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Maintaining your hair is relatively easy with the right kind of
steps. Hair is made of protein, so keeping a healthy diet and good hygiene is
an essential part of maintaining luscious locks. At the same time, here are
some other tips about hair care, and what you can do at home to get
unbelievably beautiful hair.
Steps for Hair Care
1. Wash hair sparingly with a good-quality shampoo
– Many people insist that washing hair too often can leave hair dried out,
leeched of its natural oils, and damage your hair. Shoot to shampoo your hair
at most every other day. Some people wash their hair only twice a week.
Choose a shampoo that suits your hair type.
Don't just go for any old shampoo; go for the shampoo that works for you! Curly or coarse
hair probably wants frizz-minimizing and softening shampoo. Straight or oily
hair probably wants a gentle shampoo designed for daily washing. Colored or treated
hair probably needs a shampoo that's fortified with extracts or amino
acids, because treating your hair is essentially damaging it. Dry hair
probably needs shampoos with glycerin and collagen to help restore some
moisture into the hair.
2. Use conditioner depending on your hair type,
length and treatment damage – A good rule of thumb is to condition every time
you shampoo your hair, although very processed or dyed hair probably needs a
little more love than natural hair.
Do deep conditioning once a week. Use a store-bought product, or venture
out on your own and try a homemade solution.
Follow these steps for
conditioning your hair properly based on hair type:-
For fine hair:
If you have very limp hair, try a botanical oil treatment before you shampoo.
Use lavender or tea-tree oil, for example, and work it under your cuticles
before shampooing. Wash shampoo away and apply conditioner from the mid-shaft
down to the end. Leave in for a minute before washing.
For medium to thick hair,
use a moisturizer with natural hydrators. Keep your conditioner light. Apply
conditioner all over your head and let stay for 2-3 minutes. Be careful about
using products with too much protein. Too much protein can leave your hair
feeling desiccated and brittle. While protein is the building block of healthy
hair, use conditioners that come with balanced ingredients.
Frizz-control serum can be used in small
quantities to tame frizzes. Make sure you do not use too much, and wash once a
week with a deep-cleanse shampoo to avoid build-up, which will leave hair
looking dull and flaky.
3. Don't brush your hair too much – One more
surprising habit of people with beautiful hair is their reluctance to use a
brush. Many women (and men) prefer only using a natural-fiber comb to detangle
hair immediately after showering, and only then taking one pass through.
Brushing or stimulating the scalp can pull hairs
from the follicles, create split-ends, and create irritation. Contrary to the
old wives' tale, giving your scalp a massage or 100 brushes a day will not stimulate
hair growth.
4. Let hair dry naturally – After you get out of the
shower, give your hair a quick pat-down, squeezing the hair gently between the
towel. Do NOT rub the hair, this can weaken the follicle and make the hair
brittle and dull. Afterwards, give your hair a quick brush-through to get rid
of tangles and let your hair dry naturally.Try not to use a blow-drier. Healthy hair does not respond well to heat. Hair can sustain heat damage easily, especially from blow-driers. If you have to use a blow-drier, dry your hair using the lowest-temperature setting and limit usage to once a week. If you shower before you sleep overnight, put your hair up in a bun and let it air-dry overnight. Your hair should be dry in the morning.
5. Trim your hair regularly – The best way to get
rid of split ends is to...do it yourself! Take some hair shears and attack the
split ends about 1/4 inch above the splitting. Many women with perfect hair
never have split ends because they make it a priority to get their hair
trimmed, or trim it themselves, every 6-8 weeks.
6. Treat or dye your hair sparingly, if at all –
Dyeing and treating your hair can take a lot out of it. People who opt for au
naturel often don't experience the same problem with dry, damaged, or
over-processed hair. If you do dye your hair, try it every once in a while.
Take a break from dyeing and give your hair a little breather. It should
respond favorably.
7. Style your hair naturally, minimizing styling
damage – Styling by itself won't overly damage your hair, but repeated styling
multiple times per week put some serious strain on hair.
Avoid perming, crimping,
straightening, curling, and bleaching or repeatedly coloring hair if at all
possible. So you want to go out on Saturday night and need your hair
straightened. That's fine. Just make it an occasional treat, not a permanent
thing.
Don't use rubber bands to pull back or otherwise
style hair. Rubber bands will encourage your hair to get snagged, ripping it
out of the follicle. Try not to use hairstyles that tightly pin or pull the
hair back. Styles such as cornrows or tight ponytails can cause damage at the
roots, or put stress on the follicles. Instead, experiment with up-dos: a
simple ponytail or chignon looks clean and requires very few hair products. You
could also just keep your hair down and wear a headband.
