Healthy hair essentials: How to build your haircare arsenal

A lot of focus in the beauty sphere is put on taking care of your skin, however it’s important to focus just as much on your hair. Your hair is your crowning glory, and a good hair day always makes you feel better right? Healthy hair means less breakage, more shine and a healthy scalp. So how do you achieve the healthy glossy hair you dream of? Read on to discover how to build your haircare arsenal for stunning results.

Look for key ingredients

When you’re shopping for haircare products, it’s important to look for key ingredients that help take care of your locks. Keep the products you use as natural as possible as synthetic products can often irritate your scalp. Here’s some of the best ingredients to look for:

• Coconut oil– smoothes hair and adds shine.

• Keratin- Keratin is a fantastic ingredient as it helps prevent breakage, heat damage and frizz. Hydration and repair products like HYDR-8 contain Karmatin which is a vegan alternative keratin product. The product adds 15x hydration 3x stronger strands for smoother, shinier less frizzy hair.

• Shea butter- Shea butter can tame your hair and add hydration.

• Jojoba oil- Jojoba oil can be used on your scalp to treat dandruff or on the ends of your hair to repair split ends.

• Avocado oil- Avocado oil is packed full of vitamins like vitamin A, D and E to add shine and over time help your hair to grow. Why not create your own DIY hair mask with avocado oil?

• Peppermint oil- Peppermint oil is great for reducing hair loss.

• Honey- Honey can help restore dry, frizzy hair back to its former glory. Say hello to shiny, glossy hair.

• Argan oil- So many haircare products contain Argan oil and there’s a good reason for that. It contains antioxidants to strengthen hair follicles and help hair to grow.

• Aloe Vera- Aloe vera isn’t just good for sunburn, it’s a great all rounder that can help treat a sore scalp and stop hair loss.

Eat a balanced diet

Eating a balanced diet will help prevent hair loss, encourage your hair to grow and keep your hair strong and shiny. Ensure you have a good mix of meat and vegetables, and if you’re vegetarian/ vegan ensure the products you buy have the protein you need. Look for foods that contain vital vitamins and omega oil. Foods to include in your diet include:

• Vitamin B12- Fish and red meat, poultry eggs and milk are a great source of B12.

• Vitamin D- Salmon, swordfish, tuna, orange juice, milk, sardines and beef liver are a good source of Vitamin D.

• Omega 3 fatty acids– Fish and other sea food (salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring etc), nuts and seeds and plant oils. If you don’t eat many of these foods you can also try omega-3 oil supplements as an alternative.

• Iron- Liver, red meat, beans (red kidney beans, chick peas etc), nuts, dried apricots, fortified breakfast cereals and soy bean flour.

• Biotin- Eggs, fish, meat, seeds and sweet potatoes are a good source of biotin.

• Zinc- You can find plentiful sources of zinc in oysters, but you’ll also find it in red meat and poultry.

Keep your stress levels low

High stress levels can have a detrimental effect on your physical and mental well being. Not only can it cause you to feel irritated and snappy, it can also cause high blood pressure, irritated skin and hair issues.

Constantly high stress levels can mean you’re constantly producing cortisol, this can increase your testosterone levels and cause your hair to start thinning. It can also cause greasiness from a overproduction of sebum, as well as an itchy scalp as stress can stop your scalp functioning properly.

Whilst it’s hard to prevent stress if you’re constantly in challenging situations, there are steps you can take to reduce the impact it has on your body. Head over to find out the best strategies to reduce your stress levels.

Never brush your hair when it’s wet

Make sure you remove any tangles or knots before you wash your hair. Once hair is wet it is very fragile and prone to breakage. If you must brush wet hair use a wide tooth comb or wet brush.

Use a hair mask

Hair masks are a great way of restoring elasticity, reinforcing protein and increasing hydration. They work in a similar way to a conditioner, but their potency is intensified by the high levels of oils and antioxidants that hair loves. Benefits of a hair mask include less frizz, a healthier scalp, reduced hair breakage, stronger hair and of course added hydration. Hair masks are pretty thick so you don’t want to use them too often, once or twice a week is sufficient.

Take omega oil

Omega-3 is fantastic for your hair as it can prevent hair follicle inflammation which can lead to hair loss. It’s great as it provides essential proteins and nutrients whilst increasing your circulation to your scalp which encourages hair growth.

Avoid super hot showers

Whilst a boiling hot shower may feel nice, especially on a cold day, your hair is not a fan. Extremely hot water can damage your hair follicles which can lead to hair damage and subsequently hair loss. Try to use warm water on your hair, and if you’re brave enough finish with a stream of cold water to seal the hair follicles.

Protect your hair from the sun

You’d protect your skin when going out in the sun right? So what about your hair? Your hair and scalp are just as important as your skin, and can be just as easily affected by sun damage. Damaging UV rays can hit the hair follicles, causing damage to the structure and colour of your hair. UV rays can also cause your scalp to burn which could lead to skin cancer if affected on a regular basis. To avoid this you can use a hat, hair powder, spray or a cream.

Take care of your scalp

Taking care of your scalp means you’re effectively taking care of your hair. A healthy scalp means your hair follicles will stay healthy and will avoid any unwanted hair loss. Ways to keep your scalp healthy include:

• Make sure you use products right for you, for example if you have a lot of dandruff, try to use products to treat this rather then products for normal hair.

• As stated above it’s important to avoid too much time in the sun, especially if your hair and scalp do not have any SPF protection.

• Use scalp treatments designed for scalp care.

• Stimulate your scalp to increase the blood circulation. Increased blood flow to your scalp will provide your hair follicles with more nutrients and encourage more growth.

Avoid using heated appliances too much

Heated appliances are a great way of getting straight or curly hair, but they come at a price. Intense heat can cause dryness, brittle hair and split ends. Try to limit your use of heated appliances where possible to keep your hair as healthy as possible. You can also use a heat protection spray or cream to create a barrier between your hair and the appliance.

Get regular trims

To help keep your hair looking as healthy as possible you need to get regular trims. By trimming your hair regularly you’re getting rid of all the dead ends which will help your hair to grow longer. You don’t need to cut off much, just one or two inches to encourage growth.

I hope these tips help you build your haircare arsenal, and lead to shinier, bouncier healthy hair.

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