Look After Your Hair

Hair can become damaged by many things, from the temperature of your shower to the conditions of your environment. Damaged hair looks and feels brittle and coarse, and can often be more difficult to style. If you want to get your hair looking shiny and healthy, you will have to consider how you wash your hair, the products you use, and environmental conditions that may affect your hair’s health.

Steps

Washing Your Hair

  1. Avoid washing your hair every day. Try to wash your hair every two to three days, rather than every day. When you over-wash your hair, the water and products you use can strip away the natural oils produced by your scalp; these oils help to keep your hair healthy. When these oil are stripped away, your hair can become brittle and may begin to over-produce oils, which could make your hair very greasy.
    • When you decrease how often you wash your hair, your hair will feel cleaner for longer after you do wash it.
  2. Turn down the temperature. Taking a very hot shower can cause heat damage to your hair, much like using a blow dryer can. To avoid this, try turning the heat down to a lukewarm temperature while you wash your hair.
    • In particular, use cooler water when rinsing out shampoo and conditioner, as heat can counteract the nourishment the conditioner has just given your hair. Cool water can also help to make your hair look shinier.
  3. Re-consider what shampoo and conditioner you should be using. Many drugstore products contain chemicals such as sulphates which actually cause more damage to your hair. Also make sure that your conditioner doesn't include silicon which can clog up the pores that produce natural oils and dry out your hair. Look for natural products that contain less harmful substances.
    • Finding out what products work best for your hair is generally a trial and error experience. If you feel like a certain product is making your hair look flat or dull, try a different product. Keep your hair type in mind when considering products (if you don’t know what your hair type is, see the last section of this article).
    • Ask your hairdresser for their recommendations for your hair type.
  4. Use shampoo. Shampoo helps to get your hair clean and free of dirt and built up oils. To use shampoo properly, try applying a small amount of the product to the top of your head and scalp. Lather the shampoo and work it into your hair with your fingers. Try to avoid rubbing your hair harshly, as this could cause damage.
    • You can also try applying shampoo to your hair by putting some shampoo onto your fingertips. Use your fingers to comb the shampoo into your hair, rather than rubbing your head vigorously.
    • Purchase dandruff shampoo if you have dandruff.
  5. Rub conditioner on the ends of your hair. When applying conditioner, try to only apply it to the longest parts of your hair, rather than directly on to your scalp; if you put conditioner on your scalp, it can make your hair very greasy. Work the conditioner into your hair with your fingers, leave it on your hair for a few moments, and then rinse it out.
    • You do not necessarily need to use conditioner every time you wash your hair, particularly if you are prone to oily hair, but it can help to protect your hair against split ends.
  6. Try deep conditioning your hair. While you do not need to use conditioner every time you wash your hair, you may find that your hair becomes more healthy if you deep condition your hair once a week. To deep condition your hair:
    • Lather conditioner along the length of your hair. Let the conditioner soak into your hair for 10 to 15 minutes before you rinse it out. Once it has been rinsed out, use your shampoo and conditioner as you would during a regular shower. When washing the conditioner out for the second time, use your hands to smooth down your hair, rather than rubbing your hair to get the conditioner out. Blast your hair with very cold water once the conditioner has been washed out.
  7. Wash your hairbrush regularly. Along with washing your hair regularly, you should also wash your brush regularly. When your hair is oily, that oil can get on to your hairbrush. When you brush your hair, that oil can then get spread through your hair.
    • Wash your brush with warm water and soap.
  8. Let your hair air dry. Try to avoid towel drying your hair, or using a blow dryer. When you rub your hair with a towel, or wrap your hair up in a towel while it is still wet, the towel can actually rub against your hair and cause split ends.
    • Instead, use an old t-shirt or a pillowcase to dry your hair off. These fabrics are softer than towels and are less likely to do damage to your hair.

