Wash your hair correctly. Note: If you can, try not to wash your hair every day. Daily baths and showers will strip your hair of its natural oils.
- Massage your scalp with the shampoo, not with conditioner. Do this for about 40 seconds before washing it out. If you have oily hair, repeat the process once more (with the shampoo, not conditioner). When you massage the top of your head, the circulation increases and it also helps prevent dandruff. Use a sulfate and silicone free shampoo if your hair is curly or wavy.
- Pour conditioner into your hand and rub from the tips of your hair to the roots. If you want softer silkier looking hair, leave the conditioner in your hair for a few minutes before you rinse it off.
- Try to wash your hair on the coolest setting that is comfortable or at least try giving it a final rinse of cool water. This seals the hair cuticles (the outermost layer of the hair shaft) and locks in moisture, making it shinier. Hotter water may be used occasionally to wash hair, if you have very oily or dirty hair. Either way, try rinsing in cool temperature water for the final rinse.
Dry your hair in a careful manner. Blow dryers can be more benefiting than air-drying if you use them correctly. When you blow dry your hair, put it on a cool setting and hold distance it away to protect it from any heat. If you hold the blow dryer too close, the water in your hair can begin to boil. This is why hair dryers are known to be bad, but if you use it correctly it is very good. If you can, avoid drying your hair with heat as much as you can; it will only age your hair.
Avoid wringing your hair with a towel after you get out of a shower. Wet hair is more fragile, and wringing it could cause your hair strands to break or fall out.
Use heat protection spray when you blow dry your hair. You should also use protection spray when you use hot rollers or a flat iron.
Avoid brushing your hair while it's wet. Wet hair is stretchier and has a tendency to break. Also, don't brush your hair too much. People say that brushing your hair 100 strokes a day will make it smoother -- but it will only cause breakage to your hair.
When you do brush your hair, try a natural bristle brush like a boar bristle brush. These brushes distribute oils throughout your hair to make it softer and shinier.
Only use a wide-tooth comb on wet hair. Apply leave-in conditioner or detangler to make your hair more pliable.
Give your hair some special treatment from time to time.
Apply a deep conditioning treatment. You can use deep conditioning treatments like olive oil, argan oil, avocado oil or coconut oil.
You can also purchase a hair mask or hair cream and apply it.
Use a natural treatment like olive oil, mayonnaise and an egg or a soak in full-fat milk. Leave these treatments in for 2 to 3 hours and rinse them out thoroughly without applying shampoo or conditioner. You can do this once or twice per week, if you see good results.
Use a leave-in conditioner at least once a week. Leave-in conditioners penetrate deep into your hair cuticles to heal them more completely.
Try a spray leave in conditioner/ detangler after you shower. The conditioner will make your hair more pliable and manageable.
Go easy on styling products. Styling products can dry your scalp, if you use it directly at the scalp. Try not to use it often, but if you must, apply to hair strands and not the scalp. Then, style your hair at most 4 times a week to avoid damaging it.
Accessorize your healthy, gorgeous hair. Clips or barrettes can compliment beautiful hair. Coordinate them with your outfits or your personality. If you use elastics, use fabric-covered elastics to prevent breakage and tangles.
Eat healthy foods that will keep your hair strong and lustrous. Your diet can also prevent hair loss.
Essential fatty acids, especially omega-3 fatty acids, promote healthy skin, hair and nails. You should eat some of these foods, which are rich in omega-3, every day:
Salmon, tuna, mackerel, and other fatty fish
Flax seed oil
Walnuts, almonds, and milk
Vitamins B-6, B-12, and folic acid are also important to your hair. You can always take a multivitamin to get more of these nutrients, but you can also add foods rich in these vitamins to your diet.
Vitamin B-6: bananas, potatoes (both white and sweet) and spinach.
Vitamin B-12: meat, poultry, fish and dairy products.
Folic acid: citrus fruits, tomatoes, whole grain and fortified grain products, beans and lentils.
Protein also promotes healthy hair. Eat a daily serving of fish, chicken, eggs or soy.[1]
Homemade Treatments
Eggs, yogurt and honey are, at first glance, all components of a tasty breakfast—but they also happen to be hair treatment ingredients, and affordable, all-natural ones at that. And they're not the only ones. Did you know, for instance, that the oils in avocados more closely resemble our own skin's oils than any product in the beauty aisle does? Or that the mild acidity in lemon is an effective—and gentler—alternative to chemical-laden products? Next time your locks need a lift, save money by using one of these kitchen fixes.
