5 Hair Care
Secrets
No matter what your hair goals, you want your
hair to be at it's best. Shiny, bouncy, healthy hair is a must for
all lengths. But if you are trying to grow your hair out and prevent
damage, you might need to try a few unconventional methods.
Secret #1 - Take your vitamins!
Hair specialists love to remind us that it is impossible to alter
the rate at which your hair grows. Average hair growth is ½"
per month. I am able to speed up my normal growth rate to ¾"
each month just by taking supplements for my hair.
There are hundreds of bottles with the word "hair" slapped
on the label, but they are not all created equal. First, take a
multivitamin that encompasses all of your body's needs. Then you
can worry about extra nutrition for your hair.
Hair especially likes B complex, biotin, folic acid, pantothenic
acid, iron, zinc, flax seed oil, black currant seed oil, kelp and
silica. If you want to be extra sure your hair is getting what it
wants, take an amino acids complex as well.
Your hair is a byproduct of your body's functions. If your body
is operating with the best nutrition, then it can produce a better
product.
Secret #2 - Scalp massage
Massaging your scalp for 5 minutes a day can make your hair stronger,
thicker, and grow in faster. You can choose to do it dry, or use
an oil or scalp treatment to assist you. You can even do it while
you are shampooing.
Massage stimulates your scalp's blood supply. The blood brings nutrients
to the follicles and that helps the follicles do their work. As
an added benefit, scalp massage is a great stress reducer. Less
stress=more beautiful hair.
Remember to use the pads of your fingers, never your nails. Spread
your fingers apart and place them firmly on your head. Start at
the base of your neck and work your way up to your front hairline.
Move in little circles. You may feel tingly; that's your improved
circulation.
Secret #3 - Wear your hair up more
A lot of people don't get this one. "What's the point of having
long hair if I have to wear it up all the time?" The point
is to have more beautiful, healthy, long hair. Every time you wear
your hair down, you are exposing it to environmental damage. It
is exposed to the air, which will dry it out. Wind will cause tangles,
which in turn causes more handling and more damage. Your hair will
rub against your clothes which dries it out even further. Try wearing
your hair up at least 50% of the time. By the end of one month,
you will notice much less breakage, and less dryness.
Secret #4 - Don't neglect your trims
This one I had to learn the hard way. "If I'm trying to grow
out my hair, why would I cut it?" Big mistake. The last 2 inches
of my hair always looked raggedy and thin and I could never understand
why. Then I gave in and got a good trim. My ends were soft, smooth,
buttery and thick. I disciplined myself to get another small trim
2 months later. My ends are still looking fantastic.
Your ends are the oldest, driest and most damaged part of your hair.
No matter how gentle you are to your hair, the ends split and move
farther up the hair shaft. Split ends cause tangles, which leads
to breakage and snapping. Getting trims will also keep the shape
of your hair. Since hair grows unevenly, after a couple of months
your style can go from chic to shaggy very quickly. It's better
to get small trims every 2-3 months than have to get a huge chop
to remove all the damage at once.
Secret #5 - Find the tricks that work for you
There are so many hair tips it's hard to figure out which ones are
best for you. The only way to find out is to try them. Here are
some of my favorite tips that you don't see too often. Pick one
or two, try them for 2 weeks to a month. Then decide if this is
the answer to your most gorgeous hair.
• Sleep on a satin pillowcase to prevent damage from tossing
and turning.
• If your hair is damaged, use a protein treatment once a
week.
• Switch to a boar bristle brush.
• Switch from plastic combs to wooden or cellulose acetate.
Plastic combs have molded seams on them that damage your hair cuticle.
• Use distilled water as your final rinse. Tap water leaves
mineral deposits on hair that can dull it and damage it.
• If your hair is very dry, don't shampoo every day.
• If you have fine, thin hair, stay away from volumizing and
thickening shampoos. They dry out your hair.
• Stay away from hair accessories with metal in them.
No one said having great looking and healthy hair at the same time
would be easy. It takes some thought and experimentation. But since
having great hair can make or break your look, it is always worth
the extra effort.
--by Bonnie Casey