We all want healthy, lustrous locks, but achieving this holy grail of hair care isn’t always easy. To help you banish bad hair days for good, here are three tips you need to follow.
1. Get to the root of hair loss
Hair loss isn’t an issue that affects only men. Lots of women experience thinning tresses too. If you notice that your hair is falling out more quickly than usual and you want to do something to stop this, your first priority should be to get to the bottom of what’s triggering it. There are a number of different causes of hair loss, and you’ll need to understand what lies behind yours before you can address it.
The most common trigger is female-pattern baldness, which is thought to be a hereditary condition. Unfortunately, there’s no cure for it, but there are treatments available. For example, minoxidil, which comes as a lotion or foam that you apply to your scalp, can help to slow hair loss and even encourage regrowth. You can you can get hair loss advice from Lloyds Pharmacy Online Doctor and other reputable sources if you think you have female-pattern baldness.
If you regularly wear your hair tied back tightly in plaits, pony tails or braids, or you wear hair extensions or clip-ins, you might be giving yourself traction alopecia. This happens as a result of persistent pulling on the roots of hair. Over time, it can cause inflammation and scarring around the follicles and lead to permanent hair loss. So, if you think your hairstyle may be to blame for your thinning tresses, it’s time to rethink your look.
There are various other triggers for losing your locks, so it’s worth doing some research to see what is most likely in your case.
2. Watch what you eat
You might put lots of thought into the products you use on your hair, but how much time do you spend thinking about what you put into it? The foods you eat have a big impact on the health of your tresses. Hair is made up of protein, so if you want strong, shiny locks, you’ll need to have a healthy diet that includes plenty of protein from sources such as meat, dairy products, eggs and nuts. It’s important to eat lots of iron-rich foods too, like red meat, fish, lentils and leafy green vegetables.
Make sure you get your share of vitamins by chomping on a good amount of fruit and vegetables, and try to include foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like oily fish, avocado and walnuts, in your diet as well.
3. Don’t over-wash
There are no set rules when it comes to how often you should wash your hair, but if you shampoo too often for your particular hair type, you might find it gets greasy very quickly. Also washing too often can strip away natural oils that help to protect your locks. For most people, washing their tresses two to three times a week is plenty, so if you lather up more frequently than this, it could be time to rethink. It’s especially important not to over-wash if you have coloured hair as this can make it lose its sheen very quickly.
If you’re worried about your roots getting greasy, try using some dry shampoo. As well as absorbing oils, these products can give your hair great texture.