Are you guilty of committing some of the bad habits that are hurting your hair? We might mean well, but sometimes we are misinformed or just unaware about what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to hair care. Our regular hair care routine, which we might think is helping our hair, could actually be the reason why our hair isn’t the best it can be. Keep on reading to find out if you might be unintentionally harming your hair and how you can break the bad habits that are hurting your hair.
It might not be high on the list of your priorities, but when was the last time you cleaned your hair tools? One of the habits that are hurting your hair is using dirty hair brushes and tools on your tresses. Brushes can harbor dirt, oil and bacteria, and product residue can easily build up, which means you can be exposing your clean hair and scalp to them! After you brush or comb your hair, always clean out any leftover hair and thoroughly clean your brush at least once a month by cleaning it with some clarifying shampoo or baking soda.
If you frequently wash, blow dry and then straighten or curl your hair, you’re actually doubling up on the damage. Even if you’re using a heat protectant, that’s a lot of heat to apply to your delicate strands! Instead of using two hot tools back-to-back, why not air dry your hair and then use a flat or curling iron? Or, try creating the desired style or texture with just the blow dryer as you dry your hair?
We all lead busy lives, but if you’re constantly stressed, eating unhealthy foods and lacking sleep, it’s going to show in your hair. There are things in life that are beyond our control, but if you want your hair to be at its best, don’t forget that a healthy lifestyle is vital. Even if stress is inevitable, we do have a choice as to how we respond to and deal with stress, how we eat and sleep. Keep those things in mind before you invest in expensive hair care products and treatments!
Many women can’t imagine air drying their hair so the blow dryer is a must-have in their hair care routine. Using a blow dryer to dry your hair is fine and dandy. However, if you leave your hair dryer on high heat the entire time, even after your strands are dry, you can be pulling out moisture from your hair fiber, according to trichologist Stephen D. Pullan. Once your hair starts to dry, lower the heat on your hair dryer so it’s not continuously blasted with high heat.
I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that anything too hot is detrimental to the health of our hair. Washing your hair with hot water is another no-no when it comes to having healthy hair. According to hair transplant surgeon Ryan Welter of Boston, hot water can dehydrate your hair, which makes it dry, brittle and more likely to snap and break. Keep your showers warm to save your skin and hair.
Some days we need some help keeping our hair in place and that’s when long-wearing, super-hold hair care products can be convenient. This type of product is okay to use on occasion, but using them too often can dry out and damage your hair. These types of products are high in alcohol and if you comb or brush your hair after you apply the product, it can cause your hair to break. Instead of a super stiff or sticky hair spray, opt for a styling cream or a soft-hold product that’s not as drying on your hair.
We all have our favorite hairstyles, but sometimes those tight styles aren’t so great for the health of our hair. If you like to wear your hair in a tight updo or ponytail for school, work or working out on a regular basis, it can stress out and damage your hair. Not only is wearing your hair in a tight style creating tension in your tresses, always wearing a hair tie or hair pins in the same spot can cause damage to your hair. Try giving your hair a break on certain days and try switching up the placement of your hair accessories.
Although there are a lot of ways we can be unknowingly mistreating our hair, there are plenty of ways to baby our tresses, too. Remember to treat your hair like your skin, very gently. It might seem like our strands can take it, but our hair is actually fragile and should be treated gently and carefully, just like our skin. Do you have any hair care dos or don’ts that you want to share?
Sources: prevention.com, beauty-grooming.healthguru.com, redbookmag.com, ellecanada.com, refinery29.com, shine.yahoo.com, thefashionspot.com