Hair
10 Ways to Get Gorgeous Hair
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Scalp Massages – scalp massages increases blood flow, which may keep your hair healthy
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Pumpkin Seeds – If you’ve got thinning strands, snack on an ounce of pumpkin seeds 3x per week. Pumpkin seeds slow down production of DHT (a by-product that make make hair fall out).
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Cellophane Wrap - This professional process is like a long-lasting lip gloss for your hair. Your hair will reflect more light.
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Sweat-Proof Your Strands – Place a headband (sweatband) beneath your hairline, flip your hair upside down, and pin a bun in. After your workout, shake out your hair, and blow dry…va va voom!
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Got Flakes? Use anti-dandruff shampoo every time you hit the shower. Get a conditioner that has pyrithione zinc – it will keep you from rinsing away up to 70% of your anti-dandruff shampoo’s main ingredients. One to try: Pureology Dandruff Scalp Cure Conditioner.
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Leave-In Treatments – Hydrate and repair you hair while you sleep without leaving residue on your pillow. Try John Frieda Frizz-EAse Overnight Repair Creme Serum, Fekkai Overnight Hair Repair Cream, or Kerastase Noctogenist Serum Huit.
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Use a Deep-Cleansing Shampoo Once a Week – They remove dirt and product residue. Get one with citric or acetic acid. Once a week for oily hair and every 2 weeks for dry hair.
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Blow Dry - They can activate and intensify conditioning and repairing ingredients in heat-responsive products like Redken Extreme Iron Repair.
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Get a Haircut – If you’re in a style rut or have damaged your hair beyond repair, make a fresh start and schedule yourself an appointment with your main man (or woman) with the tools.
- Make a Cheeseburger – Yup, I said it. it contains all the right ingredients for great hair: niacin (in the whole-wheat bun), biotin (in the lettuce), lycopene (in the tomato), calcium (in the cheese), & iron, zinc, & b vitamins (in the meat). Can I get a woot-woot?!
To have – or to just admire from afar? My opinion? Just do it! Bangs are up-to-the-minute plain sexy. They’re hot and the celebs are havin’ fun with ‘em! But don’t just hop on the boat ’cause o’ that - no – do it because it’ll flatter your face. Worried about losing length? Don’t sweat it – there’s a style for everybody.
Nowadays, there’s all kinds of bangs to choose from! The newest bangs range from long and blunt to side-swept and wispy – which means there’s a style out there that’s going to be perfect for you.
How often should I wash my hair?
Frequency of hair washing should be determined by the type of hair – curly/wavy versus straight. The curlier the hair, the less you need to wash your hair. I wouldn’t recommend washing hair more than 2 to 3 times weekly unless the hair is soiled. Scalp sebum production (oil) gradually adjusts to coincide with the frequency of hair washing. As a result, hair will have more shine and an improved texture.
Many of us find that if we do not shampoo daily, our hair gets too greasy, but a little grease isn’t TOO bad… And, it’s actually been proven that by washing your hair less, your sebaceous glands will produce less sebum, which means your hair won’t get as oily as you think.
If you want to reduce scalp sebum production, just reduce the frequency of hair washing. I would start by washing the hair every other day for 2 weeks, then gradually increase the duration between hair washing as oil production gradually declines. Keep in mind, though, that this process will result in an “awkward” period for your hair.
While it’s important to wash hair thoroughly with shampoo, it’s important not to rub too vigorously. Scalp massage has been associated with hair loss.
TIGI Bed Head Self Absorbed Mega Vitamin Shampoo A good, standard shampoo for all hair types, posing no risk of buildup.
TIGI Bed Head Self Absorbed Mega Vitamin Conditioner This does contain vitamins, but all of them are present only in minute amounts. The amounts don’t really matter, though, because they won’t nutritionally boost hair in any way. This is a very good, standard conditioner for normal to dry hair of any thickness.
