brand. Be sure to follow the directions on the label for best results. Most only require being left in the hair for 5-10 minutes and then rinsing. After a few uses, you’ll notice your hair will have a natural sheen and softness. That’s the sign of happy hair.
Getting your ends regularly trimmed can also help you with the health of your hair. If you’re prone to bad split ends or breakage, snipping those troublesome ends off every 6-8 week—or however long it takes for your hair to grow normally—will take care of that.
Leaving split ends untreated can cause your hair to break off at different lengths, creating an unkempt and unsightly appearance—even if you’ve styled your hair (I’m sure you’ve seen at least one or two girls with long, flowing hair filled with odd, light coloured specks—those are the split ends). Trimming is different than cutting your hair so make that clear to your hair stylist to avoid a bad or unnecessary cut.
Permed, relaxed and dyed hair is already exposed to some damage due to the chemicals present. This means that the people who get these treatments done need to step up their hair care efforts more than the average person who doesn’t do anything chemically to their hair. If your tresses are fried, feel crunchy or dry, stop using those treatments and put your hair into a rigorous TLC schedule of deep conditioning with a product designed for severely damaged hair.
If you’ve got bad hair habits, cut them out! These include: constantly touching your hair or running your fingers through them (whatever you’ve been touching during the day can be transferred to your hair), chewing on the ends (trust me, I know people who do this), picking at split ends or breaking them off individually, using alcohol based hair products and putting too much heat on your hair daily. Can’t bear to live without using heated styling tools on your hair? Then invest in thermal hair products that will protect your lovely locks from heat damage.
One helpful hair care tip I learned about a few years ago and live by is to sleep on a satin pillowcase. Whether you toss and turn in your sleep or hardly move, your strands tend to get smashed and can get snagged on a pillowcase and pulled out in the process (how many times have you woken up to find stray hairs scattered or stuck to your pillow?).
As harmless as it may seem, this can also contribute to minor hair damage over time. So toss those cotton pillowcases and invest in some comfy satin ones (they actually don’t cost much depending on where you buy them from). The material is much smoother than cotton and allows your hair to glide along the surface without getting snagged and pulled out, and it’s also good for your complexion.
This may make me sound like a broken record but even what you eat and drink can affect the status of your hair. Adding water to your daily diet allows your hair to grow healthy and strong, and consuming the right amount of vitamins and minerals in combination with a good multivitamin also promotes hair growth, strength, shine, strong roots and a healthy scalp.
Key vitamins and minerals to include in your daily diet include: B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, sulphur, silica, folic acid, beta-carotene (found in green and yellow fruits and veggies), protein (wheat germ, fish, eggs, beans, yogurt, soy), among many others.
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