12 Tips for Healthy Hair
If you are looking for the perfect guide to healthy hair, you have come to the right place! This is a blog post that talks about 12 tips for having healthy hair. These steps include everything from how to protect your hair at night to find the right products. We will also talk about what products/ingredients you should avoid to keep your hair as beautiful as possible!
Healthy hair doesn't come out of thin air - although I wish it did! As a licensed cosmetologist, I've been on a journey for my own healthy hair while simultaneously helping my clients find their best products and treatments. Needless to say, this is a subject I am VERY passionate about!
One thing I've learned over the last ten years of being a stylist is that it certainly is not a one size fits all journey, but there is a direction to head in - so that's what I want to walk through here. These tried and true tips that work for me and that I've seen work for my clients as well!
So let's dive in.
What does it mean to have healthy hair?
From a scientific standpoint, there is no one-answer-fits-all definition for healthy hair. A multitude of factors - like genetics, environment, and how you treat your locks on a daily basis - all come into play when it comes to the overall health of your strands. But in general, healthy hair is shiny, bouncy, has volume, and feels smooth (not dry or straw-like). In general, your hair should be lively and not limp!
So what can we do to improve the health of our hair? Here are my top 12 tips for healthy hair:
- Start with a gentle and nutrient-rich shampoo and conditioner. I can not recommend Olaplex enough. If you want to know why I'm such a believer in Olaplex take a moment and read why.
-Avoid over-washing your hair. Washing your hair too often strips it of its natural oils, which will lead to lackluster locks - and can often lead to more heat from needing to blow dry and style it after each wash. Try for one or two times a week if possible! If you struggle with oily hair check out my favorite dry shampoo and see why I love it and how well it works!
- Avoid over-styling: This may seem like common sense, but if you're not careful, you can really do some damage to your strands by using hot tools or other styling products every day. Especially to my curly girls who flat iron their hair until it's crispy - there is truly no coming back from that! So be kind to your hair and make the heat styling fewer and farther between!
- Use a heat protectant: Speaking of hot tools - make sure to use one every time before styling with hot tools. It's such a small step to protect your hair and can massively improve the longevity and quality of your strands!
- Drink plenty of water: We all know hydration is key, and it's no different when it comes to our hair. Drinking plenty of water will help keep your locks looking luscious from the inside out. I got a water bottle with the times of day on it to keep me accountable!
- Eat healthy foods: Just like drinking enough water is good for your body, eating healthy foods is great for your hair too! Foods high in Omega- fatty acids (such as salmon), vitamins C & E, and zinc are all essential for keeping your locks strong and shiny. Biotin is also great for healthy hair!
- Don't forget about deep conditioning: I can't stress enough how important this is if you're looking for healthy hair - don't neglect one of my favorite treatments! Deep condition at least once per week by applying an Olaplex mask, popping on a shower cap, and leaving on for 20 minutes - or try the Olaplex Hair Rescue Kit for an all-inclusive healthy hair routine!
- Look for products that are free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates (a known endocrine disruptor). There are so many more chemicals in our beauty products today than ever before - and these all strip our hair of any necessary natural oils we produce and can leave our hair feeling dry and brittle.
- Trim regularly: This may seem like an obvious one, but trimming your hair on a regular basis will help keep it healthy by getting rid of any split ends or damaged strands. I recommend trimming every six to eight weeks.
- Use a wide-tooth comb: When you're brushing your hair, use a wide-tooth comb to help distribute the natural oils from your scalp down to the ends of your hair without pulling too much. It's also super great to use a wide-tooth comb while in the shower with conditioner in your hair to softly get out any tangles.
- Sleep on a silk pillowcase: This may seem like an unnecessary expense, but sleeping on a silk pillowcase can do wonders for keeping your hair healthy! The silky fabric helps reduce frizz and tangles while you sleep.
-Use a scrunchie while you sleep! This may be the easiest tip on this list, and one that I do every night to keep my hair healthy while sleeping. A silk scrunchie will help reduce creasing in your hair so you wake up with fewer tangles and damage - plus it's cute ;)
I love investing in the health of my hair for many reasons. I love that it's actually self-care and super relaxing to put in a deep conditioning treatment and softly comb my hair. It's soothing for my anxiety while also serving my hair. The great thing about investing time and money in your hair is that you get to wear it every day - so it's worth the effort. Take care of yourself by spending the time to take care of your hair - it's a win-win :)
So there you have it - my top twelve tips for achieving healthy hair! I hope this was helpful and provides some direction as you begin your journey towards healthier locks!