Oh-so-wonderful locks

We can already hear the Christmas bells ringing. The season of parties and holidays is almost here. Young Post invited L'Oreal Professionnel hairstyling expert Moko Hsu Ngai-ching to give seven junior reporters a crash course on Christmas hairdos.

Hsu shared some cool ideas about how to jazz up your hairstyles at home and keep your locks healthy and beautiful through the festive seasons. Here five of the junior reporters report back.

Half-up, half-down

Nothing makes you look more gorgeous and feminine than tumbling, cascading curls. You can do up shoulder-length or longer hair by following these steps:

1 Pre-heat an electric hair curler for five minutes. Take small patches of hair and wrap it around the curler in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. Do this until you get a head of glamorous locks.

2 After curling, clip up a small patch of hair on your forehead and leave it for the moment.

3 Take a patch of hair from the left side of your head. Twirl it slightly. Pull the patch of hair towards the centre and secure it with a bobby pin. Repeat with the right side and pin it overlapping the left patch.

4 As for the top patch of hair, hold it vertically, and gently comb it back. Twirl this patch of hair slightly, pull it backwards, and loosely secure it with a jewelled clip on top of the other two patches.

Mabel Lau

Hair doughnut

If you are worried the bun you tied in your hair does not look pleasant, then a hair doughnut is what you need.

By using this hair doughnut, you can guarantee your bun will look neat and tidy. Since the doughnut ring is hidden inside your hair, no one will spot it.

Simply follow these steps:

1 Tie your hair into a ponytail and use an elastic hair band to keep it secure.

2 Slip the ponytail through the centre of the doughnut ring and push it all the way to the end.

3 Use your hands to spread your hair around the doughnut ring evenly.

4 Once the whole ring is covered, add another hair band around the bun.

5 Finally, add some bobby pins to secure the ends of your hair.

Now, you can look in the mirror and admire your great new look.

Jocelyn Chan

Hair-washing does and don'ts

Some of us like to wash our hair every time after a session in the gym or after returning home from school. The truth, though, is once a day is good enough. Washing your hair too much will remove the natural protective layer that protects it from damage and gives it shine.

Heat and hair do not mix very well, either, so set water temperature to lukewarm when you rinse the shampoo off.

Work the shampoo into a rich lather in your hands before applying to the roots of your hair. You'd want to avoid damaging hair bulbs, which would make your hair gradually grow thinner.

Never scratch your scalp with your fingernails. Use your fingertips.

Samantha Lau Pui-ching and Lucy Wong Yin-chi

Other little tips

For girls, having long hair is a struggle. A common problem is hair branching, or split ends. This happens when the protective cuticle comes away from your hair tips. The solution is to cut them off because they are just dead cells.

Many of us get up in the morning with hair looking like a lion's mane - all messy and hard to tame. One handy remedy is to use a hair dryer to 'iron' your locks.

Make sure to shape your hairstyle to your face type. If you have some baby fat on your face, it's better to wear your locks curly. Those of you with more well-defined features or a thinner face should go for straightened hair.

If you want your hair to grow faster, drink soya bean milk and eat more sesame. Massaging your scalp can work wonders, too.

Fabienne Chui and Lucy Wong Yin-chi