The 10 Worst Things You Can Do To Your Hair
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All women dream of having strong, beautiful, and luxuriously shiny hair. The way to attain this is by consuming a well-balanced diet and, of course, following a good daily hair care regime. However, despite what most people believe, caring for your hair doesn’t have to be unnecessarily complicated. In fact, you can still possess a luscious mane simply by avoiding certain cardinal hair care no-nos.
So, if you’ve been crying over split ends and frizz, let us show you a few things you may be, unwittingly, doing incorrectly during your daily hair care routine. The secret to healthy hair is to first and foremost avoid these very mistakes. Read on!
1. Procrastinating A Haircut Or A Trim
If your hair looks untidy all the time, hasn’t any shape, tangles quickly or gets into those single knots way too often – you are definitely overdue for a haircut appointment. This is especially so if you desire those long, luxurious tresses.
Do understand that your hair will, ultimately, be assuredly longer if you get a trim regularly – not because it will grow more swiftly, but simply because those ends will not be breaking or splitting as frequently.
Solution: Visit your hairdresser regularly!
2. DIY- Dyeing It Yourself!
DIY coloring can be forgiven when a sudden need or whim arises. However, generally speaking, coloring your hair is a definite no-no unless you happen to be a professional hairdresser or at least have professional knowledge to know exactly what you are doing.
In most likelihood, in the end you will anyway be forced to go to the salon, which will make it more costlier and even more harder to undo the haphazard damage you may have wreaked on your hair. So, do let a professional take over from the beginning itself.
Solution: Remember to fix up that hair color appointment!
3. Styling Or Brushing Wet Hair
When the human hair is wet, that is when it’s most susceptible to breakage as it is very fragile at that point. If you wish to check this for yourself the next time you happen to wash your hair, pick one strand (And one strand only – we wouldn’t wish you to go bald now, would we?) and try to break the strand. You will discover that it breaks much more easily when wet as compared to when it is dry. Your hairbrush too does the same thing, only instead of breaking one strand it breaks hundreds!
Also remember that any heat from styling tools like curlers, dryers, and straighteners can too break and also fry your hair, thereby exacerbating the situation.
Solution: Do let your hair dry first, then brush or style! Additionally, use heat protection sprays or serums on damp hair before styling.
4. Using A Dirty Brush On Your Hair
Every time we brush our hair, loads of dead skin cells end up in our brush, unseen to the naked eye. However, did you know that these dead skin cells create the perfect environment for the growth of all sorts of bacteria? These will get reintroduced to your scalp if you do not clean your hairbrush regularly, leaving your hair greasy or even infected.
Solution: Wash or clean your hairbrushes regularly!
5. Washing Hair Often And In Very Hot Water
Not everyone knows this but our scalp possesses glands that produce natural oils which are essential for thick, shiny, and healthy hair. Having said that, hot water can remove these essential oils, making your hair brittle and dry. Over-washing, too, will end up doing the same.
Solution: Wash only twice a week. If you have really oily hair, however, opt for washing thrice a week instead.
6. Mixing Up Your Shampoo & Conditioner
One must remember that shampoo and conditioner are two very different products and that serve two different purposes altogether and cannot replace one another – shampoos clean while conditioners moisturize. Period.
Solution: Always shampoo first then condition your hair when showering.
7. Not Changing Hair Care Products With Change In Hair
Today we have a whole gamut of choices of products in the market- for thin hair, coarse hair, dry hair, oily hair, colored hair, damaged hair or hair with dandruff. And for good reason! If you’ve colored your hair, your mane now needs extra special care for preserving the color and preventing any potential damage.
Hence, remember – if there is a change in the quality of your hair, then there should also be a change in the products you use.
Solution: Go shopping with every season and change in color.
8. Brushing Your Hair Frequently And From The Roots
Brushing from the roots not only ends up creating knots and breaking hair, it also weakens the roots. Overbrushing too does similar damage.
Solution: Always begin brushing from the ends and then work your way up to the roots! Also, don’t overdo the brushing.
9. Sporting A Tight Hairstyle Very Often
If you tie your hair tightly, that too very often, you may end up damaging your hair permanently as this literally pulls the hair from the very roots. If you prefer a ponytail, switch the style – alternate each day with a ‘high’ and a ‘low’ ponytail.
Solution: Do let down your hair once in a while! (Pun intended).
10. Too Much Sun In Your Hair
We rarely forget to use sunscreen for our skin while outdoors, but we often forget to shield our hair from sun damage! If your hair looks and feels dry and discolored, then UV radiation is most probably the culprit.
Solution: Protect your hair with a scarf or a hat.
In parting – like they say, “Hair today, gone tomorrow.” (Okay, we tweaked that a bit, but still). Hence, remember, the better care you take of your hair, the longer your beautiful hair stays just that – beautiful!
