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If you want your mane to look, feel and be healthy. Then check out these top 10 healthy hair habits. Apply a couple of these tips to your daily or weekly hair regimen and you will notice just how much more fabulous your hair will become.
1) WASH HAIR EVERY 3-7 DAYS.
If you like to wash your hair everyday stop! Over washing your hair with harsh sulfate shampoos, strips the hair of it's natural oils. Which in turn makes the hair dry and brittle and can irritate the scalp also causing dryness and flaking. Trichologists recommends washing the hair every three to seven days. This is especially a great practice for those with coarse, curly, kinky hair, as this type of hair is already naturally dry by nature. If you find your hair gets oily quickly, try using a dry shampoo to help keep it at bay until your next wash day.
2) WEEKLY DEEP CONDITIONS.
If you are not deep conditioning your hair, then you don't know what your missing out on. Deep conditioning is a vital step to having and maintaining healthy hair. A weekly deep condition of 10-20 minutes, will restore the hair of lost moisture and proteins. Restoring elasticity and strength, protecting the hair from breakage, environmental, mechanical and heat styling damage. After applying your deep conditioner to your hair, place a plastic cap over your head and wrap with a warm towel or sit under a warm hooded dryer. The added heat will open up the cuticles, allowing the deep conditioner to penetrate the hair even more, feeding it all the vital nutrients it needs to thrive.
3) PRE-SHAMPOO TREATMENTS.
Pre-treating the hair before washing is a great way to nourish and soften the hair while protecting it from drying out from shampooing. A great way to pre-treat the hair, is by doing a hot oil treatment with either coconut, olive or avocado oil. These oils are high in saturated fat which means their molecules are small enough to penetrate into the hair shaft. Soak hair with desired oil choice and cover with a plastic cap for 15-30 minutes. Sit under a warm hooded dryer, or warm oil before applying to hair, cover with plastic cap, then wrap with a warm towel to lock in the heat. Your hair will feel amazing after this treatment. My preferred oil to pre-treat with is coconut oil. Not only does it penetrate the hair shaft but it is also able to bind to the natural protein structure of the hair. This helps the hair retain its natural moisture content and reinforces the hair fiber, making it stronger.
4) NUTRITION, NUTRITION, NUTRITION.
No matter how great and beneficial your hair care products are, there is nothing better for your hair than the vital nutrients you feed your body everyday. Healthy hair starts from within. If you eat poorly, then you will grow weak, fragile hair. If you eat healthy, making sure to get in all your vegetables, fruits and lots of water, you will produce stronger, healthier hair. Then you can maintain that hair with your beneficial hair products. Nutrition and good hair care goes hand in hand, complimenting one another. I know it is not always easy to get in the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables daily, so make sure to take your multivitamins for support.
5) PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.
Get moving ladies, exercise is not just for loosing weight, it's great for you overall health, keeping you strong, improves moods, boost energy and a whole lot more. So what does it do for your hair? Daily exercise, increases blood flow to the scalp, giving your follicles a rush of nutrients. Exercise is also a great way of releasing the body of toxins in turn directly contributing to purer, healthier and an even more conditioning sebum. An oily, conditioning substance secreted by skin glands that helps prevent hair from drying out.
6) MOISTURIZE AND SEAL.
Keeping the hair moisturized and sealing in that moisture, keeps the hair soft, supple and manageable. Moisturized hair = less breakage, less dryness and just looks and feels healthier. Water is a natural and most beneficial moisturizer to the hair, it should be the first ingredient in your moisturizing products, such as your leave-ins and moisturizing lotions/creams. After you apply your moisturizer to either damp or dry hair, you should seal it in with an oil, such as coconut, olive, grape seed or argan oil. The oil acts as a barrier, keeping the moisture locked into the hair strands for longer periods of time. You should repeat these steps daily or when needed.
7) HEAT PROTECTION.
