Hair problems are more common in the winter. Your hair can suddenly acquire static electricity or become extremely brittle as the temperature drops. Below are some healthy hair tips for winter that will allow you to keep you hair glowing and tangle-free even during the winter months.
1) Never allow your hair to stay wet for long. In the winter, you should never leave the house without drying your hair. Wash your hair at least a couple of hours before going out, this will give you enough time to air dry it properly. If you fail to do so, use a blow dryer. You should not need more than 30 minutes to blow dry your hair. Occasional use of a blow dryer is unlikely to cause any harm to your hair, but make sure that you don’t use it regularly. Regular use of a blow dryer (even if you use the best brand available on the market) will end up depleting your hair of its natural moisture.
2) Wear styles that need little maintenance. Don’t leave your hair untied during winter. If you hair is not tied up, you may feel like combing your hair or running your fingers through it all the time. To have healthy and shinny hair during the winter months, it is extremely important that you leave your hair alone. If you keep on combing your hair or touching it time and again, you will be more at risk of hairs falling out and developing split ends. So, instead of leaving your hair untied, choose hair styles like the fishtail braid or top knot.
3) Cover your head with a hat or a scarf when going out. A major environmental characteristic of winter is dry air. Dry air can drain moisture from your scalp and make your hair strands frizzy and dry, which invites problems like hair loss and dandruff. If you keep your head covered while going out, your hair will not come in contact with the dry air and that will reduce your chances of experiencing the above mentioned hair issues. However, make sure that you don’t wear the scarf or hat too tightly, as that would hinder proper blood circulation to your scalp.
4) Deep conditioning should be a part of your hair care routine during winter. Add two teaspoons of olive oil to your regular conditioner before application. This will prevent your hair from getting too dry.
5) Most people do not drink enough water during the winter months. The reason behind this is that they don’t feel thirsty as often as they do during the hotter months. The fact, however, is that the human body requires water to stay hydrated both in summer and winter. Water will help you to counter the dryness caused in winter and will also ensure that your scalp and hair stay hydrated.
Everyone wants a full head of thick, gorgeous hair, but it can be more difficult to come by than many people realize. For men, typical male pattern baldness can easily get in the way as there is a 4 in 7 chance of receiving the baldness gene. For women, female pattern baldness can afflict as many as 1/3 of women at some point in their lives, although this figure ratchets up to 2/3 among post-menopausal women. The psychological effects of hair loss (the formal medical term for it is alopecia) can be profound, often more so for women than men because of societal norms and expectations. In this article, I will present some important information about the science of hair loss and then give some nutritional strategies that will help keep your hair looking its best.
The Science of Hair Loss
There are particular hormones called androgens that have a lot to do with hair growth. The one that seems to be most related to hair loss is called dihydrotestosterone, though it is mostly referred to by its acronym, DHT. This androgenic hormone is responsible for governing the three different hair growth phases (anagen, catagen, telogen), though how it actually works still remains something of a mystery. What happens, however, is a process called “follicular miniaturization” wherein the hair follicle begins to deteriorate, leading to greater lengths of time between shedding a hair and having a new one get started. As the follicle shrinks, the healthier-looking “terminal” hairs become thinner, shorter, less-pigmented “vellus” hairs that never mature into the better terminal hairs. The loss of both thickness and volume of hair continues until the follicle becomes completely inactive and produces no more hair of any type whatsoever.
What Can Help Maintain Hair?
As noted in a previous article, the best thing you can do for your hair is maintain optimal overall health by paying attention to hydration (drinking 8 glasses of water each day, 8 ounces each), getting plenty of aerobic and strength exercise each week, and maintaining a well-balanced, nutritional diet.
Foods that Stimulate Hair Growth
The remainder of this article is going to drill down into information specifically about what you can do with your diet to keep your hair healthy.
Iron
For women, Harvard Medical School notes the following related to iron intake: “In some women, iron deficiency could be a cause of hair loss. Your clinician may test your iron level, particularly if you’re a vegetarian, have a history of anemia, or have heavy menstrual bleeding. Iron supplements are recommended if a woman’s iron level is less than 70 nanograms per milliliter. According to the Mayo Clinic, foods that are rich in iron include the following:
Red meat
Pork
Poultry
Seafood
Beans
Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach
Dried fruit, such as raisins and apricots
Iron-fortified cereals, breads and pastas
Peas
It is important to note that the human body absorbs iron best from meat than any other source. However, there are plenty of health and other reasons to minimize meat in your diet, so if you don’t want to get iron from meat, you’ll have to pay even more attention to getting it from the other sources listed. In fact, although the iron in meat helps with hair, the fats found in meat can actually promote hair loss, so be forewarned. You may also choose to take an iron supplement. Also note that you can increase the amount of iron you absorb from your diet by making sure you get plenty of vitamin C, which is known to boost iron absorption. Citrus fruits are a great source of vitamin C. Getting enough iron is important for both men and women, but it tends to be more problematic among women.
