Hair is definitely our crowning glory and a lot of women (and men) are defined by their hair. Even if you feel that your hair is not that important to you, if it is looking good we generally feel good and often have more confidence. The following article is all about how you can maintain a healthy head of hair on a day to day basis.
Lifestyle and age influence the appearance and quality of your hair, as do many of the things that we do to our hair to 'enhance' it, such as repeated styling, colouring, straightening and perming. Once your hair is damaged you will find that your hair looks dull and lacks shine, you may also have split ends and your hair will be less manageable. The products that you use to overcome this damage can sometimes cause even more stress to the hair and cause even more unintentional damage.
90% of human hair is made up of a strong structural protein called keratin. This protein gives hair strength, elasticity and shine. It is also the same keratin that makes up your nails and outer layers of your skin.
Below are some basic hair care tips that can be used to improve the overall health and the look of your hair. Use these tips daily and then you will have a head of hair that you can be proud of.
Life
As with every organ in and on our body, our hair responds to a healthy lifestyle. Getting a balanced diet, plenty of exercise and enough sleep will all help with having a beautiful head of hair. Smoking and stress can have a very negative effect on our hair so cut those out immediately.
There are also supplements that can assist in the care of your hair. We recommend a collagen and keratin tablet called CK100 which will not only assist with improving the quality of your hair but will also improve the strength of your nails. You can find out a lot more information about this product at our website, listed below.
Life Style
Summer is particularly hard on hair. The sun damages keratin (in both your hair and your skin) and can leave the hair dried out and humidity can leave it looking fizzy. Swimming in swimming pools in particular also create havoc as the chemicals in the pool can strip your hair of moisture.
One handy tip is to wet your hair with clean water before you get into the pool that way your hair is less likely to soak up as much chlorinated water and so reducing the damage. Better still, wear a swimming cap to protect your hair and do make sure that you use a good quality shampoo and conditioner as soon as you have finished swimming.
Brushing and Combing
Regular brushing of hair will distribute the natural oils from your scalp to along the shaft of hair, moisturising it. It also stimulates blood flow to the scalp which can reduce the chance of you suffering from thinning hair, (more on that later), as well it smoothes out the hair cuticle so your hair looks smoother and shinier.
Hair is most fragile when wet so take extra care at this time and ideally you will use a comb and not a brush as the brush can pull on the hair and snap it off, its sensible to ensure your hair is dry before you start with the brush. When combing wet hair use a wide toothed comb with rounded edges as this will create less 'pull' on the hair.
Always try to ensure that your brush is made of natural bristles, as these tend to be kinder to the hair and they don't cause static. Make sure that you wash your brushes and combs regularly; there is no point in redistributing the oils and dirt from your comb to your lovely clean hair. I use shampoo to wash my brushes but you can use just regular soap.
Always comb your hair before brushing it to remove tangles. Start at the ends to get the tangles out and work your way up to the scalp.
Washing Hair
If you are purchasing your hair care products from a salon (which we highly recommend as all hair products are not make equal), then your stylist will assist you to get the right product for your hair type. If you are self selecting, then do try to ensure you are purchasing the right product. A shampoo for oily hair will not help if you have dry hair.
There is some debate as to how often you should wash your hair. One school of thought is that you need to wash the oil and dirt out of your hair daily, the other line of thinking is that frequent washing damages the hair. I think that the answer depends on the individual. If you have oily hair then you may need to wash it every day. If your hair is dry then you could wash it every three days or so. Your lifestyle also makes a difference, I wash my hair most days as I go to the gym and if you are working out then you will probably need to wash the sweat out of your hair daily.
Either way, however frequently you wash your hair, make sure you are using salon quality hair shampoo and conditioners and wash your hair twice to ensure you are removing the oil, dead skin cells and hair product.
Use warm water, not hot when washing your hair as hot water can irritate your skin and dry out your hair.
