Why does hair become dull and unhealthy?
Hair health depends not only on the general condition of the body, but also on hormonal changes, as well as on the following factors:
1. Living in an unfavorable environmental environment.
2. Unbalanced diet, lack of the required amount of vitamins and microelements.
3. Fungal diseases.
4. The use of aggressive care products, frequent perms, constant coloring, daily styling - all this dries out the bulbs, damages them, and contributes to hair loss.
5. Frequent stress and emotional fatigue.
For any problems with hair, trichologists and cosmetologists recommend first finding out the cause of its fragility, hair loss, and eliminating it. At the same time, carry out proper hair care.
Home hair care and care even in your sleep
Home hair care allows you to take care of your hair even while you sleep. For example, if you have long hair or extensions, then styling your hair appropriately before bed is also a big part of your routine.
By the way, keep in mind that good sleep also has a positive effect on the condition of your hair.
Excessive treatments and hair breakage
It would seem that care products cannot harm the hair. This is true if everything is done in moderation. Often, an excess of procedures and products leads to irritation of the scalp, which causes hair loss.
Drying with hot air, daily styling, dyeing, tinting, and perm negatively affect the condition of the scalp and hair. Fragility and loss are a natural result of these procedures.
Frequent washing is another enemy of scalp and hair health. It is enough to wash your hair 2-3 times a week with a pH-neutral shampoo. In between hair washes, the scalp is restored and remains healthy.
Recommendations for caring for short hair are simple.
After each hair wash, use a conditioner from the same cosmetic line. Use a mask (vitamin, moisturizing, nourishing) once or twice a week. It would be a good idea to rinse your hair with apple cider vinegar for shine and strength.
If your “beauty budget” is limited, then at least buy a product for the ends of your hair (nothing spoils the appearance of short hair more than split ends). If, on the contrary, you like to pamper yourself, then get your hair laminated in the salon. This procedure is performed not only for medicinal purposes (the active substances from the mask will work better), but also to impart a dazzling shine.
However, don’t forget: it’s better to use inexpensive hair products, but regular care. Salon procedures are a pleasant addition that does not replace daily work and care. But take the time - your hair will appreciate it and shine with beauty and health!
Home remedies and care for beautiful hair
There is no need to buy expensive products: simple recipes for home care will help improve your hair health and make it strong. Masks with olive oil are the best thing that can be offered to weakened and brittle hair. Thanks to olive oil, hair becomes shiny and elastic. In addition, olive oil cares for the scalp, saturating it with nutrients, due to which dandruff disappears.
The simplest option for hair care using olive oil: apply it 1-2 times a week to the scalp, massage thoroughly, put on a cap and leave overnight, rinse with shampoo in the morning.
Home hair care and heat protection
Good hairdressers use a heat protectant on your hair before heat styling. Home hair care can also include this step if you take care of your strands by blow-drying them, straightening them, or curling them with heat tools. For example, you can use the heat protectant from this video:
By the way, even more ideas for simple and effective styling can be found on the ATH YouTube channel.
Nutrition as a factor in hair care
Nutrition also affects the condition of your hair. It should be varied, since hair roots need sufficient nutrients. An abundance of vegetables and fruits is ideal.
Protein is also important: yogurt, cottage cheese, fish and meat. Meat provides the body with iron, a lack of which causes hair to become weak and fall out. Zinc is another essential element; it is found in bran, seeds, meat, liver, river fish, milk and other products.
The enemy of healthy hair is alcohol. It destroys the liver, which leads to hair loss.
Therefore, the key principles of hair care are:
• ensuring complete blood microcirculation, blood flow to the hair follicles, so they will be better nourished; • cuticle restoration; • restoration of normal functions of the sebaceous glands.
Each of these stages requires full care and attention.
Additional hair care at home
It is difficult to imagine complete home hair care without auxiliary leave-in products. For example, these are serums, creams, primers, sprays, and products for split ends. They are easy to use, and at the same time, they give your hair more care.
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Key rules for hair care
It is important to know how to care for your hair correctly. To ensure complete and competent care, trichologists recommend choosing products that contain natural ingredients. Therefore, it is best to prepare masks and rinses yourself. If you prefer store-bought care products, be sure to pay close attention to the composition and expiration dates.₽
It is best to select store-bought products from one manufacturer; it is also important to select them for a specific hair type. If you can’t choose the right products on your own, it’s better to contact a specialist who can tell you how to care for your hair.
How to care for different hair types
When caring, it is important to consider your hair type. Oily hair quickly becomes dirty, dandruff and hair loss often appear.
To improve their condition it is recommended:
• use warm, not hot water to wash your hair, without massaging your head, so as not to provoke increased production of sebum;
• select shampoos based on seaweed, sage and nettle extracts;
• make masks based on yogurt, aloe juice, essential oils and blue clay.