Biotin
Biotin is known by a couple of other names, including vitamin H and coenzyme R. It’s a water-soluble vitamin in the B complex. It plays a key role in the metabolism of fats and amino acids, both of which are important to healthy hair. Getting enough biotin will also help your nails stay healthy and strong. A normal diet typically results in the body’s intestinal bacteria producing plenty of biotin, usually more than the body even needs, so it’s relatively rare to be deficient in biotin. For this reason, it’s a good idea to check with your physician before trying to significantly boost your intake of biotin. However, foods that are rich in biotin include egg yolks, liver and yeast. Again, however, especially with eggs and meat, there are many reasons to not go overboard with those. Even better sources without those concerns include peanuts, almonds and sweet potatoes. Other great sources include Swiss chard, carrots, salmon, tomatoes and walnuts.
Protein
Protein is absolutely essential to healthy hair. However, getting plenty of protein can also have unintended negative impacts on your health depending on the sources from which you get it. Again, there are all kinds of reasons to limit your intake of red meat even though it is rich in protein. Alternative sources of protein include fish (especially salmon), nuts of all kinds and legumes (beans). The great thing about salmon is that although it is high in fat, it is the heart-healthy kind of fat (the omega-3 fatty acids).
Zinc
Zinc is another nutrient that plays a key role in the body being able to build the proteins necessary for health hair, but you can also get too much of it. A great source of zinc is seafood, but especially oysters. Beef and lamb are also rich in zinc, but again there are many reasons to not eat much of either of those. The next best sources of zinc include toasted wheat germ, spinach, pumpkin and squash seeds, nuts (especially cashews) and beans (especially cooked mung beans).
Top 10 Foods that Stimulate Hair Growth
Based on what foods have been mentioned above in getting optimal amounts of nutrients that play a key role in maintaining healthy hair, you can see some definite patterns emerging. These coincide quite nicely with what WebMD lists as the top 10 foods for healthy hair:
Salmon – Rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D.
Walnuts – Rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E.
Oysters – Rich in both zinc and protein.
Sweet potatoes – Rich in beta carotene that is turned into vitamin A.
Eggs – Rich in zinc, selenium, sulfur and iron.
Spinach – Rich in iron, beta carotene, folate and vitamin C.
Lentils – Rich in protein, iron, zinc and biotin.
Greek yogurt – Rich in protein, vitamin B5 and vitamin D.
Blueberries – Rich in vitamin C and antioxidants.
Poultry – Rich in protein, zinc, iron and B vitamins.
This represents your go-to list of foods that stimulate hair growth. Focusing on making sure these 10 items are featured prominently in your diet will do wonders for you hair.
If you’re like most people, you probably wash your hair pretty frequently, if not on a daily basis. Wouldn’t it be nice if just the act of washing your hair would stimulate hair growth? Well, in a way it can no matter what shampoo you use. If you take the time to thoroughly and gently massage your scalp as you wash your hair, this is an important form of hair therapy. Massaging your scalp helps stimulate and increase blood flow to the scalp, and your hair follicles absolutely need plenty of nutrient-rich blood to grow and keep health hair. What about the shampoo that you use? What is the best shampoo for hair growth?
What’s Really in that Bottle of Shampoo?
What I want to do is first describe what you do not want in your shampoo. It has always mystified me that products like shampoo that should not only help you clean your hair but also keep it healthy, often wind up containing ingredients that might actually be doing more harm than good! That’s the problem with large-scale manufacturing and business – they often do things that add dollars to the bottom line without caring or realizing that what they’re doing is not in the best interests of the consumers that buy their products and keep them in business! Look at the ingredients of any shampoo you use or are considering. If it has any of the following, put it right back on the shelf and keep looking:
Sulfates. These are strong chemical detergents found not only in some shampoos but also in dish detergent. That should be a clue right there that they’re probably not something you want on your scalp or in your hair. They can cause itching, irritation and redness. They help make shampoo foamy, but the price you pay for some extra suds is very much not worth it!
Polysorbates. These chemicals help oil and water stick to each other, so it gets put into hair products to dissolve the fragrance and various oil ingredients into the shampoo. You’ll find it mostly in conditioners, but it’s also in some shampoos, and it’s one you definitely don’t want in any of your hair products. It can totally upset the pH balance of your skin and break down protective barriers.
Isopropyl Alcohol. This is a cleaner that comes from petroleum and is great at dissolving oils, which is why you’ll find it in antifreeze, wood finishes and even shellac, but you shouldn’t let it anywhere near your hair. It’s extremely drying, which is not what you want for your scalp or your hair. Excessive dryness can lead to both hair damage and loss.
Formaldehyde. This one is a preservative. At some point in your life you’ve probably seen something icky in a jar, preserved by formaldehyde. Sure, it kills bacteria, but it also causes cancer and be very irritating to your eyes, respiratory system and inflame the skin. Steer clear of formaldehyde!
Hydrolysed Collagen. You’ve probably heard the importance of collagen to both skin and hair, and it’s true. So this one doesn’t cause any damage, but it’s also completely useless in a shampoo. The collagen molecule is too big to be absorbed by the skin, so any shampoo claiming benefits from its collagen ingredients is just blowing smoke.
Parabens. Look for ingredients such as methylparaben and propylparaben. These are more preservatives that can not only irritate your scalp, they can even upset your body’s hormonal balance.
Propylene Glycol. This is another form of alcohol, which means it can cause excessive drying (and oddly enough is found in many skin-moisturizing lotions). It’s also a detergent that helps the cleaning power of shampoo really penetrate your hair, but it also causes important proteins your hair needs to deteriorate, and can also irritate those with sensitive eyes and skin. And if you see another form of glycol called polyethylene glycol, that one’s a cancer-causer.
