Healthy Hair is sign of Healthy Beauty
I’ve always loved the story of Rapunzel’s magical hair. Long, strong, shiny locks are an amazing asset to have; and even though my grandma did not know the story, she’d treat me with hot oil head massages and different home-made cleansers and hair pack. “May your braids grow as long as your life,” she’d say. And just like me, I’m sure most of us dream of a thick, voluminous mane, filled with shine and vitality.
What does healthy hair look like?
Hair comes in various colours, thicknesses and textures: wavy, straight, curly, or frizzy. There are simple tell-tale signs to know if your hair is healthy or not, irrespective of your hair type!
- A Healthy Lustre:
Healthy hair has a shine that comes from an even, smooth cuticular sheath around your hair strands. - Bounce and Elasticity:
It has a good amount of elasticity, which you need for retaining your hairstyling tools and techniques. This lack of elasticity is why you get dry or damaged brittle hair. Brittle hair is prone to breaking upon pressure and is also the culprit behind split ends or excessive, unmanageable frizz.
It’s important to understand the difference between dry hair and damaged hair, terms that are often confused for each other. Damaged hair is when an overuse of products or hair treatments like chemical perming, colouring, heat styling, etc. degrade the hair shaft along with the breakdown of the cuticle that renders shine to the hair. It looks stiff, like dry straw, prone to static and frizz, and has split ends.
On the other hand, dry hair is a condition that is caused by dehydration, when your cuticle is unable to hold moisture in it. Such hair looks dry and dull, frazzled and sometimes limp. It becomes increasingly tangled and unmanageable, causing it to break easily. It may consequently lead to an irritable scalp and dandruff.
- Well-anchored hair roots:
While losing a few 50-100 hair strands is normal and expected in healthy hair, shedding more than what your scalp hair follicles can generate is termed as hair loss. It may be a dermatological or hormonal issue, or may even be triggered by physical, mental, and environmental stresses. Be aware that protein deficiency and anemia may also lead to significant hair thinning.
Want to know how you can increase your hair density naturally? Check out this blog post! - A healthy, clean scalp:
Healthy hair thrives in a clean scalp. The ideal pH level of healthy scalp is around 5.5; if you use harsh chemical products, this balance may be disturbed, leading to unhealthy hair or even hair damage.
While skin cells do die and shed as a natural process, dandruff is a chronic scalp condition, appearing as white or yellow greasy flakes. It may be triggered by many factors: commonly due to fungal infection, humidity or excessive skin dryness, a change of water and diet, and so on. Dandruff may weigh down your hair and cause it to look messy, greasy, dull, or rough.
Check out these organic cleansers for healthy hair!
- Your Hair’s natural colour stands out:
Usually, healthy hair possesses a natural colour of its own. Hair colour that is lighter, or a few strands of silver here and there may be the results of genetics, and there’s nothing much we can do about it. But excessive exposure to sunlight or heat, emotional stress, nutritional deficiencies may cause your hair to turn lighter or even prematurely grey.
All kinds of hair have their own pros and cons and come with their own healthcare manuals. We subject our hair to harsh chemical products including hair color and even shampoos and other products, heat styling for straightening or curling, outdoor as well as indoor pollution. In fact, we resort to hair treatments that may not be suited for the kind of hair we have.
It’s high time we end this vicious cycle of hair abuse!
Good Hairstyling Practices
- It’s important to limit the amount of heat or chemicals you expose your hair to.
- Make sure you use a heat protecting product before that intense blow-drying or straightening session.
- Try heat-free curling methods or organic, natural hair smoothening remedies to skip out on the heat altogether! Not only are they kinder to your hair, but you can also save up on your salon trip.
- Avoid tying up your hair in very tight updos, as they can weaken the hair root and cause thinning.
Good Hair Protection
- Always use a hair protection serum or gel while heat-treating your hair.
- Avoid washing your hair with very hot water, as it can strip your scalp of its natural oils and cause dryness.
- Like sunscreens for your body, it’s important that your hair is also protected from the UV rays of the sun. There are some SPF formulations for the hair available in pharmacies, but an inexpensive way is to tie up your hair in a scarf whenever you move out.
Good Haircare Regimens
Your hair may be a non-living tissue, but it is an obvious indicator of your overall health. Your hair needs as much TLC as your body needs; traditional haircare regimens like oil massages, hair packs, food for hair, proper hair wash techniques may be old-school, but effective.
The importance of oil cannot be overlooked when it comes to hair nourishment. It is a vital step for having shiny healthy hair which is very common practice since ages. It may seem old fashioned to massage your scalp & hair with oil, but it is an effective way to pamper your hair, boost hair growth.
Hair conditioning packs — also called hair masks and deep conditioners — are treatments designed to nurture your hair more completely than standard shampoos and conditioners.
Ready-made hair packs are available over the counter at most pharmacies and beauty stores. You can also find DIY recipes from a number of online sources.
If you’re considering using a hair pack, choose the one that’s best for your specific hair condition, such as:
- dry hair
- oily hair
- frizzy hair
- damaged hair
- hair with dandruff
Check out these hair oils and hair packs for healthy hair!
Good Hair Products
Healthy beauty means taking care of your body and mind as well. Chemical treatments may work in the immediate day, but the long-term impacts may be irreversible. The safest bet for you is to choose organic products that maintain all the conditions you need for beautiful tresses. Not only this, but organic products are also good for the planet. Here’s how!
Read on why natural, organic products are the way to go!
Bottomline
If you are naturally blessed with tresses that are lustrous and smooth, with good elasticity and bounce, retains your hairdos, and resists breakage, you should thank your genes. Healthy hair is the conglomeration of genetics, good diet, and appropriate hair care rituals.
Whichever category of hair you may be born with, you deserve to shine you’re your luxurious, healthy hair.