Ways To Keep Your Hair Healthy

Healthy hair should be more than just a cosmetic goal that you should have. This is because it reflects so much about the current state of your health, not just physically, but mentally as well.

Strong, shiny and well-nourished hair requires that you have proper nutrition, good hygiene and some excellent styling practices, making sure you avoid some of the biggest, most damaging things. You’re also going to need the right products!

Of course genetics are going to play a big role in your hair texture and how it feels, but you also need to make sure that you are doing some of the best care routines that will keep your hair well maintained and looking its best. This is definitely achievable! My hair tends to look like Hagrid when I don’t keep up with my hair care routine, so I know first hand how unruly hair can be!

Take a look at some of the major things you need to do to achieve the healthiest hair possible, below.

The Importance of a Healthy Hair Care Routine

A consistent hair care routine will ensure that your hair remains clean, and hydrated. However, using the wrong products (or even over-washing) will strip a lot of the natural oils. The natural oils are what help to keep your hair strong.

For most hair types, you should wash your hair two to three times a week, this is usually enough. If you have oily hair, you are going to need to wash it more often.

However, if you have dry or curly hair, then weekly washing is going to help you to retain a lot of moisture. Try using a sulfate-free shampoo. This is ideal because sulfates can strip your hair of its natural oils. This makes it more prone to breakage.

Remember that conditioning is just as important as shampooing. Buy a good conditioner as it will restore moisture and reduce tangles. It will also help to prevent breakages. If you have hair that is prone to breakage, using a deep conditioning treatment at least once per week is going to give you the extra hydration and nourishment you need. These can be left on for around 10 minutes.

Other products you want to use are leave in conditioners for the mid sections to the ends, as this really helps with brushing your hair. Then a hair oil for the ends. Since I started using hair oil, the softness and change to my hair is like night and day! I apply the oil (Opalex) a couple of times a week.

Nourishing Your Hair from the Inside Out

A Healthy Diet for Strong Hair

Your hair’s health depends on what you eat. Hair is primarily made up of keratin, which is a protein. So ensuring that you’re eating enough protein is essential for the making of keratin in the body. Also make sure that you are staying hydrated as well because this is just as important. Drink a lot of water to ensure that your hair and scalp remain moisturised. This can stop dryness and breakage in its tracks. If hair breakage and loss persists though, after you’ve tried everything, you can try treatments for hair regrowth to help prevent more hair loss.

The Role of Scalp Health

A healthy scalp is the foundation for strong, beautiful hair. If your scalp is dry, oily or irritated it’s going to affect the growth of your hair and lead to issues like itching and dandruff.

You can try scalp massages with natural oils like coconut, castor oil, and jojoba to improve circulation and promote hair growth. Once a week, exfoliate your scalp with a gentle scrub so that you can remove dead skin cells and protect it from any buildup that happens, but you can also use a scalp brush for scrubbing the shampoo into it. This will allow your hair follicles to breathe.

If you experience dandruff or scalp irritation, you should use tea tree oil or aloe vera. This will help to soothe your scalp, and restore balance as well. Using a gentle, anti-dandruff shampoo will help to keep flakes under control and it will not dry out your hair. One that’s always been recommended was Nizoral.

Avoiding Heat and Chemical Damage

The Effects of Heat Styling

Frequent heat styling can weaken your hair – trust me. This is going to lead to dryness and breakage as well as split ends. If you use curling irons quite regularly, as well as straighteners and blow dryers, make sure that you apply a heat protectant spray before you style your hair. This wasn’t something I took very seriously as I didn’t like how the product weighed my hair down or made it sticky, but TRUST ME, you must use it, otherwise you are literally burning and frying your hair. Just find the right one that works for you.

Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay

This will minimise the damage that is done. You can further protect your hair by using heat settings that are lower. The best thing you can do is to avoid daily styling with heat and let your hair air dry whenever you can. If you have to use a blow dryer, you should use it on medium to cool settings because it will minimise the stress to your strands. I know this isn’t always possible though, so just try to be careful.

Minimising Chemical Treatments

Chemical treatments such as bleaching, colouring, perming, and relaxing can weaken your hair. These treatments do enhance the appearance of your hair, but they can also make it brittle and prone to breakage.

If you use dyes frequently, then you should try ammonia-free dyes. You should also try semi-permanent colour because this can reduce damage. Be sure to space out hair treatments and deep condition afterwards to keep your hair healthy. I choose to have a blonde balayage done 1-2 times per year. I find that this allows my hair to stay healthy for most of the year, before I have it done again. Regularly highlighting and bleaching can be extremely damaging.

For chemically treated hair, try protein treatments because this will help to strengthen and rebuild your hair structure. You can also use regular oil treatments to restore moisture. I know first hand that the oil definitely helps! It’s not an overnight sensation though, it takes a few weeks of regular use to notice the change.

Choosing the Right Hair Products

Sulfate-Free and Natural Ingredients

Choosing gentle, natural products can make a huge difference when it comes to maintaining healthy hair. Sulfate free shampoo and conditioners preserve natural moisture levels and this is how they prevent dryness and frizz.

You should look for products that contain nourishing ingredients like Shea butter, keratin, aloe vera and Argan oil. Try to avoid harsh alcohols, they can cause build up and make your hair dry overtime.

Leave-In Treatments and Oils

Leave-in conditioners, hair serums, and natural oils will help to lock in moisture and prevent frizz in your hair. When you apply a small amount of coconut oil, castor oil, argan oil, or jojoba oil, it will reduce split ends and protect your hair from environmental stressors.

Another final tip is using a silk and satin pillowcase, as this will stop friction and prevent your hair from breaking while you sleep. Think about your hair fibres getting roughed up as they move across a cotton pillowcase – this doesn’t happen on silk as it’s so slippery! The same thing goes if you wear a sleep mask, make it silk! I hope all of these tips help!