What is the best way to take care of your hair? The answer to that question is not the same for all women. What is the best hair care for you depends on things like your hair type, the health of your hair and environmental factors. Still, there are things that are good for everyone’s hair or that are best avoided if you don’t want to damage your hair, regardless of your hair type. Which ones are they? I share with you 10 tips that will help you keep your hair beautiful and healthy.
1. Avoid heat so your hair does not dry out
If you blow-dry your hair on the hot setting, you curl it with tongs and if you shower hot you dry out your hair. Then it gets damaged.
If you like to shower hot, it’s best to put on a shower cap. Nowadays, many hairdryers also have a cold setting, like the Philips Moisture Protect hairdryer that adjusts the temperature based on the moisture content in your hair. Curling and straightening irons are best just to avoid them altogether. Especially watch out with hot tongs on wet hair: the water turns into steam that burns holes in your hair.
2. Protect your hair from the sun
We all know we need to put on sunscreen when we go out in the sun. But did you know that UV radiation is not only bad for your skin? It also damages your hair.
So you do well to protect it. You do this by applying oil, sticking your hair up and using products with the ingredient cinnamidopropyltrimonium chloride in them, like the Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream.
Also be careful not to burn your scalp. You can prevent that by wearing a hat.
3. Don’t dye, blonde or perm your hair (too often)
Products such as hair dyes, bleach, perming agents and relaxers are extremely damaging to your hair. Your hair is like a fish: covered in scales. Because hair dyes and other chemical hair products have a high pH value, they cause the scales to soften: they open up. This so that the agent can get deep into your hair. The scales hook together like Velcro, they break off and your hair gets weakened and dried out.
Would you still like to dye your hair, get a perm or have it chemically straightened? Get your hairdresser to treat your hair with Olaplex, which repairs the damage somewhat. Take home a bottle of Olaplex no. 3 yourself and use a pH-restoring product like Revlon’s Cuticle Sealer shampoo. Then your hair will be stronger, smoother and shinier again.
4. Use a mild shampoo to wash your hair
Preferably use a mild shampoo to wash your hair. That means one without sulphates. Sulphates are very strong cleansers: they dry out your hair. Therefore, only use them if you have stubborn product residues in your hair (build-up).
5. Do not wait too long to wash your hair
Now you may be thinking: but isn’t frequent washing bad for your hair? Yes, it is. Every time you wash your hair you damage it. But still, it is wise to just wash your hair when it is oily. A clean scalp is important for your hair growth.
If you leave it oily for too long, your hair will fall out faster and you can get nasty scalp problems, such as seborrhoeic eczema. Doctors therefore recommend washing your hair as often as necessary, even if in your case that is every day.
That’s not a bad thing, but use a mild shampoo and only apply it to your hair up to your neck: not to your ends. Then the damage won’t be too bad.
6. Protect your hair from damage and dehydration with oil
Apply oil before you wash so your shampoo does not dry out your hair and scalp. The oil forms an extra layer of grease that your shampoo has to remove, which reduces the cleansing effect.
Also, use some oil on your ends after shampooing. Then they are better protected from damage. My favourite? Jojoba oil – I spread a few drops on my hair every day.
But be careful with oil if you have seborrheic eczema: only use MCT oil (filtered coconut oil) or mineral oil on your scalp. On your hair itself, though, you can use other oils.
7. Eat enough protein every day for strong hair
Your hair consists of about 90 per cent keratin. To make it, your body needs protein from food. It is an important building block for your hair, but also for your skin and nails. You need about 0.8 grams of protein daily for every kg you weigh. Do you weigh 60 kg? Then you need 48 grams of protein. You can find protein in salmon, avocado and chicken, among others.
8. Handle your hair gently during the day
Brushing your hair roughly will break it down and cause split ends faster. So treat your hair with care: treat it like your most precious silk.
Tie up your hair when cycling in the wind and sleep on a smooth satin pillowcase: you will get fewer tangles. And avoid clip-on hair accessories; it’s better to use a scrunchie or a hair stick.
9. Don’t make your braids, buns and ponytails too tight
Very tight braids, buns and ponytails constantly pull on your hair. Sometimes so hard that you pull your hair out of your head.
Constant pulling can cause your hair follicles to get damaged. Do they get badly damaged? Then they no longer grow hair. So watch out for tight hairstyles and do not always do your braids, buns and ponytails in the same place on your head: alternate.
10. Massage your scalp for better hair growth
Regular massaging stimulates blood flow to your scalp. Your hair follicles and hair papilla will get more blood and nutrients, which they can put to good use to grow strong and healthy hair.
Add 10-20 drops of rosemary essential oil to 100 ml of vegetable oil, such as coconut oil or argan oil. Massage your scalp with the mixture for an extra hair growth boost. In multiple studies, rosemary has been shown to be successful in fighting hair loss.
Recap
Don’t dye your hair too often, avoid heat and sun and treat your hair with care. Don’t wait too long to wash your hair to avoid scalp problems, but use a mild shampoo without sulphates. Make sure you get enough protein for healthy hair from within and massage your scalp to give your hair growth an extra boost.
