HappyLifestyleJournal
Hair has been called a person’s “crowning glory”. Sometimes, all it takes to pull together your entire look are perfectly coiffed tresses. Unfortunately, perfectly coiffing tresses can sometimes leave the hair dull and dry. There are also the dreaded split ends, frizz and brittle strands.
With all the products men and women pile up on their heads, not to mention the endless blow drying and treatments, hair is left damaged. Sometimes beyond repair.
Or is it, really? Is there no way to bring damaged strands back to their former glory? Well, actually there is. But before you go trying them all out, you first need to know how and in what way are you damaging your hair.
Common Causes of Hair Damage
Trimming
Haircuts can make you look fresher. Your hair can also look better and with more body after a trim. What people don’t realize, however, is cutting hair may also have adverse effects. The damage usually happens when the scissors used in the procedure aren’t very sharp.
Heating
Hair that’s often exposed to heat ends up being damaged. Freshly cut hair is usually at higher risks of damage, too.
Dyeing and Bleaching
Chemicals can damage healthy hair beyond repair. Imagine what it can do with hair that’s already in a bad shape to begin with. The ingredients in many dyes and bleach can cause:
hair breakage,
hair loss,
bald patches,
skin irritation, and
an increased risk for some cancers and other diseases.
This is also true for permanent curls and hair straightening processes.
Help for Healthier Hair
Ready to stop the abuse and restore your locks? Here’s what you need to do.
1. Use shampoo and conditioner with natural oils.
Natural oils and herbs are very effective in repairing damaged hair. They can also minimize further damage. So look for hair care products that have them listed as ingredients.
What to avoid: products with sodium laurel and laureth sulfates as they can strip hair off of its natural oils.
2. Pick natural styling products.
Just like your shampoo, your gel, mousse, hair wax or whatever gunk you’ve been layering on your hair can contain various harmful chemicals. To avoid damage to your locks, find the ones that also have natural ingredients. You can also consider just making your own. Citrus fruits make great hair sprays. And hair gel can be made from plain water and gelatin.
3.Consider hair treatments.
Not all hair treatments are bad. What you want to look for is a treatment that uses natural oils to get moisture back to your strands.
4. Don’t wash hair too often.
It may not sound very sanitary, but frequent washing dries the hair out. Natural oils are produced in the scalp. Washing daily doesn’t allow the scalp to replenish the oil before you strip it all away again. So for thinner hair, even just washing thrice a week should be sufficient.
5. Wash hair with warm water, rinse with cold.
Washing with warm (not hot) water opens up hair cuticles enough so that the conditioner can be absorbed. Want even better results? Rinse it out with cold water. It has the opposite effect, sealing cuticles and keeping the moisture in them. Cold water will also flatten hair shafts and make them glossy.
6. Eat a healthy diet.
Whatever you put in the body eventually makes it to your hair. That’s why sophisticated tests use hair to determine the presence of drugs in the system. So, it is highly recommended that you:
Drink a lot of water to keep hair properly hydrated.
Take vitamin and mineral supplements.
Eat omega-3 fatty acid rich foods. (They’re very good for both hair and skin!)
7. Use the right hair care tools.
If you can’t help but blow dry your hair, at least choose a dryer that won’t blast your strands to 400 degree temperatures. Pick a brush that’s right for your hair texture.
Damaged hair is serious business. And even the littlest damage can take weeks to fix. So be patient. And once you already have luscious locks again, take better care of it and maintain its health.