Gently rinse your hair with water and make sure it is properly wet before applying the shampoo. This ensures that you will remove all dirt and grease, it will also reduce the amount of hair shampoo that you need to use. Make sure you massage the shampoo into your scalp with your finger tips as well as on the hair shaft. Once you have done this rinse and then re-apply for a second wash, then you will know that the hair is thoroughly clean. If you have very oily hair, then it is thought that excessive scalp massage can stimulate oil production, so you need to take into account your personal situation. Squeeze out as much excess water as possible and then apply conditioner evenly though your hair and leave for a few minutes before you wash it out.
Even if you consider your hair to be oily, use conditioner after every wash as it will add moisture to your hair which in turn will give it added shine and generally protect the hair, reducing static and making it much easier to untangle.
When towel drying your hair, be very gentle and try not to knot up the hair, this will also reduce the risk of damaging your hair. At this point you could add Keratin to your hair. Remember your hair is made of Keratin and it degrades with time, environmental exposure and chemical treatments. Applying a liquid Keratin hair treatment will give your hair body and also help to reduce the frizzes. Once applied you just style your hair as you would normally. You only need to use a Keratin product like LK100 once a week as the Keratin gets absorbed into the hair very easily and will stay there for a few washes. This particular Keratin product is very safe to use on your skin so there is no need to use gloves which are sometimes necessary when applying other Keratin products. You can find out a lot more about LK100 on our website
Leave in conditioners are good for dry hair as they will hydrate and protect your hair. They will also make it easier to comb your hair once you have finished.
Change your hair shampoo and conditioner regularly. Different shampoos have slightly different pH and so your hair responds differently to the different products. The hair seems to get used to the same product and it really peps up for a while with a new product (that is assuming that you are using good quality, salon grade hair products).
Drying Hair
As mentioned earlier hair is particularly fragile when wet so going easy when towel drying. Lightly pat your hair with the towel to get rid of the excess moisture, this will also reduce the amount of time you will need to use your blow dryer. Try to avoid using your blow dry when it is set on HOT, use the cool setting even though it may take a little longer to dry your hair. It also pays not to leave the blow dryer in one area for too long, keep it moving and at a distance of about 120mm from your hair.
By running your fingers through your hair as you are drying it you will both get rid of the tangles but you will also add lift and body to your hair.
Styling Products
Most hair can benefit from using styling products such as gel, mouse and hairspray. Once again you need to choose a product that suits your hair type. I have very fine and heavily bleached hair and I need to keep away from styling products that are likely to make my hair greasy.
Avoid hair products containing alcohol as they dry out the hair. It is also better to avoid applying styling products directly on your scalp as it can clog the hair follicles.
Lightly apply your styling product and then either run your fingers through your hair to get the basic shape you are after or blow dry using the cool setting of your blow dryer.
Once you have obtained the style you are after it is a good idea to apply a light dusting of hairspray just to hold it in place.
Thinning Hair
While this is a little off the subject, both men and women suffer from thinning hair, and while it is very traumatic for both sexes, it is particularly traumatic for women. As stated in the introduction to this article, hair can often define women and when they lose it, it can cause lack of confidence, stress and even lead to depression.
Fortunately we now understand what causes hair loss or thinning. The most common form of hair thinning in women is caused by the hair follicles getting reducing in size as we age. This means that the hair becomes progressively finer for those who are genetically pre-disposed to this problem. The more detailed explanation is that the hair root is enclosed within a hair follicle which in turn is at the base of the dermal papilla. The dermal papilla is feed by the bloodstream which carries nourishment to produce new hair. This dermal papilla is very important to hair growth as it contains receptors for androgens and also for testosterone (which is needed by both men and women). The androgens regulate hair growth and in the hair on the scalp androgens cause the hair follicle to shrink with time. Most of the hair loss products and treatments on the market now days are designed to either stimulate blood flow to the follicles or to block the production of androgens. If they can find a way to stop the hair follicle from shrinking then a full head of hair is possible. The cosmetic chemist that we use has been working on a solution for this problem for some time and we are now very pleased to be able to off a solution.
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6 Tips to Beautiful Hair - Frizz to Fab
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