The internet is inundated with advice on how to help your hair become the most beautiful version of itself. Many of these tips are quick fixes for bedhead, dryness and split ends. If you want to wake up with beautiful, healthy hair every day, you’ll have to invest a little more into its care.
Here are 10 unsuspecting ways to get healthier hair.
Take a Personality Test
Like height and eye color, hair type and care needs are unique to each person. Understanding your hair will help you build a routine that fits you perfectly.
Take a test to begin learning more about your hair. You’ll be amazed at the power a little self-knowledge can give you.
Eat Nutritious Food
Good nutrition nourishes your body with essential vitamins, antioxidants, proteins and healthy fats. These nutrients also directly impact hair health.
Nutritious food is delicious and readily available for most of us. Commit to your long-term hair health by giving your body the fuel it needs.
Get More Rest
Rest includes sleep and time to decompress and enjoy what you love. Between work, hobbies and having a social life, many people struggle to find time for resting.
If you want to be good to your hair, start prioritizing rest. Overwork leads to stress, which upsets a healthy hormone balance and disrupts your sleep cycles. Chronic levels of stress lead to hair loss and premature graying.
Change Your Exercise Routine
You might be surprised to learn that the way you exercise can also impact the quality of your hair.
Research suggests that getting your blood moving can improve hair health. Conversely, too much weightlifting increases levels of DHT, a natural chemical in your body connected to hair loss.
Create balanced exercise habits to get healthier hair while also getting in shape.
Balance pH Levels
Healthy hair has a slightly acidic pH level of 4.5 to 5.5. However, the products you use and even the water you wash your hair in can throw off this natural balance, leading to brittleness and breaking.
Sometimes, restoring proper pH levels is all our hair needs to thrive. Make sure you aren’t washing your hair in hard water, and consider switching to more natural products to restore your acidity level.
Soak up Nature
Studies suggest that time spent in forests lowers stress levels in the body and strengthens your immune system. Reduced stress will lead to healthier hair and increased overall well-being.
One of the highest areas of stress in our lives is work. Because nature is so powerful in bringing calm to our bodies, even working by a window can lower your stress levels.
Even if your desk isn’t by a window, try to choose a space with surrounding natural light and put images of nature around your workspace. Listening to calming sounds may also reduce stress levels at work.
Stop Washing Your Hair
Your scalp produces a natural oil called sebum, which conditions and nourishes your hair. Too much can lead to oily hair that traps bacteria and dirt, but too little can cause dryness and damage.
This is where nixing shampoo comes in — the more oil you strip from your hair with shampoo, the more your body will secrete.
For some women, reducing interference with the body’s natural cycle will lead to a healthier head of hair. However, expect to be a little greasy until your body adjusts.
Ditch the Hairbrush
Yes, you read that right. Some hairstylists warn against brushing your hair!
Over brushing can lead to oily hair and breakage since many people aren’t patient enough with their hair to brush it gently. Try combing your hair instead, or even go a few days in between brushes to see what happens.
If you must use a hairbrush, make sure it’s clean. You can wash your hairbrush in the sink with dish liquid to remove dust and excess oils.
Wear Flowers in Your Hair
Although there’s no science to say flower crowns are good for your hair, you should wear them as often as possible.
Also, consider nourishing your hair with natural flower oils such as hibiscus. These natural ingredients are thought to cause hair to grow faster and healthier.
Using oils on your hair can increase volume, treat dryness and frizz and protect against split ends. Hibiscus specifically has been used to treat women’s hair in Asian countries for many years.
Embrace Yourself
Another leading cause of hair trouble is mental health struggles such as low self-esteem. While the events that lead to low self-esteem aren’t your fault, you are the only one who can choose to work past them. Reach out to your community and engage with trained therapists to begin the process of emotional healing.
More severe anxiety behaviors include trichotillomania, a form of hair-pulling that relieves and perpetuates personal distress. Trichotillomania is a form of obsessive-compulsive behavior, often accompanied by feelings of shame.
Reach out for help if this is a behavior you recognize in yourself. You can find freedom from these feelings and learn to be kinder to yourself and your hair.
Healthy Choices = Healthy Hair
There are so many tips and tricks on the internet about how to help your hair. However, if you want long-lasting change, investing in your health is the only way to get there.
Follow these 10 tips to make your hair as full and beautiful as it can be.
About The Author
Ava Roman (she/her) is the Managing Editor of Revivalist, a women’s lifestyle magazine that empowers women to live their most authentic life. When Ava is not writing you’ll find herin a yoga class, advocating for body positivity, whipping up something delicious in the kitchen, or smashing the patriarchy.
