Cleanse
Whether you’re a hairspray fan, a dry shampoo advocate or even just live in a town or city, the chances of residue building up on your hair are likely. To help combat this swap your current shampoo for a clarifying one, to identify which one this is the clarifying type, look out for labels which say, ‘deep cleansing’ or ‘purifying’.
These shampoos will help to lift away residue from styling, chlorine from a swimming pool and even mineral deposits which are found in hard water, the results will leave you with shiny hair and a healthier scalp.
Use A Mask
A face mask leaves our skin feeling rejuvenated and hydrated, and it does the same for our hair and reaches the hair strands that conditioners can’t. Masks are great for adding shine, concealing split ends, or if your hair is just dry and to keep your hair in good condition if you colour your hair regularly.
You can make a simple homemade hair mask with products you’re likely to have in your kitchen, this hydrating one requires just two ingredients yogurt and honey. The fat from the yogurt moisturises your hair and the yogurt has lactic acids, this is great for cleansing the scalp and clearing away dead skin cells to encourage your hair follicles to grow.
Honey is a humectant; so, it attracts and retains moisture within your hair. Honey is also an emollient, which means it will help to soften and smoothen hair. Honey is also full of vitamins, which is skin food for your scalp.
To make this hair mask simply mix two tablespoons of natural yogurt with one tablespoon of honey. To apply the mask, work the mixture into your scalp and through your hair from your roots to the ends. You can leave this on overnight or pop it on while you are in the bath, the warm steam from the water will open your hair cuticles allowing the formula to penetrate deeper and work better.
Exfoliate
We gently exfoliate our faces to remove dead skin cells (I recommend Susi’s Exfoliating Scrubber for that), we can achieve the same results by using a hair scrub. Using a scrub on your scalp will also increase circulation which will promote hair growth.
To make a natural homemade deep cleansing scalp scrub mix together two tablespoons of sea salt, two tablespoons of lemon juice and two tablespoons of olive oil. This formula is simple but effective, the olive oil will provide your scalp with extra hydration and vitamins a and e, which fight free radicals that can cause hair loss.
Another nourishing scrub which also acts as a hair mask too – who doesn’t love a two in one. Ideal if you don’t have time for both, is a sugar scrub. To make the formula mix together three tablespoons of a conditioner, one tablespoon of muscovado sugar, one tablespoon of honey, one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and one tablespoon of coconut oil.
Apply the scrub as the first step in your hair-washing routine in the shower, massage the scrub into your scalp and follow your routine with shampoo and conditioner as usual. Alternatively, if you have extra time for pampering cover your hair with a plastic cap (if you don’t have one, you could always use a grocery bag) and leave the treatment on your hair for 30 minutes. You will be left feeling revitalised, and your hair will thank you for it!
See our review for the best body scrubber here!
Plump It
Just like plump skin, fuller hair gives the appearance of youth. Use products that promote volume, to achieve more volume in your hair apply a mousse to your hair before styling and when you blow-dry your hair use a round brush and direct the airflow upwards as use pull the hair into the same upwards direction.
Alternatively, for a quick volume fix use a dry shampoo by spritzing it into your roots for a mini boost – ensure you brush your fingers through your hair afterwards to make sure no powdery residue is left behind. However, if you prefer hair treatments to styling products, choose ones that work to penetrate deep into the hair shaft and encourage it to swell and promote volume, such as a volumizing in shower treatment – these can be found at most drug stores.
Soften It
Now for a hack for achieving soft, silky and shiny hair in just ten minutes. This can be achieved in the comfort of your own home as part of your shower or bath routine, after shampooing your hair, apply your chosen conditioner from the hair starting at the nape of your neck to the roots, allow the conditioner to sit for at least five minutes while you relax in the bath or finish washing, after this take a comb and glide it through the conditioner covered hair and wash it away as usual – tried and tested this is a hair changing hack that is highly recommended.
Hydrate It
A product you probably couldn’t live without in your skin routine is a problem-solving serum and you should use it in the same way for your hair. They can fix a multitude of problems from preventing frizz, boosting shine, taming flyaways and even adding volume to flat hair.
If you are targeting one specific problem, look out for it on the labels of the serums as many brands now offer serums for specialised uses. Once you start using a serum on your hair, you won’t look back.
Protect It
We wouldn’t leave the house without protecting our face and body from the sun, but our hair and scalp are often forgotten. If you have ever burnt your scalp and learnt the hard way how important it is to do so. So, if you are spending a prolonged amount of time in the sun, I recommend that you wear protective clothing such as a sun hat or cap.
Also, try to style your hair in a way where your scalp is not exposed, for example, a scraped back pony or half up, half-down style or one French braid – these styles will also keep you cool in the sun.
However, if your hairstyle does require your scalp being on show, help is at hand as luckily the hair masters have answered our prayers and created a scalp SPF, these are fairly new on the market but you should be able to find one in a larger drug store.
