Hair care
When I started growing my hair a few years ago, I had it quite short, because it was by the shoulders, and in addition, it was not in such a good condition. Then I decided to grow them to the length I always wanted and to make them shiny and healthy. Browsing the Internet, I read a lot about various methods of proper hair care and it took a while before I got to the expected effect. In this article, I want to discuss basic hair care methods to help you improve the quality, thickness and length of your hair without having to try various methods from the Internet, which are not always effective.
Washing and drying
Before washing your hair, it is good to comb it, always following the direction of our washing method. So if we wash our hair upside down, our hair should also be combed upside down. Washing your hair should be done with warm water. Ideally, the water should not be too warm in our opinion. At the end of washing, it is worth rinsing them with cool water, but not cold. Before applying the shampoo, it is best to dilute it and slightly lather it in your hands. During this activity, I always focus on washing the scalp, and I lightly and gently stroke my hair with flowing foam. During such washing, I gently massage the scalp with circular movements, avoiding rubbing my hair against myself or scrubbing.
Usually, to wash your hair, use delicate shampoos, i.e. those without SLS and SLES. The shampoo I use the most is Johnson's baby shampoo. Sometimes I also use a moisturizing shampoo from Tołpa, which not only has a decent composition, but also you can buy it for a relatively reasonable price. Both of these shampoos do not contain SLS or SLES and I can honestly recommend it to anyone who would like to take care of their hair. Only for washing the hair after oiling, I would recommend a slightly stronger shampoo, because the one for children is more gentle, which means that oils come off harder. Always after washing my hair, I put on a mask or conditioner to protect my hair from damage. After washing, it is important that the hair is drained of water. Preferably with a cotton turban or a T-shirt. During this activity, remember not to rub your hair unnecessarily, as it deteriorates its condition. I do not recommend wrapping your hair in a towel and keeping it in a turban for too long. I also avoid brushing wet hair. I leave the combing stage at the end when my hair is dry. You should definitely not sleep in wet hair, because it is then most susceptible to damage. To minimize the risk of damage, I always tie them in a loose braid to sleep.
If your hair dries on its own in less than an hour, it is worth letting it dry by itself, but if it dries longer, it is best to dry it with a dryer. I usually blow-dry my hair, as it would naturally take a long time to dry. When drying your hair, you should remember about thermal protection to avoid the negative impact of high temperature on your hair and try to dry your hair in a cool or medium flow. I always start drying my hair by drying the roots and then the ends to avoid overdrying. Usually, I try not to dry my hair until it is completely dry. I leave them slightly damp, letting them dry naturally. It also prevents the hair from drying out excessively. At the very end of drying, I apply a cool airflow to close the cuticles, and after drying, I slowly comb the hair from the bottom up.
Hair conditioners and masks
When it comes to the use of conditioners and masks, the most important thing is to drain the hair well before applying them, thanks to which we will obtain the best effect on the condition of our hair. I always apply the conditioner or mask from the tips to below the ears. I do this because the ends are exposed to constant mechanical damage and have the greatest tendency to chipping and splitting, and we do not overload and clog the scalp.
When applying a conditioner or mask, try to avoid excess product and spread the product evenly over the hair. I also try not to use the same conditioner all the time, but to use them interchangeably due to their different characteristics and properties. The types of nutrients available on the market include, among others: oil, moisturizing and protein. I always try to use all of these types according to the needs of my hair. There are many masks in drugstore stores that contain proteins and keratin, but too frequent use can lead to reproteinning of the hair, making it dry, dull and weak. Therefore, it is best to use protein supplements and masks at intervals of 1 to 3 weeks. We always put them on for 20-30 minutes under the occlusion in the form of a cap or foil and turban, and then rinse with cool water. One such conditioner or mask at home is enough. I usually use the "Biovax keratin + silk" or "Total Keratin Complex" masks. It is also worth using conditioners rich in oils, which strengthen the structure of the hair and give it adequate softness and elasticity. We can use such supplements much more often. When choosing a conditioner, it is best to follow the composition of the preparation so that it contains oils as high as possible in the composition.
In my hair care, I use the "L'Oréal Paris Elseve Magic Power of Oils" oil conditioner the most frequently. I recommend using moisturizing masks when our hair is very dry. You can then use them interchangeably with oil masks. My personal preference is the "Natur Vital" moisturizing mask or the "Nivea Hydro" conditioner. I usually apply masks, oil conditioners or moisturizers for 15 minutes under the occlusion, and then rinse with cool water.
