While we may not be able to head out and see the girls, it does mean that we can spend a little more time on our hair care routines to make sure that our luscious locks are looking mighty fine ready for the end of lockdown. Although healthy eating, exercising and ensuring that you get enough sleep are all important aspects of self-care, one thing that many of us leave out is an effective hair regime. If you want to ensure that your hair is looking its healthiest, then you will need to combine healthy eating and hair care products to make you feel and look fabulous. Luckily, as your hair guru’s, we have a selection of products and hair care tips that can make your hair go from drab to fab ready for your big reveal after lockdown 2.0. There are a few quick and easy lifestyle changes that you can incorporate into your day and a drop of luxury products designed for nourishing the hair, that you deserve treating yourself to. So, let’s get that hair turning heads in the supermarket on your weekly shop!
Hair Care Tips To Make All The Girls Envious
As your go-to hair salon in Milton Keynes, we’ve seen our fair share of damaged hair crying out for a little TLC. Whether it’s from attempting to try to create that flawless balayage during lockdown because you just couldn’t wait for our salon to reopen, or the countless times you curled your hair to make yourself feel good ready for sitting in the kitchen eating your dinner alone on a Tuesday evening, there will always be a rescue remedy! Damaged hair is a girl’s worst enemy, so we’re here to help you fight the battleground that is split ends and frizzy mains with our specialist tips and tricks:
- Washing Routine
- Use Microfibre Towels
- Protect Your Hair
- Weekly Hair Mask
- Use The Correct Brush
- Trim Regularly
- Invest In A Silk Pillowcase
- Rethink Your Diet
- Avoid Tight Styling
- Treat Your Scalp
1. Washing Routine
Are we right in saying that your washing routine has gone out the window during lockdown? Going from over-washing your hair to make sure that it isn’t greasy for work to not washing it all because no one will be seeing you, isn’t always good for your hair. Many people think that leaving their hair for a week before washing it is good for nourishing the follicles, but this can actually be doing more harm than good. Much like on your hands, leaving oil in your hair can cause bacteria to build up, which can be harmful to your hair and health, particularly in the current climate.
Ideally, your hair should only be washed a maximum of three days a week as this allows the scalp and follicles to maintain all of their natural oils, ultimately reducing dryness and breakages. While you may believe that your hair needs to be washed daily to avoid the ‘greasy’ look, you are, in fact, doing incredibly more harm than good.
When you do wash your hair, avoid using hot water and instead, opt for a lukewarm setting. We are all aware of the impact that excessive heat styling has on our hair, but are less conscious of the fact that hot water causes the same level of damage. Using lukewarm water as an alternative allows you to achieve cleanliness while maintaining moisture in your cuticles.
During the shampooing stage, aim to massage the product into your hair gently. Not only will this lower the likelihood of tangling, but it’ll also encourage the blood circulation in your scalp, therefore, promoting healthy hair growth. Conditioner should also only be applied to the ends of your hair rather than all over. Over time, the product will begin to build-up on your scalp and will cause your hair to become greasy quicker.
2. Use Microfibre Towels
After washing, almost all of us wrap our hair in a towel to begin the drying process. Although often less considered, your towel choice can begin to have an impact on the condition of your hair.
Over the past few years, the use of microfibre towels has grown in popularity for cleaning equipment, but are also equally as effective when drying your hair. Microfibre is thought to be around 100 times finer than hair, which means that these towels are able to absorb moisture considerably quicker than opting to use a regular towel. In just half an hour, your hair will be almost completely dry.
As microfibre towels are capable of drying hair naturally in minimal time, it eliminates the need for adding friction against the hair through rubbing it dry. Friction is one of the main causes of brittleness and breakages, which causes the hair to become frizzy after washing. You can find a range of high-quality microfibre towels via online stores, such as Paragon Microfibre, which are cheap yet effective!
3. Protect Your Hair
Although styling hair with heated tools isn’t the best for its health, leaving the house without attacking your hair with the straighteners or curling wand is a lot harder than it may seem. But that does not necessarily mean that your hair has to pay the price for looking good! If you can’t keep away from the heated styling tools, then you should always apply a good quality heat protector such as those found on Beauty Works. When booking in with our women’s hairdressers in Milton Keynes, our stylists will always use only the best products for your hair, including the heat protection spray from Beauty Works. Using a heat protection spray or serum will work towards building a barrier between the heat and hair cuticle, stopping the heat from causing excess damage.
4. Weekly Hair Mask
On a Sunday, when you are unwinding on the sofa watching your favourite television series, why not use the free time to your advantage and pop on a hair mask while you relax?
It is your choice whether you treat yourself to a deep conditioning mask or use tailored ingredients to create your own. The advantage of making your own is that you can alter the ingredients used match your hair type and requirements. For example, those who have dry hair would want to include essential oils such as argan and coconut oil, along with banana, avocado and honey. Whereas, for oily hair, yoghurt, apple cider vinegar and egg would all prove beneficial. You can find a host of homemade hair masks over on Marie Claire, and you should try a new one every week to see which one is the best for your hair type!
Luckily, even if you are pushed for time, yet still want to nourish your hair, there is a wide choice of sleeping masks which can be applied before going to bed and washed off the next morning. For example, Bumble & Bumble, Kiehl’s and Living Proof all specialise in overnight hair masks which can be easily applied; just place a cap over your hair and wake up with silky, smooth locks.
