Great hair starts with great hair care habits. Many people prefer long hair rather than healthy hair. If you are looking for some tips to make your hair healthy- short or long- this article is for you.
How to maintain healthy hair
1. Pump up the protein
The first step in hair care is your diet and the two most important things in your diet are iron and protein. The hair cells are the fastest-growing cells in the body but they are also the first ones to be affected if you don’t eat right or suffer from deficiencies because they are not required for survival.
Try and include iron-rich foods like leafy vegetables, fish, pumpkin seeds, beans, chickpea, soybeans, and cereals in your diet. Doctors suggest that you consume around 12 mg of iron daily.
You also need protein because that’s what strengthens your hair. Hair is primarily made up of protein, so be sure to eat at least 45 grams of protein daily. Good sources include cheese, milk, soy, lentils, peas, quinoa, yogurt, lean meat, poultry, fish, beans, low-fat dairy products, and eggs.
Zinc about zinc deficiency can cause hair to shed. Incorporate nuts like brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans, cashews, and almonds into your diet to combat shedding.
Eat and drink an abundance of vegetables, fruits, leafy green salads, plenty of clean, and filtered water.
2. Know thy hair
There are conflicting opinions about how often to shampoo your hair. It all comes down to personal preference and individual needs, which depend on:
- Your hair type and texture
- How often do you use hair products
- Your activity levels
For example, people with oily hair may need to shampoo every day, while people with dry hair may need to shampoo less frequently.
3. Choose the right shampoo
Using the wrong shampoo and styling agent can cause significant hair damage. Look for products that are right for your hair type — oily, normal, or dry — and target any problems you have, such as dandruff.
Try to avoid shampoos with harsh ingredients, such as ammonium lauryl sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate. And remember, cost doesn’t necessarily indicate the quality of a product.
4. Get condition-specific
Conditioning after shampooing is an important step in keeping your hair soft, shiny, and manageable. You can choose a separate conditioner or a shampoo with a built-in conditioner.
Comb conditioner through for even distribution. Leave it in your hair for two to three minutes before rinsing out. Rinse the conditioner off with cold water as it is good for both strength and shine.
Just like hair washing, not everyone needs to condition every time they wash their hair. Experiment to find what works best for you.
5. Wash up and brush up
Don’t wash your hair every day and whenever you do, apply some conditioner on the ends. Try and use the same brand of shampoo and conditioner. Use only enough of the product to cover your hair and avoid using very hot or very cold water.
Treat hair gently when it’s wet — it’s three times more vulnerable to breakage. Don’t rub wet hair excessively with a towel. Use a wide-tooth comb to detangle, but don’t comb too much or brush wet hair.
6. Hair maintenance tips
Keep these tips in mind for healthy locks:
- Start on the lowest heat setting while blow-drying and gradually increase heat as needed.
- Allow your hair to air dry whenever possible.
- Change up where you place pins and clips so that breakage isn’t localized.
7. Cut it out
You need regular haircuts to ensure that your strands stay healthy and don’t break off at the ends. If you don’t want to lose a lot of lengths, ask your stylist for a “dusting,” so only the tips are snipped, which gets rid of damaged ends, but maintains the length.
Trim your hair every few weeks to get rid of those brown and rough split ends. Cut about 1/4th an inch of your hair every 6 to 8 weeks to avoid the split ends to grow out again.
8. Brush your hair before you shower.
No matter what your hair texture is, taking 60 seconds to detangle strands will keep them strong. Always brush knots out of your hair when it’s dry. Also, brushing dry hair distributes the natural oils from your scalp down to the ends of your hair.
Comb wet hair with extreme care because they’re fragile and prone to breakage. Take a broad-toothed comb and run it from the roots to the ends of your hair as gently as possible.
9. Take time for hair masks.
To keep strands hydrated and smooth, “use a moisturizing hair mask or deep conditioner at least once a week, and more frequently if you use hot tools regularly,” says Brook, a Los Angeles-based celebrity hairdresser.
