Having a bad hair day is no fun, right? Believe it or not but your hair increases your confidence and magnifies your personality. It’s unsettling having weak damaged hair and having no idea how to restore it back to healthy hair. So I thought I’d share this list post of 8 ways to achieve healthy hair and get the results you desire.
Invest in good products
Many of us might not know that our hair care products are actually causing our hair problems because they contain many harmful ingredients. You can check out my blog post about that here. Use clean hair products that are sulphate free / paraben free / silicone free, which will help your hair so much. Use a mask or deep conditioner twice a month for hydrated looking hair.
Oil your hair
Use oils such as Jamaican castor oil, jojoba, argan oil or olive oil. At night put some oil on your ends, brush it through your hair and place it in a protective hairstyle. Put some oil on your scalp and massage, leave overnight and rinse out. You can decide to do this the day before wash day or the day of wash day.
Use the right water temperature
After shampooing your hair do not use hot water. Instead rinse with lukewarm water which causes less damage. Use cold water to rinse out the conditioner. The cold water closes up the cuticle again so that it locks in the moisture of your conditioner. Resulting in shiny, hydrated and frizz free hair.
Sleep on a silk
Sleeping on a silk pillowcase has many benefits such as reducing frizz and keeping your hair hydrated. Since it doesn’t absorb moisture, unlike cotton pillowcases. It also reduces friction happening (tossing and turning) of your hair which leads to shedding. You can pick up a silk pillowcase anywhere such as Amazon, Ulta or Target.
Protective styles
Sleeping with your hair loose is only going to cause frizzy, brittle looking hair. Sleeping with a tight high bun or ponytail causes hair to pull at the root which results in hair loss. Instead sleep with a low bun or ponytail which isn’t tight and use scrunchies or silk hair ties. Even better loosely braid your hair as seen in the picture below. In South Africa we “swirl” our hair. We do this by sectioning our hair and brushing it around our head and covering it with a scarf or pantyhose. That’s how we would sleep every night. It helps keep your hair cleaner for longer causing less washing and heat styling. Swirling protects the hair at night too which results in healthy hair.
Wash your hair less
Washing your hair less frequently will allow your scalp to produce natural oils. This helps maintain moisturized hair and causes less breakage. Frequent washing strips the scalp and hair of it’s natural oils which results in weak, brittle hair. I’ve heard of hair training which is when you train your hair to go without frequent washes. So you start with one day without washing it, then two days, then three days until you can do it once a week. In that time you use dry shampoo and learn how to style your hair.
Detangle the right way
How you brush or detangle your hair is extremely important to prevent breakage. There’s a technique for brushing your hair. Always brush starting from the bottom, then make your way up to the root. Starting at the root and pulling down could pull hair strands out of the follicle causing breakage. Look at the bristles of your brush can also help with brushing. If the bristles are placed vertically then hold the bush vertically and brush down.
Use less heat
Always use a heat protectant before heat styling your hair. Using heat on a daily basis can cause your hair to become weak, dry and brittle. I suggest if you’re at home tie it in a low pony, bun or braid. Use heat when you absolutely must.
Conclusion
My hair has been growing steadily, I’ve seen less frizz, breakage and overall it looks so strong and healthy. I have to say that consistency is key. There’s absolutely no point in doing these steps for just a couple of days or months and going back to your old habits. Consistency will lead you to the results you’re looking for. I hope these 8 steps will help you guys achieve healthy hair.
