Every women – and these days, many men – pursue healthy hair in a way that was once thought to be only for film stars. Healthy hair looks good and that is why we like it, but many people don’t realise that hair remains healthy not so much because of what we put on it but what we feed it from the inside.
If you deny your body the right nutrients, such as through poor eating habits or months of dieting, your hair will suffer because your body will use all the nutrients available to nourish your vital organs rather than your hair. The trouble is that fixing the problem of unhealthy hair often takes a lot longer than it does for healthy hair to become unhealthy. But some TLC can always improve the look and feel of your hair until it becomes healthy from the inside out.
Other conditions that affect the health of your hair are: –
- Chronic illness
- Severe emotional shock – this can actually make your hair fall out months after the event.
- Undiagnosed food intolerances or allergies
- Hormone imbalance
- Decrease in gut function where the body cannot absorb the nutrition it gets
- Stress
- Poor hair care such as swimming a lot and not replacing lost oils and moisture
If your hair is dry and brittle or oily and limp, here are some tips to help.
- Rinse your hair with cold water for 30 seconds after washing it. This helps to close the hair follicle and keeps the hair soft and shiny
- Let your hair dry naturally instead of blasting it with hot air or using any kind of hot tool on it.
- Leave off product and go au natural. Hairspray and setting lotions are not really good for your hair, especially if you use them all the time. They can actually contribute to split ends and hair becoming brittle.
- If you have split ends, have the hairdresser cut them off so they don’t go all the way up your hair shafts. Avoid rubbing hair with a towel if you get split ends
- Mixing a beaten egg with some shampoo will add some shine and protein to your hair.
- A ripe avocado mixed with an egg is also a great way to give your hair a treat with extra protein and nutrients
- Taking flaxseed oil, borage oil or evening primrose oil will give you shiny, healthy hair.
- For brittle hair, or hair that simply flies all over the place, a few drops of hand lotion patted onto damp hair works wonder. Or you could try mixing a few drops of sandalwood oil to olive or jojoba oil, smooth it onto your palms and rub through the ends of your hair.