Using Products and Brushes to Keep Your Hair Healthy

  1. Use dry conditioner to avoid washing your hair very often. When your hair begins to look greasy, but you don’t want to wash it yet, you can add some dry conditioner to help your hair look clean.
  2. Try using natural oil to moisturize your hair. If many store bought products leave your hair feeling greasy, some natural products may help to give your hair an added glow without the grease. Like with shampoos and conditions, finding out which oils work best for you will most likely be a process of trial and error. To use these natural oils, apply a half a tablespoon of the oil to your hair after you have washed your hair. The oil will dry but will help your hair to retain moisture. The most common oils used to moisturize hair include:
    • Coconut oil.
    • Almond oil.
    • Avocado oil.
    • Aloe vera.
    • Moroccan oil.
  3. Use natural powders to nourish your hair. There are some natural powders that you can also use to give your hair a boost. These natural powers help to soften and nourish your hair. To apply these powers, rub a small amount of the powder into your scalp and hair. Common powders include:
    • Mustard powder.
    • Ginger powder.
    • Whole wheat flour and ground clover mixed with a little bit of water.
  4. Pick out the right brush for your type of hair. Consider your hair type when you are selecting your brush or comb. You should also consider the challenges you face with your hair.
    • Boar hair brushes work well on thick, long hair and help to achieve a smooth, shiny blown out look.
    • Nylon hair brushes work well on medium hair and help to detangle even the wildest of manes.
    • Plastic brushes are all-purpose brushes that work on every type of hair, but particularly work well for very thick hair.
    • Small-toothed combs work well for short, thin hair.
    • Wide-toothed combed work well for short, thick hair.
  5. Do not brush your hair while it's wet. Wait until your hair has nearly dried before using a brush or comb to detangle knots. Hair is at it's weakest when wet, and therefore is more susceptible to damage.
    • Some people with curly hair maintain that they don’t wash their hair at all. If you have curly hair that gets frizzy, consider brushing your hair less often.
  6. Cut back on how often you brush your hair. Brushing your hair multiple times a day can actually make your hair look greasier. Instead, try to brush your hair once in the morning and once at night.
    • Try combing your hair with your fingers if it gets very tangled.
  7. Use hair ties that won’t damage your hair. Hair ties can break hair and cause split ends. If you put your hair up a lot, try to find hair ties that do not break hair or cause knots. You should also wear your hair in loose ponytails, rather than wrapping your hair up very tightly, as doing this can cause more damage.

Using Heated Hair Tools Wisely

  1. Purchase quality heating tools. While your should try to avoid using heating tools as much as possible, you should purchase quality tools for the days where you want to straighten, curl, or blow dry your hair. Cheaper models often cause more damage to your hair because they are made with less high-quality parts.
  2. Use heat protectant spray before using heated appliances. Before you use your heating tool, including blow dryers, straighteners and curlers, apply some heat protectant to your hair to lessen the amount of damage. Wait until your hair is roughly 50% dry, and then spray the heat protection on to your hair. You can then comb the protectant through your hair gently, either using your fingers or a wide-toothed comb.
    • Dry your hair on medium or low-heat for an added amount of protection.
    • Don't use silicone based products before using heating tools. They can fuse to your hair and suck the moisture out of it. Wait until you've finished styling, and then you may apply things such as frizz serums.
  3. Avoid using the nozzles that come with hairdryers. These nozzles keep the heat trained on one part of your hair, which can increase the amount of damage that is done. Instead, simply point the hairdryer downwards to achieve the same effect as a nozzle.
  4. Avoid heated tools if your hair is damaged. If you have damaged hair, swear off heated tools entirely until your hair is healthy again. These tools can cause serious damage to already dry or broken hair.
    • Instead, use the following steps to straighten or curl your hair without a straightener or curler.
  5. Use a round hairbrush. Round boars hair brushes work well when trying to smooth and straighten out your hair without a straightener. These large round brushes can help to make your hair look sleek.
    • On the other hand, using a small, straight boars hairbrush may give your hair more of a curl if you use the brush to flip up the ends of your hair.
  6. Put your hair in a bun to curl it naturally. When your hair is still a little damp, twist it up into a bun and secure it with bobby pins (if necessary). Leave your bun up for an hour or so and then take it down. Once you have taken the bun out, your hair should look naturally wavy or curly.
    • You can also braid your hair to give it a natural curl. Braid your hair when it is very slightly damp before you go to bed. In the morning, take the braid out and your hair should look naturally wavy.
  7. Use different hair bands to style your hair without actually styling it. To avoid using curlers and straighteners, you can use different hair accessories to make your hair look stylish. Try things like:
    • Ribbons.
    • Bobbles.
    • Hair bands that go across your head.
    • Clip-in flowers.

