How to get healthy hair - the 3 basic principles
How to get healthy hair? An age old question, which we’ve broken down into 3 simple steps.
In an ideal world, your hair would remain as soft, shiny and silky as the day you were born. But in the real world, factors such as hair styling, hair colouring and even just being outdoors can weaken the strands and lead to some kind of hair damage.
But in the real world, factors such as hair styling, hair colouring and even just being outdoors can weaken the strands and lead to some kind of hair damage. That's right, even environmental factors like the wind can inflict wear and tear and mechanical damage to otherwise healthy hair strands.
Thankfully, trichologists (hair scientists) exist and various hair care products have been developed to help us. And more importantly, to help our hair feel better and somewhat restored. The widely acknowledged 'rules' of how to use hair care products are there for a (scientific) reason.
(But as we know, rules are sometimes made to be broken, too. Reverse washing and co-washing being prime examples).
As we also know, hair care products are designed to be applied topically to clean your hair and improve the condition in some way. But what do they actually do?
Here is a simplified run-down of how hair care products work, how they adhere to the three main principles of healthy hair and our top tips for healthy hair.
Our 3 top tips for healthy hair
1. Make sure hair is hydrated
Your hair is made up of 25% water. For it to stay flexible (ie. not brittle and breaking) it needs to have a good level of water molecules inside each strand. Hair strands can become dehydrated, aka dry, when too many water molecules can escape, resulting in hair damage.
Hair can be re-hydrated two ways – by wetting and sealing it (water then oil) or by using hair care products with humectants in. Humectants are clever ingredients that attract water molecules from right out of the air into the hair - aloe vera, glycerine, sorbitol, panthenol. We use them in both our sulphate free shampoos and our range of natural conditioners.
2. Moisturise to prevent dry hair
Moisturising prevents any de-hydration. Conditioners and treatments are great at moisturising. The best conditioners have a combination of humectants, strengthening active ingredients and emollients. Emollients, which include oils, butters and proteins, soften the hair and smooth the cuticle.
3. Seal in moisture with hair oil
Emollients that are hydrophobic (water repellent) will form a fine film over the hair to trap water molecules in and sort of waterproof it. They include oils, lipids and silicones and they sit on top of the hair to seal and protect it.
The best Hairy Jayne hair care products for healthy hair
• For hydrating hair: use any of our sulphate free shampoos (refillable Nourishing Shampoo or Shampoo Bar) or organic flower waters to hydrate
• For moisturising hair: use any of our four conditioners – Light, Cream, Treatment or Conditioner bar to match your hair type
• For sealing hair: our Natural Beauty oil or Hair Perfumes which are both great sealants
In terms of hair washing, we recommend washing with a sulphate free shampoo and conditioner every 2-3 days. This is a very simplified overview however, and is only really a rule of thumb!
Everyone has a unique head of hair, so if you ever need a personal recommendation for which of our products and healthy hair care routine will suit your hair, just drop me a message.
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