How to Maintain Healthy Hair

This research shows that maintaining healthy hair makes women feel more attractive, which then boosts their self-confidence and positively influences the way they behave in society every day.

On the other hand, having unhealthy hair drains you of your self-worth and makes you feel like crap. There’s even an expression named after it: bad hair day.

And sadly, a lot of women complain about damaged, broken, receding, or discoloured hair.

In this post, you’ll learn not just the hair-damaging practices that you need to stop ASAP, but also what you should start doing to promote hair growth. I’ll show you some simple, easy-to-follow suggestions that work pretty well.

Hair-Damaging Practices

Below are practices you should avoid in order to protect your hair.

1. Use of chemical relaxers

Relaxers should touch only the new growth. Most people have their hair retouched from root to tip by hair stylists.

Relaxers should not be used on hair that has already been relaxed. This is the most common cause of hair loss, breakage, and discolouration.

2. Greasing and Oiling the Scalp

You shouldn’t be greasing your scalp. This is because oil, grease, and pomades can clog the scalp’s pores.

When pores become clogged, the hair follicles become smothered, which can result in significant hair loss. Oil should be applied to the hair strands or tresses rather than the scalp.

3. Heat

Heat from hooded dryers, blow dryers, curling irons and pressing combs is very damaging to hair, so it might be best to abstain from them.

If you must use them at all, then it should be with the lowest heat possible.

To give you more protection, use a heat protectant like one of these here.

4. Braiding hair too tightly

Hair can be damaged if it is braided too tightly. It could potentially lead to traction alopecia, or slow hair loss caused by pulling on the hair.

So make sure your braids aren’t too tight.

Contrary to popular belief, African hair is extremely delicate and needs a great deal of care. So do not for any reason think that your hair is strong enough to handle whatever you throw at it.

5. Use of hair extensions

Hair extensions have many advantages. But some of them are potentially harmful if used in the wrong manner.

To protect your hair, be sure that you pay attention to the rules for wearing wigs.

Hair extensions and weave-ons that require glue or bonding, for instance, are very damaging to natural hair. You would be better served by using sewn-in weave-ons or extensions. The hair is woven in rows and remains protected while the weave-on is sewn on it.

6. Vigorous rubbing of hair

Instead of rubbing the hair vigorously after washing or when it is damp, pat it softly with a towel.

The hair is delicate, so it should be handled with caution.

7. Combing method

Be careful when combing your hair.

Begin by disentangling the hair with a wide-toothed comb before smoothing it out with a smaller one.

If you comb too hard, you’ll wind up pulling out a lot of strands, which could lead to hair loss.

Practices for Maintaining Healthy Hair

1. Night scarves

Before going to bed at night, wrap your hair in a satin scarf. This will help keep your hair in shape when you wake up in the morning.

2. Drink plenty of water

It does seem like the experts suggest drinking water for nearly everything – energy, a strong mind, weight loss, healthy hair…

But they are right.

Drinking a lot of water promotes healthy activity in your body – and this includes hair growth and gloss. Staying hydrated helps your hair to grow faster and look better, while dehydration does just about the opposite.

3. Scalp massages

Massage the scalp regularly. Doing so improves blood circulation in your body, which in turn stimulates the production of natural oils by your scalp.

4. Eat the right foods

A well-rounded, balanced diet is an important factor in maintaining healthy scalp and hair.

Your hair is mostly made up of protein, so be sure to eat enough protein daily.

Good sources of protein include:

• lean meat
• poultry
• fish
• beans
• low-fat dairy products
• eggs

If your body receives an inadequate amount of protein, it can become weak and brittle and start to lose colour. In severe cases, it can lead to loss of hair itself.

5. Wash your hair

Wash your hair often to maintain healthy hair.

But make sure that you do not rub vigorously afterwards as I warned above.

Also, ensure that you use quality shampoo for your hair. Avoid shampoo with harsh agents like ammonium lauryl sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate, and remember that expensive doesn’t necessarily mean good.

Lastly, do not wash your hair too much. Once a day is fine but not more.

Is there anything you’ve done previously that was dangerous to your hair? Feel free to tell us about it.