How To Get Healthy Hair: Tips From The Pros For Every Type Of Concern
Most dermatologists and hair care experts wouldn't be on the job if proper maintenance of good hair was that easy. For most people, it's a never-ending journey to discover what works best for their hair. It's doubtful that what worked a decade ago would work for you now.
What works for a friend or favorite beauty influencer may not work for you, and this includes their regimen. Even though this complicates the subject of hair care, it also provides a sense of excitement and fun! In your lifetime, you may build a bond with your own body and hair. That, in our opinion, is a great thing.
In light of this, we've gathered some of the best advice on how to deal with common hair problems from respected authorities (ranging from stylists and colorists to dermatologists and nutritionists).
General Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Hair
The most effective and universal hair care tip is simple: Spend some time getting to know your locks. It is impossible to overstate the significance of examining one's own hair. A hairdresser can only provide advice, but in the end, it is your responsibility to take care of your hair. It's important to keep an eye on the way your hair behaves. Keep a hair diary and learn to love it, that's all there is to it.
The following are a few factors to get acquainted with if you want strong, healthy hair.
- Standard Hair Care Procedures
It's crucial to keep in mind that there are a wide variety of products available and a variety of ways to achieve your desired outcomes. As a result, we highly recommend that you learn the fundamentals of hair care so that you can adjust your daily products as necessary.
- Hair Type
The form of your hair strands—straight, wavy, curly, or kinky—determines your hair type. Curl kinds have no universally agreed-upon definition, although the most usually recognized number is four. A, B, and C are the three subgroups for each hair type. Type 1 hair is straight; Type 2 hair is wavy; Type 3 hair is curly, and Type 4 hair is kinky and coily.
When you know the difference, you can talk about hair and its nuances. In addition, it is important to remember that people often fall into a range of hair types—as distinct strand patterns at different parts of the scalp are common.
- Your Hairstyle Goals in General
If you don't know what you want, you won't be able to achieve it. Do you want to encourage growth by wearing a longer hairstyle? Or maybe you'd want a technique to keep your hair colored between salon visits? Or do you just want to keep your cosmetic regimen simple and easy, in which case, you're looking for the smallest amount of lift possible? Although all of these objectives are commendable, changing behaviors will be necessary to keep the hair healthy.
- The Hair's Porosity
One of the most misunderstood areas of hair care is the porosity range.
Cuticle porosity is a measure of how much moisture can be absorbed and retained by the hair's pores. The cuticle layer, which resembles shingles on a house, is the outermost layer of your strands. You have low porosity hair when the shingles are close together; on the other hand, you have high porosity hair when they are spread apart.
- Your Hair is Influenced By Your Lifestyle
Your hair's health is not only dependent on the topicals you use; exposure, pollution, and physical damage from a variety of sources may all have an impact on it. You should also pay attention to how often you alter your hairstyles, how often you use hot tools and the tightness with which you style it. And lastly, keep an eye on your maintenance. How often do you wash your hair? Are you a lover of facial masks and moisturizing tonics, or do you like to keep things simple and natural?
Tips For Hot Styling
The hydrogen bonds in your hair are broken when you use hot styling tools like blow dryers, irons, and wands to straighten, curl, or kink your hair. Using this method on a regular basis might have a detrimental impact on your hair. Research shows that daily heat styling may cause significant breakage and roughness, which is contradictory for those who flatiron their hair all the time.
However, the following are excellent tips to consider when going for hot hairstyling
- Recognize Your Limits
Aesthetically speaking, we adhere to the tenet that "less is more." And this is valid when styling your hair with hot tools. If you can style your hair without blasting it, we advise you to do so. The hair strands of every individual will naturally have a maximum load that they can sustain. Some folks can get a blowout without fear of splitting their hair, while others can't even manage to use a flatiron at its lowest heat setting before their hair snaps off the ends.
- Use a Heat Protectant And Be Cautious While Using It
Use flat irons, hairdryers, and curling wands with care. Learning how to utilize things is more important than using them, at the end of the day. Always use a heat protectant on clean hair, avoid running over the same area too many times, and lower the temperature are all great recommendations to keep in mind.
- Schedule Routine Trims
Most individuals get a haircut to get some relief from the discomfort of using hot equipment.
Damage to the structural integrity of your hair is irreversible, so it must be removed. If you've used extreme heat, there is nothing that can be done. There may be no cure for this condition. If your hair has been scorched, you will need to clip or cut it off.
Recommendations for Chemically Processing Your Hair
From perms and relaxers to color-treating and bleaching, chemical processing comprises a wide range of hair treatments. In any case, chemically treated hair is damaging to the health of the strands.
Hydrogen peroxide, ammonium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, or ammonium thioglycolate, for example, are formidable compounds that may alter the hair cuticle and shaft in order to get the desired result, but at the cost of inflicting harm. In order to ensure the health and integrity of one's hair, people who choose to alter it in this way must take special care.
