Haircare 101:

So I have a confession to make, lately the 1st thing I notice in another woman is her hair and I know this happens because we often tend to see or admire a particular characteristic that we feel we are lacking in.

The Hair struggle has been real over the past few years. There are plenty of reasons why haircare gets the last spot on the to-do-list and one of the most convenient reasons could be that there is so much that needs to be done, do we really have time to care for hair? I mean there has to be some part of our body that takes care of itself??? - and the answer to that is “no my sweet friend” . That lucky roll you had, came to an end when you crossed your 30’s.

We often enter 30’s with a truck load of responsibilities and insufficient time and support system to do it all. So normally, the hair thinning starts around this time, followed by greying of few strands and gradual hairloss that could be hereditary/stress related. So no matter where you are in your hair care journey,

there is so much that good hairdays can do for and to us and this post has some of the basic things that we can start off to care for our crowning glory.

1. Understand your hair type: The 1st part of haircare would be to identify your hair type. There are 3 basic hair types like straight, wavy and curly and the texture can be dry or oily. There are many permutations and combinations for hair types based on these. Understanding our hair type will help us choose the right hair washing schedule, haircare products ,styling tools and products.

2. Combing the hair: selecting the right comb/brush for haircare is important. Using a wrong type of brush can lead to frizz, split ends and hair breakage. Straight and fine hair type benefit from soft bristle brushes and wide wooden tooth combs. They gently massage the scalp while detangling the tresses without breaking them. The flexible paddle brush with nylon bristles are good for thick, wavy and curly hair. While brushing the hair seems satisfying it is best kept to a minimum, always clean your brushes, remove hair build up and check for signs of bristle wear.

3. Hair massage: a gentle 5 minute scalp massage has many benefits like increasing the blood circulation to the hair follicles, relaxing and it also aids in reducing hair loss. Use the soft pad of your finger tips to apply light/medium pressure using a circular motion, cover the entire scalp. There are various tools and devices that can also be used for hair massage but I recommend doing it the natural way and you can always get someone in the family to help you with this ritual.

4. Oils: I feel like most of us come with a family hair tradition such as oiling the hair once a week or even more for others, and there are yet many who don’t apply oil at all. It is important to stick to our roots in the literal sense here. If you remember your mother oiling your hair as a little child, try and add this to your routine once a week. We don't need any fancy oil here, I have personally tried out many concoctions and feel like the simple coconut and olive oil are the best for all hair types. A slightly warm oil (equal quantity of coconut +olive +almond) when applied to the scalp with gentle massaging helps to clean, nourish and refresh the scalp. You need to keep it on for just an hour and wash it with a mild/gentle shampoo.

5. Hair masks: A hairmask to cater to your specific hair problem is a life saver. Using a hair mask at least once every 2 weeks will give hair the much needed nourishment. We can use either store bought or homemade hair masks. These are two of my go-to hair rescue masks.

Dry and frizzy hair: 3 tbsp yogurt(room temperature) +1 tbsp honey +1 tsp lemon (mix until you get a uniform paste).

Hairloss and thinning hair: 1 egg+ 1 tbsp olive oil+1 tbsp honey (mix thoroughly with a fork until all components are combined).

Apply on the scalp with a cotton pad and then apply the rest along the hair length, clip the hair up and cover with a shower cap, wait for an hour before washing with minimal shampoo and conditioner.

6. Hairwash: Shampooing every 2-3 days is essential depending on how quickly your scalp gets oily/dry or on the amount of styling products you use. Those with straight/wavy fine hair should wash their hair every 2-3 days. Those with curly/coily dense hair should wash it every 3-4 days. Daily hair wash is not required unless you are engaged in daily sports which can lead to sweating. Make sure you detangle your hair completely before you wash it.

Few tips at the time of hairwash:

-always use lukewarm or cool water to wash the hair, hot water strips it of its oils and makes it dry and lifeless.

-washing the hair upside down gives thin hair some volume and also allows a thorough cleans and wash after application of masks/hair color.

-use a sulfate free shampoo and conditioner.

Few suggestions: Kerastase sulfate free shampoo, OGX keratin oil shampoo, Moroccan oil shampoo, Olaplex N4 shampoo

-use minimal shampoo to wash hair especially if you have not applied an oil/mask, they normally suggest a dime of shampoo, squeeze onto the palm, dilute with water and apply on scalp and massage it gently for a 1-2minutes.

-conditioning is a must, do not miss this step as it helps in sealing the hair cuticles and keeps it moisturized, to be only applied from the mid hair length to the tips. Keep for a minimum of 1 -3 minutes to enjoy the least benefits.

-wash the products thoroughly until the water runs clean.

-use a microfiber towel to dry your hair. Be gentle while drying, avoid harsh tugging and pulling and its usually best to allow it to air dry naturally .

7.Hair trim: Many of us have missed our once in a while hair trim in the past year and you must have noticed that despite the absence of a good hair trim , the hair doesn't look any longer, infact it might look thinner towards the ends. A regular hair trim eliminates split ends, helps get rid of frizzy hair, keeps the hair healthy and also promotes hair growth. Missing regular hair trims can eventually lead to poor hair growth, thin and dry hair. We should make it a point to trim our hair every 2-3 months to see the best results.

8. Diet: Modify your diet and intentionally add more macro nutrients such as proteins for hair and skin, the diameter of the hair depends on the cysteines that we derive from our diet. Poultry, eggs, legumes, lentils, chia seeds and nuts are some of the best sources of proteins. Fats give the much needed shine and luster to the hair, omega 3 fatty acids present in fish, chia seeds, walnuts are all sources of good fats and should be added to our routine diet in moderation. The next important component that is needed for good hair structure is carbohydrates, choose the right kind of complex carbohydrate and fiber in fruits and vegetables. As you can see a whole array of nutrients make up the healthy hair and this is the reason why many of us would have noticed a sudden hairloss when we go on specific Diets.

9. Vitamins: Vitamin D is one of the key vitamins in differentiation of hair follicles, we know that a daily exposure to morning/midday sun for 10mins is the best source for both skin and hair. There are many of us who don’t get this kind of exposure on a daily basis for many reasons. Then there are other important vitamins that are needed for healthy hair growth such as folate, pantothenic acid, biotin and minerals such as zinc, magnesium , cupper and iron. Though we do get a small amount from our diet, most of us do need to add specific supplements to our daily intake to keep the hair growth constant.

10. Stress : Take it from me, I believe when we learnt about equal proportionality in physics, they had to be speaking about stress and hairloss. Each of us is well familiar with the fact that stress does cause drastic hairloss during some short to (at times) long phases in our lives. The hair strand is extremely sensitive to stress, physical or mental, because somehow when the body is under stress all the resources focus on the vital organs and functions, compromising on supplying enough nutrition to the hair. In more physiological terms the hair goes from anagen phase to the falling phase. So how do we manage this stress? One of the things that has helped me the most is coming to terms with the simple fact that what is lost will come back in bounty when the time is right. Other simple measures like praying, meditating, me time and a well set daily routine helps in keeping stress at bay.

So there you have it, before we invest in expensive hair care/styling products or despair if we need to make that visit to the dermatologist/trichologist, lets work at the root of the problem and see if a few changes in our regular routine and a little extra TLC will help give your gorgeous hair that chance it deserves.

"And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered"- Matthew 10:30

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