15 Tips For Beautiful, Healthy Hair

    Healthy hair is a sign of a healthy person. Beautiful shiny locks can tell you a lot about a person, so today we're going to talk about some of the things you can do to help you achieve your best hair. I hope this list is helpful to you, I know it has been for me and lots of my clients in the salon. 

1.) Use Professional Products

    Now this isn't to snub drugstore products, because I use those frequently and there are some that I love for sure. I say this because if healthy hair is your priority, you need to know that the products your using have that same goal in mind. For the most part, you get what you pay for in this case. A lot of drugstore hair care products have a lower price tag because their ingredients are sub par. While the ingredient list of a high-end product and a cheaper dupe may look the same or similar, there is almost certainly a difference. Drugstore products typically use cheap conditioners like waxes and plastics that leave a coating on the hair that causes major buildup over time. The hair feels slippery smooth and shiny because the ingredients create a seal on your hair to smooth it out, but it blocks out moisture and protein, causing the hair to go brittle and dry out and eventually break off. Often times these drugstore products are also the wrong pH for our hair, which is slightly acidic, so putting something on it that is too basic of alkaline can also cause a lot of dryness and frizz. 

   And don't be fooled by the "professional products" you find at the grocery store and drug store. The only people professional brands sell to are professionals, so chances are these products came from the "grey market" and may not be real. Sometimes the product is expired, diluted, or a completely different product altogether, and professional companies will not honor any refund or return policy if not bought from them or a professional. This can also be dangerous in regard to knowing what is actually in the product you're buying. 

2.) Shampoo Only As Frequently As Needed

    Now this is a highly debatable subject because its totally dependent on the individual. There are a lot of factors at play here. Any time you sweat, be it from working out or being outdoors, you really should shower and shampoo your hair. Leaving that salt on your skin and in your hair isn't good for the either as it can be very drying and irritating. If you have super oily hair, you probably prefer to shampoo more often than others who might have a very dry scalp. If you have lightened or color treated hair you might choose to shampoo less often to avoid damage and fading. Getting the hair wet too often can do more harm than good, since this is when our hair is the most fragile and prone to damage and breakage, and too frequent shampooing can cause excessive damage and dryness.  Again though, this is a very personal thing and the answer of how often to shampoo will very depending on the person, their hair type, their lifestyle and other concerns.

    One thing that will be the same for all of us is how we apply shampoo. You'll want to detangle your dry hair before you start this process. You always want to apply the product on wet hair and apply to the scalp only. Gently massage the product into the scalp until it you get a nice lather. If your hair doesn't seem to lather, try adding a little more water rather than more product. If that doesn't do it you may need to shampoo twice, which is especially true for those of us who don't shampoo everyday or have extremely oily scalps. Then you just rinse and let what runs down your strands clean the ends of your hair so they don't get too dried out.  

    I believe that as long as you are addressing your hair's individual needs by using a professional shampoo and conditioner that suits your hair type and concerns(moisture, curls. color treated, ect.), you probably don't need to worry too much about whether or not you're shampooing too often. 

3.) Condition Whenever You Shampoo

    Shampoo works by binding to the dirt and oil in our hair, taking it all with it when we rinse out our shampoo, leaving us with squeaky clean hair. Now, this is also why I suggest using professional products, because professional shampoos will typically have more conditioning ingredient in their shampoos compared to drugstore ones. This is  to avoid over drying the hair. Nevertheless, you still need to use a conditioner every time you shampoo. Conditioner imparts moisture, strength and shine to the hair, making it more manageable and less staticky, dry and frizzy. It can also provide some protection from the environment. If you feel that conditioner is too heavy or makes the hair feel greasy, make sure you are only applying it on the middle and ends of your hair rather than on or near the scalp. If that isn't a problem for you, you should still start by applying to the ends of the hair first, working the majority of the product in, and then slowly work the remaining product(which shouldn't be much) up into the crown. The scalp and root of our hair needs moisture, too, just be careful not to apply too much. 

    After you've worked in the conditioner really well, you'll want to gently clip up your hair and leave the conditioner for anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. I typically finish the rest of my shower and rinse my conditioner out last to make sure everything is nice and moisturized and I get the full benefits of the conditioner. 

