The following are simple ways to keep your hair looking its best. Be it summer's blistering heat or the winter's freezing cold; keep your hair looking great year-round.
Never brush your hair while it is wet. This will stretch the hair and make it break off, causing split ends. Always use a comb when hair is wet. Use a wide-toothed comb and start from the bottoms of the hair and work up to the roots. Comb slowly. If your hair is fine and tends to tangle easily, always use conditioner on the ends to avoid excessive tangling.
Do not use heating appliances excessively. Any hair appliance that uses heat on the hair will cause damage. The more often heat appliances are used on the hair, the more damaged, brittle, and dull it will become. Give your hair a break at least a few times a month. Let it dry naturally and don't style it with any hair appliances. If necessary, put your hair up in a ponytail, twist or pull it back with a hair band and let it hang loosely.
If you use lots of hair products, use a clarifying shampoo at least once a week. Clarifying shampoos are specifically formulated to remove build up from hair mousses, shine products, hairsprays, and related products. If you don't remove these from your hair, they start to build up and leave a dull film or cause your hair to look oily. Hair products containing silicone are especially prone to build up. Avoid these completely, if possible.
Avoid relying on rubber bands, clippies, scrunchies, and similar items too often. If you use these on your hair more than a couple of times a week, they can cause problems. Just like ponytails, buns, and twists, excessively braiding the hair also causes damage to the hair for the same reasons. The constant stretching and tension on the hair causes it to fall out and become thin. Because they pull so tightly, these hair products also damage the hair, causing frizziness and split ends. Also, never use plain rubber bands unless you want your hair to end up looking like a bird's nest. If you must, use a coated rubber band. Constantly pulling your hair back or up can sometimes causes chronic headaches, too.
Never tease, or back comb, your hair. Women often do this to build up body in the hair or to help 'set' a hairstyle. But teasing hair does permanent damage to the hair. Find a hairstyle where it isn't necessary to tease the hair to get the desired results.
For hair to be at its healthiest, thickest, and shiniest, try to pick a hairstyle that works with your hair. If you have ringlets of curls, don't try to force your hair to be sleek, straight, and shiny. On the flip side, if your hair is fine and straight, don't get permanents to add body or try to curl it everyday. Go with the flow of your hair, literally.
The most important tip of all is to find a talented hair stylist. A great hair cut or hair coloring treatment goes a long way in keeping hair looking good. If you don't already have a great stylist, stop someone on the street that has a great haircut. After giving a compliment, ask where they got their hair cut and who cut it. They will gladly tell you and you will have brightened their day in the process.
