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10 Habits of Women with Healthy Hair You Should Try!

Beautiful Hair is Just a Few Steps Away!

Having healthy hair is something that we all want but sometimes struggle to achieve.

I know we all have those moments where we see a person with beautiful hair and wonder to ourselves how did they get their hair to look like that.

Well look no further here are ten habits that will have your hair looking healthier than ever.

healthy-hair

#1 Drink Lots of Water!

I know you’ve heard this one a million times and might even be rolling your eyes at this. But I honestly swear by this and noticed that my hair was growing faster when I began to drink water more often.

Not only does water promote hair growth but it also hydrates your hair. Water hydrates your body and helps to regulate your circulatory system which feeds your hair follicles which then encourages hair growth.

If your roots are not getting a sufficient amount of water, your hair will eventually become dry and brittle and then stop growing.

Your hair becomes dry because the cells need water to maintain their health and reproduce. This dryness is terrible news for your hair because your roots are the only way your hair strands receive water naturally.

A lot of the foods we eat contain water, but the best way to intake water is by drinking it. If you're one of those people who think water is boring, you can always add lemon juice or other fruits, and vegetables or herbs to add flavor to your water.

woman-drinking-water

#2 Eat Healthy Foods

Not only is eating healthy a good idea for your overall health but it's great for healthy hair as well. Eating healthy is always a good idea, but certain foods are good for promoting healthy hair.

A protein and nutrient-packed diet can do absolute wonders for your hair.

Here are some vitamins and minerals you should be incorporating into your diet if you want beautiful hair.

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Protein

Your hair is made of protein so making sure you have protein in your diet is beneficial when trying to strengthen your hair. Foods low in protein may cause hair loss or even cause your hair to stop growing.

Choose chicken, turkey, fish, red meat, dairy, and eggs as excellent sources of protein. But if you are vegetarian or vegan you can opt for beans, nuts, and soy products as a source of protein. You can also take protein pills that you can find at your local grocery or vitamin store.

vitamin-e

Iron

Iron is an essential mineral for healthy hair, and too little iron is one of the leading causes of hair loss. The nutrients from your blood supply feed hair follicles and roots.

When iron levels fall below a certain point, this causes anemia. Anemia affects the nutrient supply to hair follicles which can then cause shedding. Foods such as red meats, fish, and chicken provide iron that is readily available to the body.

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Vitamin C

Vitamin C helps with the absorption of iron. This property makes foods rich in vitamin C beneficial to eat with foods high in iron. It is also an antioxidant, so it is used readily by the body.

The best sources of Vitamin C are blackcurrants, blueberries, broccoli, guava, kiwi fruits, oranges, papaya, strawberries and sweet potatoes.

This vitamin also helps with the production of collagen which strengthen the capillaries that supply the hair shaft.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is needed by the body to create sebum. Sebum is the oil naturally produced by our body by our hairs sebaceous gland and acts as a natural conditioner.

Without sebum, we would have itchy scalps and dry hair. Some foods rich in Vitamin A are animal products and orange/yellow colored vegetables which are high in beta-carotene (which makes vitamin A) such as carrots, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes.

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Omega-3

Omega-3 fatty acids are healthy fats that our body does not produce, so we intake this fat through our diet. The oils that line our scalp contain 0mega-3s and provide the moisture that keeps our hair and scalp hydrated.

Foods rich in Omega-3s include oily fish such as salmon, herring, sardines, trout and mackerel and plant sources including avocado, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.

Biotin

Biotin is water soluble Vitamin B. Not enough biotin can cause dry hair which can lead to hair loss. Include Biotin-rich foods into your diets such as whole grains, liver, egg yolk, soy flour, and yeast.

Another option for people who are struggling to incorporate this food into their diets is vitamins. You can go to your local drugstore and pick up supplements packed with each of these vitamins and minerals.

#3 Regular Trims

Health over length! I can not emphasize this enough.

I know what it feels like to want to hold on to your hair but trust me cutting off those dry and damaged ends are the best thing you can do for your hair. Trimming your hair promotes hair growth by getting rid of split damaged ends. Just because I said this do not go off cutting your hair every single week.

Make sure to give yourself time in between every trim; hair begins to split around every 3-4 months which is when you should be going in for a trim. I know everyone even myself is guilty of this, but it is much better for your hair to go to a professional to get your cut.

