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Proper hair care will lead to healthier and better looking hair. Bad hair care tactics or not taking care of your hair can lead to breakage, fly aways, frizzies, split ends, dull hair, and early hair loss.
Hair Care Tips
The following are some basic hair care tips that you can use to improve the health and look of your hair.
General info about hair
- A healthy lifestyle will mean healthier hair for you. Excessive stress, smoking, not exercising and not eating nutritiously are not healthy for your hair.
- Get enough sleep.
Hair Products (Gel, mouse, hair spray...)
- Avoid using hair styling products with alcohol which dries out hair.
- Avoid putting hair styling products directly on your scalp, if you put it on your scalp you'll clog the pores on your head.
Swimming and hair
- Before entering a pool, wet your hair so your hair will soak up the initial water instead of the chlorinated water.
- When swimming wear a cap to protect your hair from chlorinated water, if you choose not to wear a cap make sure you shampoo and condition your hair right after you are done swimming.
Drying hair
- Hot air can be damaging to your hair so when using a hair dryer use the cool setting.
- Don't leave the blow-dryer in one spot for more than a few seconds, keep it moving and at a good distance away from your hair.
- To speed up the drying process, pat your hair dry with a towell and let the remaining moisture in your hair dry naturally.
- Gently use your fingers or a pick to untangle any knots while your hair is drying.
Combing/Brushing hair
- Use a brush whose bristles are made from natural animal hairs, it is softer and more flexible which means less damage will be done to your hair.
- Hair is most fragile when it is wet so avoid brushing or combing when it's wet, or else it will cause breakage, wait until your hair is almost completely dry before brushing it.
- Use brushes/combs with widely spaced bristles/teeth and smooth tips. Sharp tooth combs can damage your hair, cause split ends, and scratch your scalp.
- To keep your brushes and combs clean, wash them weekly using soap or shampoo.
- Comb your hair to remove any tangles before brushing it.
- Begin by combing your hair gently at the ends to get any tangles out and work your way up to the base of your hair.
- Always brush/comb with a downwards stroke.
- Avoid using plastic brushes/combs which create static electricity
Shampooing and Conditioning hair
- Buy shampoos & conditioners that match your hair type, trial and error is the best way to find out what specific hair product is best for your hair.
- Shower with warm water, hot water can dry and/or irritate the scalp.
It is important to wash your hair, shampooing removes dirt, dead skin cells, hair oils, any hair products you may put into your hair.
- When shampooing, rinse your hair out before applying any shampoo to remove any dust, dirt, and any other foreign items, then apply the shampoo onto your scalp and massage it gently with your finger tips and work your way outwards. After you are done make sure that you thoroughly rinse out your hair to remove any shampoo residue that may be left. Shampoo residue may dry your scalp/hair and or attract dirt. It is recommended that you only lather once to avoid drying your hair out, if you have oily hair, lathering again may stimulate your oil glands to create even more oil than normal.
- You should wash your hair as often as you feel necessary to keep it clean, but a general rule is for oily hair you should wash it every day or every other day and for dry hair only wash it 2-3 times a week.
- Try rotating the shampoo and conditioner periodically, your hair responds differently to different products.
- Use a conditioner after shampooing, it'll moisturize your hair, give it extra protection, add shine, reduce static, and makes it easier to untangle.
- Use a leave in conditioner, it'll hydrate and protect your hair. A leave in conditioner on your hair is the equivalent of moisturizer on your face.
- When conditioning your hair, try to spread conditioner evenly through out your hair and leave it in for a couple of minutes before rinsing out your hair.
- Put the conditioner in at about an inch away from the scalp, the roots of your hair contain the most oils and usually don't need the extra conditioning.
- Be gentle when shampooing and conditioning, don't use excessive force rubbing your hair, remember hair is most vunerable when wet.
Choosing Your Hair Style
Face shape, curl (straight, wavy, curly, kinky), texture (fine, medium, thick) and the volume of your hair are the deciding elements in choosing your best hair style. However, with today’s hair styling techniques you can change almost any aspect of your hair, so the most important consideration is your face shape. Determining Your Face Shape
Put long hair into a pony tail; wet and slick back short hair. Using a bar of soap, a water soluble marker, or a crayon, look into a mirror and trace the outline of your face. Follow your hairline and trace starting with the center of your forehead to temple, jawbone, chin, jawbone, temple, and back to forehead. Stand to one side and look at your outline. It should resemble one of seven shapes. Oval, Triangle. Square, Round, Heart, Oblong, Diamond.
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Oval: Sometimes called the “perfect” face shape, the balance of the oval allows you to wear almost any hair style you choose. However, don’t cramp your style with heavy bangs or forward directed hair styling that masks your lovely cheekbones or features.
Triangular: If you have a cleft in your chin, your face shape is the exact opposite of the heart shaped face. Short cuts will help balance your dominant jaw line and you are a great candidate for today’s wedges, shags, and other styles that feature fullness at the temples.
Square: Soften the angles with short, wispy bangs and soft tendrils along the sides of your face. Naturally curly hair is an ideal accent for a square face. If you don’t have it, consider a perm or body wave. Add extra dimension to your style by layering in extra height at your crown and wearing an off-set part.
Round: Lengthen you face to get the appearance of an oval by adding some height at your crown. Keep hair swept back to show your features to their best advantage. Wear off centered parts to draw attention away from the symmetry of your face. Wear either short or long hair styles, but stay away from the medium. Keep hair either above or below your chin line.
Heart: Chin length (or longer) hair styling looks great on the heart-shaped face, adding fullness and volume where you need it. You’re also a candidate for styles that feature wispy bangs, layered at the sides to sweep forward, accenting your eyes and stunning cheekbones.
Rectangular or oblong: Try short to medium length hair styles with extra fullness at the sides. Use wispy bangs and romantic tendrils to soften the angles. Layers also add softness and roundness to straight lines. Too long hair, high hair, and center parts will serve to lengthen your face. Keep your hair above shoulder length and work to add volume at the sides of your hair style.
Diamond: Your face is almost an oval, but a bit more angular, which gives you a dramatic look that allows you to try many different hair styles. Leave weight at the nape of your neck to add weight to a narrow chin and do keep the hair out of your face to keep from hiding your great bone structure!
from Hair Styling Guide.com
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