in the piece, but of larger themes. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz changes tone, for example, when Dorothy leaves Kansas for Oz. This is seen in the film through the change in color, but in the novel, this is established through the shift in tone.
A:
Review the context of the text, such as when it was written. Identify the theme of the text. Determine the main ideas of the text. Identify pieces of text that support the main ideas. Examine the author's writing style. Consider the author's tone.