How to Strengthen Hair
We've all seen the TV ads. Models with 'perfect hair' and we are sold the dream of changing our shampoo/conditioner brand to achieve this. It's simple, right?
Wrong.
We all aspire for healthier, stronger looking hair but, to put it simply, life gets in the way. Our busy, stressful lives mixed with city centre living and working accumulates to weaker and weaker hair over time. The list of things that damages our hair is substantial which makes caring for our hair all the more difficult.
Just like men, women can suffer from weak hair and follicles overtime.
What causes weak hair?
There are many ways that hair can become damaged over time. The main ways are:
- Exposure to the sun
- Exposure to pollution
- Stress
- Hard water
- Blow drying/straightening
- Over-washing
- Lack of essential vitamins and mineral
- Not drinking enough water
- Colouring hair
As you can see by the list, some of these causes are difficult to avoid, especially if you live/work in city centres. But you can make some basic changes to your lifestyle to ensure that your builds back its natural strength.
How can I make my hair stronger and thicker?
1. Take your vitamins
As we get older, for both men and women, the body stops producing and processing vitamins and mineral as efficiently. Getting all the right vitamins, in the right quantities, in your normal diet is difficult and this is especially true for vitamins that boost hair strength. This means supplementation of vitamins is vital. Vitamin B & C are the primary vitamins for hair health, especially vitamin B7 (more popularly known as Biotin within the supplement market), naturally found in milk, eggs, sweet potatoes and salmon. Other minerals that you should make sure you get enough of is Iron and Keratin, mostly found in protein-rich foods like red meats, fish, eggs and beans.
2. Use hair strengthening products
There are numerous product on the market that will assist strength and protect your hair. Strengthening foam, that you can leave on your hair, designed to not only protect and strengthen but give the appearance of thicker, fuller hair is a popular choice.
The winner of various Marie Claire Hair Awards, Nioxin, used by salons, professionals and a home alike, has various products to assist with protecting and strengthening hair.
With coloured hair especially susceptible to weakening over time, Nioxin's Density Defend is one of the most popular products for strengthening coloured hair.
The DensiProtect technology within the styling foam is said to reduce breakages by up to 93% and improves vibrancy of hair colour.
3. Wash your hair less
Washing your hair too often can remove the natural oils within your hair, leaving your hair dry and brittle. Go an extra day and see if it makes any difference over a month.
Also, don't use too much shampoo and aim for the scalp rather than the strands for extra effectivity.
4. Eat more protein
How can I protect my weak hair?
Hair follicles are made up mostly of protein. Upping the amount of protein in your diet will help nourish these follicles and assist with hair thickness.
Focus on the following protein packed foods to assist with hair strength:
- Fish especially oily fishy
- Eggs
- Beans
- Grains
- Lean meats like turkey and chicken
- Spinach and other leafy greens
5. Massage your scalp
Increasing blood flow to your follicles will stimulate follicle and hair strength. Don't go too hard and it's best to do it with dry hair as wet hair is more liable to breakages.
Just make soft, circular motions with the pads of your fingers and aim for 3-4 minutes of scalp stimulation per day. You can get scalp massagers to assist.
6. Drink more water
You get told this all the time - DRINK MORE WATER.
Each strand of hair is made up from around 25% water. If you don't drink enough water every day this will have a detrimental impact on the health and weight of your hair.
Drinking enough water also helps the body to efficiently process vitamins and minerals that are essential for hair help.
Aim for 2 litres of water per day. On warmer days or days where you exercise, you need even more water to replenish.
So...
Following these simple steps consistently will help you build stronger hair but just because you've now got your stronger looking hair doesn't mean you can stop. Continuing these healthy habits will continue to provide stronger, thicker looking hair.
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