• Eggs
• Yogurt
• Fruit
• Avocado
• Honey
• Coconut Oil
• Cider Vinegar
• Chamomile
• Oils
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Where the Damage Comes From and How To Avoid It
For at-home styling, be sure to always hold your blow-dryer at least 4 inches away from your head and keep the airflow moving. If you focus too long on one spot, you’ll over-dry or burn hair.
Another way to avoid unnecessary damage is to be sure to leave big color changes to the pros! Bleach, highlights, and a jump from either end of the color spectrum can be very dangerous at home and can cause extreme damage.
In the end, try to avoid fighting your natural texture too much! Ask your stylist for products that are specific to your hair and for tips on easy styling at home, such as diffusing curls or quick blow-dry techniques. Try to keep big texture changes to a few times a month in order to preserve your hair!
Skip a Trip to the Salon With These Tips for Creating Healthy, Shiny Hair
Shampoo: If you can, try to shampoo every other day with a shampoo that isn’t too strong. You don’t want to strip hair by over-cleaning it. Look for a gentle or daily-use formula.
Conditioner: Use a moisturizing conditioner whenever you shower. Comb it through your hair with a wide-tooth comb before you rinse. This will protect your hair from fading and becoming dry, which in turn will make it shinier.
Deep Conditioner: Deep condition your hair once a week. Use a serum consistency that doesn’t have to be rinsed out. They’re usually more effective and more convenient. Look for vitamin E, essential oils, and wheat protein in the ingredients. These conditioners balance and tone your scalp, repair and fortify your hair shaft, prevent split ends, and all of these things lead to healthy, shiny hair.
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Protection: You must protect your hair from the heat of your styling tools (blow dryer, flatiron, curling iron). Your tools are what damage your hair the most. Before blow-drying, cover damp hair from roots to ends with a blow-drying agent. This will simply protect your hair from the heat. If you are going to use an iron after you blow-dry, mist it with hair spray. It will provide an extra layer of protection from the hottest of the hot tools.
Finish: Using a finishing shine product is very important. It will fake it ‘til you make it. It will add polish and unreal shine to your hair, whether it’s healthy or not. A finishing shine product is completely cosmetic. Healthy hair is shiny; therefore, shiny hair ‘appears’ healthy!