2 home-made hair masks are:
- Egg, curd, and mustard oil – if you’ve got hay-like dry hair then here’s the answer to all of your problems. Eggs are rich in vitamins a, b12, d, and e, fatty acids, and protein. The protein helps strengthen the roots, the fatty acids make it a natural hair conditioner and b12 helps add volume.
- Olive oil, coconut oil, and egg – this one’s the ultimate mask for speedy hair growth. Warm 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, let it cool, add one or two eggs and two tablespoons of olive oil, and apply. It can protect your hair from sun damage, and dandruff and removes sebum build-up from hair follicles accelerating hair growth. You could also boil some curry leaves in coconut oil, strain the oil and apply.
10. Turn down the temp of your shower.
As soothing as a steamy show may feel, “taking a super hot shower daily can irritate your scalp and possibly weaken your hair as it grows out,” says Brook. Keep the temperature on the warm side and at the end of the shower, do a quick cold-water rinse to seal the cuticles shut, boost shine, and maintain healthy hair.
11. Shield strands from the sun.
Uv rays don’t only cause damage to your skin, and the same goes for pollution. When you style your hair, apply a leave-in styler to protect your strands.
12. Sleep on silk.
Swap out your cotton pillowcase for a silk alternative. “It protects the cuticle of your hair by reducing the amount of friction between your hair and the fabric,” recommends Brook.
13. Style smarter.
To minimize damage from heat styling, “invest in professional hot tools that have ionic technology, which will infuse moisture into your hair as you style,” she says. Also, opt for a curling iron or straightener that is solid ceramic, rather than only having a ceramic coating: “this will distribute heat onto your hair evenly, locking in your style quickly so you don’t need to re-apply the iron continuously to get your desired look,” explains Brook. Follow her smart steps when using hot tools:
- If you do nothing else, use a heat protectant spray before you apply heat to your hair to defend against future damage.
- Switch up your hot tool usage: after you shampoo, blow dry your hair; on day two, use a curling iron or straightener; on day three, slick strands back to avoid heat-styling. Then, wash and repeat.
14. Read the ingredient of your shampoo
Unlike the labels on the back of our food items, the labels on the back of our shampoos are mostly left unread. In the last few years, there has been a lot of focus on sulfate in shampoos. They’re the reason your shampoo lathers the way it does. They clean your scalp and hair, departing the dirt from it. But some researchers also suggest that they strip your hair of essential oils. They’re also why your eye stings when shampoo runs down the side of your face. If you feel any kind of irritation on the scalp or find your hair drying up over time then try and buy a sulfate-free shampoo.
15. Keep away the heat
If you’re stepping out and want gorgeous curls or perfect waves, then there are a few ways you can get those without taking the help of a dryer, straightener, or curler. If you must use your iron or curler then buy a serum of your choice or if you’ve got some time on your hands, make one at home.
- Take some almond oil, coconut oil, hair conditioner, 250 ml water, and a small empty spray bottle. Pour 200 ml of water into the spray bottle and add 2-3 drops of coconut and 4 to 5 almond oil to it. Add two tiny drops of conditioner. Don’t use too much of it because it will lather. You can add lavender or some nice smelling oil if you’d like. Add the remaining water and shake well. Let the lather settle and it’s ready for use.
- Coconut oil is a great ingredient to rejuvenate your hair. It’s all about butter with this one. Take 4 ounces of shea butter, 4 ounces of cocoa butter, and 20 drops of any essential oil of your choice. Heat the butter till it’s all liquid and let it cool. Add the essential oil to an empty, sterilized jar and pour the butter. Let the jar cool down till the butter takes a solid form again.
To conclude, everyone may wish for healthy and shiny hair. There are some tiny habits and useful tips that you can use to reach your goal. The most important tip is diet. You should pay attention to your diet because the food that you eat does not just make you full, it will nourish your body, especially your skin and hair. Then keep in mind to do some techniques for washing, drying, and brushing your hair mentioned above.