A lot of us love our heat styling tools, to create gorgeous styles, whether sleek or curly. However those heat styling tools can have a toll on the hair after repeated use. Whether you use a blow dryer, flat iron curling iron, or a combination, you need to protect the hair to prevent further damage. Find yourself a product specifically designed to protect the hair against heat styling. Some leave-ins and styling products may even contain heat protecting agents already in them. Make sure to read the label to see if it indicates that it will also protect the hair from heat.
8) LOW MANIPULATION.
The less you manually manipulate your hair, the better. Over combing, brushing and styling can cause breakage, thinning and even alopecia. If you have thick, coarse, curly, kinky hair, I recommend combing on slightly damp hair, as this will help manage the hair and make combing easier for gliding and detangling. Fingers are a great substitute for a comb, for quick and easy grooming. Reduce heat styles to once or twice a week or even a couple times a month. Try maintaining a low manipulation style for a couple of days to a week, such as braids, twists or buns.
9) HAIR TRIMMING.
Don't hold onto those bad ends ladies, for the sake of length. Dry, split ends only travel up the hair shaft spreading the damage and making your hair look brittle and unattractive. A nice trim will rid your hair of the split dry ends, making your hair look, fuller, fresh and healthier. You should trim your hair every 8-12 weeks and if you take good care of your ends you can go for longer periods without trimming. I trim my hair twice a year, that's every six months. If you are worried about loosing length, don't worry, it will grow back. Your hair doesn't stop growing, unless there is a medical issue at hand preventing hair growth.
10) HAIR PROTECTION WHILE YOU SLEEP.
Did you know that sleeping on a cotton pillow case can suck the moisture out of your hair, causing dryness and split ends. The friction from tossing and turning on a cotton pillow case can cause breakage and tangles. Replace your cotton pillow case with a silk or satin pillow case. Satin and silk is gentle on the hair and doesn't have abrasive elements to cause breakage and split ends. It doesn't rob your hair of its moisture and can actually prolong hair styles. If you don't have a silk/satin pillow case, wrap your hair in a scarf or hair bonnet made out of silk/satin. Your hair will love you for it in the morning.
I hope some of these tips help you on your journey to healthier hair. Remember healthy hair starts from within.
1) WASH HAIR EVERY 3-7 DAYS.
If you like to wash your hair everyday stop! Over washing your hair with harsh sulfate shampoos, strips the hair of it's natural oils. Which in turn makes the hair dry and brittle and can irritate the scalp also causing dryness and flaking. Trichologists recommends washing the hair every three to seven days. This is especially a great practice for those with coarse, curly, kinky hair, as this type of hair is already naturally dry by nature. If you find your hair gets oily quickly, try using a dry shampoo to help keep it at bay until your next wash day.
2) WEEKLY DEEP CONDITIONS.
If you are not deep conditioning your hair, then you don't know what your missing out on. Deep conditioning is a vital step to having and maintaining healthy hair. A weekly deep condition of 10-20 minutes, will restore the hair of lost moisture and proteins. Restoring elasticity and strength, protecting the hair from breakage, environmental, mechanical and heat styling damage. After applying your deep conditioner to your hair, place a plastic cap over your head and wrap with a warm towel or sit under a warm hooded dryer. The added heat will open up the cuticles, allowing the deep conditioner to penetrate the hair even more, feeding it all the vital nutrients it needs to thrive.
3) PRE-SHAMPOO TREATMENTS.
Pre-treating the hair before washing is a great way to nourish and soften the hair while protecting it from drying out from shampooing. A great way to pre-treat the hair, is by doing a hot oil treatment with either coconut, olive or avocado oil. These oils are high in saturated fat which means their molecules are small enough to penetrate into the hair shaft. Soak hair with desired oil choice and cover with a plastic cap for 15-30 minutes. Sit under a warm hooded dryer, or warm oil before applying to hair, cover with plastic cap, then wrap with a warm towel to lock in the heat. Your hair will feel amazing after this treatment. My preferred oil to pre-treat with is coconut oil. Not only does it penetrate the hair shaft but it is also able to bind to the natural protein structure of the hair. This helps the hair retain its natural moisture content and reinforces the hair fiber, making it stronger.