8. Eat healthy and give your hair the right amount
of vitamins – Since hair is made of proteins, make sure that you eat a balanced
diet rich in lean protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. A healthy diet
will ensure better-looking, better-feeling hair.
Make sure you get plenty of vitamin C
(strengthens hair), iron (helps transport oxygen to blood vessels), zinc (grows
and repairs tissue), and omega-3 fatty acids (grows healthy hair). Give your
hair some time to show new brilliance. What you eat will not have an immediate
difference on the hair you already have, but it will help with hair that is
newly growing.
9. Remove stress from your life – Physical and
mental stressors will keep your hair from realizing its full potential. Stress
can cause hair loss, so try not to let stress overcome you. This means finding
healthy emotional outlets for your stress: yoga, biking, meditation, or other
forms of exercise all work well.
Hair loss
Hair loss (alopecia) can affect just your scalp or your entire
body. It can be the result of heredity, certain medications or an underlying
medical condition. Anyone — men, women and children — can experience hair loss.
Baldness typically refers to excessive hair loss from your scalp.
Some people prefer to let their baldness run its course untreated and unhidden.
Others may cover it up with hairstyles, makeup, hats or scarves. And still
others choose one of the medications or surgical procedures that are available
to treat hair loss.
Before pursuing any treatment option, talk with your doctor about
the cause of and best possible treatments for your particular type of hair
loss. Hair loss can appear in many different ways, depending on the problem
that's causing it. It can come on suddenly or gradually and affect just your
scalp or your whole body. Some types of hair loss are temporary, while others
are permanent.
Signs and symptoms of hair loss may include:
Gradual thinning on top of head – This is the most common type of hair loss,
affecting both men and women. In men, hair often begins to recede from the
forehead in a line that resembles the letter M. Women typically retain a line
of hair at the forehead but experience a broadening of the part in their hair.
Circular or patchy bald spots – Some people experience smooth bald spots, often about an inch (2.6
centimeters) across. This type of hair loss usually affects just the scalp, but
it sometimes also occurs in beards or eyebrows. In some cases, your skin may
become itchy or painful before the hair falls out.
Sudden loosening of hair – A physical or emotional shock can cause hair to loosen. Handfuls
of hair may come out when combing or washing your hair or even after gentle
tugging. This type of hair loss usually causes overall hair thinning and not
bald patches.
Full-body hair loss – Some conditions and medical treatments, such as chemotherapy for
cancer, can result in the loss of hair all over your body. The hair usually
grows back after treatment ends. Most people normally shed 50 to
100 hairs a day. But with about 100,000 hairs in the scalp, this amount of hair
loss shouldn't cause noticeable thinning of the scalp hair. As people age, hair
tends to gradually thin. Other causes of hair loss include hormonal factors,
medical conditions and medications.
Hormonal factors The most common cause of hair loss is a hereditary condition
called male-pattern baldness or female-pattern baldness. In genetically
susceptible people, certain sex hormones trigger a particular pattern of
permanent hair loss. Most common in men, this type of hair thinning can begin
as early as puberty. Hormonal changes and imbalances can also cause
temporary hair loss. This could be due to pregnancy, childbirth,
discontinuation of birth control pills or the onset of menopause.
Medical conditions A variety of medical conditions can cause hair loss,
including:-
Thyroid problems - The thyroid gland helps regulate hormone levels in your body. If
the gland isn't working properly, hair loss may result.
Alopecia areata - This disease occurs when the body's immune system attacks
hair follicles — causing smooth, roundish patches of hair loss.
Scalp infections – Infections, such as ringworm, can invade the hair and
skin of your scalp, leading to hair loss. Once infections are treated, hair
generally grows back.
Other skin disorders - Diseases that can cause scarring, such as lichen planus and
some types of lupus, can result in permanent hair loss where the scars occur.
Medications - Hair
loss can be caused by drugs used to treat:
Cancer
Arthritis
Depression
Heart problems
High blood pressure
Hair loss can also result from the following :-
A physical or emotional shock - Many people experience a general thinning of
hair several months after a physical or emotional shock. Examples include
sudden or excessive weight loss, a high fever, or a death in the family.
Hair-pulling disorder - This mental illness causes people to have an irresistible
urge to pull out their hair, whether it's from the scalp, their eyebrows or
other areas of the body. Hair pulling from the scalp often leaves patchy bald
spots on the head.
Certain hairstyles - Traction hair loss can occur if the hair is pulled too
tightly into hairstyles such as pigtails or cornrows.
