Wouldn't it be fabulous, if every day was a good hair day? Fortunately, no matter what your hair type is, your locks can look healthy and lustrous in any situation. In this article, you'll find some general steps that you can follow to always have great hair. The article also contains specific sections on caring for different hair types. Follow all the steps or just choose those that apply to you to have great hair
General Hair Care
Wash your hair correctly. If you can, try not to wash your hair every day. Daily baths and showers will strip your hair of its natural oils. That being said, if you apply products such as hair spray, mouse, gel, anti-frizz products etc, these build up in your hair and inhibited the distribution of hairs natural oils. It's advisable to wash hair products out of your hair as regularly as is required. If you never use hair products, you may get away with never using shampoo and just rinsing your hair occasionally.
Massage your scalp with the shampoo, not with conditioner. Do this for about 40 seconds before washing it out. If you have oily hair, repeat the process once more (with the shampoo, not conditioner). When you massage the top of your head, the circulation increases and it also helps prevent dandruff. Use a sulfate and silicone free shampoo if your hair is curly or wavy.
Pour conditioner into your hand and rub from the tips of your hair to the roots. If you want softer silkier looking hair, leave the conditioner in your hair for a few minutes before you rinse it off.
Try to wash your hair on the coolest setting that is comfortable or at least try giving it a final rinse of cool water. This seals the hair cuticles (the outermost layer of the hair shaft) and locks in moisture, making it shinier. Hotter water may be used occasionally to wash hair, if you have very oily or dirty hair. Either way, try rinsing incool temperature water for the final rinse.
Dry your hair carefully with a blow dryer. Blow dryers can be more benefiting than air-drying if you use them correctly. When you blow dry your hair, put it on a coolsetting and hold distance it away to protect it from any heat. If you hold the blow dryer too close, the water in your hair can heat up and damage your hair. This is why hair dryers are known to be bad, but if you use it correctly it is very good. If you can, avoid drying your hair with heat as much as you can; it will only damage your hair.
Avoid wringing your hair with a towel after you get out of a shower. Wet hair is more fragile, and wringing it could cause your hair strands to break or fall out.
Use heat protection spray when you blow dry your hair. You should also use protection spray when you use hot rollers or a flat iron or a curling iron or GHD type straighteners.
Avoid brushing your hair while it's wet. Wet hair is stretchier and has a tendency to break. Also, don't brush your hair too much. People say that brushing your hair 100 strokes a day will make it smoother — but it will only cause breakage to your hair.
When you do brush your hair, try a natural bristle brush like a boar bristle brush. These brushes distribute oils throughout your hair to make it softer and shinier.
Only use a wide-tooth comb on wet hair. Apply leave-in conditioner or detangler to make your hair more pliable.
Give your hair some special treatment from time to time.
Apply a deep conditioning treatment. You can use deep conditioning treatments like egg oil, olive oil, argan oil, avocado oil or coconut oil.
You can also purchase a hair mask or hair cream and apply it.
Use a natural treatment like olive oil, mayonnaise and an egg or a soak in full-fat milk. Leave these treatments in for 2 to 3 hours and rinse them out thoroughly without applying shampoo or conditioner. You can do this once or twice per week, if you see good results.
Use a leave-in conditioner at least once a week. Leave-in conditioners penetrate deep into your hair cuticles to heal them more completely.
Try a spray leave in conditioner/ detangler after you shower. The conditioner will make your hair more pliable and manageable.
Go easy on styling products. Styling products can dry your scalp, if you use it directly at the scalp. Try not to use it often, but if you must, apply to hair strands and not the scalp. Then, style your hair at most 4 times a week to avoid damaging it.
Accessorize your healthy, gorgeous hair. Clips or barrettes can compliment beautiful hair. Coordinate them with your outfits or your personality. If you use elastics, use fabric-covered elastics to prevent breakage and tangles.
Eat healthy foods that will keep your hair strong and lustrous. Your diet can also prevent hair loss.
Essential fatty acids, especially omega-3 fatty acids, promote healthy skin, hair and nails. You should eat some of these foods, which are rich in omega-3, every day:
Salmon, tuna, mackerel, and other fatty fish
Flax seed oil
Walnuts, almonds, and milk
Vitamins B-6, B-12, and folic acid are also important to your hair. You can always take a multivitamin to get more of these nutrients, but you can also add foods rich in these vitamins to your diet.
Vitamin B-6: bananas, potatoes (both white and sweet) and spinach.
