BRILLIANT LIFE HACKS FOR HEALTHIER HAIR
Here at Boldify, we have a passion for helping people achieve the bold, beautiful style of their dreams. Beyond the products that we create with fine and thin hair at heart, we use the Boldify Blog to share content that moves you forward in your journey towards your healthiest, most vibrant hair ever.
We’ve looked at ways your lifestyle and overall health can affect strands.
We’ve highlighted the difference between fine, thin, and thinning hair.
We’ve uncovered ways to maximize volume each day while minimizing damage.
Today, we’re going beyond overall wellness tips and scalp-loving basics, to focus firmly on the tiniest of factors in your daily routine that can make the biggest differences in hair health and appearance.
Behold - Boldify’s favorite life hacks for healthier hair!
HOT SHOWERS: GREAT FOR YOUR SOUL - BUT NOT FOR YOUR HAIR
Anyone with skin that errs on the side of dry or itchy knows that hot showers are unequivocally problematic for your skin...so why do most of us never even so much as consider the negative effects they can have on our hair?! Keeping water warm - not hot - will not only help strands retain their moisture, but will also help to keep minerals and sediment from water out - resulting in a fuller, more vibrant finish.
WATER QUALITY MATTERS
Temperature is certainly important - but so is the quality of your water. Whether you have city water & sewer or a well, water impurities - like sediment, minerals, and chemical additives/treatments - can wreak havoc on locks in a variety of ways, from dullness to excessive tangling, and even tainting your pristine salon color. While the independently wealthy may very well choose to shampoo with only the purest of water from fancy square bottles, there are more cost-effective options for the rest of us - the most popular of which being a shower head filter. Widely available, reasonably priced, and simple to install, such filters require minimal maintenance - in the form of changing once every few months - but offer truly magical benefits for hair health.
BATH TOWELS ARE FOR YOUR BODY, NOT YOUR LOCKS
Sure, terry bath towels are big and cozy and comfy after you step out of the shower...for your body. But terry cloth is unbelievably unforgiving when it comes to fine, wet hair strands...the weight of the towel causes the high-friction fabric to tug at fragile locks - causing at best frizziness, and at worst extreme breakage and excessive strand loss. A simple solution? An old t-shirt! Dab away excess water before wrapping hair gently, and let the wicking properties of good old fashioned cotton work their magic. For those of us who aren’t the t-shirt wearing type, you can also invest in a microfiber towel that’s made specifically for hair; while they cost somewhat more than the leftovers of yesteryear, the bonus is that they’re made to speed up the drying process without excessive rubbing or heat exposure.
WET HAIR IS EXTRA FRAGILE HAIR
“Never Brush Wet Hair!” It’s an old adage that made a bit more sense in the days before brushes that are specifically made for wet hair emerged on the market - however, it still makes its point: Hair that’s wet is simply more fragile than hair that’s dry. You see, wet hair stretches up to 10% beyond it’s dry length; anyone who’s pulled taffy can tell you that the longer something gets, the thinner it gets - and the thinner it gets, the more prone it is to splitting and breakage. From a practical standpoint, that means that things your strands withstand dry, they won’t necessarily survive when wet. So, while it’s tempting to toss still-wet locks out of your face and into a bun, or run the kids to school in sub-zero temps before embarking on your drying/styling routine, or fall directly into bed post-shower with soaked strands, don’t do it. Just don’t!
DON'T GO TO BED IN KNOTS
While falling into the sheets with soaked strands isn’t a good idea, doing so with dry hair that’s not been detangled can be every bit as damaging. If you’ve showered and allowed locks to dry before bedtime, be sure to run a wide-toothed comb through them before you hit the pillow; if you’re one who showers in the morning and has had their hair styled all day, brushing it out before bed will not only reduce the incidence of tangling and matting - which can lead to breakage and condition issues like frizz and split ends - but will also help to remove product buildup from strands.
DETANGLE FROM THE BOTTOM UP
How many of us start at the roots when we comb or brush our hair? A LOT! But if you think about it, doing so only moves the knots down the strands until they tighten towards the ends - which makes them all that much tougher to untangle. Starting at the ends and working your way gently to the roots - combing down one small section at a time - makes the detangling process much easier and far faster. It also all but eliminates pulling, which reduces the incidence of breakage and fall.
CARE & STYLING THAT CHANGES WITH THE SEASON
You likely don’t wear the same clothes in January as you do in July - so why do so many of us assume that our hair care routine should be the same year-round?! As the seasons change, so does the condition of your scalp and strands - which means product and routine changes may be required for optimal hair health. In the winter, you may be able to go longer in between washes, or use products that focus more on hydration than volume - while in the summer, you may need to shampoo more often or switch to a product that focuses on reducing frizz. If you pay close attention, your hair will tell you what it needs...be sure to listen, and don’t be afraid to make changes as necessary.
HANDS OFF!
While we tend to think of tight ponytails and our mother’s detangling methods as detrimental for our hair, it’s not often that we view that little twisty thing we do with strands when we’re nervous as problematic - but the truth is, it can be. Constantly touching with, tugging, pulling, or playing with your hair can not only cause it to take on a flat or greasy appearance as oils and debris from our hands are introduced, it can also promote breakage and impede strand retention. When at all possible, it’s best to avoid being too hands-on with locks outside of your regular care/styling routine.
HATS AREN'T ALL BAD
We often think of hats as being the ultimate tool of destruction for our hairline...your grandad wore a hat every day, and he went bald - so the hat has to be the culprit, right?! In some cases, yes...wearing a snug-fitting cap day after day can deprive the scalp of the air and sun it requires to maintain follicular health, let alone the damage that the friction of an unwashed garment rossing across the skin for 10 hours a day can do.
But - much like your skin - the hair can take on a lot of damage from over-exposure to the sun, so wearing a hat is an easy defense against UV exposure and the oxidation it causes. Just make sure that the hat is clean and not too tight, and that you’re not wearing it too often or for too long.
SWIM SMARTER
It may sound counterintuitive, but wetting your hair before you get into the ocean or the pool is the best way to protect locks from the drying effects of salt water and damage from chemicals like chlorine. It’s simple, really...hair that’s pre-saturated with clean water can’t soak up any more liquid - so the condition-wrecking nasties that can cause hair to turn to green-tinged hay never make it far enough to do their dirty work. Pre-soaking...it’s not just for dishes anymore!
SLEEPING DOESN'T MEAN STOPPING
We often focus on things we can do during our waking hours to improve or maintain good hair health - but what about the damage we do in our sleep? Whether you sleep like a rock or you toss and turn until the sun comes up, you spend a great number of hours each week with your head on a pillowcase - which is an often underestimated source of friction on our scalp and strands.
Switching to a silk or satin pillowcase is a simple way to reduce friction and provide slip so that strands slide from side to side on a smooth surface, rather than catching and pulling on a scratchy one - helping to reduce frizz, split ends, breakage, and strand loss. An added bonus? A smoother pillowcase boasts massive skin benefits as well - likely helping to reduce fine lines and wrinkles over time!
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