5. Use The Correct Brush
Using the right tools on your hair can surprisingly have a significant impact on its health as well as the way it looks. Brushing your hair can have an effect on how healthy it is, as it detangles the ends and can pull natural oils from the roots right down to the tips of the hair. For this reason, you need to be careful how and when you brush your hair and the tool that you use to complete the task.
Wet hair is considerably more fragile than dry hair which means it should always be detangled using a wide-toothed comb. Not only will a wide-toothed comb prevent breakages, but it will also reduce the risk of split ends, making it gentler on both the hair and scalp. When combing through wet hair, section your hair into two then start at the ends and work your way up to the root; this will minimise the amount of hair that falls out during detangling.
If you regularly blow-dry your hair after washing, we recommend using a round heat retainer brush. As a heat retainer brush is filled with bristles that have small holes in between, it allows the hot hair to circulate and therefore, dry the hair quicker. The quicker your hair dries, the less heat you will need to use.
6. Trim Regularly
Split ends, unfortunately, are inevitable, which means that at some point, you will need to book in to have your hair trimmed. If you’re hoping to grow your hair, only a few centimetres will need to be taken off, which will also work towards helping it to grow quicker and stronger. Ideally, you should book in for a quick appointment with your hairdresser every six to eight weeks to ensure that all split ends are cut away before they have a chance to travel further up each strand. If left to worsen, split ends will continue to multiply, causing what has a similar appearance to a feather. Now, this one is a bit tricky at the moment, and we don’t recommend attempting this yourself, but you can still book in. A hair cut with our specialists ready for the end of lockdown, so please feel free to give our women’s and men’s hairdressers in Milton Keynes a call!
7. Invest In A Silk Pillowcase
Silk pillowcases are a fantastic investment to benefit both your hair and skin. Due to the natural properties in silk, the material is ideal for creating a super smooth surface to sleep on. Many of us toss and turn throughout the night, which is causing constant friction between the pillowcase surface and our face and hair, and friction is the main culprit for causing brittle hair and breakages.
Opting to sleep on a silk pillowcase over any alternative material means that you will no longer have to worry about tackling your daily ‘bed head’, as the surface will help towards keeping your hair in control during the night. It is also ideal for retaining the moisture in your hair, particularly useful if you choose to apply a hair mask or leave-in conditioner before bed.
8. Rethink Your Diet
You would be surprised how much of an impact your diet can have on your hair, as being healthy on the inside will reflect on the outside! There are many different foods which can help towards maintaining healthy hair, and it includes more than just the traditional ‘drink milk for strong hair and nails’ motto.
One of the best ways to incorporate hair nourishing foods into your diet is through swapping your sugary snacks for healthy alternatives. Instead of grabbing a packet of crisps or biscuits when you feel peckish, go for options such as berries, nuts and seeds. Berries, in particular, are filled with antioxidants and Vitamin C, which helps the hair follicles to fight against harmful molecules which work to disrupt their growth. A combination of nuts and seeds provide the body with a massive amount of nutrients such as Vitamin B, Vitamin C and Omega-3 Fatty Acids.
9. Avoid Tight Styling
Although they look sleek and stylish, a high, tight ponytail is often doing more damage to your hair than it is worth. Tight hairstyles harm the root of the follicles, which will eventually cause the hair to fall out, not to mention tension headaches that you may begin to experience by the end of the day. Ponytails, in particular, put a lot of strain on the finer hair at the front of your head, which increases the likelihood of a receding hairline in the future.
When you do put your hair up, avoid using elastic bands or hair bands that have a metal clasp as, throughout the day, they begin to tug on your hair and cause breakages. Instead, we suggest using soft endless fabric bobbles or scrunchies, as these are softer on the hair, stop tangling and hair kinks, and are perfect for wearing to bed!
10. Treat Your Scalp
Just like your skin needs moisturising, your scalp requires just as much care and hydrating as your hair does, especially if you have noticed your scalp becoming dry.
Treating your scalp is super easy and can be done as little or often as you feel is necessary. One ingredient that every effective scalp treatment includes is oil, as it is proven by dermatologists to seal hydration into your scalp. Similarly to hair masks, you can either purchase a ready-to-use scalp oil filled with other ingredients or use organic oils from places such as Holland & Barrett.
When using oil to nourish your scalp, for maximum results, apply the oil and allow it to soak into the skin for around an hour. You can then continue to shampoo and condition the hair as normal.
Keep Your Hair Looking Silky Smooth
To many of us, our hair is such a big statement piece to our look, and the thought of damaging it is incredibly daunting. However, with a little extra care and adjusting your hair care routine, you can ensure that your hair is kept healthy and in the best possible condition. The lockdown is a great opportunity to nourish your hair, so make sure that you purchase a few products and master your routine ready for being released back into the wild world that is the new normal!
If your hair is need of a treatment, or you were just about to book in for your hair appointment and then the new lockdown was announced, then you can still contact our team to book in appointments ready for the end of lockdown. All hair treatments, including our hair systems in Milton Keynes, are available upon our reopening when booked in with our specialist stylist, so please contact us via our contact form, and we will be in touch as soon as possible.