For a lot of us, our hair is a point of pride. It’s an expression of self. And some feel it’s a part of their identity. If you’ve ever dealt with hair loss or hair thinning you know how true this is. Simply put, your hair is important!
That means how we maintain our hair is important too. There are a few easy habits you can quickly adapt to help keep your hair looking its absolute best.
- Eat a balanced diet
Did you know, if you’re lacking in any vitamin, the body will only sparingly deliver this nutrition to your hair follicles? This is because your hair is seen as “a non-essential tissue” and your body will instead deliver it to a vital organ. So, if you’re eating an unbalanced diet, your hair could suffer the consequences.
Adequate protein, healthy fats, and vitamins such as vitamin A, B, D, E, and iron are important for healthy, strong hair.
You can get these important nutrients via a combination of a healthy diet and supplementation.
- Choose the right shampoo for your hair type
When we go to the shops, it appears that everyone should be using the same shampoo because there’s really only one option: clarifying sulfate heavy shampoo. But, that’s just not true.
From person to person we have various hair textures and scalp types. Some may benefit from that clarifying shampoo, but for others, it can damage their hair. For some, a once-weekly clarifying shampoo is enough.
There are many other shampoos to choose from:
- Clarifying shampoo
- Sulfate-free shampoo
- Mild, non-stripping shampoo
- Conditioning washes (co-washes)
- Cleansing creams
- Baby shampoo
- Oil-based shampoo bars
- Protein-enriched shampoo
- pH restoring shampoo
- Dandruff shampoo
As you can see, the one size fits all shampoo is not all there is to choose from. For instance, if you have very dry hair, an everyday clarifying shampoo is not going to do you any favors. Opt for gentler shampoos that still get the job done, but without stripping your hair.
- Go natural and try “hair fasting”
Give your hair a break every once in a while. If you are used to blow drying your hair, try taking a break and let your hair air dry. Skip the heat tools, the gels, sprays, and creams. Giving your hair a little room to just be, can be really great for your hair health.
This is a similar idea to “skin fasting” where you go makeup-free and product-free for a period of time to give your skin a reset. This is also a great thing to do for your locks. Go natural, skip the heaps of products and heat styling and give your hair a TLC retreat.
- Take good care of your scalp
When we consider hair health, the scalp is often overlooked. But, our hair is entirely dependent on the health of our hair follicles and scalp. Without proper scalp health, our hair follicles might get a bit sluggish.
Scalp exfoliation is a great way to slough off any debris that might be stifling your hair follicles. Product build-up and dead skin cells can build up on the scalp without proper exfoliation. This is why scalp scrubs or scalp treatments are great ideas for monthly self-care.
A scalp massage also does wonders for scalp health. Using the pads of your fingertips to move in circular motions on the scalp, you are encouraging increased circulation. This new increased blood flow is great for the health of your hair follicles. Because of this, daily scalp massages have been found to significantly increase hair thickness.
- Deep condition once a week
The length of our hair is essentially “dead” and cannot create its own moisture as the scalp can. And it’s pretty hard for the scalp to deliver moisturization from root to tip. So, that’s where deep conditioning comes in. Our hair doesn’t like to be dry — dryness increases dullness, brittleness, frizz, and breakage.
Deep conditioning penetrates the hair shaft and nourishes your strands to help keep hair looking shiny, smooth, and healthy. This can help combat any heat or chemical damage. With regular deep conditioning treatments, you can keep your ends moisturized and decrease the chances of split ends or breakage.
However, don’t over condition as this can cause its own problems. Stick with once or twice a month deep conditioning.
