New Year's Resolution- Healthy Hair!
The beginning of a new year usually brings with it resolutions to be healthier, lose weight, and to kick a bad habit, just to name a few. Something that often gets overlooked is your hair. Making a New Year's resolution to have healthier hair is easier than you think! You might actually keep it, too! Here are a few simple tips to get you on the road to shiny, stronger, and healthier hair.
1. Tuck your Hair in for Bed
A common mistake that most people make is hopping into bed with their hair loose. You might be doing damage to your hair while you sleep! Rolling over in bed can rough up the hair cuticle, cause tangles, and create split ends and breakage. You can combat this by switching to a silk pillowcase to reduce friction as well as either braiding your hair or piling it loosely on top of your hair before climbing into bed at night.
2. Deep Condition Weekly
Loss of moisture in the hair is a huge cause of so many hair problems including brittleness, frizz, and lack of shine. Deep conditioning once a week will help replenish the moisture we lose from shampooing, heat styling and dry weather conditions. Look for ones with ingredients such as honey, avocado, coconut oil, and added proteins or keratin.
3. Brush Properly
Brushing your hair aids in stimulating blood flow to the scalp and distributing natural oils through the hair but can also cause breakage if not done properly. Using a large paddle brush, start at the ends of your hair and work your way up to the roots as you remove the tangles. If you have thick or curly hair you may need to do this in sections. Once the tangles are all out you can brush from roots to ends. This also aids in loosening hair that is ready to fall and preventing hair clogs in your shower. Remember to only brush your hair when it is dry! Brushing when it is wet causes excessive stretching of the hair strand that will lead to breakage, loss of elasticity, and split ends.
4. Hair Treatments
Heat and chemical treatments can wreak havoc on hair, but things like medications, diet and hormones can affect our hair as well. Ask your stylist about in-salon treatments that can help improve the condition of your hair such as intensive conditioning, protein, keratin and strengthening remedies. These treatments can greatly improve the condition of your hair. In many cases noticeable improvement can be seen in just one treatment.
5. Get a Haircut
This one is a no-brainer but most people don't know how often they should be getting a haircut. A general rule of thumb would be to get a haircut before the hair splits. Those who have fine hair can begin seeing split ends in as little as four to six weeks, medium hair at six to eight weeks, and coarse hair at eight to ten weeks. Of course, factors such as heat styling, chemical processing, and lifestyle can lengthen or shorten these times. Your hairdresser can help you to determine how often you should be getting your ends trimmed. If you already have split ends you should get the the salon pronto to prevent them from spreading further up the hair shaft. In the meantime, many professional salon brands have products that will temporarily "mend" your split ends. This won't repair them but it will camouflage the splits and reduce the spread until you can get them snipped.
Use these tips and be on your way to healthier hair!
Happy New Year!