How can I make my hair healthy?


Many people talk about getting shinier, thicker, or longer hair. The means to all these ends is in its health. Start with healthy hair and the rest will come easier because a lot of those problems will be taken care of if you have well-nourished and well-treated hair. Here are several simple tips you can use to improve the health of your hair:

Hair Trim

First of all, ensure you have all of your split ends and dead, stringy hair at the back cut off. It can be painful to go in and have the hair stylist remove several inches of hair, but the truth is once it’s broken it can’t be fixed. To get healthy hair, it’s best to start with the healthy hair you already have and improve on that; cutting off the dead ends is the only way to start. If you choose to trim your hair yourself, make sure you use styling scissors that are only used for hair because if there are nicks in the blades they can cause more breakage and actually do more damage as you trim. Once you have your hair redeemed from its unhealthy dead or split ends, make sure you continue its upkeep by having it trimmed every 4-8 weeks. If you’re trying to grow your hair longer, then go every 8-12 weeks as hair on average grows half an inch every month.


Heat & Water Damage

Next, make sure you’re avoiding heat and water damage. Using straighteners, crimpers, hair dryers, and hot rollers all dry out your hair and cause it to break as it’s being styled. Try to limit your use of such products to a few times a week. If you have to use a hair dryer, make sure you use the attachment nozzle to keep the heat from going directly on your hair. This can diffuse the heat and save your hair some trauma. Ionized hair dryers can also help with this process, but they can be expensive.

The best way to dry your hair is to let it dry naturally or to take a towel and gently pat your hair down or wrap it up in the towel and let the towel absorb the water. After your shower, never shake or rub your hair roughly in the towel to dry it. Hair is extremely vulnerable when wet and breaks easily. When you’re shampooing, don’t bunch your hair up on the top of your head, as this can damage your hair. Start at the roots and massage the scalp, working the shampoo down into the hair as you go.  Don’t brush your hair when it’s wet! That’s the fastest way to split and damage your hair.

Hair Brushing

Knowing when to brush and how to brush your hair is important. Always brush your hair before you shower to remove dead hairs and to spread your natural oils around throughout your hair. Start at the bottom of your hair and move up. This gets small tangles out of the bottom of the hair without compromising the rest of your hair. The best kind of brush you can use is a boar bristle brush. Try not to use nylon-bristle brushes or small-toothed combs as these can snag in the hair and break it. Do not brush your hair when it is wet. If you must detangle it when wet, use a wide-toothed rubber comb and gently work out the knots from bottom to top. You can use a leave in conditioner before combing to give it additional moisture.

It’s better for your hair if you only wash it every other day. This gives it a chance to benefit from your natural oils which permeate the scalp. If possible, try not to wash your hair every day, or if you must, then see if you can only use conditioner some days to avoid the stronger chemicals found in shampoos. If you just need a shower to feel clean, then get a shower cap so you don’t have to wash your hair each time you shower.

You can also do a deep conditioning once a week or even once a month just to give your hair an extra rejuvenation. This is done using botanical oils like jojoba, almond, olive, and, for thicker hair, coconut oils. Get your hair wet and apply small splashes of the oils throughout your hair until it’s all covered. Put your hair up in a warm or hot towel. The warmth of the towel will open up the pores in your hairs’ cuticles so that the oils can be better absorbed. After half an hour, take it down and wash your hair normally.

Hair Accessories

Hair accessories should be chosen wisely. Use pony-tail holders which don’t have metal clips and are cloth covered rubber bands rather than the small bands. This will lessen the likelihood that your hair will get tangled in your accessories and break. Also, using claw clips instead of tight barrettes can relax the tension on your hair and avoid breakage.

Vitamins

Vitamins can also be used for healthy hair. To help your hair and your nails stay moisturised you should try taking vitamins which are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Some common vitamins for hair and nails are: primrose oil, flaxseed oil, borage oil, and fish oil.