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Want Beautiful hair? Avoid these Mistakes

Do you remember Rapunzel from your childhood stories and how long her hair was? Now, do you remember how envious you were of her and how you wanted to have hair just like her? While childhood passed with time, the dream of having hair like Rapunzel lingered on…

But with the amount of travelling that we do in today’s date along with the fascination for fast food which when coupled with the numerous coloring, streaking, bleaching, perming and straightening routines that we put our hair through on a regular basis, Rapunzel’s hair becomes an unachievable dream very quickly!

While having Rapunzel-like hair now-a-days is a difficult task, having beautiful hair need not be one. Hair, also known as one’s ‘Crowning Glory’ needs a proper hair care regime which is a step-by-step procedure to ensure strong, beautiful and healthy hair. But before starting on the hair care regime, one needs to know simple basics about hair.

First, a crash course on hair itself!

Hair grows on our skin and is made up of a protein called ‘keratin’; we have hair everywhere on our body except for our palms, soles and lips. Hair which is present on the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, hand and legs is visible while hair present on our cheeks is not visible (only in females).

The primary function of hair is to protect the skin beneath from dust, sweat and grime, which explains the presence of hair on our scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes. Hair is also an excellent indicator of one’s health as a dry and lifeless mane indicates poor health as opposed to shiny and strong hair which indicates an individual’s overall good health.

What should I do in order to have healthy hair?

Many might think that in order to have healthy and beautiful hair, one will have to spend thousands of rupees on hair care products, spend 3 hours every day caring for their hair etc. But the truth is far from it, to have healthy hair all one needs to do is avoid some basic mistakes that a majority of people make when it comes to hair care!

Following are a few basic hair care mistakes to avoid,

Shampooing hair everyday

Shampooing hair everyday is a very common mistake that many people make, which results in the hair being stripped of its natural moisture, oils and pH. Another mistake that people make when they shampoo their hair everyday is that they rub their scalp vigorously, which makes their hair roots weak and at the same time stimulates their oil glands which results in excessive production of sebum, making their scalps oily and prone to dandruff.

The number of times you shampoo your hair in a week should depend on your hair type more than anything else, with oily hair demanding more shampooing than dry hair to get rid of the dust. However experts say that shampooing twice or thrice a week is enough to take good care of hair. Also remember to never use excessive shampoo than required, as it doesn’t get washed off your scalp clogging your hair roots in the process.

Blow Drying Hair

Blow drying hair is another mistake that people tend to make when it comes to hair care. Blow drying makes use of a constant blast of hot air to dry wet hair, with hair being exposed to such high temperatures regularly it is constantly being overheated. Over heating of hair robs it of its natural moisture and leaves it brittle, dull and lifeless.

If you have no other alternative than blow drying your hair, turn the heat down and blow dry it till it is almost dry and then let it air dry (natural drying) to reduce the damage done to the hair.

Not trimming Hair

Many women confuse trimming with cutting in regards with hair and end up cutting their hair instead of trimming. Experts are of the opinion that getting a trim done every 6-8 weeks is good for the hair as it helps to get rid of the split ends which if left uncut can affect the entire strand of hair. As our hair keeps on growing, the effect of environmental pollution, harsh hair care products, numerous blow-drys and gels, begins to show on the ends of the hair. Getting a regular trim done can help to prevent and reduce the number of split ends and keep the hair strong and frizz free.

Toweling hair

Ever seen the women in the advertisements toweling their heads vigorously? don’t do it! Toweling hair vigorously may help in drying the hair quickly but damages hair in the process too. Toweling dry your hair pulls on the hair roots making them weak, it also doesn’t let the moisture settle in the hair after a wash making the hair dry and frizzy very quickly.

Instead it would be of a great help if you were to wrap your hair up into a warm towel for 10-15 minutes, as it will help to preserve the moisture in it as it dries.

Not Washing hair properly

Washing hair and washing hair properly are two very different things. Plain washing can see you leave either shampoo or conditioner or both in your scalp which then goes on to clog the hair roots and prevents them from breathing.

Washing hair properly is important as it helps to clean the scalp of its accumulated dust, oil, grime and dead skin. Remember to never over use the shampoo as the chemicals used even in the most mild of the shampoo’s can harm the hair roots and texture. While washing first wet the hair with warm water and then apply shampoo and using the tips of your fingers massage the shampoo into your scalp. Lather up and then rinse off with cool water.

Next comes the conditioner, use a conditioner that suits your hair type and massage it gently onto your hair and not into your scalp. Apply the conditioner, starting from your forehead and then proceed towards the ends, rinse it off after 1-3 minutes with cool water.

Always cover your hair when you go out in the sun

Covering your hair with a wide brimmed hat, cap or a thick scarf when you go out in the sun is an effective measure because the heat of the sun tends to rob your hair of its precious moisture leaving its dry and lifeless. Moreover direct exposure to the sun leaves the hair frizzy and increases split ends thereby doubling the damage done to your hair.

Another way of protecting your hair when you go out in the sun is to leave a leave-in conditioner in it. Leave-in conditioners help the hair to retain its moisture content even when exposed to the heat of the sun.

Not drinking enough water

Drinking enough water helps to flush out the toxins from the body and also helps in hydrating the hair from within. Similar to water, the body needs an adequate diet if you aspire to have healthy hair; a diet consisting of dry fruits, whole grains, vegetables such as spinach and methi will help the cause of beautiful, strong and healthy hair. 

While the above mentioned are just some of the reasons that hold people back from having healthy and beautiful hair, one cannot overlook the fact that most people in the country today are still ignorant when it comes to their hair types.

Knowing one’s hair type is as important as knowing what mistakes to avoid when it comes to having beautiful hair.