4) NUTRITION, NUTRITION, NUTRITION.
No matter how great and beneficial your hair care products are, there is nothing better for your hair than the vital nutrients you feed your body everyday. Healthy hair starts from within. If you eat poorly, then you will grow weak, fragile hair. If you eat healthy, making sure to get in all your vegetables, fruits and lots of water, you will produce stronger, healthier hair. Then you can maintain that hair with your beneficial hair products. Nutrition and good hair care goes hand in hand, complimenting one another. I know it is not always easy to get in the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables daily, so make sure to take your multivitamins for support.
5) PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.
Get moving ladies, exercise is not just for loosing weight, it's great for you overall health, keeping you strong, improves moods, boost energy and a whole lot more. So what does it do for your hair? Daily exercise, increases blood flow to the scalp, giving your follicles a rush of nutrients. Exercise is also a great way of releasing the body of toxins in turn directly contributing to purer, healthier and an even more conditioning sebum. An oily, conditioning substance secreted by skin glands that helps prevent hair from drying out.
6) MOISTURIZE AND SEAL.
Keeping the hair moisturized and sealing in that moisture, keeps the hair soft, supple and manageable. Moisturized hair = less breakage, less dryness and just looks and feels healthier. Water is a natural and most beneficial moisturizer to the hair, it should be the first ingredient in your moisturizing products, such as your leave-ins and moisturizing lotions/creams. After you apply your moisturizer to either damp or dry hair, you should seal it in with an oil, such as coconut, olive, grape seed or argan oil. The oil acts as a barrier, keeping the moisture locked into the hair strands for longer periods of time. You should repeat these steps daily or when needed.
7) HEAT PROTECTION.
A lot of us love our heat styling tools, to create gorgeous styles, whether sleek or curly. However those heat styling tools can have a toll on the hair after repeated use. Whether you use a blow dryer, flat iron curling iron, or a combination, you need to protect the hair to prevent further damage. Find yourself a product specifically designed to protect the hair against heat styling. Some leave-ins and styling products may even contain heat protecting agents already in them. Make sure to read the label to see if it indicates that it will also protect the hair from heat.
8) LOW MANIPULATION.
The less you manually manipulate your hair, the better. Over combing, brushing and styling can cause breakage, thinning and even alopecia. If you have thick, coarse, curly, kinky hair, I recommend combing on slightly damp hair, as this will help manage the hair and make combing easier for gliding and detangling. Fingers are a great substitute for a comb, for quick and easy grooming. Reduce heat styles to once or twice a week or even a couple times a month. Try maintaining a low manipulation style for a couple of days to a week, such as braids, twists or buns.
9) HAIR TRIMMING.
Don't hold onto those bad ends ladies, for the sake of length. Dry, split ends only travel up the hair shaft spreading the damage and making your hair look brittle and unattractive. A nice trim will rid your hair of the split dry ends, making your hair look, fuller, fresh and healthier. You should trim your hair every 8-12 weeks and if you take good care of your ends you can go for longer periods without trimming. I trim my hair twice a year, that's every six months. If you are worried about loosing length, don't worry, it will grow back. Your hair doesn't stop growing, unless there is a medical issue at hand preventing hair growth.
10) HAIR PROTECTION WHILE YOU SLEEP.
Did you know that sleeping on a cotton pillow case can suck the moisture out of your hair, causing dryness and split ends. The friction from tossing and turning on a cotton pillow case can cause breakage and tangles. Replace your cotton pillow case with a silk or satin pillow case. Satin and silk is gentle on the hair and doesn't have abrasive elements to cause breakage and split ends. It doesn't rob your hair of its moisture and can actually prolong hair styles. If you don't have a silk/satin pillow case, wrap your hair in a scarf or hair bonnet made out of silk/satin. Your hair will love you for it in the morning.
I hope some of these tips help you on your journey to healthier hair. Remember healthy hair starts from within.
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