We all long for beautiful, healthy looking hair. (You know, the kind that would make even the biggest celebrity jealous!) Unfortunately, many of us make mistake after mistake – without even knowing it! It’s true…simple daily choices may be causing tons of unnecessary damage to your hair.
To get the look you’ve always dreamed of, start with a little hair 101. You’ll find out how you may be damaging your hair and how you can avoid it in the future. A few simple changes will give you all the shine, life, and volume you need.
1) Using Heat Styling Tools…All The Time
Flat irons, curling irons, blow dryers. What do they have in common? In a few short minutes they can take your hair from flat to fabulous. Think about it: you jump out of the shower and the first thing you do is reach for your blow dryer…and then your curling iron. We rely on these heat styling tools day after day.
While these tools are without a doubt convenient, they may also be damaging your hair. Most heat styling tools get pretty hot. (They need to in order to do their job!) This can be problematic since too much heat will remove the natural moisture from your hair. That in turn causes your hair to dry out and snap, giving you flyaways and dull, lifeless hair. Not a good look!
To avoid this problem, make sure your heat styling tools aren’t turned up all the way. Set them to a medium heat setting and no higher. You may also want to use heat tools sparingly, like every couple of days rather than every single day. It is also a good idea to spray a heat protectant like the CHI Silk Infusion onto your hair before you do anything for added protection.
2) Avoiding The Salon
When money is tight, it can be pretty tempting to ditch the salon and just “grow out your hair.” (Come on, be honest, we’ve all done it!) The bad news? Going too long between haircuts can actually cause a lot of damage. So, those split ends you’ve been ignoring will get worse over time. That means that small split ends turn into really big split ends…which then turns into weak and thin hair.
The solution? Get yourself to a hairdressers when you need it. Some say every six weeks, but it all depends on what you need. On average, you want to get ½ an inch cut off the ends of your hair every month. If you are trying to grow your hair longer, you can push it to every other month but no longer. Waiting any longer will cause dead ends and weak hair, so stay on top of it!
3) Shampooing Your Hair Too Much
Washing your hair is definitely a good thing. It gets rid of oily locks and keeps it looking healthy. Washing your hair too much, though? Not a good thing. Yes, the first surprising way you may be damaging your hair is by shampooing it too much. When you wash your hair every single day or even twice a day, your hair can become dry and damaged. How does it happen? All of that shampoo strips your hair of important natural oils, like sebum.
If you want to keep your hair clean without drying out your scalp, wash your hair every other day instead of every day. This will prevent getting a flakes and make your hair look healthier. In between washing, try a dry shampoo to get rid of any excess oil. Can’t imagine going a day without washing your hair? Then be sure you’re using a lightweight, gentle shampoo. Go for Joico Daily Care Balancing Shampoo, as it has milder detergents than the average shampoo does.
4) Using a Ton of Hair Products
Are you a product junkie? There is one easy way to find out: Take a look at your bathroom counter. Is it jam packed with a strong hold hairspray, volumizing hairspray, a lightweight hairspray, curl boosting mousse, a volumizing mousse, and 4 different kinds of gels? Then you are definitely an addict. It’s okay – a lot of us are!
There are tons of different hair care products out there that do great things for your hair. When you use too many of them at one time, though, it can damage your locks. How? It causes a build-up of products that will make your hair look greasy even after you’ve washed your hair. Plus, too many products at one time can strip your hair of those essential natural oils.
The trick to avoid damaging your hair is to remember that less is more. (This is especially true if your hair is on the thin side. Thicker hair can get away with using a little bit more product, but you still need to be careful.) Whether you are using a frizz serum or some mousse, start small. Add a tiny bit of product and use more only if you find you actually need it.
Are you ready to improve the look and feel of your hair? Then take a minute to think about the ways you may be damaging it. Once you know how and why it happens, you can prevent causing further damage in the future. Beautiful healthy hair is within your reach!