Dry hair is usually dull, easily damaged when combing, tangled, and split ends. The main task of care is intensive hydration and nutrition. Frequent washing is not recommended. Shampoo must be selected based on nutritional components, provitamin B5 and lecithin.
Dry hair type
Owners of this type of hair are characterized by dry and brittle strands along the entire length. It is very difficult to overcome excessive dryness, and nourishing balms and moisturizing masks based on coconut, burdock and castor oils are useful for this.
In addition to applying conditioner after washing your hair, you should not forget about masks that can be applied to your hair immediately after cleansing. Immediately after washing, you should not rub your hair roughly; just gently squeeze out the excess liquid and apply a moisturizer. After the hair has dried on its own, you need to carefully comb it and give it the desired shape.
Rules for caring for hair types
• use softened water to wash your hair; • use a hair dryer as little as possible; • to comb strands, purchase a wooden comb; • perform a head massage to stimulate blood microcirculation and nourish the hair follicles.
The combined type is most often found in women with long hair. The roots are usually oily and the ends are dry and brittle. Therefore, care should also be combined: • apply masks to the roots, which will prevent increased formation of sebum; • apply nourishing and moisturizing masks and balms to the ends.
Curly hair is usually thin. It is better to avoid using a hair dryer for drying. To make hair thicker, it is recommended to choose oil masks and henna. It is also important to know how to care for your hair if it is colored.
Colored hair needs intensive nutrition and hydration. Washing your hair should not be frequent; use soft, warm water. It is recommended to make masks based on cosmetic oils.
Scalp care
It would seem that there is nothing new to hear about home skin and hair care? Everything is already known. But you are wrong! There are a lot of nuances that many people know about, but “safely” forget to do. Let's list simple but very effective actions that work for the benefit of beauty and health of hair, which everyone seems to know about, but few people do.
2.1. Head massage
When applying balm, mask or shampoo, do not forget to massage your head. A good way to stimulate the growth of hair follicles is to massage the scalp for 3-5 minutes using circular movements of the fingers.
And another great trick: with tension, clasp your head with your fingers and move the scalp, first towards the parting, then away from it. 2-3 minutes are enough, and you will feel how your hair is filled with vital energy, and if you had a headache before, it usually goes away.
2.2. Hair cosmetics
Do not neglect cosmetic products for the scalp: oils, rinses, masks, etc. Actively use homemade masks based on herbs, medicinal oils, fruits - there are plenty of recipes on the Internet. We all know about the benefits of this action, but how many people use it in practice?
Wash your hair correctly
Hair care begins with washing your hair. You need to wash your hair as often as necessary. Otherwise, pollution and excess sebum will clog the pores, and oxygen will not flow to the hair follicles. If your skin is oily and the production of sebum is increased, you can use the products frequently.
There are rules to follow when washing your hair:
1. Before the procedure, it is necessary to comb your hair, this will prevent it from tangling during manipulations. 2. The use of hard water is undesirable, so it is recommended to soften it first. To do this, add three drops of ammonia or a teaspoon of baking soda to the water for washing your hair. 3. It is not recommended to wash your hair with too hot water, as this will only increase the production of sebum. To rinse at the end of washing, use water at room temperature. 4. Don't go to bed with freshly washed hair. Otherwise, they will become very tangled, and combing such curls can damage the cuticle. 5. Do not comb wet hair. Wait, let them dry a little.
Please note that if after washing your hair becomes electrified and dull, this shampoo is not suitable for you. For those who prefer to use folk remedies for washing, you can choose: egg yolks, honey and rye bread. You can also add essential oils to your favorite shampoo: jojoba, rosemary, cedar or rose oil.
Hair types
Determining the type is quite easy - every woman is able to do it on her own. It is usually set genetically. But it can change throughout life under the influence of external and internal factors.
- Dry. This hair usually lacks a healthy shine, is inelastic, is very difficult to comb and is almost impossible to style. They often have split ends and break at the roots. After washing, they may resemble a washcloth.
- Fat. The complete opposite of the first type. They quickly become greasy and can look untidy within a few hours after washing. If you run a napkin over them in the evening, an oily residue remains on it. The hair structure is dense, but it quickly loses volume and does not hold its hairstyle.
- Combined. Hair often becomes like this as a result of improper care. At the base and in the upper third they are oily, but the lower part is overdried, the ends are split, and are very flaky. Caring for such hair is the most difficult, as you have to combine several different products.
- Normal. Their owners are very lucky. The hair is shiny, smooth, elastic, easy to comb and style, does not break along the length and does not split at the ends. But they also need proper care to remain in the same condition.
