In this age of modernity, women—both young and old are being thrown with tons of media messages that convey a sometimes unrealistic and un-attainable idea of what beauty is. And because of this, millions of women are getting lured into altering their hairstyle, their faces and the contours of their bodies in an attempt to somehow conform to these false ideals.
Haircare is an area where women tend to get obsessed with. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of altering a hairstyle by constantly coloring your locks and by using styling products that are riddled with chemicals. If you’re like most women, then chances are you are guilty of some of these also. And as a result, you may now be suffering too from having dry, damaged and weak hair. Wanna know how you can revive the dwindling life of your precious locks? Go on a hair detox and below are ways to do it:
1. Aim for healthier hair.
Okay, so you love your hair—we get it, especially after having it freshly blow-dried, highlighted, and with you working with your most favourite hair products. But the thing is all that fuss you do with your mane may be doing it more harm than good. The truth is, women do a lot to protect their skin, but not enough when it comes to their hair. Remember that too much styling and use of chemically-laden hair products can dull and weaken your hair—and it’s going to be a very vicious cycle. The hair solution: go on an easy detox—do a basic cleanse of your mane, have it treated, steer clear of heat styling, and lastly, avoid using a lot of thick-residue hair products.
2. Wash your scalp.
They say that for healthier hair, one should shampoo it less often. But then again, if you have limp, dull and oily strands, maybe you need to reconsider and wash it every single day. A clean scalp is the key to growing healthy hair strands. And just like the pores in your face, your hair follicles can also become clogged with excess oil, dirt and other product build-ups. To start your washing routine, settle for shampoos that contains selenium sulfide, pyrithione zinc or salicylic acid. And instead of placing a dollop of shampoo into your head, why not start lathering at your nape and then work your way upwards. Normally, hair at the nape tends to be thicker and traps more sweat, ergo it gets to be real oily and is usually the part that needs cleaning the most.
3. Stay off the heat.
Styling your hair with the use of heat may seem innocent enough, but if you’re doing it on a daily basis, then your hair will be in big trouble. Heat weakens and dries out hair which leads to breakage. If you must use heat, employ the use of a thermal protectant and apply it through your hair strands. Keep the heat settings on either low or medium because leaving the settings too high can scorch or even fry your hair. The solution: give your hair a break from all that heat, consider air-drying it while wrapped around self-adhesive rollers. The result: smooth hair that’s got a lot of bounce.
4. Get moisturized.
Parched hair can be replenished by using a pre-shampoo treatment. These products contain a wallop of nourishing oils that provides moisture to your hair’s cuticles making it less vulnerable from snapping and stretching when being washed. Do this treatment at last once a week: massage the treatment product through dry hair, let it stay for 15 minutes, then start shampooing. Find products with containing essential oils such chamomile (to boost shine), geranium (to add more strength), argan (to moisturize) and coconut (to soften hair).
5. Go deep and intense once a week.
Your hair cuticles are made up of keratin—protein cells that protects your strands. Use of heat and other styling products can damage it, ergo, weakening your hair shield. Each week, do an intensive treatment to repair your hair and help it go back to its healthy state.
