00. Start by getting to know Hair
The first thing you'll want to do is learn what your hair type is. Once you know and understand your hair, nurturing it will be much easier.
01.Trim your Ends
Please by all means if your hair ends are severely damaged and thin, they should go. Cut off those thin, damaged and brittle ends. Don't worry, your hair will be thick and beautiful before you know it. Broken ends which are severely damaged and thin cannot be made healthy again no matter what product you use or how much you condition your hair.Your trim doesn't have to be Drastic. You can just cut just enough to even your hair out. Prevent split ends before they start because you can’t repair them once they are here. Split ends will continue to split up the hair shaft resulting in more hair breakage and thin ends. I suggest clipping your ends at every 8 - 10 weeks depending on your hair type with very sharp scissors. Please don’t ignore your split ends.
02. Take hair pictures and start hair care journal.
This may sound clichéd, but it is an excellent idea to write down your thoughts and feelings about your hair. What are your hair goals and in what time frame do you want to achieve them? Do you desire thickness, length or both? Take pictures of your hair every month and monitor your hair's progress. It is so exciting to see you hair transform from thin and lifeless to thick and beautiful right before your eyes!
03.Shampoo and Co- Wash
A.Shampoo:
Be sure to use a moisturizing shampoo. Water is the basic and most supreme form of moisture. It is very important to keep your scalp clean and healthy for growth to occur. Prior to shampooing the hair, comb through the hair with a wide tooth comb. I usually part my hair down the middle and shampoo each side. It is best to shampoo in the shower to prevent major tangling. Focus on the scalp because when you rinse the shampoo will clean your hair ends. Please don't pile all of your hair on the top of your head and shampoo vigorously!!!! This will definitely cause tangling and breakage.
B.Co-wash:
Co-washing is basically washing your hair wish conditioner instead of shampoo. This way you protect your hair from the harsh cleaning Ingredients on the shampoo. Besides Conditioners already contain a small amount of cleansers. You apply conditioner to the scalp & hair..massage...rinse..then apply your favorite deep conditioner.
I do this about 3 times a week..and wash with shampoo once a week.
04.Deep condition protein and / or moisturizing conditioner weekly.
Deep condition your hair weekly. Moisturizing deep conditioners do not just coat the hair strand. These conditioners penetrate the cortex layer of the hair infusing moisture into the hair strand. Protein conditioners strengthen the hair (hair is 75% protein) by penetrating the cortex and adding amino acids (simple proteins) to the portions of the hair strands that are weak.Use good quality penetrating water based deep conditioner with lots of slip to detangle the hair. You can either deep condition under dryer or you can apply a warm towel on your hair after applying a plastic cap and leave on for at least 15 minutes. If you don’t have time for that, apply a deep penetrating conditioner to your hair followed by a plastic cap at night before sleeping. In the morning, rinse out the conditioner and style as usual.
05.Use a leave-in conditioner.
This is a must. Using a leave in conditioner will moisturize, detangle and protect the hair when heat styling. Leave-in conditioners will also prevent breakage and protect the hair from weather damage.
06.Look in your "hair cabinet".
Read the ingredients on all of your hair care products. Don’t use products containing petrolatum and mineral oil to moisturize your hair.. Products containing these ingredients will only coat the hair and not penetrate the hair strand. Therefore, the hair will not be moisturized. Stay far away from alcohol based products, SHAMPOO, hair spray, gels, mousses and spritz. These products will lead to hair that is dry, brittle and prone to breakage.
07.Maintain moisture in the hair.
Frankly, dry hair breaks. I know that I sound like a broken record but this is why it is so important to keep the hair moisturized. Some people seem to think that their hair just won't grow. This is not true. What is really happening? The hair is growing but it is breaking at the same rate therefore, no length is maintained. It is vital to apply moisture to your hair every day. Hair that is brittle and dry needs moisture. Our hair needs to be moisturized just like our faces do. Moisturizing the hair increases elasticity and decreases breakage. When moisturizing the hair, focus on the hair ends. If ends are dry, they will eventually split and break. A great idea is to moisturize the hair when it is wet and use a light oil to to seal in the moisture. You can't go wrong with this method!
08.Never use bristle brushes on wet hair.
