Why Hair Care Is Important?

Whether you’re searching for a boost of self-confidence or simply want to maintain full-body health, having a great hair care routine is essential. Regular hair care can lead to healthier hair that is fuller, stronger, and shinier. Establishing a normal maintenance routine, in addition to some periodic care supplementation, can lead to a healthy head of hair and even reduce the appearance of hair loss.

Understanding Your Hair Type

The first step to establishing a healthy hair care routine is to understand your specific hair type. Different hair textures and densities require slightly different care and products. By understanding your unique hair, you can custom-create a hair care routine that works best for you. Some hair properties to consider include the following.

Texture

The texture of your hair may be the easiest to understand. How does your hair naturally dry? Is it curly or straight? Wavy or coiled? Determining your hair texture will be a significant first step to creating the optimal hair care routine.

Elasticity

Determining how much stretch your hair has will help you pick better styling products. Hair strands with more stretch, or higher elasticity, tend to need less product and are often connected with thicker hair. Low elasticity will require more styling products and generally is related to fine or thin hair.

Density

The density of your entire head of hair can also be described as the thickness of your hair. If you pull a section of hair to the side and can easily see your scalp, you may have low density or thin hair. If seeing your scalp is difficult, or if you have a massive wad of hair in your hand, you may have very dense or thick hair.

Thickness

Although overall hair density, meaning how many individual hairs you have, is important, you should also consider how dense each strand of hair is. A great, simple test is to hold a single strand of hair between your fingers. How thick does the hair feel? If you can barely feel the strand of hair, chances are you have a fine or thin hair diameter. If you feel the hair pretty easily, this indicates you have thick or coarse hair.

Basics for Healthy Hair

It’s important to follow a basic hair care routine to keep hair healthy. Mastering the basics is the first step to achieving beautiful, shiny, healthy hair. At a minimum, consider how these basic hair care steps fall into your daily routine.

• Cleaning: Using a shampoo to clean your hair and scalp is essential. You’ll want to remove dead skin cells from your head without stripping the individual strands of hair of their natural oil. Be sure to find a shampoo that matches your particular hair type.
• Conditioning: An essential step after a good cleanse is conditioning. Think of conditioner as a moisturizer for your hair which can help eliminate frizz, boost shininess, and detangle unruly snarls.
• Sealing: Sealing the individual strands of hair is a process that can help protect and prevent dry ends. A suitable sealing oil or hydrating product can be necessary, especially for people with ultra-curly hair.
• Protection: Protecting your hair during daily styling can help keep your hair looking healthy and strong for longer. There are several products available to help protect your hair from heat damage. These products can be a lifesaver if you use a straightener or curling iron in your daily routine.

How to Keep Your Hair Healthy Long-Term

Daily routines are essential in order to keep your hair healthy and strong, but there are also steps that you can take for long-term healthy hair. These treatments and good practices can be put in place for just about any hair type and can promote healthy hair growth. For long-term healthy hair, it’s a good idea to:

• Get haircuts and trims often to keep ends healthy and to better distribute vitamins and nutrients throughout your hair.
• Use oil on your hair once a week to hydrate it.
• Don’t tie hair with tough elastics frequently. The elastics can cause the hair to break and can eventually lead to hair loss.
• Protect your hair from damaging sun by wearing a hat on sunny days.
• Use cold or even lukewarm water to wash your hair.
• Discontinue using overly-hot styling tools, like curling irons and straighteners, that can dry out the hair unnecessarily.

Maintaining healthy hair long-term can prevent hair loss prematurely. In addition to these tips, remember to avoid tight styling that may pull on the hair strands, and remember not to overprocess your hair. Regular products used in hair treatments, like dyes and chemicals, contain caustic materials that could severely damage the hair, especially if used repeatedly.

A hair care routine is essential to having full, healthy, and shiny hair. Maintaining good hair care will not only make your hair look better, but it could also prevent possible infections, greasiness, or even hair loss. Be sure to fully understand your type of hair before implementing routine and long-term hair care practices in the future.