Part 2 of my Healthy Hair tips and tricks! If you missed part 1, you can read it HERE. My goal at home for myself and in the salon for my clients is for us to achieve healthy hair and to keep it healthy. This is for everyone, for the people who never colour their hair, for the people who only do it occasionally, the people who colour their hair every 4-8 weeks and people like me who probably change their hair colour too often ;)
1. Shampoo brand really does matter (I apologize for the rant you're about to read...I promise this is the longest one!)
I know that $3 shampoo and conditioner at Walmart is super tempting and my $27 shampoo and conditioner at the salon seem outrageous compared to that. I get it but here's why I don't use the $3 stuff and I spend the $27. The reason for the cost difference isn't because of the name(okay maybe a couple dollars for the name), it's because that in drugstore brand shampoos they can fill it with cheap stuff like water, wax, and sodium(yep, salt) and get away with it. So really doesn't cost much to make and wax smells good so they can make it cheap and smell good. Professional shampoos are more expensive because they don't fill their bottles with cheap, hair damaging stuff like salt and wax, they make sure to put high-quality ingredients into their product so it will do what it says it will do and keep the hair healthy. Also if you're thinking "well Lianna then why do I see some professional brands at some drug stores"? Some lower grade professional brands will have product sit in their warehouses for years, and it goes bad, so they cant sell it anymore but a big box store will buy it for a small fee and refill half of it with water etc. and then sell it.
Why it works: Sodium is salt, salt dries out everything! especially your hair! Wax will make your hair heavy and greasy. and an excess amount of water in your shampoo will dilute all the good stuff. Keep your hair away from these things if you want healthy shiny hair!
2. Hot Tools
Curling irons, flat irons... sometimes they can't be avoided. The #1 way to keep your hair healthy is by always using a heat protectant. (I talked about heat protectant in my last blog post! Read it HERE) Another way to keep your hair healthy while using them is to make sure you have the heat setting on low-medium and with the flat iron do quick strokes through the hair only once or twice. Use your curling iron more often, it holds more hair so the heat is less harsh than with a flat iron as the flat iron holds smaller, thinner pieces of hair.
Why it works: The less heat you use on your hair the less damage there is! Taking larger pieces of hair in the curling iron gives it enough heat to form a wave or curl but not as much heat to cause much damage.
3. Hot water vs Cold water
Using colder water on your hair and skin is proved to be better than hot water.
This also will make your hair colour last longer and be more vibrant.
If the thought of a cold shower is terrible to you try washing your hair in cold water first then turning it too hot for the remainder of your shower. This will help wake you up too ;)
Why it works: On the skin, cold water causes your pores to shrink and close, this goes for the hair as well. Cold water causes your hair cuticle to shrink and close creating shiny, frizz-free hair and preserving your hair colour.
4. Hair Treatments
I recommend doing leave in conditioner after every shower to help add moisture and a bi-weekly to monthly deep treatment. Products such as Kevin Murphy's 'Angel Masque', or 'Olaplex-take home' or something like Coconut oil are great deep conditioning treatments. Leave on for 10-20 minutes or overnight.
Why it works: the ingredients in professional hair treatments and in oils are moisturizing and repairing, every time we wash our hair we are stripping it of its natural oils, we have to replace those oils to the ends of your hair to keep it hydrated and healthy.
5. Healthy diet
When you eat right you feel right and that goes for your gut to your skin and hair. Another great thing to add into your healthy diet is vitamins! Vitamins like Biotin, B12 and Silica are really helpful to the growth and overall health of your hair.
Why it works: What you eat comes out through your pores and affect your skin, again your skin and hair are pretty much the same, if you eat crap your face will get zits and your hair will be greasy or become brittle. The healthier your diet the better you feel and the shinier and healthier your hair and skin will be. *Please always consult your doctor before taking any vitamins.