How to Keep Hair Healthy

Hair is wildly important in my business; it needs to look like it hasn’t ever been processed, but of course it has! Between blow-drying and straighteners, curlers and hard water, Los Angeles definitely takes a toll on a girl’s hair. It’s really hard to keep moisture in and dead ends away so I’ve had to really search to find good, affordable ways to hydrate and tend to my hair.

First and foremost, I find that shampoo and conditioner that are designed to treat color-treated hair work really well for dry hair, even if the hair isn’t colored. The goal is to keep hydrated, which is what these shampoos and conditioners are designed to do.

When I first moved out here, I tried at least ten different brands of shampoos and conditioners. It took me several months of dry, lackluster hair — then several more of weirdly greasy, flat hair — to find that Clairol’s Herbal Essences shampoos and conditioners work really nicely with L.A.’s distressingly hard water. I recommend either their color-treated line or their “long hair” line, both of which focus on moisturizing the hair.

Since the hard water is at the base of the bane, I also highly recommend installing a filter on your shower. Even if you don’t have hard water, it can do wonders; the second I installed mine, even my skin felt cleaner, felt smoother. You don’t really realize how much junk is in bad tap water and washing your hair and skin with it can do some severe damage. If you have fifteen bucks, get thee to Home Depot!

Another thing you absolutely need to do, especially if your hair is in need of major repair, is make and keep trim appointments. I try to go every three months, but if your hair needs help you should head in every two. Even if you’re trying to grow your hair out, you need to sit in the chair frequently; broken ends begat broken strands, which inevitably wind up hurting your hair more than growing it out. Keep up the maintenance and after a few months, you can start to really see your hair grow faster and longer. And — most importantly — healthier.

Specialized shampoos and conditioners are more expensive than your every-day-variety, but they tackle a different problem. Every day conditioners, for example, are really just great detanglers. I buckled and bought Loreal’s treatment line, EverPure. I do not use it every day, so it will last quite a while, and I make sure to really treat my hair when I do use it. The deep conditioning masque stays on for 5+ minutes, the shampoos and conditioners for one. I find that the masque is really the best part of the system, so if you’re on a severe budget just try that out for a bit. It settles into your hair and moisturizes from root to tip, leaving hair silky and smooth. (Confession: I can’t stop touching my hair after I use EverPure. I know this sounds like an EverPure ad, but it’s just so soft! I highly recommend it.)

This next tip is kind of up in the air: some hair stylists recommend shampooing every other day. I, personally, have to shower with shampoo every day or I just get gross. Keep in mind, if you have to shampoo each day, you should be extra super indulgent with moisturizing conditioners!

And some old standbys: Brush your hair gently, root to tip, twice a day with 50-100 strokes a day. Do this especially before bed. For highlighted hair, use natural products such as lemon juice or chamomile tea. Take care of your hair as you care for your skin — cover it in the sun! Watch the pH levels of your products; you don’t want to put anything with a pH above 5.5 in your hair.

There are tons of tips to keep healthy hair — hopefully these helped you out! Remember — style as infrequently as possible, keep moisturized, and brush well!

Reference:

• www.loreal.com
• www.clairol.com