So the overall problem with all these chemicals is that many shampoos are just too harsh. Your scalp produces natural sebaceous oils that help keep your hair healthy, and there’s also good bacteria that also help keep hair healthy. The harsh detergents and antibacterial preservatives in many shampoos strip your hair of all that natural good stuff, leaving hair vulnerable to damage and your scalp open to invasion by all kinds of less kind pathogenic organisms that can cause irritations and infections. Any chemicals strong enough to eliminate your natural sebaceous oils are also undoubtedly damaging your hair follicles, which can only serve to accelerate hair loss. You also can’t necessarily trust any label on a shampoo bottle that says “natural.” Take the time to look at the ingredients and you’ll more than likely find that even many “natural” shampoos are full of suspicious chemicals.
What You DO Want in a Shampoo?
So what sorts of things do you actually want to see in a shampoo? Here’s the run-down:
Nut and seed oils. Look for jojoba, avocado and shea, all of which help moisturize your hair and make it shine while at the same time helping to eliminate any oily build-up.
Acidic ingredients. Cirtic acid or sodium citrate a great because the give shampoo the right pH balance to clean your hair while at the same time making your hair cuticles lay down nice and flat, which give hair a smoother, shinier look.
Panthenol. This is a kind of vitamin B, which means it will help make your hair follicles thicker as well as promote shine and moisture retention.
Glycerin. This one forms a protective barrier for follicles that helps seal in moisture.
Hmmm… are you noticing something here? The list of bad ingredients in shampoos is much longer than the list of good ingredients. In a way, that shouldn’t be surprising. Simpler is often better. Your shampoo simply shouldn’t have a mile-long list of ingredients with names so complex you can’t even read them. For those of you who might have thought I was going to recommend specific brands of shampoo, that wasn’t the point of what I wanted to do, which was to educate you about what to look for in shampoos so that you can make your own informed choice. After all, you need to find one that works for you. So to answer the question of what is the best shampoo for hair growth, the answer is simple – the one that has the fewest and most natural ingredients that works for you. Happy hunting!
Sudden hair loss of any kind is enough to freak you out a little bit. You start wonder “Why me,” but the truth is, it happens to more women than you think.
We automatically think life is over when we start noticing that we’re losing hair. When you start to see me a few more hairs left on your pillow or in your brush, but nothing in your life has changed, it could be seasonal hair loss.
Seasonal hair loss is almost always temporary, but it can really catch you off guard if you don’t know much about it. To understand it better, let’s compare the different types of hair loss.
Standard Hair Loss
Everyone’s hair sheds. It’s just usually not noticeable enough to become an issue. Our hair growth cycle makes sure that at any given time, more hair is growing than is falling out.
A person with healthy hair can expect to lose up to 100 strands of hair per day. Sounds like a lot, but it’s not noticeable. When your hair growth cycle is working properly, around 90% of your hair is growing, and only 7% is resting (and shedding).
As long as you’re seeing a consistent amount of hair left on your brush, you shouldn’t worry. It’s a natural part of the hair growth cycle. But when you start noticing more hair being left behind, it’s time to take a step back and see if something else could be going on.
Seasonal Hair Loss
Seasonal hair loss is also natural, but it’s caused by different factors. As you can imagine, scientists have been researching hair and its role for a long time.
Some time ago it was discovered that only reason we evolved to have hair on our scalp was to protect it from a harsh summer sun. When the sun was less intense (the cooler seasons), the hair wasn’t needed to protect the scalp.
That’s why the two most common times for seasonal hair loss are late summer and late winter. Those are the times when the weather is changing the most. Your hair is simply reacting.
How to Slow Down Seasonal Hair Loss
Seasonal hair loss is not something that you should worry too much about. If you know there are no other signs that it could be a more serious form of hair loss, you don’t need to change much in your routine.
That being said, there are a few easy ways to help your hair grow thicker to possibly fight the effects of seasonal hair loss. Here are two ways to do it:
1 – Use Fewer Styling Products
Styling products make your hair look great, but sometimes at a cost. You may not notice it, but sometimes you don’t wash out all of the product. If there is residue left from your styling products, they could be clogging your hair follicles which can cause serious damage.
Use lighter products, and make sure that you’re using organic whenever possible. Many of the organic formulas include all-natural nutrients that will help your hair grow and keep the area clean.
2 – Try Looser Hairstyles
Keeping your hair pulled too tight is bad for your follicles. If you’re noticing hair loss and like wearing tight ponytails or braids, try switching it up until you see an improvement in your hair.
Wearing these types of hairstyles too often will damage fragile hair and it might even cause your damaged follicles to get mixed up with healthy hair. This can cause even more hair to fall out. Wear your hair down to avoid this.
3 – Reduce the Friction
If you’re seeing more hair than normal in your brush or on your pillow in the morning, that’s a sign that you need to try and reduce the amount of friction. Too much rubbing around through the night can pull out damaged strands and tangle healthy ones.
The two easiest ways to reduce friction are replacing your cotton pillowcases with satin (or sateen) and swap out your cotton towels with microfiber. Two small investments that will absolutely reduce the amount of hair that falls out during this time of seasonal hair loss.
