Our hair is very different from our skin, and can’t repair itself the way our skin can.
Simply, our hair is dead, and damage done to it is cumulative. In order to keep the microscopic protective layer (cuticle) healthy, prevention is key so that our hair can look and feel its best!
Here are some tips to nurture your BEST HAIR EVER…
* Brush your hair no more than twice as day WHEN DRY with a soft-bristled brush. (Brush in sections if it’s long and work up from the bottom to prevent stretching your hair.) When your hair is wet, the hydrogen bonds break down, making it susceptible to stretching and breakage. If you must style it when wet, use a wide-tooth comb and tread carefully.
* When drying your hair, don’t tousle, twist, or wring it dry with a towel or your hands. Instead, squeeze out moisture into an absorbent towel. Remember, friction damages the cuticle!
* Handle your hair as little as possible. It feels wonderful to receive a head massage or have a loved one run their fingers through your hair. Enjoy those times, but handling your hair for no (good) reason, just roughens the cuticle.
* If you plan to style your hair after washing it, remove as much moisture as you can before using a hair dryer and/or styling brush. Use a blow dryer, curling iron, hot rollers as infrequently as possible. Before using a flat or curling iron, make sure your hair is 100% DRY!
* Perming and/or coloring causes damage… period. And this damage is cumulative (remember that hair is dead and can’t repair itself they way skin would). Make sure your stylist NEVER double process your hair, such as bleaching the same area on subsequent sessions.
* Use hair care products with a pH between 4 and 6 to preserve the protective acid mantle (created by oil and perspiration) which helps the cuticle lay flat so that it isn’t as susceptible to stretching and breakage. Soap is naturally alkaline, with a pH of at least 9. (BTW, there is no pH neutral soap.) (Even when using a vinegar rinse after using soap as shampoo, hair often looks and feels worse over time due to damage from the repeated swelling (high pH) and shrinking (low pH) of the cuticle.
* Use a vinegar rinse after shampooing to lower the pH of the tap water and tightly smooth the cuticle.
* Use a hat or leave-in conditioner when spending lots of time in intense sun.
* And after reading all those “do nots” and “to-dos,” there’s no need to stress… just do the best you can with the information you have:)
Until next time, all my best,
Karen