I've often been asked how I keep my hair in such good condition, even by some hair dressers, despite it being coloured and sometimes permed. I'm no hairdresser. My background is in health, nutrition and make up artistry (not usually subjects found together!). I learnt a little about hair in my studies, obviously, but I really started to pay attention about fifteen years ago. I had undiagnosed hypothyroidism and had been on anti depressants for a few years. My hair was thin and lanky. It needed to be washed every day in order to look half decent. So I started to introduce all the hints and tips I've had shared with me over the years. I was fortunate enough to hear an interview with a famous hairdresser too, which helped immensely.
Three simple rules to well conditioned hair:
- look after yourself
- look after your hair
- be patient
Look After Yourself
The cells in hair are not like other cells in your body. They're dead. This is why using heat doesn't hurt. They are made from protein. Nearly everything that goes into your mouth affects your hair. Food, drink, and medication. For hair to be healthy you need at least:
- Iron, which can be found in beef or lamb, egg (yolk), and leafy greens such as spinach and kale.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids, which can be found in sardines, salmon, flax seeds and walnuts.
- Zinc, which can be found in beef or lamb, cocoa or dark chocolate, pumpkin or watermelon seeds, and peanuts.
- Vitamin A, which can be found in carrot, broccoli (leaves), spinach, cod liver oil, and dairy products.
Personally, I take multi-vitamins and minerals every day, plus Omega-3 capsules, because I know keeping to such a healthy diet is not easy.
I've experienced phases where my hair literally came out in handfuls. My GP told me it was normal because my hair was long. It wasn't normal. You should normally shed between 80 and 100 hairs per day. I counted them one day and found that I had at least 300 by the end of the day. Of course, there will also have been hairs dropped throughout the day that I missed. I discovered that some of my medications listed "
hair loss'" as a possible side effect.
When someone's hair comes out in handfuls, like mine did, it isn't particularly noticeable even to a hair dresser, as it is usually spread evenly across the head. It is alarming however, and likely to be indicative of something else going on. When hair comes out in patches it can be a bigger problem. If you are worried, consult their GP about.
Medication may not actually cause hair loss as it did for me, but it may affect the condition of your hair. If this is the case, following the rules outlined later on can help improve the condition. Such medications include:
- antidepressants
- antibiotics
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatories
- hormone treatments for birth control or menopause
If you are on medication and believe it may be affecting your hair, look at the list of side effects in the leaflet provided with the medication, but please do not stop taking medication without consulting a GP first.
Suggesting that people do not wash or shower every day, I know, is going to be controversial. But did you know that every time you soap your body down you strip your skin of essential oils and healthy bacteria? Washing every day simply is not kind to the skin. Skin that is used to being stripped every day often tends to over produce these oils. This of course applies also to washing your hair. If you wash your hair every day, your scalp is likely to over produce oils, which results in greasy hair. Many times in the past, hair dressers have recommended not washing my hair for at least a week, in order to readjust my scalp's oil production. If you suffer from greasy hair, try it. Don't return to washing your hair every day after the week though, wash it every two or three days.
[Irrelevant tip: When you shower, massaging your scalp under the free flowing water can help release tension and stress, improve blood flow, and reduce headaches].
Look After Your Hair
There are a number of things I do to care for my hair:
- wash it properly
- brush it properly
- avoid heat treatments and chemicals
- use the right products
- give it treats occasionally
There are a lot of mistakes people make in their hair care regime without even realising it. When you wash your hair the chances are that you are probably using too much shampoo. I used to do this too.
How to wash your hair properly:
- Place a small blob of shampoo in your hand (I use a blob about the size of a 5p coin for my short hair. When I had long hair, it was the size of a 10p coin).
- Squish the shampoo across your hands.
- Apply the shampoo to your hair, try to spread it through your hair as much as you can. It will feel like there's nothing there, but don't worry.
- Wash the shampoo out until your hair literally squeaks between your fingers.
- Repeat. You will probably be surprised at how much your hair lathers up when you apply the second blob of shampoo.
- Fill one of your hands with conditioner. (I use approximately 2.5 bottles of conditioner to every bottle of shampoo).
- Squish the conditioner across both hands.
- Work it in to your hair, starting from the tips upwards. Rub the hair together to make sure it is all thoroughly coated in conditioner.