Processed Hair
Over washing processed hair will cause color fade and damage to hair cuticle (loss of shine). Red is the smallest molecule so it escapes easiest. Brown or the darker colors have larger molecules than red so it doesn’t escape as quickly. Any color-treated hair will fade the fastest if hair is exposed to water alone, so it’s best to wash your hair with a conditioning shampoo that can help keep the dye molecules locked inside the hair instead of getting washed down the drain.
If your hair is truly over-processed and fried, there are cosmetic shampoos that address hair loss in the form of breakage. Anti-breakage shampoos and conditioners help to keep hair protected from damage. Most recently, there advancements in targeted conditioning to get protective ingredients to the most vulnerable areas so that hair is not needlessly sacrificed through breakage.
Aveda Color Conserve Conditioner
Exercise
It’s perfectly fine not to wash your hair after exercising. During exercise, our skin produces sweat, rather than sebum (the oils that make our hair dirty). It might be wise to adjust your exercise schedule in terms of low and high impact according to your hair washing schedule to avoid odor. It’s OK to rinse your hair water alone, but doing so will fade color as well.
Regular swimmers will need to wash the chlorine out of their hair to prevent damage to the hair shaft (dry, lusterless hair). However, it’s not necessary to use strong detergents, a gentle shampoo should suffice.
Dandruff
Washing every day with an anti-dandruff shampoo and conditioner is the best way to keep dandruff at bay. Not only will washing everyday with an anti-dandruff shampoo keep scalp oils from accumulating too much (which can make the dandruff condition worse), but it should also deposit anti-dandruff ingredients, such as zinc pyrithione, to address the cause of dandruff. Unfortunately, there is no known permanent dandruff fix.
Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo Controls the flaking, scaling, and itching associated with dandruff.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy damages rapidly producing cells in cancers, but it also disrupts hair follicles. This leads to hair loss that is usually reversible; however, the shape of hair follicles may end up changing, leading to curly or frizzy hair. Some hair follicles may be irreversibly damaged and not re-grow at all.
Hair Product Build-Up
The more hair products used between hair washing leads to build up. This won’t necessarily result in hair shaft damage, however it may make hair less manageable, and lead to loss of shine.
Shampoos
Sulfate-free shampoos are milder (less detergent) than sulfate-containing shampoos, so they may leave more sebum behind on the hair shaft, making your hair feel less clean.
Sodium lauryl sulfate often gets a bad rap for being harsh; however, when used in combination with a laureth sulfate, the cleaning complex is much milder than the lauryl sulfate alone. So, be sure to look for lauryl and laureth sulfates used together.
Baby shampoos generally use a different type of cleaning agent (surfactants) so that there is no sting if shampoo gets in a baby’s eyes. In terms of mildness, though, all marketed products, whether for babies or adults, go through thorough testing to ensure they are safe and mild.
How fast will hair grow?
Hair follicles grow in cycles, a growth phase (anagen) and a resting or shedding phase (telogen). Hair grows about 1/2 inch per month. If the growth phase lasts 5 years, the hair with grow 30 inch in length. If the growth phase lasts 2 years, the hair only grows 12 inches. The length of the growth phase in genetically determined, and may shorten with age.
Hair Maintenance
To keep hair as strong as possible, be sure to use a conditioning shampoo and conditioner every time you wash. Also, try to avoid damaging styling practices such as back-combing (teasing) that can cause serious damage to hair’s protective cuticle layer. If you’re looking for volume, opt for volumizing styling products instead.
To keep hair in good shape between shampoos, spritz on leave-in conditioner. This can help to tame fly-aways and give an overall smoother, shinier appearance in a lightweight form.
Going Green
On a side note, since many of us in today’s society are going green and eco-friendly, it is a good thing to not lather up so frequently anyway. You would be saving plastic that makes the bottles and the manufacturing of the actual shampoo. So, you’re not only helping your hair, but the environment as well, by shampooing less often.
Instead of using bottled shampoo and conditioner, use baking soda to wash hair and vinegar to rinse. Although this is not going to lead to the same smell-good result, this is definitely a much greener solution to washing your hair than commercially packaged shampoos, and you’re still cleaning your hair.
