Naturally Healthy Beautiful Hair Tips

Hair can either be a crowning glory or horrifying nightmare.   It comes in an endless combination of textures, lengths, thicknesses, and colors.  There are an equal number of products available on the market to combat any of these features.  Unfortunately, most of these treatments and potions are harmful to our hair, our wallet, and our environment.  There are natural, safe, and effective alternatives that are much cheaper, more eco-friendly, and wonderfully effective. 

The first tip and step to beautiful, natural hair is to completely overhaul the standard beauty routine.  With commercial products, first comes shampoo and its damaging effects.  Then, all of the subsequent products are aimed at reversing this drying, stripping product.  In the new, natural regimen, the procedure is reversed.  Product residue is removed, hair is conditioned, and, lastly, hair is shampooed. 

So, the first step towards beautiful hair is removing product residue.  Before bedtime, massage the scalp and hair roots with a solution of one part distilled white vinegar and one part purified water.  Gently knead the scalp and work the solution through the length of the hair.  If the smell is offensive, rinse hair gently with cool water.  Hair will be noticeably shinier and more polished looking immediately. 

In the morning, comb a tablespoon or two (depending on hair length) of olive oil through the hair and use fingertips to gently massage the scalp, stimulating blood flow and hair growth.  Cover the oiled hair with a shower cap for half an hour.  Use this time to have breakfast, shave, etc.  The oil needs time to penetrate and moisturize the hair shaft.  Fortunately, this step does not need to be a daily activity if thirty minutes is too time consuming.  Instead, perform this step every few days or as needed. 

After thirty minutes, it is now time for shampoo.  Natural and environmentally friendly shampoo is effective and gentle, but it does not look or feel like standard shampoos.  Combine one tablespoon baking soda with two tablespoons purified water.  Massage the paste into the hair, working it through the length gently.  Do not tug or pull on the hair unnecessarily.  This shampoo will not lather like store-brands, which contain harmful detergents, but it will cleanse the hair and scalp.  The lack of bubbles and lather may be off-putting initially, but with regular use will seem normal and familiar.  Once the hair and scalp are thoroughly massaged, rinse well with cool or warm water.  The result will be beautifully clean and wonderfully healthy locks.

Unlike commercial products, these natural alternatives do not harm the environment, damage piping, or encourage algae growth.  There are no environmental repercussions from using these homemade treatments.  Furthermore, they cut down on unnecessary shipping and packaging, reducing the overall carbon footprint.  All of these products are 100% vegan, eco-friendly, inexpensive, and guaranteed to give you healthy, beautiful, glistening hair. 

The Four Rules of Hair Care

Hair, nails and teeth are the only parts of your body that can't repair themselves once damage has occurred. You can wait for new, healthier hair to grow, but if you carry on damaging it there will be no improvement at all.

Luckily, hair grows relatively fast and shine is easy to achieve within a couple of weeks. What you need to do to get healthier hair, however, comes from a number of different angles. There's no 'quick-fix' for getting great looking hair. Firstly, you need to find shampoo and conditioner to suit your hair type, and if you wash it every day then stop. Cut down hair washing as much as possible (once every three days is best) and use dry shampoo in between to stop it looking greasy. Talcum powder is a good dry shampoo: shake a bit into your hair and leave for one minute before brushing or patting it out. Colored hair, or hair that's regularly styled screams out for relevant hair products, and if you want to combat frizz and dryness you absolutely must use a heat protecting spray beforehand.

Secondly, you need to remember that hair is produced by your body, so what goes into your body will determine the quality of new growth. Drink eight glasses of water and make sure you get your five fruit and veg every day. It's simple! Smoking and not protecting your hair when you go out in strong sunlight will damage your hair too.

The third rule is a hard habit to break if you've been doing it a while: stop brushing your hair when it's wet. The only time you can brush your hair when it's wet is when it's saturated with conditioner and you use a 'shower comb' (a very wide and blunt toothed plastic comb). If you come across tangles with this comb, apply more conditioner and tease out gently with your fingers. Amazingly, people can tease out 15 inch dreadlocks with lots of conditioner and a wide toothed comb in under two days, and they're made of tangles!

Lastly, there are styling products you can use on your hair to keep it protected and looking healthy, but these depend on your hair type. Curly hair benefits from leave-in conditioner followed by styling mousse (both applied when hair is wet) to first coat the hair and then keep the ringlets from drying outside of their defined shape. Straight hair, however, benefits from a couple of pumps of serum, smoothed onto the hair and combed through. Watch out though; too much will make it look greasy.

There is nothing that you should cut out from your hair care routine to get rid of frizz and dryness, but do remember: everything in moderation (hair cuts every 4 to 6 months, washing 2 to 3 times a week, blow drying and styling as little as possible).