- Leave the conditioner in for as long as you can. (I usually wash my hair and apply conditioner before washing the rest of my body, spending as much time removing body hair as I can in order to give my hair time to condition).
- Wash the conditioner out of your hair until it squeaks between your fingers again. If your hair does not squeak then there is still residue on it. Residue is what leaves hair looking dull. To shine, it needs to be thoroughly clean. For this reason I would never personally use leave in or spray in conditioner. (Conditioner removes shampoo residue, so don't apply shampoo after conditioner).
- Most times I leave my hair to dry naturally after gently combing it into the shape I want for it. Obviously if you need your hair shaped though you cannot do this so easily. Brushing your hair when wet can cause damage. It can stretch or break hair, or even pull it out of the root bed.
I watched with horror one day, at how my mother brushed her hair. She used a horrific hard plastic brush and hacked at it from top to bottom. This is almost the equivalent of washing your car with a scourer (which my ex husband once did); this approach will pull hairs out that aren't ready to come out, and break hairs that were otherwise healthy. If you do this, please stop. Brushing your hair is so simple!
First of all make sure you have the right hairbrush. It doesn't need to be expensive (mine cost 50p). The ideal hairbrush is a soft padded one with well spaced plastic tines that have little bobbles on the end. The little bobbles are kind to the scalp, and the cushioned base means that the tines have that essential give, preventing the brush from pulling hair out unnecessarily.
Don't forget to wash your hairbrush!
You've heard the myth of brushing your hair 100 times from top to bottom to create shine? Well it might, because it will over stimulate the scalp to produce natural oils, but it will also damage your hair.
Start at the bottom, at the tips. Brush gently, to ease out any knots that might be there, then gradually work your way further up the hair. Don't brush further up your hair until you are confident that the path below is free.
Heat and chemicals are responsible for most people's damaged hair. Hair spray, moose, dye, bleach, hair driers, straighteners, etc, all cause hair damage. If you are using hair spray or mousse wash it out as soon as you have the opportunity. Do not leave it in through the night, and do not brush it out. Again, you are trying to avoid residue that will dull the hair.
Personally I never use chemical treatments at all, and only use a dryer when I have a special occasion. I use professional dye on my hair. They're more expensive, but rather than just being designed to change hair colour, they're designed to condition the hair well too. I recommend Manic Panic, Crazy Color or Igora by Schwarzkopf for vibrant colours, and Schwarzkopf or L'Oreal for traditional colours. Some hair dressers will sell you the hair dye that they have used on your hair, otherwise you can find most of them on eBay.
Everyone's hair is different, so will have different requirements. There are stacks of shampoos available. How do you know which is the right one? Well, first of all you need to identify what type of hair you have. For example, there is little point in using a shampoo for greasy hair in fear of your hair becoming greasy if it isn't actually greasy already.
A hydrating shampoo will help keep your hair healthier. This is particularly important for long hair, as you are expecting your hair to remain in good condition for much longer than short hair.
Don't assume that because you have found the right shampoo, that the conditioner listed on the bottle will also automatically be the right one for your hair. It's simply the company's marketing ploy, a money making spin.
The best shampoos and conditions are expensive. That does not mean however that all expensive ones are the best. Most of us can't afford to buy a bottle of every shampoo just to try them out, so test out different brands by using samples. You'll find some links below to help you source them. Don't discount products by companies such as Avon either.
We all know that occasional extra treats make us happy, don't we. Your hair appreciates treats too. Hydration is a huge key to healthy shiny hair. Two of the treats I give my hair are to keep it hydrated. The first is very simple; I take a long bath with as much of my hair submerged below the water as possible. The other is to use an intensive hair mask, soaking my hair in it under a shower cap for at least half an hour. I give my hair a treat at least once a month. There is no harm in soaking your hair in the bath frequently, but using treatments such as the hair mask, frequently, will diminish how effective they are.
You can also try treats such as hot oil treatment, serum for split ends, a treatment for dandruff, or even a home made hair mask (links in references below). There is little harm in trying out things you hear about, just be wary of anything that contains a lot of chemicals. If in doubt, talk to a hairdresser in whom you have faith.
Be Patient
Finally, be patient. Your hair grows at a rate of approximately half an inch per month. As such you can't expect your hair volume and quality to improve overnight. It may appear improved simply by treating it correctly, but when the new hair starts to come through you'll really start to see a huge difference.
Other References
