Many people do not realize that hair care products bought on the market, can have damaging effects on your hair. Instead, to get great hair, you should use natural products which you would find at home. Products such as coconut oil, henna, lemon, shikakai and apple cider vinegar, will give you great, shiny hair. Continue on for some helpful tips that will show you how to incorporate these type of products into your hair care routine.
Go ahead and forget the old adage about brushing your hair 100 strokes a day. Over brushing can actually lead to hair loss, breakage of strands and increased oil production. Normal brushing of your hair once or twice daily is sufficient to keep it healthy and free of tangles and build-up.
For those with curly hair, nix SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) from your hair care routine, for bouncy, care-free curls. SLS is a harsh stripping agent that robs your hair of essential oils. This creates the illusion of frizz and encourages breakage. You can spot this substance by checking the ingredients of your products.
When shampooing your hair, make sure that your hair is completely wet before applying a quarter-sized amount. This minimizes breakage due to tugging and tangling, and it helps the shampoo to effectively cleanse each strand. Do not lather for more than 30 seconds, and rinse with a blast of cool water to seal in moisture.
When you are using a hair dryer, you should take extra time to dry it on the cool setting. The cool setting on your hair dryer will cause significantly less damage to your hair, than if you dry it with very hot air. Hot air will cause drying to the hair.
Your lifestyle influences the way your hair looks. Being stressed, not getting enough sleep or smoking tobacco means your hair will not look good. You also need to maintain a balanced diet so that your hair gets all the vitamins and nutrients it needs. Get rid of your bad habits and you should see a difference!
Choose shampoo, conditioner and other products, based on your hair type and needs. Colored hair benefits from UV protection and extra moisturizers, for instance. Oily hair requires a lightweight, no-buildup conditioner. If you are unsure of your hair type, ask a cosmetologist for advice on choosing the best products for caring for your locks.
Make sure you are getting proper nutrition and rest. Stress, on its own, does not make your hair fall out. Normal hair loss is from 50 to 120 strands each day. Stress does, however, use up additional resources and when your body becomes deficient, hair loss can result. Resources include the B Vitamins and other important nutrients. Additionally, poor sleep over time wears down your body’s adrenal system, impacting hormones, which can also trigger hair loss.
While friends may be an easy source for help with your hair care, make it a point to visit a professional, regularly. Though the intent of friends or acquaintances may be well-intentioned, mistakes can happen, and will often cost more to correct, than what a professional beautician would have cost you, in the first place.
Don’t believe everything you hear. While it may be a popular belief that cutting hair will make it grow faster, that is false. However, keeping ends trimmed and free of split ends can make your hair appear longer and fuller. Split ends appear thin and are often difficult to see while healthy ends are thicker, and that volume helps to create the illusion of more length.
You should make sure your diet includes protein if you want your hair to look its best. Like the rest of your body, your scalp and hair require proper nutrition to stay healthy. A balanced, well-rounded diet will improve the overall quality of your hair, and including plenty of protein will make it more lustrous.
Use blow-dryers with caution. Blow-drying can be harsh on your hair, so if you must use one, make sure you are using it correctly. Always aim the dryer so that the nozzle points down the shaft of your hair, away from your scalp. Use a round brush to isolate individual sections of your hair for drying, and use the cool setting to set your hair when you are done.
In the summer, refrain from staying out in the sun too long. The sun can have very damaging effects on the surface of your scalp and can also cause your hair to dry and color. Try staying indoors, as much as possible, if you desire to maintain a quality hair care regimen.
Although you may think you are saving money by doing at-home dyes or perms, unless you are experienced, you are probably better off seeing a professional. Home kits can do a great deal of damage to your hair, and undoing that damage can be quite costly. Seek out an excellent stylist who will help you get the hair you desire without any damage.
Be gentle with hair that is wet. Hair that is wet is weakened because of the extra weight of the water pulling down on it. This means that wet hair is more prone to breaking. Instead of rubbing your hair with a towel to dry it, squeeze and pat instead. This will get the water out without creating the friction that rubbing does. You should also never brush wet hair, and only use a wide-toothed comb.
As you can from the article above, many of the products on the market today can damage your hair. Rather than using these products, you can simply make something from home that will give you shiny and healthy hair. Apply the knowledge that you have learned in this article about natural hair care products and soon, you will see your hair come alive.