Suitable hair brush
A well-chosen hairbrush is one of the most important elements of proper hair care. The best brushes are those that do not tear our hair out, an additional advantage can be a shock-absorbing pillow and double bristles. When choosing the right brush, it is worth considering brushes for hair extensions or natural bristles. The brush that I personally use is a professional brush for natural and extended hair with nylon reinforced boar bristles. It is easy to maintain, relatively cheap, and it really does a great job. It does not tear or cause static in the hair. Always brush your hair from the bottom up. I could not ignore the key issue here, which is washing the brush at least once a week, because it accumulates a lot of bacteria, dead skin and remnants of hair care products. By using such a brush, we unnecessarily recontaminate our hair and scalp, thus inhibiting the effects of our hair care.
Oil serums and rub-on conditioners
Oil serum used on our hair tips and hair massages applied to the scalp are a very important element of everyday hair care. I never forget about them in my beauty rituals. We usually use these two products after washing our hair.
They support hair growth, make it easier to grow them, as well as protect them against damage and prevent them from flaking. An oil serum for hair ends protects the hair very well against external factors, loss of moisture, mechanical damage or splitting. It also has a smoothing effect and gives the hair appropriate softness. First, I apply the serum to my hands, evenly distributing it, and then I stroke the hair from the ends to the middle of the hair length. It is best to use them immediately after washing them onto wet tips, just before drying them. You can also apply them to dry ends immediately after drying. Just remember to apply a little less preparation if you choose the second method to avoid the effect of greasy hair. The best preparations are those with a lot of oils, little silicones and no alcohol. I most often use the serum “L`Oreal Paris Elseve Magical Power of Oils - Nourishing Elixir of 6 Flower Oils”. On the other hand, I recommend avoiding the Biosilk or Bioelixire type serums black cumin oil, as they contain practically only silicones. On the other hand, lotions accelerate hair growth and improve their thickening. They improve circulation, extend the hair growth phase, moisturize and nourish. It is best to use a lotion right after washing your hair onto a damp scalp and massage it in with circular movements.
The products in this category that I use most often are "Dermedic Capilarte", "Jantar" and "Bandi Tricho - anti-hair loss extract". Choosing the right cosmetics to care for our hair is one of the most important things to remember. Conscious and intelligent use of appropriate products available on the market always contributes to obtaining much better results in terms of the condition of our hair.
Scalp massages, Peels and rinses
Scalp massages improve blood circulation and accelerate hair growth. For massage it is best to use an Ayurvedic scalp massager, which is very cheap and can be found almost anywhere. Its price on the Internet ranges from PLN 10 to PLN 20. For it to bring the desired results, even 10 minutes a day of such a massage is enough. If we want to grow our hair and take care of its condition, it is also worth performing a scalp scrub or acidifying rinses for our hair. Avoiding peeling can lead to blockage of the hair follicles and excessive hair loss.
Due to this fact, it is worth remembering about the regular use of scrub on our scalp. Such peels can be purchased at all cosmetic stores or you can make them yourself. The peels I use are made entirely by myself, due to my profession and experience in this subject. A self-made peeling is much cheaper than those you can find in stores. In addition, the preparation of such a product is not difficult at all, and we are sure that its composition is natural. It is enough to add 2-3 flat tablespoons of one of the abrasive ingredients, such as white or green clay, or cassia (colorless henna) or just plain sugar to the bowl, and add 2 tablespoons of hair shampoo and mix everything thoroughly. The proportions that I use myself usually consist of 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of clay and 2 tablespoons of shampoo. Before peeling, it is best to first wash your hair and apply the scrub to damp scalp. Thorough and effective scrub of the scalp is performed by gentle massage of the scalp with circular movements without unnecessary rubbing of the hair, and then rinse with water. It is best to do this massage no more than once a week. Acidifying rinses help restore the proper pH of the skalp, and also close the hair cuticles.
It is worth keeping this in mind and not be afraid to use them, but not more often than once a week. The best rinses in my opinion are lemon rinse (pour the juice of half a lemon into a bowl and dissolve in 1 liter of water) or vinegar (pour two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar into a bowl and dissolve in 1 liter of water). The rinse is applied after shampooing the hair, rinsing the hair with it, left for 2-3 minutes, and then rinsing with water. You can also apply a conditioner after it.