For one they will get your hair even, and their scissors are also sharper, and we cut our hair at home with paper cutting scissors we can cause more damage to our hair. If you decide not to trim your ends, they can begin to split up to your roots which can wreak havoc on your hair.

There is also no “cure” to split ends. Once their split they are split it is just a natural thing and the only way to fix them is with a trim. But, there are some ways you can prevent split ends.

Preventing split ends can be done by regularly moisturizing your ends. Blocking split ends is done by making sure to seal your ends with oils and butter. Opting for hairstyles where your ends are not exposed, and staying away from heat.

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#4 Moisturize Often

Moisture is your best friend no matter what hair texture you have or even if you have low or high porosity hair. One big misconception is that moisture will make your hair grow faster which is unfortunately not true.

Your diet and genetics determine the rate at which your hair grows. The primary role of moisture is to lessen damage to your hair while you are handling it. Moisture plays an important role and ensures that hair growth is retained because less damage means that your hair can continue to grow healthy.

Moisture also makes your hair look a whole lot better. It makes your hair more shiny in a good way and gives it extra bounce. Moisturized hair and shrinkage also go hand in hand because moisture makes your hair shrink.

It is a good idea to moisturize your hair every day to prevent your hair from becoming dry and breaking. You can efficiently moisturize your hair with oils and leave in conditioners.

Water is also an excellent FREE moisturizer.

moisturizing-hair

#5 Take Care of Your Scalp

The root of your hair problems starts at your scalp. A healthy scalp is crucial in order to grow long healthy hair because your scalp is the epicenter of hair growth. Since your hair is made up of several dead cells, your scalp is the only part of your hair with living cells.

The pH of your scalp also affects how your hair grows.

“A substance that is too alkaline will cause the hair cuticle to open , while a substance that is too acidic will cause the cuticle to contract,” explains beauty editor Taylor Bryant at Refinery29.

A dry scalp can also lead to breakage. Some people might think that dandruff and an itchy scalp are a small problem but then can create issues for your hair. An itchy or dry scalp may lead to hair loss because of scratching.

If you want long and, healthy hair scalp massages are your best friend.

Scalp Massages circulate blood and increase the blood flow to your hair follicles which promotes hair growth. You can also add oils to your fingertips and massage it into your scalp using a circular motion to prevent a dry scalp and dandruff.

Dandruff

#6 Healthy Hair Hates Heat!

This habit is somewhat apparent, but excessive heat is not suitable for your hair! And if you were unaware of this you might want to put the flat iron and curling iron down.

Heat weakens and breaks the protein known as keratin, which is responsible for the shape of your hair. High temperatures are a way to change the pattern of your hair temporarily. You can easily avoid heat through heatless methods of curling and stretch your hair.

When you flat iron your hair too much it makes it harder for your hair to revert after you wash it and makes your hair less bouncy. Heat can even cause permanent damage to your hair, but not all heat is terrible heat.

Heat in moderation is good for you hair because it opens up the cuticles and allows products to penetrate your hair shaft.

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#7 Deep Treatments

Deep conditioning is a vital process when you want to have healthy hair. This process helps to prevent damage from heat and styling and replenishes moisture and proteins. You also help to restore the strength, shine and natural luster of your hair.

conditioner

Protein/Keratin Treatments

Keratin is the protein naturally found in your hair, skin, and nails. Levels of keratin decrease when your hair is damaged. Keratin and other protein treatments increase the diameter of the hair shaft.

This treatment works by spreading a liquid form of keratin onto your hair, blow drying it and then flat ironing it into your hair. The heat is used to seal in the keratin. These treatments last about two and a half months.

Protein conditioners also help increase elasticity and approve the overall appearance of your hair. You should use a deep protein conditioner once a month or every two months depending upon the condition of your hair.

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Moisturizing deep Conditioning

These conditioners contain humectants (a substance used to keep things moist and hydrates) that attract moisture that the hair absorbs. This moisture helps promote elasticity and prevents your hair from feeling dry and brittle.

hair-conditioner

Hot Oil Treatments

Hot oil treatment is when you put any warm oil on your hair. These treatments help to stimulate blood flow and aid with hair growth. They also help to seal the ends of your hair which prevent split ends.

