Hair Care 101 – Lose Your Shampoo
The first thing you need to know about most shampoos and soaps is they usually contain chemical ingredients. Most shampoo contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). SLS is a toxic chemical degreaser. Manufacturers of shampoo add this chemical to remove the oils from your hair. Not only is SLS toxic but it completely strips your hair and skin of all the natural oils. This usually causes dry skin, chafing, dandruff, and peeling. Repeated exposure with this chemical can cause dermatitis. The first step toward healthier hair is to loose the shampoo. Just throw it away. Not only is it bad for your hair and skin, it is toxic and can make you sick.
After I threw out my shampoo I was wondering what I was going to wash my hair with. I tried natural soap for about 1 week. The soap only made my hair drier. So I stopped washing my hair completely. At this point my hair was so dry I couldn’t do anything with it, so I conditioned it with a natural olive oil and jasmine hot oil treatment. After the hot oil I rinsed my hair with hot water, applied conditioner, and rinsed with cold water. My hair was a little bit greasy for a couple of days, but after rinsing it with only hot water, for two days twice a day, my hair was comb-able and shiny. The temperature of the hot water is usually enough to break up any excess oil on my hair. Now, I never use soap or shampoo on my hair. I only rinse it with hot water and I use conditioner everyday.
After you wash your hair you should let it dry naturally. Hair is fragile when it is wet and will break more easily than when dry. When hair is dry the strands are more resistant to breakage and are essentially stronger. If you comb or brush wet hair you will pull out and break hairs that were not ready to come out yet. It is typical to loose between 80 and 100 strands of hair per day. If you must comb hair when it is wet use a wide tooth comb, even if you have thin hair. Work from the bottom to the top. Most people think that you should work from the top of the head toward the bottom. If you do this you will end up with a tangled mess at the bottom of your hair. Work any knots and twists out from the bottom to the top so that you have a clear path when combing downward from the top. Doing this will help reduce breakage and split ends.
If you choose to use heat on your hair try not to use it too often. Using blow driers, hot rollers, and irons causes the hair to become scorched. This also causes split ends and dryness. The best way to use heat products is to dry the hair naturally, and then style with heat.. Never use a blow dryer. When the hair is dry brush or comb it, part the hair into sections, and then use your heat product. I quickly learned that going over the hair many times with the hot iron or curling iron makes the ends of my hair dry. If you work with smaller sections it will style easier so you don’t have to repeat the process.
If you use dyes, highlights, or bleach on your hair it is going to be especially susceptible to damage and dryness. I quickly learned to love my own hair color and stopped using harsh dyes and chemical perms. No matter how much I love the reds and blonds, I choose to keep my own color of brown. Growing it out was a nightmare because I had long brown hair with reddish ends. When it was long enough I just got it trimmed off. Instead of using highlights and color try lemon juice and natural sun light to lighten your hair. Natural pigments like henna will darken your hair without harsh chemicals. Because henna can also stain your skin and clothes, always follow the instructions on the package.
When using products like hair spray or gel in your hair it is important to make sure that there is no alcohol contained in the ingredients. Alcohol dries out the hair and skin making it more likely to suffer damage when brushing and washing. Some aerosol hair spray also contains gaseous chemical ingredients that should not be inhaled. These chemicals can cause irritation to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract.
Just taking care of your hair on the outside is not enough. Beauty comes from within. If you eat healthy you hair, nails, and skin will be healthier and you will see instant improvement. Drink lots of water every day. Water hydrates the cells of the body, including hair and skin follicles. Flax oil taken orally is also good for the hair and skin. B-Complex vitamins like B-12 and B-6 help strengthen the hair and add shine. If your hair is dry use natural conditioners like cholesterol which is found in eggs or oils like jojoba, olive, and jasmine. Avoid using citrus on your hair because it changes the PH balance of your hair. If you take care of your hair from the inside and out you will achieve great results very quickly.