4 – Stick to Your Regimen
It’s never a good feeling to see your hair fall out, but in the case of seasonal shedding, it’s important not to overreact. Understand that it’s a natural process. Rather than running to the store trying to find a product that will stop any more hair from falling out, sometimes all it takes is a re-commitment to your normal routine.
Things like drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, and keeping a balanced diet can be far more effective than introducing new products into your hair care routine.
Talk to Your Doctor
If you are ever unsure about what’s going on with your hair, please don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor. Even if you’re almost positive that it’s just seasonal hair loss, it never hurts to check in and make sure everything’s working correctly.
While you should stick to a routine that’s been working for you, it may be worth looking into a daily hair growth vitamin that can give you an extra boost. An all-natural vitamin with ingredients like iron, biotin, and vitamin C and E is relatively inexpensive and can improve your overall hair health in just a few weeks.
Keep up a strong routine so that when seasonal shedding is over, you can kick-start your hair growth into high gear.
Is there anything more stunning than long, luscious locks? Throughout history, the world’s most beautiful women have been portrayed in art and fashion with flowing manes of long straight hair.
But, as most of us know, that can be a hard look to achieve. While some are blessed with naturally healthy hair, most people need to put a bit of effort into getting the best results.
Helpful Tips For Long Straight Hair
Keeping long straight hair healthy and shiny does take a certain commitment. It takes longer to wash and dry, and can be prone to problems if left unkempt.
The good news is that there are some easy tips you can follow to bring back health and shine. This helpful information will also be helpful if you are only just starting to grow your hair out.
1. Avoid Over-Washing Your Hair
One of the most important things to learn about long hair is that you shouldn’t over wash it. If you’ve been used to short hair, the temptation is to shampoo it every time you get in the shower.
If you do that with long hair, you risk drying it out, which will lead to breakage and split ends. If your hair feels brittle, and breaks easily when you brush it, that’s probably the cause.
2. Choose The Right Hair Brush
Talking about brushing your hair, the type of brush you choose will also make a big difference to the look and feel of your hair. Your best choice is a brush specifically designed for long hair, made from wood and bristles.
Your brush should be quite soft and you should always brush your hair slowly and gently. Long hair can be prone to knots and tangles but being rough isn’t the answer. The best way to detangle your hair when wet, is with a wide toothed comb.
3. Keeping Your Cool
Long straight hair can also be damaged by excessive hairdryer use. Understandably you will need to blow-dry your hair sometimes, to keep it straight and shiny, but here’s some helpful advice.
Before you start blow-drying your hair, it’s best to apply a heat-protectant product. And try and avoid using the highest heat setting. The ‘cool’ setting will dry your hair just as well, without causing as much damage.
The same rules apply to any hair styling appliance that uses heat. Always protect your hair first and choose products recommended for long hair.
4. Avoiding Breakage
You might not know it, but drying your hair with a normal towel can also cause damage. A rough dry towel can damage the hair shaft, causing breakage.
The experts recommend using a microfiber towel and just blot and squeeze the hair dry, rather than rubbing it.
For much the same reason, many people swear by using only satin or silk pillowcases, as they believe cotton is too dry for both your hair and your skin.
Whenever possible, allow your hair to dry naturally. And if you’re not going out, set aside a few hours to apply a hair treatment. The longer you can leave it on, the better.
5. Natural Oils For Shine And Growth
Some of the best hair treatments are made from natural oils – and different oils suit different purposes. For example, olive hair is excellent for hair growth. You’ve probably seen pictures of those ancient Egyptians, with their shiny, long straight hair? Well, their secret was olive oil.
Another natural oil that comes highly recommended for hair growth is coconut oil. This will also protect and moisturize your hair and scalp. It is also antibacterial, making it great for dandruff.
As with any natural oil treatment, the best way to use it for long straight hair is to apply it before shampooing. Take time to massage it into your scalp and hair, and then leave it for at least 30 minutes. Two to four hours is better.
6. Choose Your Shampoo Carefully
Then simply shampoo and condition your hair as normal. Remember, the type of shampoo and conditioner you choose will also make a big difference to the health of your hair.
There are certain ingredients you really don’t want to see on your shampoo bottle, such as sulfates, formaldehyde, parabens and propylene glycol. These chemical-based products can cause dryness and damage to your hair and certainly won’t do any good.
Instead, choose shampoos that contain natural ingredients, like nut and seed oil. Acidic ingredients are good, too, to give you the right pH balance. That’s why rinsing your hair in apple cider vinegar will leave it super shiny!
7. Essential Herbs And Vitamins
In fact, there are quite a few home remedies you can use to improve the condition of your long straight hair. Silica is a very important ingredient for hair growth and that can be found nettles. If you can’t find the real thing, try taking silica capsules.
The herb ginkgo biloba is also excellent for hair growth, as it boosts blood circulation to the head and scalp.
Now, we’ve talked a lot regarding what to use ON your hair, but there is another really important aspect to achieving those luscious locks. And that’s what we put inside our bodies.
Just as it affects our general health, what we eat also has a big impact on the health of our hair. We’ve already talked about silica, which is excellent for hair and nails, but there are some other vitamins you need, too.
8. Avoiding And Treating Hair Loss
The best four vitamins for hair growth are biotin, folic acid, vitamin D and the B Complex vitamins. Vitamin D is one of the most under-rated vitamins. For example, if you’ve been experiencing hair loss, that could be due to a vitamin D deficiency.
