The new year is not just the best excuse for a new look—it’s the perfect opportunity to change bad beauty habits into good ones, too. Your hair might be one of the best places to start, and below, we list tips that’ll help you keep that mane healthy all year round:
1. Pick the right products for your hair type.
As with skincare, how your hair reacts to products depends on the kind of locks you have. For example, shampoos with a high concentration of sulfates could work on an oily scalp, but someone with dry hair can find it dehydrating. That’s why, if you haven’t already, find out your real hair concerns and make sure your products are meant to address them. To help you start, here are common concerns you might relate to: dry/oily hair, frizzy hair, an oily scalp, damaged/colored hair, fine hair, or uncontrollable hair fall. Identifying certain ingredients to avoid or look for should help your research in dealing with these issues!
2. Change your conditioner habit.
Your current mindset with conditioner might be the more, the better. However, that actually doesn’t ring true. Using too much can weigh your hair down, and to detangle, you only need to use a small amount—a dollop the size of your thumb or about enough to apply a thin layer all over.
3. Don’t overwash.
Yes, there is such a thing as overwashing your hair. It happens when you use a deep-cleaning shampoo every day when you don’t need it, or when you wash your strands daily even when you don’t need to. Skipping a day of washing is totally okay if your hair and scalp can handle it, but if not, alternating between a deep-cleaning and a gentle shampoo should balance things out.
4. Avoid hot water.
Washing your hair with scalding water causes nothing but trouble. Not only can it dry your locks out and make it more prone to breakage, it can cause your scalp to be more sensitive. Hence, try your best to steer clear of hot showers and opt for warm water when washing instead. Rinsing your strands with cold water is a much better option, too!
5. Use a hair serum or oil.
A little extra care outside the shower never hurts, not to mention so worth it. Coating your tresses with a hair serum or hair oil after cleansing can give it a gorgeous sheen, all while providing it with much-needed nutrients. FYI, serums also do wonders for scalp troubles like dryness or flaking!
6. Apply heat protectant before styling.
Warding yourself off the intense heat from your hair dryer and irons is easier said than done, so we won’t suggest you give up your hot tools entirely. Instead, we present a doable alternative: Protecting your hair from the damage. Before your blow dry or curling sesh, apply a generous amount of heat protectant spray to create a barrier between your hair and the heat. The more layers, the less damage!
7. Skip heat styling when possible.
That said, when you don’t need the heat styling, find the strength to skip it. Instead of ironing your hair straight, use a straightening conditioner that’ll weigh your strands down. To switch up your daily blow-dry, try air drying the night before or using the cold air setting instead—this admittedly will make the process take longer, but it’s much better for your hair!
8. Get your hair cut often.
Despite what you think, getting a trim at least every two months doesn’t serve solely aesthetic purposes—it has hair health perks, too. Even if you’re growing your hair out, a half to one-inch trim will rid you of those pesky split ends and tangles that could cause trouble the longer they stay.
9. Give ample time between hair color sessions.
We’re all for changing up your look when you feel like it, but if the change you want involves coloring, a monthly dramatic transformation might not be the best for your hair. Give your locks at least a few months between color jobs (except if it’s only a touch-up!) to build its resistance to the pending damage.
10. Maintain a healthy diet.
It sounds cliché, but the quality of your diet is reflected in the quality of your skin and hair. Eating healthy proteins, antioxidants, biotin, and omega fatty acids have all been linked to maintaining a healthy mane in particular.
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