Having beautiful and healthy hair is possible, as long as you take care of it correctly and constantly and protect it from damage caused by heat. By handling your hair gently, nourishing it with natural conditioners and avoiding the use of styling tools that work with heat, you will allow your hair to regain all its beauty and become soft and smooth to the touch. By taking care of your health from the inside out, i.e. by eating foods rich in vitamins, you will further improve the appearance of your hair.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Taking Care of Your Hair
Step 1. Treat your hair gently when you wash and dry it
The way you touch them greatly affects their appearance and texture. When you treat them roughly, they tend to wrinkle and become dull and dull. Hair is a fragile material that must be handled with care, just like a rare and delicate cloth. Keep the following points in mind:
- When shampooing, don't scrub your hair hard. Massage and distribute the product between the strands with your fingers.
- Rinse your hair with cold water, at the lowest temperature you can handle. The cold helps to make the hair shiny, while the hot water makes it frizzy and dull.
- Instead of twisting and squeezing them, just squeeze them gently to get rid of excess water and then pat them dry with a towel.
Step 2. Do not use the shampoo more than 2 or 3 times a week
Washing your hair daily will make it dry and brittle. The natural oils produced by the scalp have the function of nourishing the hair and eliminating them with the shampoo will prevent them from doing their job effectively. If you want your hair to stay healthy and shiny, don't wash it more than 1 or 2 times a week.
- Initially, by reducing the number of washes, you will find that your hair will tend to become greasier than usual. This is normal, as your scalp is producing an amount of oil based on your old habit of washing your hair every day. After a week or two, your scalp will be able to regain its balance and your hair will stay clean for longer.
- Between washes, when you need to restore tone to your hair, try using dry shampoo. It is a powder with which to sprinkle the hair to absorb excess oils. The result will be amazing!
Step 3. Let your hair air dry rather than expose it to heat
The best way to keep them healthy is to let them dry naturally, avoiding the use of a hairdryer. The heat from the hair dryer ruins the hair shaft and, with daily use, your hair will soon appear dry and damaged. Close the hair dryer in a drawer and allow your hair to dry naturally.
- The same goes for other styling tools that work thanks to heat, including heated straighteners, curlers and curlers.
- When you just can't help but use straighteners and hairdryers, protect your hair from the heat with a special serum to limit damage.
Step 4. Replace the brush with the comb
Running plastic bristles through your hair, especially while it is wet, means ensuring that it is damaged in some way. The brush tends to pull out the hair, while the comb is able to remove knots without pulling them. Opt for a wide-toothed comb and remove the knots gently by moving from the tips to the roots.
Step 5. Avoid harmful treatments
Dyes, bleaches, chemical and permanent straightening damage the hair shaft. In order for your hair to be as healthy as possible, it is advisable to avoid any type of aggressive treatment and keep its natural color and appearance. While it won't be exactly the shade you want, your hair will look healthy, shiny and silky.
If you really want to dye your hair, choose to use henna, honey or tea. These natural dyes are capable of restoring the shine of the hair, instead of damaging it. The results will most likely not be as intense as those guaranteed by chemical dyes, but they will still allow you to lighten or darken your hair by a few shades
Step 6. Avoid hairstyles that force your hair into excessive tension
Pigtails, extensions, dreads, and other styles that place your hair in permanent tension can damage your hair and cause it to fall out. Although some hairstyles are less harmful than others (for example, sewn extensions are better than glued ones), the advice for all those who want to have healthy hair is to totally avoid them.
Part 2 of 3: Restore the shine and silkiness of the hair with natural treatments
Step 1. After each shampoo, don't forget to use conditioner
Use enough to coat your locks, but don't weigh them down too much. Apply the conditioner starting from a distance of about 2-3 cm from the roots and distribute it to the ends using a wide-toothed comb. For a shinier result, rinse your hair with cold or lukewarm water.
If your hair tends to dry out considerably, try using a leave-in conditioner as well. Apply it after showering on still wet hair. Your hair will remain soft and supple until the next shampoo
Step 2. Apply a nourishing mask to your hair twice a month
Deep nourishing masks help you make your hair more silky and shiny. Thanks to the effectiveness of these treatments, you can limit yourself to a weekly or fortnightly application. Use a ready-made mask or make your own with coconut, olive, or almond oil. Complete the beauty treatment as follows:
- Dampen your hair and apply one tablespoon amount of mask. Use a wide-toothed comb to distribute it evenly over your hair.
