With the arrival of the New Year we thought it’d be a good idea to dig into some hair care resolutions for 2018. Give these tips a try this year to help boost your follicles and add extra shine to your locks.
Resolution 1: Drop The Shower Temperature
As tempting as it might be to spend those long January mornings in the heat of the shower, steaming showers aren’t great for your hair. While you might feel relaxed after a hot shower, your hair will thank you if you knock the temperature down a few notches. If your shower temperature is too hot you can strip your hair of its much-needed natural moisture, leaving hair dry and frazzled. At most, your shower should be lukewarm, anything above that and you might be doing damage to your curls. Bonus tip: cold or lukewarm showers are also much better for your skin, so it’s a win-win for hair and skin!
Resolution 2: Stay Away From the Hair Dryer
We’ve known for a long time that hair dryers can cause issues for your hair, and yet they remain popular because of the ease of a quick blow dry. It’s about time to kick the habit, since it damages your hair from root to tip. As with hot showers, the temperature from hair dryers can rob your hair of its natural moisture, and what’s more, strong winds and blasts of air on wet hair can damage the natural texture of your locks (see below). Instead of using a hair dryer, simply blot your hair with a towel and get it as dry as you can, before considering even a quick blast with the hair dryer. If you must use a hair dryer, then take some advice from the pros and make sure you know how to do it properly.
Resolution 3: Stick with a Shampoo & Conditioner Combo
Given the plethora of hair care brands out there, it’s tempting to mix things every once in a while, but did you know that changing your hair care regime too often can cause hair damage? Using a shampoo from one brand while combining it with a conditioner or hair mask from another might sound like a great way of getting the best bang for your buck, but in the long term you won’t be getting the most from your hair care products. Today, shampoos and conditioners are formulated to be used together, so if you want to get the best results from your hair care regime make sure that you don’t change your products too often and stick to one brand. This doesn’t necessarily limit your options though. Major brands – Schwarzkopf is a good example – often have a wide variety of sub-brands, catering for any style or hair care needs.
Resolution 4: Embrace Your Own Texture
Every woman has their own style, their own hair texture, and yet too often we try to adhere to fashions or styling standards that aren’t realistic for differing hair types. In particular, heat styling tools have been taken as generally good for all hair types, but that really isn’t the case. Honestly, we’ve mentioned this one before, so you’ve no excuse. If your hair is curly or dry, why not avoid heat styling tools this year and opt instead for heat free products in conjunction with some simple air drying?
Resolution 5: Avoid Alcohol
In addition to our earlier resolution about choosing a shampoo and conditioner combo and sticking to it, you should also try your darndest to avoid alcohol in your hair care products. Whether in gels or sprays, alcohol is really bad for your hair and will dry out your scalp in no time, so make a habit of reading the label on your hair styling products this year. Furthermore, even perfumes that contain alcohol can have a detrimental effect on hair, so be careful with those sprays ladies!