Vitamin B-12: meat, poultry, fish and dairy products.
Folic acid: citrus fruits, tomatoes, whole grain and fortified grain products, beans and lentils.
Protein also promotes healthy hair. Eat a daily serving of fish, chicken, eggs or soy.[1]
Caring for Straight Hair
Use the right shampoo and conditioner to keep your straight hair from becoming fine and limp. Preferably one that adds volume (especially if your hair is naturally fine). If regular shampoo doesn't work for you, try a sulphate and silicone free shampoo.
Brush your hair with a large flat paddle brush. The brush will not only tame your strands but also polish your hair and smooth it.
Use styling products that have a finish. To make your hair look glossy, apply a light volumizing mousse before you blow dry. If you need hold, use a flexible-hold hairspray.
Pick the right heat-styling tools. If you need to flat iron your hair, choose a tool with variable heat settings. Use the lowest heat setting that effectively irons your hair to avoid heat-related damage.
Use a curling iron or curling wand, as to suit the best type for your hair, if you want to create a wavy appearance in your hair.
Avoid daily heat styling. A simple braid or an elegant one can be worn on days when you don't want to or shouldn't style your hair. Occasional hot rollers are okay, but you should mostly embrace your straight locks.
Tips for Curly and/or Wavy Hair
Use shampoo and conditioner specifically designed for curly hair. Make sure your shampoo is sulfate-free and silicone-free, because sulfates can dry out curly hair even more, and silicones can build-up on curly hair. Silicones are okay for your hair as long as you use a shampoo with Cocoamidopropyl Betaine, or coco-betaine, and that the shampoo does not actually contain silicones.
Wash your hair only as needed, to preserve your hair's natural oils.
Massage the shampoo into your scalp and let the suds run down to your ends.
Put conditioner in at the midpoint of your locks and work it down to the ends. Comb it in with a wide-toothed comb, if necessary. Scrunch your hair to help define the curls.
Rinse your hair with warm or cool water to keep it from drying out.
Blot your hair dry with a 100% cotton t-shirt, microfiber towel, or even paper towels, not rubbing/roughing your wet hair with a towel.
Apply a deep conditioning treatment weekly. Then, apply a monthly hot oil treatment to give your locks a glossy shine.
Avoid brushing your hair. Brushing will break your hair cuticles and cause frizz. Use a wide-tooth comb or your fingers to pull out tangles.
Put a leave-in conditioner on your hair before you style it. Style your hair when it's wet and try not to touch or scrunch it while it air dries.
Skip any styling products that contain alcohol. Sprays that contain sea salt are great for defining curls, but make sure it also contains conditioning ingredients, as sea salt can dry your hair.
Try not to sleep with wet hair. If you have to, then braid or plait it in three or more sections. Also, sleep on a satin or silk pillowcase to minimize frizz.[2]
Perms and Relaxers
Perm or relax your hair no more than once every six weeks. Both perms and relaxers change your hair by changing the chemical bonds. For this reason, permed and relaxed hair is really vulnerable to breakage and damage.
Minimize heat-styling and blow-drying. Also, try not to dye your hair, if you're also chemically styling it. These processes can increase the risk of damaging permed or relaxed hair.
Avoid relaxing your hair or getting a perm, if your scalp is irritated.[3]
Use color with caution. Coloring permed or relaxed hair is possible, but it can damage your hair. Try clip-in weaves for highlights instead. If you need color, wait at least three days but no more than seven days for your appointment or talk to your stylist about what's healthiest for your hair.[4]
Coloring Your Hair
Do your own dye job at home. You can do this easily if you're doing a quick coverage of gray hair and if the shade varies only slightly from your natural color. Anything more complicated should be handled at a salon.
Rub petroleum jelly around your hairline to keep the dye from staining your skin.
Set your timer per the directions on the dye package. Wash the color out immediately and all at once when the timer goes off.
Get color at a salon.
Deep condition your hair a couple of days before your appointment. Moisturizing your hair will help it to hold color better. Also, if you can hold off, don't shampoo on the day of your appointment.
Bring a picture. You can tell your stylist "strawberry blonde," but he or she might have a very different vision of what that means than you do. A picture clarifies what you want.
Keep your hair healthy and moisturized. Dry hair loses color quickly.
Protect your hair when you head outside in the sun.[5] Wear a hat or a scarf, or put your hair into a braid or a knot. You can also use products that contain SPF.
Take great care of colored hair.