4.) Lower Water Temperature

    This ties into shampooing and conditioning in that you want to make sure the temperature of water you're using to shower isn't too hot. Using too hot of water can strip the natural oils from your skin and hair leaving it dry and irritated. It can also fade you're lovely hair color that your stylist spent time on and you spent money on. Extreme heat wreaks havoc on our skin and our hair, so the best thing we can do is turn the temp down, especially in those cooler months when our hair and skin is already on the dryer side. 

5.) Use Restorative Treatments

    The only restorative hair treatment I know and trust is Olaplex. It has to be done in the salon by a professional, but it is the one and only product of its kind. Olaplex works in the hair from the inside out to help restore and repair the bonds in our hair that have been broken from physical, chemical, and environmental factors. When these bonds are broken, it creates damage in our hair, and anything from brushing too hard, heat from styling, or chemicals like hair color can cause the bonds in our hair to break. Every time this treatment is used it restores the hair further, making it noticeably stronger, shinier and healthier. There is a take home component called olaplex number 3 that you can do weekly to continue to restore your hair, and I recommend everyone do that for their most beautiful and healthiest hair ever. 

6.) Use A Deep Conditioner

    While a restorative treatment is amazing and I believe totally necessary for your best hair, you will still need to use a deep conditioner. I like to think of the olaplex as a primer, it helps your hair to hold on to all the other important things healthy hair needs. like moisture and protein. So using a good deep conditioner after the restorative treatment when you need to is definitely a must.

7.) Use A Protein Treatment

    Now this one can be tricky, because if your hair is lacking protein it can be highly porous or feel limp, gummy, and have no elasticity. On the other hand if your hair has too much protein it will feel straw like and snap easily. This can be a hard balance to maintain so I always advise seeing a professional for a protein treatment or doing it pretty infrequently, unless your stylist has advised you otherwise. A lot of haircare products already contain some amount of protein in them, so typically you wont have to worry about a full on treatment unless your hair is in really bad condition(over processed), which again I would then advise you to see a professional for a really concentrated treatment you can't get anywhere else. 

8.) GET REGULAR TRIMS

    People, this is in all caps because it is extremely important. Whether your goal is to have longest hair ever, or your boyfriend likes it long, as a professional I am telling you your hair is going to look like a raggedy mess if you never get it trimmed. No matter how good of care we take of our hair it will split and break occasionally due to things like being wet, being brushed, being styled, heat damage, not enough moisture and protein, dietary deficiency, and so many other factors. If the splits and breaks aren't cut off, which is the only way to get rid of them, they will continue to split farther up the hair shaft until you need 6 inches cut off rather than just a trim if it hadn't waited so long. I can't tell you how many clients I've seen that had never seen the back of their hair until I showed them, and never realized you needed a trim often even if the goal is to grow it out. Discuss this with your stylist as it will depend on the condition of your hair, whether its virgin or not, what products you use, how you style it daily, among other things. Personally the longest I would wait is every 3 months, and that's only if you have incredibly healthy and well cared for locks that you're trying to grow long. 

    I seriously can't stress it enough. If you've been forgetting it or putting it off, this is your sign to please, if you can, go get it trimmed. If that's not an option, you could always give yourself a little at home trichology haircut using hair cutting shears, a careful hand and patience just to hold you over until you can get to a salon. And if you aren't sure how often to get it cut, you can read here for help!

9.) Use A Wet Brush

    We all have to brush our hair at some point, and if were not careful this can actually be a cause of damage such as breakage and hair fall. My first piece of advise would be to refrain from brushing your hair when its wet whenever possible as this is when our hair is the most fragile. If you must brush while the hair is wet, use your fingers and conditioner to gently detangle first, then, if you have to, use a wet brush. You could also try detangling before a shower on dry hair to avoid excessive pulling on wet hair. This brush is perfect on wet, damp, or dry hair due to it's incredibly flexible bristles, which work by gently working at knots and tangles, rather than ripping through and causing damage. Personally, I don't know how I ever did hair, mine or my clients, without it, its that good.

10.) Switch To A Microfiber or T-Shirt Towels

    When the hair is wet, you need to be extra gentle with it. Another tip for that is to invest in a microfiber towel like this, or use an old t-shirt. The idea here is that a regular cotton towel's fibers are rough on the hair and can catch on our hairs outer layer, the cuticle, roughing it up and causing damage, dryness, tangles and breakage. A microfiber or t-shirt towel reduces this because the fibers are much softer and gentler. I personally use a microfiber on my hair every time it's wet and have noticed a huge improvement in my hair. 