Hair loss can also be caused by stress, grief, illness or by eating the wrong diet. Pregnancy, too, can cause your hair to fall out. But before you panic, hair loss can often be short-term and can be treated with the right vitamins and products.
Grow Your Best Hair Ever
If you do have long straight hair and you want to keep it looking good all year round, it will require a little work. But nobody ever said beauty came easily, right?
The good news is that whatever you do to improve your hair, will most likely be beneficial to your general health and wellbeing, too. So for your best hair ever, take those first steps today.
Summertime is always an interesting time for hair. On one hand, all the sun feels great and can even give you a quick boost of nutrients. On the other hand, your hair can get dried out and brittle, putting you at risk for hair loss.
No one wants that, and that’s why we want to discuss hair moisture. To know how to prevent the problem, you need to know what’s causing it.
What’s Happening When Hair Feels Dry?
Your hair can dry out in one of two different ways:
Your scalp isn’t producing enough natural oil to properly moisturize your hair.
Your hair strands are letting moisture escape.
Both of these conditions can either be hereditary (in your genes), or they can develop over time. As you get older, most people’s scalps simply produce less natural oil. If you’re not making up for this loss of moisture with other products, your hair will be dry and more prone to breakage.
How much moisture your hair strands retain depends on your cuticles. When hair cuticles are tight together, moisture stays in and your hair will look shiny, full and healthy. Loose cuticles (also brought on by age or genes) let the moisture escape.
How can you tell if your hair is dry? Well, you will definitely feel a difference when you run your fingers through your hair. It won’t be as smooth or as silky as it normally is. The other key part to check is your ends. Split ends are one of the main signs of unhealthy or dry hair.
What Causes Dry Hair?
Realizing that your hair is dry or brittle can be a bit shocking. The truth is, it doesn’t just happen overnight. Most of the time dry hair is caused by slow, consistent exposure. And we’re not just talking about the weather.
It’s certainly true that natural elements like sun, wind and extreme heat can contribute to dry hair, but one of the most overlooked factors is heat abuse from styling tools.
Flat irons, blow dryers, hot rollers, curling irons…all of the tools that we use everyday to make our hair look great are can strip your hair of its natural moisture if you’re not careful.
In fact, the heat from these everyday styling tools can actually break down your hair’s structure. Yikes. That’s what happens when you put a 400 degree tool directly on your hair.
What Should I Do About My Dry, Brittle Hair?
When your hair is dry to the point that the hair strand is damaged, there’s no way to reverse it. If you have split ends, you should immediately cut them before the split end rises up your hair strands and does damage to the root.
Experts say that your yearly trims are enough — you should be getting a haircut every three to six months. Not only does it keep your ends looking good, it can provide a better growth environment for your healthy strands. When your healthy hair looks fuller, your damaged hair will not be as noticeable.
For hair that is just dry, and not completely damaged, there are a few ways that you can breathe new life into it. But before you look into ways to give your hair more moisture, you need to be understand how to prevent it in the first place.
How Can I Prevent My Hair From Drying Out?
Prevention is absolutely key. If you know that you’re going to be out in the sun, or other extreme conditions, you should look for a light styling spray that protects it from the elements. A quality styling spray provides a very thin layer of protection that prevents the sun, wind, and water from penetrating your hair strands.
Another great way to prevent damage is by wearing protective hair styles like french braids or buns. These hairstyles reduce the amount of stress on your hair follicles and they don’t require much (if any) hair styling product or the use of any hot tools.
However, this doesn’t mean you have to get rid of your styling tools altogether. You just have to make sure you’re protected. Before using your flat iron or blow dryer, make sure that you have a quality heat protectant serum. Not only will it create a shield between your hair and your tools, it will also make it easier to style your hair at lower (and safer) temperatures.
Always look for products that contain all-natural products. Serums with hair growth vitamins and nutrients like biotin, vitamin E, and iron can help your hair grow at its full potential.
Other Ways to Keep Your Hair Moisturized
Even though it’s tempting to simply wash your hair every time you shower, you really should only be washing it 2 or 3 times per week. Washing your hair too much can strip it of its natural oils. If your hair is feeling dry, take a few days off so it can get its moisture back.
While you shouldn’t be washing your hair everyday, you certainly can use a good conditioner every time you shower. If your hair is really dry, look into a leave-in conditioner that will boost your hair with nutrients.
Another key tip: use a boar bristle brush. Boar bristles are great for dry hair because they help spread your natural oils throughout the rest of your hair. It makes your hair look and feel healthier, and it even lets you wash less as often.
Keeping your hair properly moisturized is something that needs to be attacked from multiple angles. Even if you’re doing everything right product-wise, none of it will be very effective if your diet is lacking, or you’re not drinking enough water. Take care of yourself, and your hair will look much better.
Essential oils (or simply EOs) are a popular natural hair care product. Sadly, when it comes to hair oils, not many people understand how different types of oil should be used and what affect they have on our hair and scalp. In this article, I’m going to talk about what essential oils are, how to use them and how they differ from other types of hair oils.
Essential Oil Basics
Let’s begin with the name. Oils are called essential because they carry a very strong essence (or scent) of the plants that they have been extracted from. Essential oils penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin and should be used with care – only a few drops of EO are usually used.