This will GUARANTEE hair breakage! Avoid brushing your hair while wet. Hair is at its most fragile time when wet. If you must detangle wet hair, use the wide tooth comb. Find a seamless comb, so there are no seams to catch and pull hair. Make sure that the teeth are perfectly spaced for detangling. ***Always detangle wet hair with a wide tooth comb.*** In fact, it is best to avoid brushing your hair under most circumstances, a wide-tooth comb is almost always a better choice.
09.Monitor your hair tools.
Throw away any hair tools that can break off your hair. This may sound like common sense but I never really thought about old bobby pins without rubber tip, combs with missing teeth and ponytail holders with metal clamps. All of these utensils with sharp ends will definitely cause hair breakage so please stay away from them. Be *extremely* careful of what kind of hair jewelry you use. Never use metal barrettes(the "French" style) and absolutely NEVER use rubberbands, they will tear your hair when you try to remove them. Avoid anything that has sharp or rough edges, such as plastic combs with rough seams or hair claws with metal hinges. Never put anything in your hair that attaches with Velcro or springs. If you take anything out of your hair and a significant amount of hair comes out with it, don't ever put it back in your hair. Scrunchies are very hair-safe, and several can be used if your hair is very long. Need I mention the most fabulous, elegant, stunningly beautiful hair accessories of ALL TIME? long locks hair sticks of course!
10.Massage the scalp daily.
Massaging the scalp with high quality hair oils or follicle stimulator's contribute to increased blood flow. This allows oxygen, nutrients, vitamin, minerals and proteins to nourish the hair root. This contributes to healthy hair growth.
11. Limit the use of direct heat.
The use of direct heat should be limited to 1 - 4 times per month. Using direct heat on a daily basis will definitely result in damaged hair. Remember brittle hair leads to breakage and breakage = no length retention. Whenever you do use direct heat, remember to use a heat protector prior to the direct heat application. I also suggest using only ceramic / tourmaline irons instead of Marcel irons. Ceramic/ Tourmaline irons are less damaging to the hair. Another tip for direct heat users is to never use heat on dirty hair. Heat should should be used on clean hair only. No more than 2 days after washing the hair. Using heat on dirty hair only bakes dirt into the hair. Dirty hair will always burn faster and of course, will cause damage. Limit blow dryers to 1 -2 times per month. It is best not to blow dry the hair at all. I only use hood hair dryers.
12. Wear protective style.
Protective styles are styles that protect the hair ends. Usually the hair ends are tucked away protecting them from drying out. Styles such as twists, braids, buns, up-dos or any other style variation that tuck in the hair ends. Our hair ends are the most fragile because they are the oldest. These styles protect the hair in extreme cold and hot temps and from rubbing against the clothes or other rough edges. Staying away from wool collars and hats is a good idea if you want to prevent breakage. The constant rubbing of the wool against the hair will surely result in breakage at that particular area. If you must wear wool, I suggest that you line the inside of the hat and/or collar with a satin scarf.
13.Choose less damaging styling techniques.
Avoid use of hot water, hot blow dryers or other hair care tools that may stress the hair.
There are many styling techniques that you can use that are less damaging to the hair such as roller-sets, twist, braids, ponytails, wrapping the hair, molecular steam roller-sets or any other style that doesn't require direct heat.....be creative. Be *extremely* gentle with your hair when it is wet. Don't rub your hair vigorously with a towel, gently squeeze the towel down the length of your hair.
14.Know the difference between breakage and shedding.
Don’t be alarmed with hair shedding. Typically, the hair sheds 100-500 strands daily. Each hair follicle has a cycle of growth which eventually will lead to death. Everyone has a different growth cycle. For this reason, normal shedding varies. Shedding is different from breakage. Check the strands of hair in your comb or brush. If you see a white bulb (hair follicle) at the end of the hair strand, this would be considered normal shedding. If you don't see the follicle this may be considered hair breakage
15.Protect your hair at night.
Always sleep with silk or satin pillow case or you can use a scarf or bonnet.. Sleeping with a cotton scarf or pillowcase will cause the the hair to dry out. Just think, cotton is very absorbent and will absorb moisture from the hair.
16.Avoid sculptured hairstyles that don’t move.
Hairstyles that last from one shampoo to the other are definitely not good for your hair. Remember that you need to moisturize your hair everyday. It is not possible to do this with these types of styles. Sometimes we have to sacrifice hair ‘style' for hair ‘health’. Besides, most hair gels are alcohol laden and most alcohols can be drying to the hair and scalp.