    You also want to keep in mind how you dry it, not just with what. Even if your using one of these more gentle products to help soak up extra moisture, you never want torub or pull the hair too vigorously, especially when it is wet. 

11.) Sleep On A Silk Pillowcase

    This relates to the cotton fibers being really rough on the hair and causing extra damage. A silk pillowcase(I use this one but any should work) is very soft and gentle on the hair, giving it something to glide over while we toss and turn in our sleep. This is just another way to really baby your hair and keep it in the best overall shape possible. Added bonus, the silk is really gentle on the skin as well, which can help with wrinkles, and it wont absorb all your expensive hair and skincare products. Another option to keep in mind is a satin pillowcase. If a pillowcase doesn't suit you, you could also use a silk or satin sleep scarf or cap.

12.) Food, Water, Exercise And Sleep

    I figured I would just include these all in the same breath. Probably the most important aspects of health, you can see why these would effect everything from physical health, like hair skin and nails, to mental health. The most sure fire way to make sure you look and feel good is to make sure you're eating a well balanced diet that provides you with all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals your body needs, drinking enough water, getting a few minutes of exercise everyday, and getting a good nights sleep every single night. Vitamins and minerals are vital to healthy skin and hair, and the best way for you to get them is in your diet. Drinking enough water helps our body flush out any "toxins" and keeps us hydrated. Exercise everyday is important for our physical and mental health and lowers stress levels. And sleeping enough and getting into a routine is also vital for all aspects of our health. It is the bodies time to regenerate and restore itself, and it's when a lot of important bodily functions happen. This is all stuff we've all heard and read about before but I felt it was definitely important to include here.

13.) Use Heat Protectant

    Always, and I mean always use a heat protectant if your going to be doing any kind of heat styling(blow drying, flat ironing, or curling). Also, turn down the heat setting on all your tools, using the lowest setting possible to achieve your desired result. Excessive heat causes major damage and color fading. It saps all the moisture from our hair and weakens the proteins in the hair, which leads to broken, split, brittle and overall unhealthy hair that needs bigger haircuts more often. If you're going to be using multiple heat tools, I recommend reapplying thermal protection. For example, I apply it's a 10 leave in before I blow-dry and then I apply olaplex bonding oil if I'm going to curl afterwards to keep my hair properly protected from the heat.

14.) Scalp Treatments

    Indulging in a nice scalp treatment once in a while can really help the overall feel and appearance of the hair. Keeping the skin on your scalp healthy, exfoliated and moisturized makes it a better environment for hair growth. Gentle massage can bring blood flow to the area, plus it feels really good. This can help over time as well with hair growth and hair falling out. 

    I've found the best way to do this for me is to start with a light scalp oil like this one. I then like to massage it in. This helps provide moisture and light exfoliation. You can then chose to sleep with a cap on and shampoo in the morning, or to shampoo after you're done.

15.) Clarify Regularly

    The amount of times you'll have tp clarify your hair will depend on a lot of things. If you have hard water, if you smoke, if you use product in your hair, if you take certain medications, ect., you will need to clarify every week or 2. If none or only one of these apply you might only have to do this monthly. Clarifying regularly removes buildup from your hair that blocks out protein and moisture and creates a film on the hair, leaving it dry, brittle and damaged. Buildup can also cause discoloration on the hair, especially for blondes. You'll definitely want to clarify before doing any kind of treatment(restorative, deep conditioning, protein, or color). The reason for this is to remove the layer of gunk on the hair so that all your products can penetrate properly and you get the most out of your treatments. 

    A great way to clarify the hair is with a clarifying shampoo, like Malibu C's Un-Do-Goo, or their Hard Water Treatment. Another good clarifying shampoo is Paul Mitchell's Shampoo Three, which is also good for swimmers. Any time you clarify the hair you want to make sure you go in with a really good conditioner, as these can be stripping and drying to the hair. You also want to make sure you aren't over using these for the same reason. This can be pretty harsh on the hair and can also fade color. 

    If you do have hard water, you could also invest in a water filter like the Sprite to help prevent buildup. 

    So, these are a few of my top tips for getting and keeping your hair in the best shape it's ever been in. Nothing says beautiful and healthy like soft, shiny, silky hair with life and bounce to it. If you have any other tips you'd like to share or any questions feel free to comment and I will get back to you. Let me know if you've learned anything or if you were already doing some of these things, I would love to hear from you! Thank you so much