For normal hair, products that smooth keratin scales and restore the upper protective layer of hair are sufficient. For dry and damaged ones, we need those that can penetrate deeply and rebuild their structure from the inside. For fatty women, it is also important to regulate the activity of the sebaceous glands and remove excess sebum.
We use balms and rinses correctly
After you have washed your hair with shampoo, it is recommended to apply conditioner. This product should also be selected according to your hair type. Thanks to it, your hair will be smooth, nourished with beneficial substances, and combing and styling will be easy.
Rules for using the balm:
• it must be suitable for a specific hair type; • do not apply the balm to the roots; it is distributed along the length of the hair; • before applying, lightly dry your hair by blotting it with a towel, so the product will be better absorbed.
The final stage of care is the use of rinse aid. It doesn't need to be washed off. You can use purchased products, or you can use decoctions based on medicinal herbs: chamomile, nettle, burdock root, hop cones, St. John's wort. Pre-brew a collection of herbs or a separately selected plant in boiling water. Strain and use cool. Another effective rinse is lemon juice. With its help, hair becomes shiny and moisturized. Simply dissolve freshly squeezed lemon juice in a liter of water and use as a rinse.
Stages of care
The main principles of quality care for the face, body and hair are regularity, correctness and consistency. If you go only once every 2-3 months, even for the most expensive salon procedures, but the rest of the time you let everything take its course and treat your curls inattentively - the effect will not last long. There will be no results when hair cosmetics are selected or used incorrectly. And, of course, the basis for everything is the built system, the sequence of procedures.
The main stages of hair care are:
- Cleansing. This is a hair wash, the main purpose of which is to remove excess fat, microparticles of dust and dirt, and dead skin cells from the skin and hair. To do this, use shampoo: regular or deep cleaning, which performs the functions of light peeling. It must be selected according to your hair type.
- Conditioning or softening. The higher the detergent properties of the shampoo, the more surfactants it contains and the more they dry out the hair and skin. It often happens that your hair simply cannot be combed, and your head begins to itch. A balm or conditioner helps neutralize the aggressive effects of alkali and soften curls and skin. It is applied to damp hair after washing and left for 1-2 minutes, and then rinsed thoroughly with water. But there are also leave-in products.
- Nutrition and/or recovery. Even completely healthy hair needs it, and problematic hair even more so. They are the ones they focus on when choosing funds. Usually these are masks or oil compresses (for very dry hair). For medicinal purposes they are done 2-3 times a week, for prevention - 3-4 times a month.
- Protection. But even strong, healthy hair can be destroyed by the negative effects of the environment. Hot styling, regular blow-drying, styling products, ultraviolet light - all this literally “kills” them every day. By correctly selecting and using protective products or making masks with protective properties, you can prevent the deterioration of the strands.
It is important to understand that overloading your hair is just as harmful as not paying enough attention to it. So, do not apply conditioner if you plan to make a mask. Additional protective equipment must be used before going out into the sun or heat styling. And all cosmetics used must be suitable for the type.
Using masks
To nourish and moisturize the scalp, smooth hair, and get rid of dandruff, it is recommended to apply masks twice a week. You can use store-bought products, or you can prepare them yourself. According to reviews, self-prepared masks are much more effective than store-bought products.
Using simple ingredients you can make masks for beautiful hair:
1. Thanks to a mask based on nicotinic acid, tincture of red pepper, and onion, you can increase blood flow to the hair follicles. This way nutrients will penetrate to the roots much faster, and hair will grow better. 2. Masks often contain oils. The most popular are olive, castor and burdock oil. They are recommended to be combined with peach and apricot oil. 3. Half an hour before washing your hair, you can apply warm kefir to your hair, rubbing it into the skin. It has a positive effect on the skin, helps fight dandruff, and makes hair soft. 4. Rub castor and burdock oil into the skin every day for a month. With their help, hair is intensively nourished, they stimulate growth and activate hair follicles. Keep this mask for no more than one hour, then wash off the oil with warm water. It is best to undergo treatment with masks in courses lasting at least two months.
Three important conditions for hair care:
- hair washing;
- hair rinsing;
- hair nutrition (special masks, oils, balms).
Wash your hair correctly.
Here are the basic rules for proper hair washing:
If you are a fan of using the same shampoo constantly, you need to know that the shampoo should be changed at least twice a year. Wash your hair as it "asks" for it. For each hair type there are recommendations on this matter.
How often should you wash your hair?