Now, most hair care regimens recommend mixing EOs with carrier oils such as castor, almond, olive, jojoba, sesame and so on. Carrier oils help to hold essential oils, making them easier to apply and preventing any unwanted side-effects of using strong EOs. Hard oils, such as coconut oil, are rarely mixed with EOs.
Popular Essential Oils
Below are quick descriptions of some of the most popular essential oils out there.
Peppermint oil: A very strong essential oil that has a strong scent and a pleasant cooling effect on the scalp. Peppermint oil should not be used undiluted, because it can easily burn the skin causing serious damage. Normally just 2-3 drops of peppermint EO is enough to give any hair oil mixture pleasant cooling and refreshing properties. The main benefit of using peppermint oil on hair is that it stimulates blood flow to the scalp, thus helping your body deliver more nutrients and minerals to the hair follicles.
Tea Tree oil: Another popular EO that is known for its superb fungus-fighting properties. Tea tree oil is often used to treat issues with itchy and flaky scalp. These annoying conditions are usually caused by fungus that can also cause dandruff and tea tree oil is a good all-natural way to keep this fungus growth under control.
Remember that tea tree oil should not be applied undiluted in its pure form as it may cause damage/burns. Mix it with a carrier oil or put a little tea tree EO into your normal shampoo/conditioner. Another thing to keep in mind is that too much tea tree oil (or simply using it too often) can lead to scalp/skin dryness, which is not a good thing.
Rosemary oil: This oil has a very, very strong scent that is also quite pleasant. For this reason, it is often added to other oils to improve the way your hair/skin smells after an oil treatment. Some people claim that rosemary EO can help with hair regrowth, though it’s really hard to confirm these reports because rosemary oil is practically always used as an ingredient in a mix of different oils. Do not use rosemary oil undiluted!
Lavender oil: This commonly used EO is a little controversial as it is thought to increase estrogen production, especially in young boys. The effects that this strange property has on adults are not very well studied. Lavender oil is often used as an ingredient in complex EO and carrier oil mixes as well as found in many hair care products.
Ylang Ylang oil: Another oil that has a very strong scent and should be used sparingly. Ylang Ylang smells a bit like jasmine and can be overwhelming if overused. Whether this EO helps with hair growth is very difficult to tell, but it does seem to help moisturize and relieve tension from the scalp! Just remember to mix Ylang Ylang with other EOs as well as some carrier oil/oils – do not use it on its own!
Thyme: Used to treat various skin, ear and mouth infections, thyme oil is also found in most potent hair growth products. It is not clear exactly how and why it works so well to treat certain types of hair loss, but it has been proven to work over and over again (only when used in a special mix with other oils though)!
How to Use Essential Oils
One thing that you must remember about essential oils is not to use them undiluted! They are usually very strong and, if overused, can cause serious skin burns as well as other health issues (such as high blood pressure, headaches and so on). People with high blood pressure should avoid using rosemary oil.
Now, for hundreds of years people have been using EOs to treat hair loss, so they are definitely worth trying. Most people either mix 1-3 drops of their favorite EO into shampoo/conditioner or add some to their pre-shampoo oil treatments.
Another thing about EOs that seems to come up time and time again is that they work best when used in conjunction with other oils. This makes it very difficult to pinpoint exactly why EOs help with hair loss and growth.
One of the most popular (and potent) essential oil recipes for hair growth is:
2 drops of Cedarwood EO
2 drops of thyme EO
2-3 drops of rosemary EO
2-3 drops of lavender EO
3-5 teaspoons of grape seed oil
About half a teaspoon of jojoba oil
Mix all of the above oils together and then massage the mixture into your scalp (especially the areas where hair loss is occurring). Wrap your head in a towel or something to keep it warm. Now, depending on how your scalp and hair react to this treatment, you have two choices: either wait 30 minutes and then wash it all out, or keep it in overnight and wash your hair in the morning. Do not overdo this; just two treatments per week should be enough.
Most of the United States looks forward to spring with great anticipation. Warmer weather, sunshine, and lots of outdoor activities make everyone eager for the change.
Spring also means a change in how your hair reacts to weather. Having the right spring hair care tricks can ensure that your look transfers easily from winter to spring and beyond.
Expect More Growth!
Many experts believe that the increased amount of sunlight triggers your hair to grow more quickly. When your hair grows more quickly, it affects a lot of your spring hair care routines.
First, you have to make sure that if you color your hair, you keep an eye on how quickly your roots are showing. You may need to color your hair more often starting in the spring as your hair grows.
Secondly, you may need more regular cuts. If your hair grows quickly anyway, the difference may not be extreme, but you may find that you need an extra hair appointment during the spring.
What’s you take
There are many natural ways you can encourage your hair to grow more quickly, including getting the right vitamins in your diet.
Use Spring Hair Care to Air Dry
In the winter, going out with wet hair can be both dangerous to your health and difficult on your professional image. As spring appears, however, you have an opportunity to allow your hair to dry more naturally.
If you can’t allow hair to air dry over time, then use your hair dryer further from your head. The heat will be more gentle, and your hair will benefit.
Drying your hair can cause damage, including breaking down the protective cuticles and leaving hair brittle. Of course, proper spring hair care means air drying your hair properly, not just letting it go on its own.
