Your Hair Health-How to Keep in Healthy

We spend a lot of time looking at our hair, touching it, tending to it and choosing the most effective products. Washing, blow-drying, and styling it. Coloring, curling or straightening it. But that doesn’t necessarily mean our hair is healthy. So how do you keep those locks shiny and healthy? Read on to find out.

Do: Take care of your overall health
Hair is an ever-growing tissue affected by our physical well-being. Getting enough protein and iron is vital to hair health. Stress can accelerate shedding, particularly in the shower. A medical condition, such as a thyroid problem could also cause hair issues.

Don’t: Swim unprotected
What could possibly dampen a day at the beach or pool? Saltwater or chlorine. Both can wreak havoc on hair, drying it out, causing split ends, and stripping color. Apply a strong leave-in conditioning treatment to damp hair before hitting the water.

Do: Protect your hair during the summer
And you thought sunburn was bad for your skin? Those rays are just as harmful to your hair, even though it won’t turn red or start to peel. Repeated sun exposure will leave your hair damaged and dry while fading your dye-job. Cover up whenever possible, throwing on a wide-brimmed hat or wrapping a scarf around your mane. Opt for moisturizing shampoos and conditioners that protect against the two types of ultraviolet rays capable of causing sunburn, UVA and UVB, along with an SPF-fortified hair spray. Apply it to your hair whenever you’d wear sunscreen.

Don’t: Tie your ponytail too tightly
They’re convenient and cute but they could lead to traction alopecia or hair loss caused by styles that pull at your scalp. Instead of tying tightly, aim for loose braids, buns, and ponytails, and let your hair down before going to sleep at night.

Do: Tend to your scalp
Apply a weekly scalp mask, which exfoliates and moisturizers. These typically contain ingredients like aloe vera and help minimize flaking while soothing the scalp.

Do: Keep an eye on ingredients
Eyeball shampoo and conditioner labels before heading to the check out line. If a product contains more than two detergents like sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, or ammonium lauryl sulfate, it could strip your hair.

Don’t: overdo the appliances
Even if they’re pricier, invest in good tools. Make sure they offer different heat settings and, in the case of flat irons, display the temperature. Hair dryers should have a diffuser to help distribute heat more evenly. It’s still best to let your hair dry naturally whenever possible.

Do: Brush the right way
Spend some time brushing each morning to remove dust, dirt, and dry scalp material. If you’re untangling wet hair, use a wide-tooth comb. Opt for a brush with a natural bristle instead of one that’s metal or plastic as they are less likely to pull hair out.

Don’t: over wash it
Shampooing and conditioning every other day will suffice unless your tresses are extra oily. Washing too frequently causes dryness and pulls out too many of your natural oils so you won’t have as much shine.

Do: Maintain it with regular trims
Parting ways with even half an inch can be excruciating if you’re in pursuit of long, luscious locks. But it’s necessary. Regular trims keep split ends from splitting more and more.

For the best hair results, visit the experts at Legends Salon of Hillsborough.