As man and woman, each of one us has our problems to deal with when it comes to the crown of our head, our HAIR. For men, it’s mostly just how to keep their hair on their heads and save themselves from balding. Though balding is not a concern for women, when it comes to hair-related issues it’s much more than that. We are talking about hair thinning, greying, falling, dandruff, and whatnot! Now, we certainly can’t cover each of these concerns and ways to avoid them in just one article, but we certainly can look at some basic things you can incorporate in your daily life to keep your hair healthy and shining.
Do you all know the very basic reason behind dandruff and the very basic reason behind most hair damage? It’s washing your hair every time with hot water. Yes, it causes much more damage than that, and that is why we have seen the dandruff peaks during the winter season as we all tend to use warm water over our entire body, by default. So, the key is to avoid washing your hair with warm water. If you can’t take too cold, try to keep the water at normal room temperature. That doesn’t mean that you don’t have to bath with warm water at all, just make sure you are washing your hair separately and not mixing them while taking a hot shower.
As a tip, and if you are a person that loves to take shower, make sure you are washing your hair either with a hand shower (separately) or through the tap. Once done, wrap your hair in a shower cap before you step into that steam-filled hot shower. Trust me, start doing this and you will see a massive reduction in that dandruff in just a week. Now that also depends on the severity of dandruff you have coz if it’s an extensive one then in that case consult your dermatologist for some hair or scalp treatments.
The other important thing is your diet! Not only your hair but for the fitness of your overall body, start incorporating some good proteins in your diet too. I am sure we all are aware of the fact that our hair is primarily made of Protein. Now a good protein diet will ensure good hair and scalp health. It also promotes hair growth and takes care of melanin loss in hair follicles. See we all know about these cosmetic procedures that infuse your hair with proteins, such as keratin and hair bonding but then why not give that benefit from inside the body by putting it superficially over your hair. Right?
I remember my childhood days when my mom used to diligently put oil in my hair and give me a nice long massage before tying my hair into tight pleats. No matter how fondly we remember those days but we have entirely removed oiling from our daily regime and thus making way for more hair problems and that too at an early age. Oiling is underrated and we have somewhere taken it way too much for granted. For healthy hair, let’s make sure we are oiling our hair at least once a week. If possible, warm the oil a bit and massage it on your scalp for no less than 15-20 minutes. This will help ensure the proper flow of blood to your head and scalp and will help promote hair growth and help save hair damage.
Less of blow-drying and hair ironing, please! As much as you can and as much as you can resist, please avoid those frequent trips to the salon and damaging your hair with that heat. It’s a shortcut to good-looking hair but beneath it’s torturing your hair with that unwanted heat. It not only immensely increases hair fall but also makes your hair dull, dry, and brittle.
Okay, one thing I follow (must have read it somewhere 5-6 years back), I keep around 2-3 varieties of shampoos. I am not sure what is the logic behind it but it works well for my hair. Make sure you do not use one shampoo for more than a week, switch to that other bottle/brand for a week before you go back to your first one. If not a weekly changeover, try for a fortnightly one. I am sure you will certainly see a difference in your hair the moment you start doing it. Not to mention, conditioning your hair every time you shampoo. No, that doesn’t just stand good for dry hair anymore, it is as valid as other hair types as well, thanks to all the pollution and changing stressful times. Make sure you are using a conditioner specific to your hair type and use it every time you wash your hair with shampoo. The best way to apply a conditioner is to apply it on towel-dried hair (not completely wet), leave it on for around 5-6 minutes, and then wash it off nicely.
Start following these tips, incorporate them into your daily routine and you will certainly see much healthier looking hair.