Maintaining Your Hair Health

  1. Don’t pick at your hair. Playing with your hair can make your hair become greasier because of the oils that you naturally have on your fingers. You should also try to avoid pulling or picking at split ends, as doing this will only make the situation worse.
  2. Get your hair trimmed often. If you are prone to split ends, get your hair trimmed often to keep it looking healthy. Try to get your hair cut every three months, and consider getting it trimmed every six weeks.
    • If you have severely damaged hair, consider getting a very thorough cut. This means that all of the dead hair should be cut away, which may leave you with a short hair cut.
  3. Don't change your hair’s colour too often. Try to avoid dying your hair too often, as dye can really dry out and damage your hair. Hair dye contains main harsh chemicals that can leave your hair dry and broken.
    • If you want to continue to dye your hair, wait until your roots grow out a bit before dying your hair again.
  4. Eat healthy foods. By choosing the correct foods, you can increase hair growth and repair and prevent hair loss. If you do not get enough nutrients each day, your hair will most likely become thin.
    • Make sure you are eating enough protein. Hair is made of protein, so eating plenty of meat and eggs etc will give your body what it needs to grow and repair your hair.
    • Look for foods containing Omega 3 fatty acids and other essential fatty acids. This includes oily fish, (eg. salmon, tuna and mackerel), and almonds.
    • Vitamins B6 and B12 do plenty of good for your hair.
  5. Drink lots of water. Healthy hair needs to be hydrated, so make sure you drink plenty of water to give it the hydration it needs. This will also help to hydrate your skin and nails, as well as making you feel healthier.
  6. Don't let your environment affect your hair. Pollution, smoke and smoking all dry out your hair. To stop your hair from getting damaged by these things:
    • Don't stand around with people who are smoking.
    • Limit the amount that you smoke.
    • Don't let people smoke in your home.
    • Avoid heavily polluted areas.
  7. Protect your hair from the sun. If you are often out in the hot sun, then protect your hair by wearing a hat or bandanna; doing this can also help to protect your skin from getting burnt.
    • If you don’t like wearing hats, apply products that can protect your hair from the sun, such as protective leave-in conditioner, or watered down sunscreen.
    • Try to avoid using products that contain alcohol if you are going to be out in the sun, as these can damage your hair even more.
  8. Keep your hair from being damaged by harsh chemicals. When you go swimming, protect your hair from harsh chemicals such as chlorine. Use a spray leave-in conditioner before going swimming to minimize the amount of chlorine that your hair can absorb. For maximum protection from the chlorine you can either avoid getting your hair wet, or wear a swimming cap.
    • If your hair gets damaged by chlorine, try mixing a small amount of vinegar into your shampoo to help restore your hair’s natural strength, or you can add about 1 teaspoon of olive oil into your leave in conditioner (if you have one) since olive oil helps strengthen hair.

Looking After Specific Kinds of Hair

  1. Determine what kind of hair you have. If you do not know what kind of hair you have, it is important to figure it out so that you can purchase products that work well with your type of hair. To figure out what kind of hair you have:
    • Wash it and dry it with a blow dryer (after applying heat protection of course).
    • If your hair is puffy, it means that you have thick hair. If your hair is straight and flat after blow drying, it means that you have thin hair.
  2. Care for your fine hair. If you have thin hair, you may enjoy reading an article about hair care for thin haired people.
  3. Use this article to manage your thick hair. While thick hair can be a challenge, managing it can be made easy with the right products and brushes.
  4. Maintain your curly hair. There are products designed specifically to make your curls look as gorgeous as they could possibly be.
  5. Care for your short hair. If you have short hair, upkeep can be a constant in your life. Luckily, there are ways to keep your short hair looking great.

Tips

  • Don't bother washing or styling your hair if you're not going anywhere, give your hair a chance to repair when you're having a day in.
  • Make sure that your heated styling tools have at least ceramic plates to help protect your hair from heat.
  • Blow dry your hair with the cool setting on if you're intending to flat iron it thereafter.
  • On windy days, considering wearing a jacket with a hood to keep your hair from getting very tangled.
  • You can make a natural home-made hair mask such as olive oil and mayo to provide your hair with Vitamin E, wash out, and feel the softness, enjoy the shine!

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