Hair care is important, especially if your hair is naturally more brittle or if you have been over-styling and over-coloring. Damaged, brittle hair is no fun, but fortunately, taking good care of your hair can help produce improvements over time.
Whether you are looking for how to get healthy hair or how to keep your hair healthy, check out our top ten health care tips.
Start From the Inside
When you think about how to make your health healthy, you may be thinking of masks, shampoo, and hair products. However, it is important to remember that your hair is an extension of the body. This means that your diet, exercise, and even stress level can affect hair growth.
Collagen, in particular, is an important building block in skin, hair, joints, and other parts of the body. There are plenty of foods that are rich in collagen, such as chicken broth, fish, and egg whites. However, you also have the option of an oral collagen supplement. We recommend Revive Collagen Powder.
In addition to collagen, making sure that you have enough zinc and omegas to your diet- either by eating foods that are rich in these ingredients or by taking supplements.
Check Your Bad Hair Habits
Do you skip the conditioner? Dye your hair every week? Review your hair care habits and figure out where you can stop, or at least cut-down on harmful behavior. For instance, if you’re using harsh dyes, consider opting for a more gentle option.
While you’re at it, check your other bad hair habits. While harsh hair care treatments and dyes are known to cause trouble for hair, crash diets and overconsumption of alcohol are also potential culprits for thin and brittle hair.
Note also that certain medications may cause hair to become more brittle. If you’re noticing changes in your hair after taking a medication, you must go back to your doctor and discuss potential options.
Know Your Hair Type
Not everyone’s hair is the same- and that’s a good thing. Imagine how boring the world would be if we were all identical! Get to know your specific hair type and figure out what your hair requires and what issues you need to address. In fact, you should start with the scalp and make sure that it is healthy first. After all, healthy hair requires a healthy scalp.
Avoid Over Washing
If you’re wondering how to get fuller hair, you may be washing your hair too often. The truth is, most of us don’t need to wash our hair every day, and washing your hair too often can actually damage your hair. Experts recommend washing your hair every 2-3 days. However, you may choose to wash more or less often depending on your hair type and your activity level.
Choose the Right Shampoo
Finding the right shampoo for your hair type is key to good hair health. We recommend doing your research about which shampoo and shampoo ingredients are ideal for your hair and scalp. While there’s a lot of buzz about sulfates in shampoo as “being bad for hair,” these cleaning agents may be ok for some people and not others.
Wash Correctly
While you’ve probably been washing your hair for quite some time, there’s a possibility that you’re getting it wrong. To get the most out of your hair washing routine, make sure that you brush your hair out before you shower- this helps avoid messy tangles later on and also ensures that you can thoroughly shampoo and condition your hair during your hair washing routine.
When shampooing, you want to concentrate on the scalp, as this is the area that needs to be cleaned most. Meanwhile, when it’s time to condition your hair, make sure that you brush the conditioner through your hair and allow it to sit for a few minutes instead of immediately rinsing. If you’re using a combination of shampoo and conditioner, make sure that you check for the instructions on the bottle.
In a hurry? Try washing your hair first, putting in a conditioner, and then proceeding with your shower routine- this helps ensure that you’re not simply standing around and waiting for the conditioner to set into your hair.
Invest in the Good Styling Tools
If you’re going to style your hair at home, invest in a high-grade blow dryer, straighter, etc. While purchasing low-cost equipment is tempting, cheaper equipment often lacks quality and protective measures for your hair. Instead, ask your hairstylist what they use at home. If you don’t happen to know a hairstylist, do a bit of research and pay attention to publications and blogs that are targeted towards individuals who work in the beauty industry.
Get Silky With Your Pillowcases
Silk helps protect your hair while you sleep by minimizing damage and breakage. Plus, sleeping on a silk pillowcase feels pretty great. If you don’t like silk, consider another natural blend like cotton- just stay away from synthetics.
Don’t Skip Your Trims
Trimming your hair regularly helps avoid split ends and makes your hair look and feel healthier overall. Normally, this isn’t a problem. However, intermittent hair salon closures may force you to learn how to cut your hair. Fortunately, there are plenty of tutorials on how to trim hair and how to cut your own long hair.
Pamper Your Hair
There are many great products that are meant to help protect your hair, including hair masks and leave-in spray. We recommend products with naturally-based ingredients known to be good for hair, such as argan oil, coconut oil, aloe, and spirulina.
This is especially important if you prefer to color your hair because some coloring products can be particularly brutal on your strands.
Takeaways for Healthy Hair
- Practice good overall self-care: eat well, de-stress, etc.
- Add a collagen supplement to your diet.
- Avoid over-washing.
- Practice a good hair washing routine.
- Go for natural ingredients.
- Spend some time figuring out what’s right for your hair.