I ain’t messin’ around when it comes to my hair. I don’t let just anybody attempt to machete through my thick foresty locks. I don’t spend an absurd amount of time or money on it, but it still feels like a little pet I keep on my head that needs some extra care every once and a while. Here are some tips for good hair:
1. Trimming your hair won’t make it grow faster (I learned this on Oprah) but it will spare you of split ends which will make it look a bit raggedy and will eventually get hacked off anyway.
2. Contrary to popular myth brushing is bad for your hair, it doesn’t stimulate blood flow or make your hair grow. Brushes cause friction damage, which can damage hair cuticles. Only brush when you’re looking to style it or get tangles out.
3. Eat Foods for Healthy Hair. This isn’t a quick fix at all, it’d probably be a few months before you notice, but adding some of these foods can help get your whole body in a better state:
- walnuts, packed with omega-3 fatty acids, biotin, vitamin E, and copper (which can keep natural hair color lustrous)
- salmon, I don’t eat fish but if you do they’re packed with omegas, vitamin D, and protein; all of which contribute to good hair. Hair is about 97% protein.
- sweet potatoes, besides being delicious contains zinc, which helps keep the hair on your head and eyelashes.
- eggs, protein + zinc, selenium, sulfur, and iron. Iron helps the oxygen flow to hair follicles, so the more protein the less you’ll go bald.
- spinach, another great source of iron if you’re vegan. It also has beta carotene, vitamin C, and folate.
- lentils, another great veggie option packed with protein, iron, zinc, and biotin.
- greek yogurt, vitamin B5 and vitamin D together.
- blueberries, all this vitamin C helps circulate blood flow to the scalp, too little vitamin C leads to breakage.
4. Be leary of intense hair treatments using harsh chemicals. Formaldehyde is what they use to preserve dead bodies, and it’s also in most hair straightening treatments. If you really want this sort of effect, opt for natural products, you might have already read my review of Keragreen.
5. Treat your hair to a special hair treatment, whether at a salon or at home. Depending on how much you straighten/curl/blow-dry depends on the shape of your hair. A lot of people use an oil treatment such as coconut or olive oil to massage their scalp and moisturize their follicles. Just by adding the oil to your head, wrapping a towel around and waiting for 20 minutes to a few hours for the oils to penetrate. A flat beer can even be an effective treatment for thinner hair, when the liquid evaporates all that’s left is protein! For frizzies, an avocado hair treatment might help you, should you have some leftovers from making guacamole or something– just mash half of one up and massage it into your clean damp hair, post-shower, and let it sit for 15 minutes. I’ve also heard an apple cider vinegar wash is great for your hair too!