Normal hair. It is recommended to wash them every seven to ten days. It would be good to add lemon juice or 1 tablespoon of vinegar per liter to the water. Dry hair. They usually do not require frequent washing. As for short ones, once every ten days will be enough. And long ones will need washing every couple of weeks. Try to always use soft water. Let it also be cool. After washing, start rinsing. Do this with herbal infusions and decoctions that will help reduce dry skin and add shine and silkiness to your hair. Washing products should also be soft and contain nutrients (lanolin, vegetable oils, silk proteins, egg lecithin). And if you remember your grandmother’s recipes, you can use some natural remedy - kefir, whipped egg yolk, soaked rye bread, whey or yogurt. Greasy hair. Wash them once every four to five days. Water 35-40°C, but it can also be cool. Hot water will make your hair oily even faster, and it will only intensify the work of your sebaceous glands. Rinsing only requires cool water to tighten the pores.
Let's start rinsing...
It goes without saying that immediately after washing, your hair should be rinsed. Rinsing with beer, decoctions of nettle, oak bark, chamomile, tea and other herbs helps them become healthier, lush and shiny. If your hair is oily, the following are perfect for them: plantain decoction, yarrow infusion, mint, string, calendula, chamomile, oak bark - these herbs contain astringents. They narrow pores and inhibit the activity of the sebaceous glands. Rinsing with a decoction of burdock roots (burdock, burdock, turnip) will help strengthen your hair. Burdock, of course, is a weed, but you can’t imagine a better “hair healer”. It perfectly strengthens hair. Its roots contain tannins and proteins, resins, essential oils, phytosterols, flavonoids, bitterness, inulin polysaccharide, organic acids, vitamin C and carotene. You can prepare the roots yourself in April-May or September-October. Rinse the dug up rhizomes well to remove any remaining soil, cut into 1-2 cm pieces and dry. The decoction should be prepared in this way: place a bowl with 1 liter of water in a water bath, then add 3 tablespoons of dried roots. Leave on for 30 minutes, then remove and let sit for 10 minutes. Then you need to strain the broth and that’s it, you can rinse your hair. All herbal infusions used should always be warm. Be it medicinal herbs for rinsing or rubbing. They cannot be stored for more than a day. Ideally, of course, they should be fresh. After such procedures, excess moisture is removed from the hair and a terry towel is wrapped around the head (for 1 hour). Therapeutic procedures should be carried out in courses of 1-1.5 months, after which the set of herbs should be changed, as addiction may occur. Effective nutrition for hair. Balms, oils, masks. Hair needs constant saturation, especially after coloring, perm and other procedures that are very harmful to hair. Home care for damaged hair should contain cosmetics, both store-bought and those made by you according to folk recipes. Basic hair care products: balms, masks and oils. They differ in their effects and uses.
Vitamin compositions for hair
An important aspect in proper hair care are vitamin cocktails. With the help of vitamins A and E, you can nourish the skin and hair, smooth the cuticle, and give your hair strength and shine. Thanks to B vitamins, you can activate hair growth, strengthen it, and prevent hair loss. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, which stops the aging process of hair and prevents fungal diseases. Since the diet does not always contain the required amount of vitamin substances, you can consult a doctor about taking multivitamin complexes. You can also make masks based on vitamins by purchasing ampoules with vitamins A, E, C, and B at the pharmacy.
Home hair care: scalp massage
Massaging the scalp helps stimulate hair growth and normalize blood circulation. Many salons offer this service, but you can massage your scalp yourself. For example, spend a few minutes every day on this. It is better to do a light massage in a circular motion so as not to injure the skin and hair roots.
Combing is also a kind of scalp massage. In addition, it allows you to distribute sebum from the roots to the ends of the hair, helping the strands become more manageable and shiny. The main thing is to learn how to comb your hair correctly. Also see how to choose the right comb or brush.
Combing is an important step in home hair care. Credit: Rex by Shutterstock
Proper drying and styling
Everyone knows that high temperatures negatively affect the condition of hair. Even ultraviolet rays cause harm, not to mention a hair dryer or curling iron. If you cannot do without using a hair dryer, be sure to apply a product that has heat-protective properties to your hair before using it. Such products usually leave behind an invisible film on each hair, thus protecting against overdrying.
If you use gel, mousse, foam or varnish for styling, you must wash them off in the evening. Otherwise, you will wake up in the morning with unkempt and dull locks. If you were unable to wash your hair in the evening, try to comb out any remaining styling products with a comb.
Choose the right comb. It is best to purchase a wooden comb, which will not electrify your hair; such a comb will not injure the delicate scalp. Before combing, you can apply a few drops of grapefruit, lemon or eucalyptus essential oil to the comb. Such oils will strengthen the hair follicles and improve the appearance of the hair.
Comb your curls, starting from the ends, smoothly moving up. If there are tangled strands, it is better to carefully straighten them with your hands, only then use a comb.