Consider the following suggestions in further detail:
- Choose a Reputable Specialist
Choosing a hairdresser who specializes in the look you want is essential if you're going to have your hair processed. You are allowed to examine Instagram profiles, read reviews, and ask for recommendations from friends and family.
In any case, be cautious! Instead of settling for someone who doesn't specialize in curls and lightning to blond when you want to go for such styles, you should keep looking for someone else who does.
As soon as you've found someone who looks to be a match, you should consider their suggestions. For example, if you're trying to radically change your hair color and the expert advises against doing so in one session, it would be wise to heed their advice.
- Be Patient During the Transition Period
It's possible to go from relaxed to natural curls after relaxing your hair for a while. You may either do a big chop (cutting it all off) or progressively remove the relaxed sections over the regrowth phase.
Whatever path you decide to take, working with a curly hair expert to design a strategy and then being patient with your curls is the best course of action.
- Keep Chemical Processing to a Minimum
Curly, thin, or dry hair, in particular, cannot withstand severe manipulation, as other hair types can. It's important to be aware of the damage that more altering procedures do to the cortex as you undertake more chemical treatments. In the long run, these treatments will weaken the hair's connections, making it impossible to keep the strands in place.
Techniques to Help You Develop Thicker, Fuller Hair
Most individuals nowadays are looking for the best possible hair growth. Short-haired women and men want healthy, full hair as well. In order to achieve optimum hair development, we must take care of our current hair as well as encourage the growth of healthy hair.
The following actions may be followed to promote healthy hair growth:
- Regular Scalp Massages
Not only are scalp massages soothing and reviving, but they're also great for your hair. Research has shown that regular massages may boost hair growth by increasing blood flow to the region, which assists in the supply of vital nutrients and oxygen to the hair follicle. Massage the scalp during washing using a scalp massager for reduced stress, increased blood flow, and stimulated hair follicles. Try using a Scalp Stimulator for a super relaxing self-scalp massage!
- Consider Taking Vitamins for Healthy Hair
Hair that is shiny and strong is the result of a regular regimen. In a perfect world, our food would provide us with the nutrients we need to maintain healthy hair, but this isn't always the case in the real world. Supplements can help you consume enough elements that stimulate hair growth, such as amino acids (such as those found in collagen supplements), vitamin D3, and antioxidants (like vitamin C and E). Your best bet is to take a multi-vitamin specifically designed to promote healthy hair growth, like HAIRFINITY Candilocks Chewable Hair Vitamins or HAIRFINITY Healthy Hair Vitamins.
- Keep An Eye Out For Your Scalp And The Manner You Clean It
The quality of your hair growth is influenced by the health of your scalp. When product, dirt, and oil build up around the aperture through which your hair develops, the buildup gradually suffocates your hair root. Shab Reslan, a hairdresser and qualified trichologist, agrees with this school of thought.
While you want to avoid overwashing (which can dry up the strands), you also want to avoid itchy scalps and excessive buildup. Maintain a consistent wash schedule and add a clarifying shampoo as needed.
Hair Care Tips for Dry and Dull Hair
If you have naturally brittle strands, the tips above, as well as the ones below, will work for you.
- Use Shampoo Strategically
Pre-shampoo treatments and co-washes are just two of the many ways you may wash your hair. It is important to utilize these with care and consideration for your hair type. A pre-shampoo oil that coats the hair and protects it from physical wear, for example, may be beneficial if you have trouble with knots (a common problem with dry hair).
It's a great option for folks who want moist hair but don't need the full power of surfactants to achieve it. Those who have accumulated buildup (a primary cause of dullness and brittleness), on the other hand, may benefit greatly from clarifying washes
- Use Chilly Water
Rinse your hair with cold water, according to time-tested professional instructions.
Marshall Lin, a New York City-based hairdresser, says this is a tried-and-true approach for maintaining shiny and soft hair. According to him, when seeking to maintain the scalp and hair cuticle, cold-water rinses are beneficial.
Cold water has the opposite impact of heat and humidity, which raises the hair cuticle. Just be sure to properly clean your hair before continuing.
- Alternate Moisture and Protein-containing Elements
Deep conditioners, also known as masque deep treatments, are nourishing and moisturizing treatments. They fall into two categories: those that provide protein and those aimed at boosting moisture, according to hair expert and consultant Sarah Roberts.
In order to maintain a proper moisture-to-protein ratio in our hair, we must use both types of products, depending on the needs of our individual hair. These conditioners are typically thick and should be kept on the hair for 20 to 30 minutes while the hair is still warm.
Final Thought
Getting and maintaining healthy hair is not a straightforward process. Some approaches may at times seem to be a waste of your time and effort.
Finding out what works best for you requires time and understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of one's hair.
However, you are not on your own when it comes to hair care. There are a plethora of experts and resources available to help you strengthen your hair follicles.