Heating the oil in the microwave will loosen the nutrients. So the best way to warm the oil is by boiling water in a pot then allowing the water to heat the oil in a container. Here are a list oils and what they do to give you healthy hair.

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  • Avocado oil: This oil is best to use when you have super dry or frizzy hair. All the healthy fats in avocado oil make it an excellent moisturizer for your hair.
  • Castor oil: Castor oil is very thick and also good for moisturizing dry hair. But what a lot of people don’t know is that it can strengthen your hair if it’s thin and brittle. This oil is also excellent for promoting hair growth
  • Jojoba oil: This oil is great for sealing in moisture. The sebum that our scalp makes matches the makeup of jojoba oil. This oil is great if you have dandruff or itchy scalp.
  • Olive oil: This is probably the most popular oil used because most people have some of this around the house. Olive oil is good for protecting your ends from splitting/breaking.
  • Sesame oil: An excellent oil for shine and luster.
  • Coconut oil: We all know every single person on this earth swears by coconut oil. This oil can help soften your hair. You can melt it by putting it in a container and sitting the bottle in warm water.
  • Argan oil: This oil naturally hydrates your hair and enhances the elasticity. Sweet Almond: Great for smoothing the cuticle and it contains Vitamin E, which helps support optimal hair health.

You can always mix oils so you hot oil treatment tackles more than one thing.

natural-oils

#8 Use Sulfate and Alcohol-Free Products

Sulfate, parabens, and alcohol strip your hair of its natural moisture and oils.

SLS or lauryl sulfate are sulfates. These are the detergents responsible for the suds when you lather shampoo into your hair. Using products with sulfate is a bad idea when you have dry or damaged hair as well because of the weaken the hair shaft even more.

They dry out hair and skin on the scalp. Sulfates are also known to break down protein which is terrible news for the keratin that makes up your hair. Luckily there are several shampoos and other hair products on the market that are sulfate free.

This information might come as a surprise, but not all alcohols are harmful to your hair. But the alcohols used in some gels are drying and may cause frizz. These alcohols are known as short-chain alcohols which are Alcohol denat, Ethanol, SD alcohol 40, Propanol, Isopropyl, and Propyl.

Alcohols that are good for your hair are Lauryl alcohol, Cetyl alcohol, Myristyl alcohol, Stearyl alcohol, Cetearyl alcohol and Behenyl alcohol this is fatty alcohols that help to moisturize your hair.

These alcohols make your hair shafts soft and help your cuticles lie flat on your hair. But too much of the products can combine with the natural sebum found on your scalp and cause your hair to feel greasy and sticky.

shampoo-hair

#9 Rinse with Cold Water

I know this one might sound a little crazy because if you ever had to take a cold shower, you know that it sucks. But cold water is perfect when washing out your hair. This habit does not mean the hot water is bad for your hair because washing with warm water does have its benefits as well.

Washing with warm water is a great way to get rid of dirt and oils, and is super beneficial for people with oily scalps. Washing your hair with warm or hot water separates the cuticles allowing for a more in-depth clean when using shampoo but can also dissolve lipids and the conditioner that your hair needs.

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#10 Sleep with Satin Bonnets and Sheets

If you were not hip cotton is not good for your hair. Cotton pillows and sheets can deplete your hair of its natural moisture and oils because cotton is an absorbent. Changing your pillow or sheets from cotton to silk or satin is a game changer for your hair.

Sleeping on a satin or silk pillowcase can prevent frizz, breakage, and dry hair. Since these materials are less absorbent, they don’t strip your hair of its natural oils, and your hair just slides against the pillowcase and sheets.

If you just can't let go of your favorite sheets and pillowcase, you can always put o a silk or satin bonnet before bed.

bonnet

You Got This Ladies

Washing with warm water can also cause your hair to become more porous because hot water opens up your cuticles. It also strips your hair of its natural oils.

Not only does cold water reduce frizz and give you shinier hair but there is a scientific reason behind this practice. Washing with cold water seals in moisture because it closes up pores and hair cuticles which seals in moisture from conditioners and oils.

What you can do to combat this issue is by cleansing, conditioning and detangling your hair with warm water and then washing your conditioner out with cold water.

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