Do you know this scenario? You use super-advanced cosmetics, trusted products, pricey masks or hair oils but your hair still looks… bad? You can’t see any improvement even though you take best care of your hairdo? The wrongdoers might be day-to-day activities that you don’t pay attention to. That is why instead of a hair care guide, I’ve come up with ANTI-GUIDE. Check how NOT to care for hair and top things that your hairdo HATES.
5 things that your hair absolutely hates
1. Flat iron, curling wand and other hotties
Hair doesn’t like heat styling. It’s like hell: only 40 Celsius degrees are harmful for the strands, depriving them of water. When it comes to straighteners, they reach over 200 degrees… This means broken disulfide bonds in inner hair structures – a destroyed hair cannot be rebuilt. Avoid heated curlers, flat irons and other hotties like the plague. If you need to use them occasionally, always remember about heat protectants.
2. Some “cool” in-salon hair treatments
The blacklist is short yet features only “celebrities”:
bleaching, coloring, permanent wave, color removal, hair extensions. Beware of each one. Of course you are not forbidden to have your hair colored but remember about a deep-conditioning treatment in a salon from time to time and the proper daily hair care.
3. Mechanical damage
It’s simply overbrushing, pulling the hair, harsh towel-drying, rubbing the hair against a pillow – even this innocent-looking thing might cause damage. They all seem innocent but when repeated on a daily basis, they cause damage to outer hair structures. The biggest crime in this category involves sleeping with wet hair – it’s a huge mistake that rapidly leads to damage and hair looking awful. Besides, you all know the look you get in the morning: unruly strands out of control, the straw-like hair. Try to fix the mistake, namely, brush your hair carefully, beginning with the ends and gradually going up to avoid knots and tangles. To detangle damp hair, use a wide-tooth comb and don’t towel-dry. Instead, just squeeze out the excess water.
4. External factors
Yeah, I know, I am really aware that we cannot avoid freezing cold, harsh wind or strong sunlight damaging the hair at an accelerated pace, incl. hair follicles. The outside factors give us a hard time. That’s why protecting the hair against the sunlight, harmful UV radiation and minus temps is super-important. Girls and boys, ladies and gentlemen, always protect your hairdos since they are threatened additionally by the air pollution and smog these days. In summer and winter, remember about hats, and go for protective sprays or hair oils. Put a humidifier in the house in winter since dry air due to central heating has a bad effect on both hair and skin.
5. Water
It seems so innocent…. Water can actually harm your hair if it’s hard whereas minerals build up on hair making it stiff and taking water away. I know it sounds paradoxical but it’s true and I found that out myself when I was on holiday and had a chance to wash my hair with soft water. It turned out that water was tragic in my hometown and I had no idea about that. If you wish to reduce the harmful effect of your tap water, use boiled water plus vinegar for final rinsing. This way you make hair softer and shinier, plus the pH of the scalp is balanced. Of course beware of chlorine in pool water because it dramatically worsens the condition of hair.
That’s it. Now think which one of the above-said factors has a bad effect on your hair and do your best to minimize the losses. Take care!