Get a Trim to Start Off Spring
The cold and dry air of winter takes a significant toll on your hair. Getting rid of split ends is a great way to start off your spring hair care.
You don’t have to get a major cut unless you want a new look – taking just a little bit off can get rid of dry split ends and make your hair feel as fresh as the new season.
Trims have a lot of benefits for your hair, improving the look and feel as well as reducing breakage, lessening flyaway strands, and making hair look thicker and shinier.
Change Out Shampoo and Conditioner
Similar to the way that we switch out winter clothes for lighter and airier looks, it’s important to switch out shampoo and conditioner as well. You probably use moisturizing products during the winter to fight the dry air, but in the spring, that’s not as necessary.
In the spring the increase in humidity can combine with your hair products and put too much moisture into your mane, which can mean major frizz. To avoid this, consider changing to a formula designed for normal hair once warmer weather moves in.
Another important consideration is that sometimes your hair becomes too accustomed to your hair products and they lose their effectiveness. Changing your shampoo and conditioner seasonally can help keep your hair looking fabulous.
Consider More Natural Highlights
As the days lengthen, it’s a good time to consider your hair color. If you color your hair, you may think about a less structured highlight style. For your spring hair care, ask your stylist about balayage, which is a technique that involves painting color onto strands more randomly.
With a less structured highlight, your locks look more sun-kissed and ready for summer. Not only that, but it will grow out more naturally, which can save you time and money at the salon.
Balayage works with any color of hair, as long as the lighter sections are just one or two shades lighter than your overall color. You don’t need dramatic contrast, just a soft, subtle look.
Control Your Hair on Rainy Days
April showers may bring out May flowers, but they also bring out the absolute worst in your hair. Having a go-to hairstyle to keep the humidity frizz at bay can do a lot to get you through a dreary month.
Throwing your hair in a top knot can help you get through a rainy day. So will going easy on hair products, which behave differently in high humidity. A sleek, smooth braid is another great trick.
Finally, if you do end up with wet, messy hair due to the weather, be sure to use a comb to detangle it. A brush can damage wet hair, while a wide-tooth comb can detangle your locks without causing problems – or pain.
Fight the Frizz
It isn’t just rain that causes more frizz in the spring. The rapid increase of humidity after a dry winter can create wild hair and flyaways on even the sunniest days.
You can use an anti-frizz serum on damp hair to help seal and smooth the cuticle. To avoid a greasy look, only use the serum from the midpoint of the strand to the tip. There are also anti-humidity sprays that can help tame your tresses. Mist these sprays on dry hair near the roots, without overdoing it.
Carrying an anti-humidity spray with you to work can help you get a midday touchup or avoid frizz when you leave the office for lunch. Coconut oil can also help while encouraging hair growth at the same time. Overall, though, you’ll do best on humid days if your hairstyle is similar to your natural look. Don’t fight your hair!
Spring Hair Care Can Be Fun
The best way to handle spring hair care is to embrace what the new season brings, challenges and all. Yes, you’ll get more humidity and rainy days. But you’ll also get beautiful sunshine, warm breezes, and more reasons to be outside than ever.
By keeping your hair with a natural look, you can avoid having to fight your mane’s natural tendencies. Spring is not the time to force curly hair into a super-straight style, and it’s not the time to try to bring significant volume and curls into extremely straight locks.
Whether you’re trying to encourage longer, thicker hair or simply trying maintain your current style, spring can be tough. With these spring hair care tips and tricks, you’ll be on your way to beautiful spring tresses!
What’s your take on these spring hair care tips? Join the conversation in the comments section below!
With all the daily stressors in life, hair loss is becoming increasingly common among women of all ages. While hair loss can be a difficult thing to go through, you do have options to minimize and even reverse the effects of this stressful condition. As with all health disorders, curing hair loss is impossible without a proper diagnosis. In this article, I am going to talk about vitamins that are essential to healthy hair growth.
Do remember that not all types of hair loss can be cured by simply adjusting your vitamin intake! It’s a good place to start, though.
Vitamins That May Prevent Hair Loss
Vitamins are essential in the fight against hair loss. Just like the rest of your body, your hair needs vitamins and nutrients to survive and stay healthy. Plus, while most vitamins don’t have a direct effect on how fast our hair grows, they can influence other functions in the body which in turn promote healthy hair growth. Some vitamins that help with female hair loss are:
Vitamin A: Our skin produces an oily substance called Sebum, which helps to keep it from drying out and acts as a natural moisturizer. Now, dry skin sometimes leads to problems with dry scalp, which can inhibit healthy hair growth. The good thing is that a vitamin A deficiency is easy to cure. Fish, carrots, milk and other protein rich foods are all great sources of beta carotene, which can be transformed into vitamin A by the body on demand.
When it comes to vitamin A supplements, you have to be very careful! Since vitamin A accumulates in the body, taking too much ready-made vitamin A (such as that found in most multivitamins) can lead to poisoning. This, in turn, leads to further hair loss and thinning. So don’t make the mistake of eating tons of different vitamins just because you think they are good for you! Natural foods sources rich in beta carotene are the best way to ensure that your body never lacks vitamin A (and you can never overdose this way).
