Are you still recovering from last year's blonde bob wishing you could restore your hairs' length and lustre? You're not alone. Let's face it, we are typically not kind to our hair as we should be. Hair gets heat-blasted, stretched, pulled, teased, colored, and bleached – and yet we still expect it to look like we just stepped out of a magazine cover. Sadly, even after all the pain-inflicting styling tactics and hair abuse, most of us end up with dry and damaged tresses and endless bad-hair days.
Now, before you start scoring Google for miracle hair care products online, it's essential to understand how our overall health and what we put into our bodies impact our hair. Hair is a collection of lifeless protein fibre. The secret to healthy, bouncy, full, and shiny hair comes down to what you put into your body and the health of your hair follicles. Here’s what you can do to grow fuller healthier hair and prevent hair damage.
Brush with Care And Use The Right Tools
No one likes having their hair pulled. If brushing your hair has become a tug of war, chances are you're not doing it right or you're using the wrong tools. For a long time, we were told not to brush our hair when it's wet because our strands are most vulnerable to breakage at that point. The right brush, however, can make all the difference. A wet brush is designed to be used on wet locks without damaging them. On dry hair, a natural brush made from boar or horsehair is the way to go as the bristles can help stimulate blood flow to your follicles promoting hair growth.
Your Choice of Shampoo and Conditioner Matters
Energize and nourish your scalp by choosing the right type of hair care products. It doesn't matter if you buy them online or from a pricey salon, but what's important is that you're putting high-quality and scalp-friendly products on your head. There are specialty hair care formulas made to tackle just about any hair concern whether your scalp may be too dry, too oily, or hair growing in just too sparse. Just make sure that the products you choose are designed to address the root of the problem and intended for your scalp and follicles.
Changes to Your Diet May Have a Significant Impact on Your Hair
You've heard it before- you are what you eat and the same applies to your hair. We've already broken the news that your lovely strands are dead protein fibres, so what you apply to them doesn't matter much, but what you put into your body can have a dramatic impact on new hair growth and the regeneration of a new hair growth cycle. Given that hair is made up mostly of protein, increasing your protein is an excellent step to start. Focus on adding protein-rich foods like salmon, eggs, or nuts to your diet. Other vitamins and minerals like vitamin D, B, complex-B, H (biotin), iron and omega-3 fatty acid can also help improve your hair's texture, resilience, and shine. In addition, a healthy diet consisting of more wholesome and fresh food and less processed foods with lots of water is good for your body too. It's a win-win both for outside and inside of your body.
Limit Heat and Hot Styling Tools
No one wants to hear that it's time to say bye to messy beach waves or pin-straight locks. And luckily, if you're regularly caring for your hair, staying hydrated, and eating right, you don't have to. It is a good idea though to limit how much heat you use and expose your hair to with the help of hair care products designed to protect your tresses from heat damage. If you don't have time to let your hair air-dry naturally then blow-dry it at only medium or low temperatures and never ever use hair straighteners or hair curling wands if your hair is damp. This causes damage as you are sending boiling water down the hair shaft and bursting the cuticles.
Bring A Little Namaste Into Your Day
Is thinning hair stressing you out? Stress may be to blame. Stress can trigger your adrenal gland into producing hormones that cause your hair follicles to fall into a dormant state resulting in hair loss and thinning of the hair strands.
Fortunately, when stress levels decline, hair growth recovers and regrowth starts. Therefore, take some time out each day to do whatever it is that helps you relax and brings you joy.
Great looking hair is less about what you put on your locks and more about caring for your body. With these tips, you'll nail that better hair resolution in no time.