Q: Though biracial hair can vary from individual to individual, in general, a mild, moisturizing shampoo is best. Look for a shampoo with a balanced pH value of 5, which will help to maintain your hair’s natural pH level and keep it healthy. Look for the following ingredients in your shampoo:  Water Lauroamphoglycinate, a moisturizer Cocoamphacarboxyglycinate, a moisturizer Sulfosuccinate, a mild cleanser A list of recommended shampoos for biracial hair can be found online. Many products in commercial shampoos can strip your hair of its natural oils and be detrimental to biracial hair. Read the ingredients list on shampoos and avoid products that contain the following ingredients:  Isopropyl alcohol Mineral oil/ petrolatum Polyethylene glycol (PEG) Propylene glycol (PG) Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)/ Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) An instant conditioner will coat the strands of your hair and give it body as well as shine. It will also flatten the raised cuticles in your hair, making it soft and easy to style, and protect your hair from damage.  Look for instant conditioners that contain a combination of lanolin, cholesterol, sulfonated oil, vegetable oil, proteins and polymers. You can find instant conditioner that are “rinse out” or “leave in”. You can try both on your biracial hair or your child’s biracial hair to determine which type will work best for you. Leave-in conditioner can be beneficial for hair that is going to be combed out or blow dried. However, if you have curly hair that has a finer texture, leave-in conditioner may leave a film or residue on your hair. A penetrating conditioner is a deep conditioner that will absorb right into your hair and improve the appearance of damaged hair. This type of conditioner is good if you have split ends, uneven hair growth, hair that is dyed or colored, or hair that has been exposed to chlorine. It’s also good for a dry scalp.  Many penetrating conditioners are made from animal proteins and keratin. You should allow this type of conditioner to stay in your hair for 15 minutes before rinsing it out. You can use a penetrating conditioner once a month if you do not have damaged hair but are looking to moisturize your hair every now and then.
A: Use a mild, moisturizing shampoo. Avoid shampoos that contain drying ingredients. Go for an instant conditioner if you have thick, curly hair. Try a penetrating conditioner if you have damaged hair or a dry scalp.

Q: Before you begin repairing the wall, clean it to make sure any cement or mortar you apply will adhere securely. Survey your wall and make a note of any dirty or cracked areas. You will need to smooth out cracks and hose down dirty sections before the wall is ready to clean. Locate any damaged areas on the cinder blocks and file any rough bits with a metal file. Keep filing until the edges are smooth and level. This will keep your reparations even and more likely to hold over time. Depending on the extent and roughness of the cracks or holes, this can take anywhere from several minutes to an hour. Your wall will need to be debris- and dust-free before it's ready for repairs. Take a hose and spray the wall off to get rid of any residual dust or dirt. For more stubborn areas, scrub the dirt away with a washcloth. Hosing down the wall primarily works for outdoor cinder block walls. If your wall is indoors, fill a bucket with warm water and clean the wall off with a wet washcloth. Your wall repair materials may not adhere to the wall as well if it is wet. Gather your additional materials while the wall dries. If any patches are stubborn and refuse to dry quickly, try toweling them off. Repair your cinder block wall during the hottest time of day so you can work quickly.
A: Clean any parts of the wall that you plan to repair. File away any rough edges. Hose the wall down to get rid of dust or dirt. Wait for the wall to dry off before repairing it.

Q: Ask yourself a series of questions about how you performed over the semester in order to analyze what went well and what didn’t go so well.  What did you end up doing differently after deciding to raise your grades?  Did any of it work?  How much did your grades improved, if at all?  What did you find worked really well for you, and what did you find worked really badly for you?  Is there anything you’d like to do differently next time? Think about the study methods you took on that really helped and make sure you build them into your permanent repertoire. Think about what didn’t work and why it didn’t work.  Maybe you tried to study at home and found it was more distracting than you’d like, etc.  Make sure to avoid these items in the future. Buy yourself an academic calendar and/or a large wall-mounted white-board calendar.  Clean up the space you intend to use for studying, remove anything you don’t need (books, magazines, comics, etc.) and organize the things you do need (pens, pencils, highlighters, sticky notes, etc.)  Make your study space a distraction-free zone.  Organize your study materials in a way that makes sense to you and allows you to find things quickly.  Have a separate notebook or binder for each class you're taking and label them appropriately. Have pens and highlighters of different colours to signify different things in your notes and textbooks.  For example, blue might mean examples, whereas yellow means definitions. Turn your cell phone or tablet off while studying.  And if you're not using it, turn the wi-fi off on your computer while studying.  Don't give into the temptation to check your email or text messages! If you’re serious about improving your grades, your teachers will help.  Ask them their advice on what to focus on in their class and what methods of studying work best for their material.  Ask them if you can review assignments with them before you hand them in.  Keep track of your teachers’ contact information and office hours in a centralized location.  Each week review where you are in each course and determine if you need to take advantage of your teacher’s office hours, and if you do, schedule it in. When asking for advice, try to avoid saying things like "What's important in your class?" or "What do I need to do to get an A?" These suggest that you aren't actually invested in the class. Instead, ask questions such as "What types of questions do your exams usually focus on? I'd like to know how to improve my note-taking" or "What advice would you give a student who really wants to do well?" Work with friends or classmates, as a group, to learn the material and work on the assignments.  Quiz each other.  Do sample tests together.  Take turns “teaching” each other the material.  It is advantageous, but not necessary, to have some structure to your study group, such as: a pre-determined meeting time and place, specific study session goals, and an informal leader or moderator. Study group members do not need to be your friends.  In fact, it might be better if they weren’t.  Getting together with your friends to study might turn into socialization time, which isn’t helpful. Make sure you always get a good night’s rest.  Eat properly every day.  And exercise as often as you can.  Taking care of yourself physically will help make sure you can take care of yourself mentally. Taking care of yourself also means taking breaks when studying, like getting up and walking around every hour, and rewarding yourself for meeting your study goals. Tutors can be folks you’ve hired to spend time working with you on a specific subject, but it can also include your school’s success centres. Most post-secondary institutions have tutoring centres (manned by graduate students), writing centres (that offer both seminars and feedback on actual papers), and success centres (where professionals can provide you guidance and feedback).  Some of this extra help is free, while some has a cost associated with it. If you’re interested in hiring a tutor, ask your teacher for recommendations.  They’ll know which former students did well in their class and who might be able to help you.
A:
Complete a post-semester assessment. Get yourself organized. Talk to your teacher(s) in advance. Join or start a study group. Take care of yourself physically. Get a tutor.