10 DOs & DON'Ts For Healthy Hair | Tame Thy Mane

After clear flawless skin and to be able to stuff in 2 whole pizzas and 5 bars of chocolate everyday without gaining an ounce of weight, every girl's dream is to have soft, shiny and healthy hair. They say hair is an inborn "jewel" for us women but little do they know maintaining one's hair is easy said than done.

Hence, the first article of my Tame Thy Mane Curlbook Series is purely made for all you ladies out there who need some help with taming your fierce mane. Being a curlhead myself let's keep our curl/ straight hair discriminations in hold because no matter what hair type you have, the foundation to maintaining all types is keeping it healthy.

Let me take you through some very crucial DOs and DON'Ts that will save your mane.

1. DO NOT comb your hair while it's wet.

Just how you are most likely to gain weight when your junk drawer is full of junk food, the most vulnerable and fragile state for any hair is while it's wet. 

Why? Because when your hair is soaked with water your hair cuticles open up making it more delicate and weaker and more prone to breakage. So if you want to loosen up those tangles try finger combing or you can always detangle when it's dry.

2. DO more air drying and less blow drying

I don't think I need to explain how bad heat is for your hair, but for the sake of the ones who take this key rule less seriously , let me repeat, HEAT is the BIGGEST enemy for any hair. It dries out your hair, rips out the cuticles and drains the moisture; so all you are doing is practically begging for split-ends!

If you are not in a rush to head out anywhere within 10 minutes, try the safest and the most natural way- air drying. No fancy steps needed, all you have to do is literally let the nature do its job. For someone with long hair my secret is to get a nap after a shower. When you wake up it would most probably be 90% dry and less frizzy.

3. DO NOT rub your hair while towel drying

Rubbing your hair with a towel is the alternative way to explain someone sand-papering hair. If you could magnify the damage a towel does to your hair your every speck of cell will cringe. The friction literally rips your hair off and breaks the surface beyond repair. Now you know how you ended up with split-ends. 

The best way to dry it is to use a delicate fabric such as a cotton T-shirt or a scarf. If it's still not practical, try wrapping your hair in a towel and later let the damp hair air-dry itself. Trust me girl, if you do this technique right you will see a huge difference in your hair texture in a few weeks. 

4. DO hot oil treatments at least once every 2 weeks. 

There are hundreds of articles and videos out there raving about hot oil treatments nowadays. And it is a huge trend for a reason- it really works. 

My favorite oil for this task is good old Virgin Coconut Oil (cold-pressed preferably) which can be found in most grocery stores in Sri Lanka for under Rs. 1000. You can for sure use any of your choice including one of the best alternatives out there such as Olive Oil, Argon Oil, Jojoba oil and Avocado oil.   

All you have to do is heat it up a bit (do not boil) and massage it in your head for good 10 minutes . If can, let it soak in for 20 minutes and wash off. Do this for a month and your hair will thank you for it. 

4. DO NOT use hot water to shower

Girl, I just explained heat styling tools are your hair's worst enemy so should I even clarify on how bad hot water is for your hair? Sadly, a lot of people have no clue about this fact. Cold water on the other hand will keep your hair cuticles intact, lock in your hair moisture and eventually give your strands a natural shine. 

Pardon me, I am not telling you to drench yourself in cold water and freeze to death. Shower using normal water or, if some warmth is REALLY necessary (i'm not complaining, coz I feel you), try showering first with luke-warm water and then after you are done shampooing and conditioning give it a final run through with normal or cold water. This will re-close your open cuticles which will protect your strands from external damage. 

5. DO comb your hair starting from your ends

This is surprisingly an overlooked fact. Legend says (me) 4 out 5 women who you observe will comb their hair starting from their roots. All this method does is create more tangles which ends up with more hair breakage and damage. 

Why you may ask, well you are simply dragging down all your messy tangles down to more tangles with your comb resulting in a huge mess.  Starting off with your ends will let you detangle your hair with ease and I swear it is much more gentle and faster (learn from the girl with long-a$$ hair).

6. DO NOT shower everyday 

Naturally we have a layer of sebum (oil) coating our hair strands which acts as a barrier against all external damage. This angelic sebum is what keeps our hair healthy from birth. 

Showering or washing your hair daily will strip off that sebum leading to dry and damaged strands. So unless your hair is really dirty make it a habit to wash it every-other-day. If you do need to wash it daily skip the shampoo and go straight to the conditioner. Shampoos are the key agent behind stripping off your hair strand, so less is always the better way to go. 

7. DO hair trims every month. 

Yes girl, I know, when your undying dream is to grow out your hair, the last thing you want to see is a scissor near it. But trust me, the scissor ironically will be your best friend in growing out your hair. 

Take a moment to let this sink in, the ends of your hair are the oldest bits of hair. It is as old as you are (no offense intended). Therefore, as you guessed, trimming off them old split ends or even the ends that might look healthy will reboot your hair making it grow faster and shinier. 

8. DO NOT use hair brushes

Instead use combs, preferably wide-toothed combs. The reason is friction. The more closer your comb teeth are, the more friction it cause. The greater the friction your hair strands get, more damaging it causes. If you still prefer your brush over a comb, maybe you can try a brush that is specifically formulated to detangle your hair in a gentler way, such as this Glide Thru Detangler.  

9. DO pamper your hair with hair masks and leave-ons 

Hair masks are yet another trend nowadays and yes again it's because it really works. However, make sure you stick to the regimen or else it will all be a waste. Finding the right ingredient to feed your hair is crucial.

My favorite at the moment is the avocado-banana hair mask.

All you need is an avocado and a banana, blend it up until creamy and lather on your hair. For added benefits add in a Vitamin-E capsule or some olive oil. If done right and frequently this will nourish your hair strands inside and out. 

10. DO NOT skip the miracle ingredient- Water 

Yes, yes I know. You have heard enough. No matter what beauty or health article you look into, all they emphasize is on water.

Let's take a moment to give this a thought. You water plants to make it grow. So why do you frown upon the simple glass of water you take in to grow your cells? The moisture your hair adores is nothing but water. Whether it's the skin or hair, water is the key agent which will keep your body healthy and glowing. So make sure you get your daily glasses of water, because all this beauty we crave for basically starts from this miracle ingredient. 

Liked the article? Let me know. Hated it? Let me know (but pretty please be gentle with my soul). 

Don't forget to give it a share and save your friends' manes ❤