Family history - Your risk of hair loss increases if relatives on either side of
your family have experienced hair loss. Heredity also affects the age at which
you begin to lose hair and the developmental speed, pattern and extent of your
baldness.
Hair treatments - Overuse or improper use of hair-coloring products, hair
straighteners and permanent waves can leave your hair brittle and prone to
breaking off at the scalp. Excessive hairstyling or hairstyles that pull your
hair too tightly cause traction alopecia.
Poor nutrition - Your hair may thin out if you skimp on good dietary sources of
iron and protein, such as red meat, nonfat dairy products and iron-fortified
cereal. Hair loss related to poor nutrition often accompanies eating disorders
and crash dieting.
The following tips may help you avoid
preventable types of hair loss:-
Eat a nutritionally balanced diet.
Avoid tight hairstyles, such as
braids, buns or ponytails.
Avoid compulsively twisting, rubbing or pulling your
hair.
Oiling hair is a tradition long followed by women and men alike from
many cultures throughout the world. Oiling hair makes it stronger, softer, and
shinier. It can be done either with a small amount of oil as a leave-in
treatment, or a larger amount can be used and then washed out after it has
worked its magic.
Choose an oil. Choose an oil for the benefits it will bring
your hair. Since the benefits of different oils are many and varied, you'll
need to do some research relevant to your own hair and scalp issues, such as
removing dandruff, brightening hair, improving volume or reducing dryness, etc.
To help your decision on this, here are some key points:
Never apply essential
oil near to your hair or scalp––it must be placed in a carrier oil first. A
carrier oil is a "base" oil that will carry essential oils and dilute
them for safe use. Mix 2-10 drops of essential oil (depending on its strength)
with a few tablespoons or more of carrier oil before using.
Good carrier oils
include olive, sweet almond, jojoba, avocado or coconut. They do have their own
properties (hence no need to add essential oils unless you want to) but
availability and price will also be something to consider.
Essential oils are chosen
for their properties and this requires knowing your hair issues and what the
oils might be able to help with. Typical uses for essential oils on hair
include:-
Sandalwood, ylang ylang,
geranium and lavender for dry hair.
Sandalwood, rosewood and
geranium for split ends.
Roman chamomile, clary
sage, lemon, rosemary, tea tree for scalp
Tea tree, cedarwood,
rosemary, lemon, bergamot, sandalwood, clary sage for greasy scalp
Rosemary, lemon, cedar
wood, lavender, geranium for normal hair.
Lavender, patchouli,
rosewood for flaky scalp.
Cypress, cedarwood,
clary sage, lemon, lavender for greasy hair
Lavender, rosemary,
thyme and clary sage for alopecia.
Argan oil is an oil that can be
applied direct to your hair in tiny amounts. It's expensive but does a great
job of producing shine and reducing frizz.
How to apply oil on hair :-
Put a couple of drops of oil into the palm of your
hand.
Rub your hands together for a few seconds to warm
the oil and spread it evenly over your hands.
Scrunch the ends of your hair in your hands. The ends of your hair are
usually the most damaged part and need the most care.
Re-apply the oil to your hands and gently run your
hands down the length of your hair. Repeat this step as often as necessary. If you are using the oil as a leave-in,
doing this step once should be enough. Your hair shouldn't look
oily. If you are using the oil as a wash-out treatment, repeat this
step a few times. You should be able to tell your hair has oil in it, but it
shouldn't be soaked with it. If you'd like luster in your hair, try
massaging coconut oil onto your scalp and leaving it there overnight, to be
washed out next morning.
Apply the oil to just your fingertips and massage
into your scalp.
Avoid this step if you are planning on using the oil as a leave in.
Spread the oil using a boar bristle brush. Brush your hair using
gentle strokes. Do not pull or tug on your hair; brush gently.
Tips
- Massaging your scalp with oil can increase hair growth.
- Oil hair twice a week for great hair.
- Leave in oil overnight and wash your hair in the morning or massage in 2 hours before washing your hair.
- Boar bristle brushes should be cleaned after every use to avoid transferring additional oil to your hair.
- There are some oils called luxury oils (olive, jojoba, lavender) that achieve the same effects as normal oil (coconut, almond) but without overnight oiling, instead in just a short period of time, say an hour or so. They pamper your scalp and cool it down greatly. Consider these as an alternative if you have a hectic lifestyle and cannot cope with the time constraints that come with overnight oiling.
- Try to keep the oil from coming in contact with your face as this could cause breakouts.
Sources - http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Care-of-Your-Hair
http://www.mayoclinic.org/hair-loss