17.Exercise and eat a well balanced diet rich in vitamin and minerals.
This not only benefits your hair but it also benefits your whole body!
18.Avoid hair stylist who don't value healthy hair.
Some stylist focus more on hair 'styling' and less on hair 'health'. Find a stylist who specializes in healthy hair. If you stylist is scissor happy, heat happy or chemical happy…you will never see any results.
19.Eliminate bad habits
Eliminate or cut back on smoking, caffeine and carbonated sodas which weaken the body and block maximum hair growing potential.
20.Hot oil treatments
Do a series of ongoing hot oil treatments to protect the hair's shaft.
21. If you relax your hair........
A. Please don't over process your hair.
If you relax your hair more often than every 8 weeks, most likely..... you are over processing your hair. It is best to relax every eight to 10 weeks. If you can go a little longer without experiencing breakage...go for it. Over Processing your hair will definitely result in damage and will ultimately lead to breakage......even with the best hair practices. You can have healthy hair with a relaxer but remember that one bad relaxer job can flush all of your hard work down the drain so make sure that your relaxer is done by a professional if you do choose to relax
B. Stay away from no lye relaxers.
Many people may disagree with me on this one but I will stand by this. My closest friend has used both lye and so called "no-lye" relaxers and I have noticed a tremendous positive change in her hair since switching from no-lye to lye. Please by all means…..RUN away from box kits!!!!! These relaxers are promoted as being less damaging. This is so far from the truth..ca hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, guanidine hydroxide (calcium hydroxide with guanidine carbonate) and lithium hydroxide will dry out the hair over time and leave mineral deposits on the hair making it difficult to moisturize resulting in constant dryness, split ends and dull looking hair. I suggest using lye relaxers. My closest friend has used both lye and no-lye and yes the no-lye relaxer was fine at first but over time, her hair became dull, brittle and dry.....resulting in breakage. Lye relaxers will allow the cuticle to lay flat resulting in shinier hair without the mineral deposits. If you absolutely feel as though you have to relax with a no lye relaxer you MUST use a chelating shampoo after neutralizing. A chelating shampoo contains chelates. These chelates will attach themselves to the mineral deposits left on the hair and remove them.
22. Color your hair with Henna
If you must color, use non peroxide color, henna (but not if you have very dry hair... henna tends to be drying but does help to "plump up" fine hair), or even your own natural hair color. Hair color with low peroxide is more tolerable, but using these products again and again will eventually affect the health of your hair, it is unavoidable. I recommend you color your hair 2 times a year only.
23.Avoid chlorine and saltwater.
If you go swimming in either, shampoo your hair as soon as possible after exposure. If you are blonde, you may want to consider using a shampoo specially formulated to remove the green tinge that can come from exposing your hair to chlorine. If you swim very often, invest in a good bathing cap (and to be really kind to your hair, apply deep conditioner and take advantage of the body heat that will be generated while you're wearing it). If you spend a lot of time in the sun, use a conditioner that provides SPF protection against the sun's rays, or cover your hair with a tightly-woven hat or scarf.
24. Rinse your hair in as cold water as you can stand.
Not only will this make the cuticle lay flat and less likely to snag and break, but by the same token you'll get the added benefit of very shiny hair that's easier to comb wet. Yes, you will get used to doing this, even in the shower, and it is wonderfully invigorating for your whole bod, not just your hair. I know, I know... I couldn't convince Hubby either, but it's true, I swear! Trust me.
25. Let your hair get dirty once in awhile.
That's right... permission to be lazy, what more could you ask for? Don't shampoo, spend the entire weekend in bed drinking Moet, eating chocolate covered strawberries and watching your Favorite TV show, all while those wonderful natural conditioning oils work their magic. Don't forget to massage the scalp before shampooing to distribute those oils and for heaven's sake don't forget not to answer the door before shampooing for any reason! Well, unless of course you are expecting Will Smith to drop by. One can dream, no?
26.Keep it simple.
Find a simple hair regime that works right for you. A regime that fits in well with your lifestyle. Be patient and consistent. Stick with your regime and don’t give up despite hair “set backs” that we all go through. Generally, hair grows 1/4th to 1 inch per month so again I say be patient and give your hair that extra TLC. Your hair will love you for it!!!
Get plenty of rest and sleep to allow your body to grow hair. And drink Plenty of water.
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