Healthy, attractive hair normally shines.
Whether your hair is long or short, light or dark, it should look smooth, silky and shiny.
Hair that is dull, dry, brittle or frizzy is unhealthy and unattractive. Everyday events
such as shampooing, brushing and blow drying can do great damage to your hair, causing the
dry, brittle, frizzy appearance.
Shampoo:
When you shampoo your hair, you should use a shampoo for your specific type of hair. If
you have permed or color treated hair, you should use a shampoo for chemically treated
hair. It is a big misconception that baby shampoo is very gentle and safe to use. Baby
shampoo is actually quite harsh: its main purpose is to remove cradle cap from an infant's
scalp. Leave the baby shampoo for your baby. If you are not sure what your hair type is or
what type of shampoo to use, ask your hairdresser. Your hairdresser can recommend a
specific shampoo and conditioner to keep your hair healthy and shiny.
Brushing:
Brushing your hair can actually help improve the shine. Brushing evenly distributes the
oils from the scalp throughout the hair shaft. If you have long hair that tends to tangle
on the ends, you should start brushing on the ends to remove any tangles, and work your
way up to the scalp. You should never brush wet hair. When hair is wet is it much weaker
than when it is dry. Wet hair will break very easily if it is not combed very gently. If
you have long hair, you should squeeze the excess water from your hair with a towel. Never
rub your hair between the towel to dry it, this can cause severe breakage. Before combing,
a leave-in conditioner should be sprayed on the hair to help restore shine and help remove
tangles. Using a wide tooth comb, comb hair from the ends and work your way up.
Blow dryers:
Blow dryers are very convenient and many of us use them daily. If they are used
incorrectly, they can cause severe heat damage to your hair. Blow drying can cause your
ends to be dry, brittle and frizzy. You should allow your hair to air dry until it is
about half way dry. Set your blow dryer on low or medium heat, and keep the blow dryer
about six to eight inches away from your hair. Using a blow dryer set on high heat is very
damaging. If you notice stray hairs that are shorter than the rest, that tend to look
frizzy or out of place; those are the effects of breakage caused by harsh brushing and
treatment of wet hair and blow drying.
If you follow these healthy hair practices, you should notice an improvement in the
condition of your hair within two to four weeks, depending on how damaged your hair is.
While you are working to improve the condition of your hair, there are several hair care
products on the market that help improve the shine and decrease the frizziness. Many of
the products work remarkably well.
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