Four hair tips that will SAVE your hair!
Pretty much anyone who knows me also knows about my obsession with hair, yes hair, I am obsessed with braiding my hair, taking care of it, you name it! I am proud to say I am pretty much all self-taught except for the help of youtube, which has helped me discover what I love. It’s safe to say that this is what I nerd out on, for instance, whenever I go get my haircut I always ask the hairdresser questions on how to better take care of my hair and how to style it, so in other words, haircut days are the best days. And through youtube, a little research, and books, I have gained a vast knowledge of the world that is hair and how to care for it.
Okay, my first tip would be not to wash your hair every day. Why? In Abby Smith’s Book, she says you shouldn't wash your hair daily because,“ The natural oils in your hair are hydrating and can benefit your hair more than any product” (2014,11). I personally wash my hair about twice a week, and no it’s not disgusting.Well now you might be thinking eww, that’s gross my hair can’t go more than a day, but just try it, you can use products like dry shampoo and even hats will help you! At first try to wash your hair every other day, not going to lie you might be a little greasy at first, but as your hair adapts your hair will start producing less oil and then you can slowly start going more days without washing. I was definitely hesitant at first to try this, afraid of looking gross, but now I really have noticed a change in my hair, my scalp produces less oil and there is less breakage! Overall a win-win!
Next, I want to teach you about how to care for your wet hair. When your hair is wet it is in its most vulnerable state. You may have noticed that when your hair is wet it can look longer, well that's because it is, when your hair is wet it stretches and is very prone to damage, so after showering be careful when drying, trying squeezing it with a towel, Abby Smith mentioned in her book if you want to be even more careful use a t-shirt (2014, 11). Another mistake that is often made is when people brush their wet hair, Please don’t pull a brush through your poor wet hair! I know what people are thinking now if I don’t brush my hair when it's wet it will become a big mess and I won't be able to get a comb through it, ok maybe that's true but here are some ways to avoid that:
Brush your hair free of tangles before you shower this way there is less work to do after.
In Abby Smith’s book, she suggests using a WIDE toothed comb, your fingers or a brush that is made to be gentle on your wet hair (2014, 12).
And if you can avoid it try not to blow dry your hair, let it air dry as much as possible, obviously that's not always an option and you will probably need to blow dry it sometimes so when you do be sure to at least make sure your hair is partially dry and not sopping wet. Next try to use some kind of heat protectant or and oil in your hair ( if you use oils be sure to ONLY put it in your ends NOT your roots!!) to protect your hair from the heat, I personally love to use oils because it makes my hair strong and soft afterward, I use Argan oil from Nume.
Please take these tips into consideration when your hair is wet, this will prevent split ends and increase the strength of your hair!
I also have some tips for those of you who are always at the pool! When I was younger I was on a competitive swim team, I was in the pool about 6 days a week for almost an hour. And for those you that don’t know the chemicals used in the pool are pretty bad for your hair and having lighter hair, the chemicals in the pool actually turned my hair green… yes GREEN. The scientific reasoning for my hair turning green was no the chlorine but the copper in the pool, similar to how the statue of Liberty is green and how old pennies can turn green (Science line). But let me help you avoid this cause who wants green hair for the summer? Not me. My first tip is to wet your hair before you hop into the pool this will prevent your hair from absorbing as much chlorine. If your a swimmer Abby Smith recommends wetting your hair then adding some conditioner and then put on your swim cap, this way your hair doesn't absorb the water and your hair gets a good deep conditioning (2012, 4). And my last tip is is to wash your hair right after swimming, don't let the chlorine sit in your hair for too long. If you are a swimmer who swims constantly then I recommend getting a special shampoo that will get the chlorine out more thoroughly.
Lastly, something I wanted to address is how often you should get your hair trimmed. Obviously, all hair is different but “ On average, hair grows about a half inch per month. Although some hair will grow faster or slower than others'...” (Hayes) My hair grows a little over a half inch a month. But over time the ends of your hair will get damaged and you will need a trim. It's important to get regular trims to keep your hair healthy, if you get your hair trimmed about every 12 weeks you won't need to trim very much each visit and this will help your hair be nice long and healthy, however the longer you go between trims you will have to cut more because if you don't cut the damaged hair it will continue to cause more breakage higher up your hair. So the point of this is even if you want to grow your hair out be sure to trim your hair often.
Overall I know that knowing these makes taking care of your hair a lot more work but I know that doing these on a regular basis will SAVE your hair, it will prevent you from having to cut your hair as often and will help it to be thicker and stronger! Comment below any other hair tips or questions you might have! Happy Braiding!
Works Cited
.Smith, Abby. New Braiding Handbook - 60 Modern Twists on the Classic Hairstyle. Ulysses, 2014. Print
Smith, Abby. The Ultimate Hairstyle Handbook - Everyday Hairstyles for the Everyday Girl. Second Edition, Ulysses, 2012. Print.
Hayes, Miki. “How Often Do You Really Need to Cut Your Hair?” Bustle, Bustle, 20 Mar. 2018, www.bustle.com/articles/56002-how-often-should-you-cut-your-hair-a-handy-set-of-general-guidelines-for-every-single.
“Does Blonde Hair Turn Green in Chlorinated Water Because Chlorine Is Green?” UCSB Science Line, UCSB Science Line, scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=495.