- Gather your hair at the top of your head in a bun or ponytail. Cover them with a shower cap or wrap them in cling film.
- Leave the mask on for at least an hour or better overnight.
- Use the shampoo as usual and remove all traces of oil or mask with a deep rinse.
Step 3. Make a homemade hair mask
When you don't have time to leave a nourishing mask on, but still want to restore vigor and beauty to your hair, you can use the products from your pantry to improve its texture and appearance. Get in the shower, get your hair wet and apply your home treatment right away. Wash them with shampoo just before you get out of the shower. Here are some ideas to take inspiration from to create a mask that makes your hair shiny and silky:
- 1 tablespoon of honey or 1 egg white.
- 1 banana or 1 avocado smoothie.
- 1 tablespoon of milk or yogurt.
- A combination of any of the ingredients listed above.
Step 4. Use an oil or serum to add shine to the hair
If your hair tends to appear frizzy and dull, a hair oil or serum will help make it smoother and protect it from the elements as you go about your daily life. Pour a few drops on your fingertips and run your fingers through your hair, focusing on the tips. Prefer a serum or oil that contains one of the following nourishing ingredients:
- Argan oil
- Jojoba oil
- Coconut oil
Step 5. Try using a boar bristle brush
Most common brushes are bad for your hair, but boar bristle brushes are specially designed to make your hair smooth and shiny. The boar bristles have the same texture as human hair and distribute its natural oils from the roots to the ends ensuring a nourishing and moisturizing treatment.
- The night or morning before shampooing, remove any knots with a wide-toothed comb.
- Then brush your hair with a boar bristle brush for about 10 minutes to distribute the oils over the lengths and ends.
- Wait at least an hour before shampooing your hair.
Part 3 of 3: Adopt a Healthier Lifestyle
Step 1. Improve the health of your hair from the inside
What you eat and your main habits greatly affect the texture of your hair. When you fill up on protein, nutrients and healthy fats, your hair looks shinier and healthier. Conversely, a lack of protein immediately makes it more dull and damaged. Apply the following changes and see how your hair reacts and improves:
- Choose those foods that contain protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and iron. Salmon, sardines, avocados, nuts and flax seeds are excellent ingredients capable of promoting healthy hair growth.
- Keep your body hydrated by drinking plenty of water. When you are dehydrated, your hair tends to become dry and brittle.
- Avoid cigarettes. Damage from smoking can make hair appear dry and dull.
Step 2. Use natural hair products
If selected carelessly, the ingredients in the shampoo and conditioner can make your hair look dry and dull rather than silky and shiny. Opt for completely natural products that know how to nourish the hair instead of weighing it down or blurring its natural shine. Choose to use:
- A sulfate-free shampoo. Sulphates are aggressive detergents contained in common detergents, from dish detergents to laundry detergents, and more and more consumers are beginning to realize that they are not suitable for use on the hair. Look for a "sulfate-free" product made with natural cleaners.
- Sulfate-free shampoos are also great for those with wavy or curly hair, as they prevent frizz.
- Choose a silicone-free conditioner. Since they are able to make hair appear smoother and shinier after just a few applications, silicones are substances that are added to most conditioners. Unfortunately, however, this is only a temporary effect, as it tends to accumulate in the hair over time, making it appear dull and heavy. The best choice is therefore to opt for silicone-free products.
Step 3. Massage the scalp to promote hair growth
In addition to being very pleasant, the scalp massage promotes blood circulation, promoting faster growth and stronger hair. Massage your scalp every time you shower, just rub it with your fingertips in circular movements.
- To enhance the effects of the massage, use coconut, almond or jojoba oil. It is a particularly beneficial treatment for all those who fear thinning their hair.
- Tea tree, lavender, or cedarwood oils are also beneficial for hair health.
Step 4. Trim your hair regularly
Trim split ends frequently to keep them as healthy as possible. Chopping them regularly will remove the dullest and most damaged parts and make your hair look prettier and healthier. Choose a cut that makes the most of your hair type.
Advice
- Drink plenty of water every day.
- Since chlorine is bad for your hair, always rinse it off after swimming in the pool.
- Avoid using a hairdryer and wrap wet hair in a towel to dry it faster.
- Deep nourishing masks are ideal for dry hair.
- After using the shampoo and conditioner, run the last rinse with cold water to ensure a better shine to the hair.
Warnings
- Heat severely damages hair so do not use styling tools daily. Save them for special occasions.
- Make sure the products you choose aren't too aggressive for your hair type.
