Keeping Your Hair Healthy

Keeping your hair healthy is an important part of maintaining your health. Many people think that keeping your hair health is a simple as avoiding harsh chemical treatments and making sure to get a trim a few times per year. While these types of maintenance practices are important, it doesn’t just end there, particularly if you have thinning hair or are beginning to experience hair loss.

Here are six ways that you can keep your hair healthy.

Maintain a healthy diet. Maintaining a healthy, protein rich diet is an important part of keeping your hair healthy. Science has shown levels of vitamin B and D to correlate with healthy hair in individuals. Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, a Chicago-based dietitian, says “if you eat a healthy diet, you will grow stronger and healthier cells throughout your entire body—inside and out.”

Brush wisely. Always use a wide-tooth comb when you’re combing your hair. Begin at the root of your hair and gently bring the comb all the way to the end. If you feel that your hair is breaking remove the comb and try to disentangle the hair with your fingers. If at all possible, avoid brushing your hair when it’s wet, since that is when hair is at its weakest.

Dry safely. Avoid drying your hair with a blow dryer. Allow your hair to dry naturally. If you must use a blow dryer, only use it after your hair has dried naturally. Use the blow dryer just for a few minutes to help the hair get completely dry.

Consider your hair washing routine. Hair washing is particular to the type and integrity of your hair. If you have particularly oily hair, you may wash every day or every other day. For people with dryer hair, washing may occur as little as once a week. If you wash your hair daily, consider using a milder shampoo that won’t dry your hair out as much.

Trim your split ends. It is essential for women to get regular trims in order to rid their hair of split ends, says Valerie Monroe, Oprah magazine column writer. Many women don’t realize that untreated split ends become split hairs. You can identify a split end by looking at the ends of your hair. A split end will look exactly how it sounds: a single piece of hair that comes apart into two pieces at the very end

Be gentle with wet hair. As stated earlier, wet hair is more fragile than dry hair. Towel dry your hair very carefully when you get out of the shower. Refrain from brushing wet hair in order to prevent damage. Instead of brushing it when it’s wet, brush it well before you wash it. Not only will this help your hair remain unbroken it will also loosen dead flakes and skin from your scalp to help with cleaning during the shampooing process.

We don’t often take the time to care for our hair in a way that will allow it to get healthy and stay healthy. Try to budget a few minutes into your morning and evening schedule to spend some quality time tending to your locks. A few minutes every day may seem like a stretch, but it will be worth it the next time you look in the mirror.