B-Complex vitamins: There are tons of B vitamins including niacin, biotin, B3 and more, and they are all essential to keeping your hair healthy. Some of the benefits of B vitamins include keeping your hair from falling out, moisturizing your hair and much more. Read my article on vitamin B complex to learn more about this. There is no doubt in my mind that vitamin B is one of the most important nutrients for healthy hair.
Vitamin C: This vitamin functions as a shield and a building block for your hair. Due to its antioxidants, it helps protect against devastating conditions such as stress and fatigue. Since stress is one of leading causes of hair loss in women, it’s important that you have enough vitamin C in your diet to help keep your hair healthy.
Plus, vitamin C is essential to collagen production, which is a special protein that makes up connective tissue in most body organs including hair. Common sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons and even cranberries. Most scientists agree that vitamin C works best when it comes from natural food sources instead of supplements.
Vitamin D: While most studies show that vitamin D is not linked to better hair growth, some people report having amazing results when taking vitamin D supplements. The reason for this might be other underlying conditions that could be inhibiting hair growth or the fact that vitamin D acts as a steroid which helps the body absorb calcium and some other minerals. Most people take vitamin D together with calcium, normally during cold and cloudy winter months, since it can help minimize seasonal mood swings.
Vitamin E: Proven to improve blood circulation throughout the entire body, which means that more minerals and other nutrients reach the scalp and hair. Now, since vitamin E is stored in the body and can be toxic in large doses, you should avoid taking too many vitamin E supplements. Some great, natural sources include mangos and kiwis.
Remember that vitamins cannot prevent hair loss directly. In some cases, however, they are extremely helpful in fighting various underlying conditions that can cause hair loss. Since most women experience hair loss due to stress (either mental or physical), it makes sense to use vitamins that can help with that. This includes vitamins B, C and, in some cases, vitamin D.
And lastly, remember that hair regrowth can take time, while hair loss normally happens very fast and unexpectedly. Do not expect to see results instantly or it will just cause you more stress which can further contribute to your condition!
Hair breakage can cause serious long-term problems. If your hair keeps breaking off faster than it grows, you may even begin to think that it has stopped growing completely! It’s no secret that most people who complain about slow hair growth suffer from extremely bad split ends, and eliminating this annoying condition is the only way to have healthier looking and longer hair.< In many cases split ends are the main cause of hair breakage. It’s very important to understand that your hair is not a living organism – as soon as it leaves the follicle its properties can no longer be changed. Now, as hair grows longer it gets increasingly more susceptible to developing split ends. This condition can be caused by many things:
Dry ends: Anything from lack of proper conditioning to using too many heat-based styling products can lead to extreme dryness and, eventually, split ends.
Poor hair care: Things like combing your hair too often or using a very narrow comb can also lead to split ends. Some hairstyles are also known to contribute to both split ends and hair breakage around the crown.
Chemicals: If you tend to color your hair or “touch it up” often, it may lead to a lot of chemical overlapping, dryness and breakage. This breakage can occur both in the very ends and around the crown, so be very careful about this!
As you can see, split ends are not some sort of mystical condition that requires expensive treatment! For most of you making just one or two simple lifestyle/hair styling changes should make a huge difference. Remember that preventing hair breakage is crucial, because the damage cannot be repaired once it is done!
How to Prevent Split Ends
Most of you likely already know what you need to do to stop split ends from forming in the future. If you don’t, here’s a quick checklist to get you started:
Trim your ends! Most women agree that the only way to successfully retain length is to trim dead-hair-ends regularly. Do not be scared that trimming will somehow make your hair look shorter; in the long term, it will do the exact opposite. Make sure that you ask your stylist to cut off only the very (dead) ends and leave the rest of your hair be. Most women should trim their hair once every 2.5-3 months (or about four times in a year).
Treating chemical damage is a bit trickier. If you believe that your hair is breaking off because you’ve overdosed on hair color or other chemicals, you are going to need a suitable protein treatment. Protein works to shield and strengthen hair, which is absolutely crucial when dealing with weakened and damaged hair. Another good option is deep conditioning using coconut oil (since it mimics protein and has a very similar effect). Remember that intensive protein/coconut oil treatments can cause drying and further breakage, so start slow and see how your hair reacts!
Know when and how to comb and brush your hair! As a general rule, you should never comb dry hair and never brush your hair when it is very wet. So remember: comb your hair while it’s wet and brush it once it has, at least mostly, dried. Another important thing is to only use wide-tooth combs and natural bristle brushes (plastic ones are a no-no).
Avoid tight hairstyles and other physical damage. Avoid very tight hairstyles since they put a lot of extra pressure on the roots and will cause damage over time. You should also avoid pulling your hair and/or running fingers through it (which is something that many of us do when talking to others or working on mundane tasks).
Detangle your hair with care! Our hair, especially the very ends, tends to tangle easily. If you try to detangle it with your fingers while in a rush, you are almost guaranteed to cause breakage!
Avoid heat! Do not use flat irons and avoid blow drying your hair where possible. The best way to retain as much length as possible is to let your hair dry naturally after every wash. Remember: both towel drying and blow drying are very bad and will most likely cause damage! Flat irons can cause serious damage after just one use.
Getting rid of split ends once and for all is not hard and while it does nothing to speed up how fast your hair grows, it will certainly help you retain more of that growth over time! Once your hair stops breaking off so much you can cut down to trimming it just once or twice per year.