Hair lamination
Hair lamination is a procedure that perfectly smoothes, gives shine to the hair and makes it loose and much more resistant to external factors or any mechanical damage. It is a hair treatment that I personally love. The hair literally looks like after visiting a hairdressing salon. Hair lamination provides a large dose of proteins contained in gelatin and sugar humectants, which additionally moisturize the hair. To prepare the product for hair lamination, I put half a teaspoon of gelatin, a tablespoon of sugar into the bowl, then I pour 1.5 tablespoons of boiling water and mix everything thoroughly until the ingredients are completely dissolved. Then I add 1 tablespoon of the selected conditioner to the mixture (preferably oil - in my case, "Loreal Elseve Magical Power of Oils"). I dissolve everything in a water bath to avoid lumps. After preparing the mask, I wash my hair thoroughly with a SLS or SLES cleansing shampoo, and after rinsing, I drain the hair and apply the mask on my hair, avoiding the scalp. I put on a cap and turban to keep it warm and leave it for about 40 minutes. After this time, I thoroughly rinse my hair with water and blow-dry with a dryer. I perform such a procedure at an interval of about 2-3 weeks.
Oiling the hair
Hair oiling very well nourishes the hair, moisturizes and regenerates it. Additionally, it gives the hair elasticity, strengthens it and protects it against external factors. After it, the hair is soft and shiny and does not split as much as it can be seen when we do not use this treatment. The appropriate oil is usually selected according to the porosity of the hair (low, medium or high). The more frizzy the hair is and susceptible to weather conditions such as moisture, the greater the porosity of the hair. Porosity can decrease over time with proper care. The best oils for low porosity hair are: shea butter, cocoa butter, castor oil and coconut oil. For medium porosity hair, the best oils are: argan oil, avocado, macadamia oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba or apricot kernel oil. High porosity hair, in turn, most often prefers seed oils, e.g. linseed oil, black cumin oil, sunflower oil, raspberry seed oil. However, I do not recommend sticking to a given group, because sometimes, for example, coconut oil will not be suitable for our hair despite its low porosity (however, this oil is not suitable for many people).
It may also turn out that argan oil is perfect for us despite its high porosity. My hair is rather medium porosity towards low porosity hair. The oils that work best for my hair are: argan oil, sweet almond oil, avocado and jojoba oil. I personally perform oiling on the so-called moisturizing foundation, ie before applying the oils, I spray my hair generously with a moisturizing mist, which will additionally moisturize the hair (I use the "Jantar" mist for dry and brittle hair, which is alcohol-free). You can also make such a moisturizing mist yourself (Add 1 teaspoon of the "Nivea Hydro" moisturizing conditioner to the water or add 1 teaspoon of sugar or honey to the water or add 1 teaspoon of 100% aloe vera gel to the water - mix everything in a bottle with an atomizer and sprinkle it thoroughly with such a mist your hair). Then we apply the selected oil or a mixture of oils to the hair from the tips to the roots (I usually have argan oil, sweet almond oil, Jojoba, avocado and 3 drops of vitamin A + E). I also apply properly prepared oils to the scalp to nourish it additionally, and then I put on a foil cap and turban as an occlusion. Keep the oil on your hair for at least 40 minutes. I usually keep them for about 2-3 hours, which in my opinion is more than enough.
You can also sometimes leave it overnight. When washing off the oil mixture, first "wash" the hair with a little more of the conditioner of your choice (in my case, "Garnier Fructis Hair Food Banana"), which means, massage it thoroughly into your hair as if you were washing your hair, put on a cap and leave it for 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with warm water and wash your hair with diluted shampoo. After washing your hair and rinsing, apply the selected conditioner. This method of washing off the oil by emulsifying is the best. It is best to perform hair oiling once a week.
Scalp needle mesotherapy
When caring for and growing my hair, I could not skip the needle mesotherapy treatment, which greatly accelerates hair growth, thickens it, nourishes the scalp, improves blood circulation and inhibits hair loss. I will write more about this procedure in the article "Needle mesotherapy", which will soon be published on my website. When this article is available, I recommend that you read it. This treatment helped me grow long, beautiful and healthy hair. In addition, thanks to it, I have grown a lot of baby hairs, and the scalp itself is in great condition. As for me, I finished my series of treatments some time ago and currently I only do reminding treatments. Needle mesotherapy works incomparably better than any rubs, helps to deal with the problem of androgenic and telogen baldness, reduces bends, as well as eliminates the so-called. papal cap.
Summary
At the end of this article, I would like to mention hair cutting. In my case, it takes place every 3 months or at least every six months. This prevents further split ends and hair breakage. If you want to grow your hair, you only need to trim the ends at this frequency, you don't need to cut the hair by 10cm at once. Once a week, I also check individual strands of my hair along its entire length to check if I have split ends and if there are any split ends I only cut off a fragment of a split hair with hairdressing scissors. Thanks to this, I avoid the need to later cut the hair stronger along the entire length. Such hair care provides deep nourishment and protection to the hair, and effectively thickens it. Hair becomes smooth, shiny and visibly healthier. I hope this article will help you achieve your dream results and help you create the right hair care habits. Good luck 😊
