The importance of our hair cannot be overemphasized. Whether male or female, your hair is one of the main factors that determine your physical beauty. This is why it is important that your hair is kept beautiful and healthy at all times.
Keeping your hair healthy is not rocket science. With these simple but effective steps your hair is bound to grow healthy and beautiful.
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Eat Healthy
This might seem surprising but it works wonders. Whether or not you eat a lot of processed foods instead of fruits and vegetables goes a long way in determining the texture of your hair. To keep your hair healthy, eat healthy.
Your hair need as much protein as it can get. This is because your hair is made up of keratinized protein. Eat food that will supply your hair the protein it needs. Also, iron is good for your hair. It helps to prevent hair loss.
Fruits and vegetables are a good start. Drink a lot of water. Stay away from processed foods and watch your hair change for the better.
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Wash Your Hair Less Often
It is important to wash your hair. However, washing your hair very often does not help. Washing your hair shouldn’t be a daily routine. This is because there are minerals and proteins that are naturally inbuilt in your hair to keep it healthy.
When you wash daily, you wash away these proteins and give little room for them to work effectively. This is worse for hair that has been chemically treated such as relaxed hair. Washing your hair twice a week should be enough.
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Keep Your Hair Away From Heat
It is important that you protect your hair from heat. This might be quite difficult especially if you live in an extremely sunny area. Instead of exposing your hair to the sun, a scarf or cap should be used as protection.
Also, heated tools such as hair straighteners, curlers and tongs cause damage to your hair. If you like to perm your hair and you love washing and setting, you are doing great harm to your hair. Instead, opt for braids.
After washing your hair, try not to go under that hair dryer if you can help it. Use your towel to absorb moisture from the hair and let fresh air do the rest. If you must use hair dryer, regulate the heat so it doesn’t affect your scalp.
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Use a Good Hair Conditioner
African hair is usually curly and easily tangles. This is why it is necessary that you condition your hair with a good hair conditioner. It is advisable you stay away from two-minutes conditioners.
Deep conditioning is the key. This way, your hair gets the needed moisture and volume to stay healthy. Try to use leave-in conditioners. If that is not available, allow your conditioner to sit in your hair for a few minutes before washing off.
Do not apply conditioner immediately you wash your hair. Towel dry a little. Too much water on your hair reduces the effect of the conditioner on the hair.
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Use a Hair Mask
Just as we use face mask to take care of our skin, a hair mask is used for the same reasons. Before you sleep at night, massage your hair with coconut oil or Shea butter. Leave it throughout the night and wash off in the morning.
This gives the oil enough time to work through every inch of your hair down to the roots. This does not only nourish the hair, it disentangles the curls and leaves your hair soft. Be sure to put a towel over your pillow to prevent oil from dripping on it.
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Use Natural Products
It is no news that natural products are always the better option. This is because they are free from chemicals and other artificial ingredients used for processed products. Instead of constantly buying hair creams. You could go natural.
Coconut oil, Shea butter, Palm kernel oil are good substitutes for hair creams. Mixing them together makes them much more effective.
Instead of buying shampoo, use Black soap. It is natural and would wash your hair clean just as a shampoo would.
Eggs, Honey, Avocado are good substitutes for hair conditioners. They can also be used for deep conditioning.
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Avoid Hot Showers
Heat causes damage to the hair so hot showers should be avoided. Hot water dries out your hair. Using cold water is preferable. If you cannot use water without it being heated, use lukewarm water instead.
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Know Your Hair
Just because somebody uses this product and it works perfectly for him or her doesn’t mean it will work for you. Some hair are extremely curly, some easily get tangled, some are naturally dry while others have a hard texture
Knowing your hair tells you what your hair needs. This serves as a guide whenever you go shopping for hair products. If your hair is relaxed for example, you are not expected to buy natural hair products.
How you take care of your hair determines whether or not your hair stays healthy. Try not to compare your hair with somebody else’s hair. Everyone has their unique hair texture.
Just try out these tips and remember, these are not things you can do for a while and stop. They should be done continuously for as long as you need your hair to stay healthy and beautiful.