When people think about their health, many focus on areas like food and exercise. However, one area you can easily overlook is the health of your hair.
Your hair is one of the first things people notice when someone walks into a room. Healthy hair makes a person look and feel full of life and vitality. Unfortunately, not everyone has healthy hair, but there are steps you can take to bring it back to life.
If you’ve found yourself wondering how to know if your hair is healthy, keep reading. We’ll unlock how caring for your hair can leave you with the most luscious of locks.
Table of Contents
How to Know if Your Hair Is Healthy: A Guide
Before diving into how to care for your hair, it’s important to know what hair is made of. The main ingredients in hair are water and protein. The main protein in hair is keratin.
Moving to the inside of hair, you’ll find more keratin and fats known as lipids. The outer layer of your hair, called the cuticle, protects your hair to keep it from breaking.
The Importance of Caring for Your Hair
Your hair is more than a fun accessory you can style and show off. It plays a key role in a person’s overall well-being.
Hair makes a perfect insulator for your body. It can help regulate your body temperature in very hot or cold weather. The hair on your head also protects your sensitive scalp from getting harmed by the sun’s rays.
Defining Healthy Hair
One of the most beautiful aspects of hair is how many types there are. Hair comes in many different shades, textures, lengths, and styles.
When it comes to identifying healthy hair, the signs depend on the person and their hair type. While the characteristics of healthy hair aren’t universal, most people can define healthy hair as hair that doesn’t have breakage or split ends.
Healthy Hair Tips
If you’re feeling like your hair is looking less than stellar, have no fear. There are steps you can take to keep your hair in its best shape.
Take Your Vitamins
If your hair isn’t looking its best, it may mean your body lacks vital proteins and vitamins. A lack of protein can weaken your hair and cause you to lose hair color faster.
You can add more protein to your diet in several ways. Eating meat is always an option, but not the only way to get more protein. Eggs, beans, and fish are all high in the protein your hair needs.
There are a few vitamins you can add to your diet to try to improve your hair. Zinc helps keep your hair from falling out. You can find zinc in many fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens.
Not everyone enjoys eating a big bowl full of vegetables at each meal. If this sounds like you, you can get extra zinc by taking a supplement. You can also find zinc in nuts like almonds and pecans.
Finally, omega-3s are another great addition to your diet to help improve your hair health. You can find omega-3s in food like yogurt, flax seeds, and some cereals.
Omega-3s keep your scalp healthy. A healthier scalp means stronger hair.
Shampoo and Conditioner
Choosing a shampoo and conditioner can feel overwhelming, especially with so many options out there. You can find shampoos and conditioners that target different issues. Some of the most common hair issues these hair products target are greasiness, improving hair hydration, and combating aging.
Shampoos and conditioners are specially formulated to work with different types of hair. When choosing your shampoo and conditioner, you want to make sure to keep in mind your specific hair type. Once you understand your specific type of hair, it will be easier for you to choose a shampoo and conditioner that will complement your hair and enhance its health.
Using Hot Hair Tools
Another way you can damage your hair and keep it from being its healthiest is by hitting the blow dryer too hard. Any amount of heat on your hair can cause your hair to dry out and get damaged. Tools that people use daily, like flat irons, curling irons, and blow dryers, can be a death wish for healthy hair.
If you use a hot tool on your hair, make sure to always use a heat protectant first. Keep the tool at its lowest setting so you can reduce your risk of damaging your hair. Try not to hold the hot tool in one place too long, and always keep the tool moving through your hair.
Safe Hairstyling
If you use small elastics in your hairstyle, don’t rip them out of your hair to take them out. You can cause unnecessary damage and rip out sections of your hair without meaning to. Instead, a tool like the Pony Pick band cutter can remove hair bands with no damage.
Using Hair Color
Another way you can damage your hair is to over-process it with hair dye or bleach. You can keep your hair healthiest by always seeing a professional for this job. Also, try to extend the time between hair dye appointments as long as you can.
Getting a Hair Cut
Cutting your hair is another way to keep it in tip-top health. When you trim the ends of your hair, you remove any of the dead split ends that may be there. When the ends are gone, there is less of a chance they will split the hair strand.
Follow These Easy Tips for Your Best Hair Ever
Your hair health can be a reflection of your overall health. If you’re wondering how to know if your hair is healthy, consider factors such as no breakage, natural shine, and a nourished scalp. Following tips to keep your hair strong and in the best shape will have you feeling and looking great.
Your hair isn’t the only part of your body that needs attention. Check out our other health blogs today for more healthy lifestyle tips and tricks.