"The [raw] egg is really the best of all worlds," says Janice Cox, author ofNatural Beauty at Home. The yolk, rich in fats and proteins, is naturally moisturizing, while the white, which contains bacteria-eating enzymes, removes unwanted oils, she explains.
To Use: For normal hair, use the entire egg to condition hair; use egg whites only to treat oily hair; use egg yolks only to moisturize dry, brittle hair, Cox says. Use 1/2 cup of whichever egg mixture is appropriate for you and apply to clean, damp hair. If there isn’t enough egg to coat scalp and hair, use more as needed. Leave on for 20 minutes, rinse with cool water (to prevent egg from “cooking”) and shampoo hair. Whole egg and yolks-only treatments can be applied once a month; whites-only treatment can be applied every two weeks.
Photo by Shutterstock.
For Dull Hair
Styling products (as well as air pollution) can leave a film that both saps moisture and dulls shine—but dairy products like sour cream and plain yogurt can help reverse this damage. "Lactic acid gently strips away dirt while the milk fat moisturizes," says Lisa Belkin, author of The Cosmetics Cookbook.
To Use: Massage 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt into damp hair and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water, followed by cool water, then shampoo hair as you normally would. Treatment can be applied every other week.
Photo by Shutterstock.
For Itchy Scalp
To fight flakes—brought on by poor diet, stress and climate, among other factors—try a lemon juice and olive oil mixture in your hair. "The acidity in lemon juice helps rid your scalp of any loose, dry flakes of skin, while the olive oil moisturizes the [newly exposed] skin on your head," says Cox.
To Use: Mix 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp water, and massage into damp scalp. Let mixture sit for 20 minutes, then rinse and shampoo hair. Treatment can be applied every other week.
Photo by Shutterstock.
For Limp or Fine Hair
To add body to hair, reach for an unlikely beauty beverage: beer! The fermented drink contains generous supplies of yeast, which works to plump tired tresses, explains Cox.
To Use: Mix 1/2 cup flat beer (pour beer into a container and let it sit out for a couple of hours to deplete carbonation) with 1 tsp light oil (sunflower or canola) and a raw egg. Apply to clean, damp hair, let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse with cool water. Or add flat beer only to a spray bottle and spritz onto dry hair. "When the liquid evaporates, the remaining protein residue (from the wheat, malt or hops) continues to strengthen and structure hair," says Belkin. Treatments can be applied every other week.
Photo by Shutterstock.
For Dry or Sun-Damaged Hair
Whatever your hair-dehydrating demon—hard water, sun overexposure, your trusty flat iron—nature's sweetener can help. "Honey is a natural humectant, which means it attracts and locks in moisture," says Cox.
To Use: Massage approximately 1/2 cup honey into clean, damp hair, let sit for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water. You can also add 1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil to loosen the honey for easier application. For extremely sun-damaged hair, trying mixing honey with 1 to 2 Tbsp of a protein-rich ingredient, like avocado or egg yolk, which will help replenish the keratin protein bonds that UV rays attack. Treatment can be applied once a month.
Photo by Shutterstock.
For Oily or Greasy Hair
"Used properly, [cornmeal or cornstarch] is an inexpensive way to remove oil and grease," says Belkin.
To Use: Pour 1 Tbsp cornmeal or cornstarch into an empty salt or pepper shaker and sprinkle onto dry hair and scalp until you’ve used it all. After 10 minutes, use a paddle hairbrush to completely brush it out. Treatment can be applied every other day.
Photo by iStockPhoto.
For Frizzy Hair
Home beauty experts swear by avocado—and not just to repair damaged hair. Its oils (which are light and moist like our own natural skin secretions) and proteins boast the best combination of nutrients for smoothing and weighing down unruly hair, explains Cox.
To Use: Mash up half an avocado and massage into clean, damp hair. Let sit for 15 minutes before rinsing with water. Amp up moisturizing power by combining mashed avocado with 1 to 2 Tbsp of a hydrating ingredient, like sour cream, egg yolks or mayonnaise. Treatment can be applied every two weeks.
Photo by Shutterstock.
For Residue-Ridden Hair
"Nothing eats through product buildup like baking soda," Cox says. Sodium bicarbonate essentially breaks down anything acidic.
To Use: Mix 1 to 2 Tbsp baking soda with small amounts of water until a thick paste forms. Massage into damp hair and let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse with water, then shampoo hair. Treatment can be applied every two weeks.
Photo by Shutterstock.
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