According to GlobeNewswire, the hair and scalp care industry should reach a value of $121.4 billion by 2027. This industry comprises a wide variety of tonics, shampoos, conditioners, serums, and more.
Each of these remedies promises long-lasting benefits for beautiful, shiny hair, but there’s a lot more to healthy hair than trying the latest trending product. True beauty comes from within, and it’s enhanced by a dedicated hair care routine.
These healthy hair tips will help you keep your crowning glory as glossy and gorgeous as can be.
1. Know Your Hair Type
Knowing what type of hair type you have is key to your hair care routine. For instance, if you’re using products designed for oily hair on your dry hair, you’ll never end up with the results you want.
Defining your hair accurately depends on four main things:
Texture
Hair texture refers to the natural shape of your hair strands. The main types are straight hair, wavy hair, and two varieties of curly hair.
It’s easy to figure out where your hair falls on this continuum by wetting it and leaving it to dry naturally. When it’s dry, it will reveal its natural tendencies.
Straight and wavy hair are easy to spot, while curly hair can go one of two ways. Type 3 curly hair has a loose corkscrew appearance, and type 4 curly hair has dense curls and spirals.
It’s possible to have a mixture of one or more types of hair, and curly hair is further categorized according to the intensity of its coils.
Structure
Hair structure refers to the thickness of your hair strands. This can affect how easy it is to style your hair, as well as how it reacts to different hair care products.
The three main categories of hair structure are fine, medium, and coarse hair. You can measure your hair’s thickness by comparing it to a piece of sewing thread.
Medium hair corresponds with the thickness of the thread, with thin and coarse hair falling on the other ends of the scale.
Porosity
Your hair’s porosity affects how well it can absorb hair products and moisture. To test your hair’s porosity, place a strand of hair in a bowl of water and see how it reacts.
Highly porous hair will sink to the bottom as it absorbs moisture, while hair that floats to the top has low porosity.
Your scalp has a major impact on your hair’s porosity and overall health. To gauge the condition of your scalp, wash your hair and inspect your scalp two days later.
If the roots of your hair seem flat and greasy, you’ve likely got an oily scalp. If it’s flaky, you’re using products that are too harsh for your hair
If your scalp seems to have both these characteristics, it’s likely due to product buildup and infrequent washing.
2. Wash Your Hair Correctly
When you wash your hair, you must consider your hair type. Always use good-quality shampoos and conditioners designed for your hair type. If you color your hair, use a product designed for color-treated hair.
You should wash oily hair more frequently, as much as once a day in some cases, while chemically-treated hair requires less frequent washing.
As you age, your scalp produces less oil, so cut down on your shampooing, but a flaky scalp is a sure sign that you need to wash your hair more often.
When you wash your hair, you must focus on cleaning your scalp properly instead of washing the entire length of your hair. If you wash your hair too vigorously, you’ll create dull flyaway hair that’s coarse and unappealing.
Rinsing your hair with cool water helps make it softer and shinier. Be sure to rinse thoroughly, it takes longer to flush the soap from your hair with cold water.
3. Condition Your Hair
Use conditioner every time you wash your hair. Conditioner always improves the look of your hair, increases shine, reduces static, and offers protection from harmful UV rays.
If you have fine hair, you should only apply conditioner to the tips, as it can make fine hair appear limp.
A nickel-size drop of conditioner is usually enough for most types and lengths of hair, although you may need a little more for very long hair.
Use a deep conditioner or moisturizing hair mask at least once a week. If you regularly style your hair with hot tools, you should apply a mask more often.
4. Consider Your Scalp
Hair health depends on a healthy scalp. A dry, itchy scalp will affect your hair.
When you notice any signs of a dry scalp, switch to an anti-dandruff shampoo for a few washes. This will help get your scalp back on track.
Enjoy a scalp massage every so often. It helps relieve tension, feels great, and gets the blood circulating to boost hair growth.
5. Get Your Hair Cut Regularly
Regular hair cuts ensure your hair stays healthy and always looks its best. You should make an appointment every two months, even if you’re growing your hair out.
Split ends develop quickly, and will give your hair a dull, lifeless look. If you don’t want your hairdresser to take too much length off your hair, ask them for a ‘dusting’ which involves snipping the split ends only.
6. Protect Your Hair From Water
Take a minute or two to detangle your hair before you step into the shower. Wet hair is more prone to breakage and brushing it before you shower will distribute protective oils along its width.
Avoid super hot showers, steamy water will irritate your scalp and can cause poor hair growth.
Chlorinated water is extremely damaging to hair. Always wet and condition your hair before swimming, and wear a tight-fitting swim cap while you’re in the water. Afterward, use a specialized swimmers shampoo and deep conditioner to replace lost moisture.
Even if you’re not swimming, protect your hair with a leave-in conditioner when you head outdoors. UV rays and pollution can damage your hair.
7. Eat a Hair-Friendly Diet
Good nutrition is essential if you want your hair to grow sleek and strong. Protein from lean meat, fish, eggs, and beans is vital for healthy hair growth.
Your hair will become dull, weak, and brittle if you don’t eat enough protein.
Other foods that can boost the growth and health of your hair include berries, spinach, avocados, and other foods rich in vitamins C and E. These vitamins encourage collagen production, which leads to stronger hair.
If you don’t get enough zinc, your hair may fall out. You can boost your intake by snacking on Brazil nuts, cashews, and almonds and nibbling on fruits and vegetables.
Omega-3 fatty acids stimulate your sebaceous glands and hair follicles for better scalp health. Fish like herrings, salmon, and sardines are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
8. A Healthy Mind Means Healthy Hair
Take time to relax and unwind regularly, your hair reflects your state of mind. Stress can cause nutritional deficiencies, resulting in hair loss or dull, lifeless hair.
Make sure you get enough sleep, preferably on a silk pillowcase that protects your hair cuticles by reducing friction.
9. Correct Nutritional Imbalances
Stress takes its toll on your diet, too, no matter how careful you are about what you eat. Hair vitamins like Hairtamin, Nutrafol, and Sugarbear are food for hair that makes it easy to ensure your hair gets the nutrition it needs.
10. Protect Processed Hair
If you choose to color, curl, or straighten your hair, you must take excellent care of it. Always adjust your hair care routine according to the treatment you’ve subjected it to.
You will find abundant choices when it comes to shampoos and conditioners for processed hair.
11. Pay Attention to Haircare Ingredients
When you choose hair care products, pay attention to what you’re buying. Look for strengthening ingredients like argan oil, spirulina, aloe, and coconut oil.
All these natural ingredients will nourish your hair and scalp gently and effectively.
12. Style Wisely
Incorrect heat styling is the quickest way to end up with dull, lifeless hair. Hot hair tools work by breaking down your hair’s hydrogen bonds so that you can style it as you wish.
You must invest in the best quality hot tools with ionic technology that infuses moisture into your hair as you style it.
If you use a hair straightener or curling iron, always choose a solid ceramic one. These tools distribute heat more evenly, resulting in quicker, less harmful styling.
Always use a heat protectant spray before you put a hot styling tool anywhere near it, and let your hair air dry before blow-drying it.
Healthy Hair Tips and More
Follow these healthy hair tips, and you are sure to notice an improvement in your hair’s appearance, manageability, and overall health before long.
Beautiful hair helps you look great no matter what you’re wearing, so it’s worth spending a little more time and effort on this aspect of self-care.
Would you like some more tips to help you look and feel your best no matter what? Browse our website for all the latest information about health and beauty.