How many times have you wanted to cry out FAKE! when watching a shampoo commercial, thinking no hair on earth could be that smooth and shiny?!
The truth is, hair like that does exist and getting yours to look more just like it is not rocket science. The reason our hair looses its natural shine and becomes dull and lackluster is mainly air pollution and over-usage of hair styling products. The outer layer of the hair follicles has the ability to bind to chemicals and oils, so anything from alkali metals from hard water to harsh chemicals present in the urban environment air can get bound to your hair. On top of that, prolonged sun exposure and alcohol-based hair products contribute to drying out your hair which combined with one not using a conditioner can really damage your hair.
Following these three steps guarantees your hair will become healthier, shinier, smoother and any other positive adjective you can think of.
1. Remove muck and build-up
Before going about to hydrate and moisturize your hair the most important step is setting down the foundation which is restoring your hair to its natural state, free of all extraneous pollutants.
2. Moisturize
Harsh chemicals in the air and washing your hair too much can rob your hair of essential oils naturally secreted by your scalp.
While it is true that regular moisturizers and other professional products like hydrating serums are effective, there are a couple of home-made hair masks that work just as good and give you the confidence that no unwanted chemicals come into contact with your hair. One of my favourite hair treatments is an Olive oil Avocado mask.
Bubbi from Bubzbeauty.com has already made a how-to video of the same recipe I use:
Following these three steps guarantees your hair will become healthier, shinier, smoother and any other positive adjective you can think of.
1. Remove muck and build-up
Before going about to hydrate and moisturize your hair the most important step is setting down the foundation which is restoring your hair to its natural state, free of all extraneous pollutants.
To do so, mix 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar with 1 gallon of distilled water and store it in a bottle in a cabinet or the refrigerator and used every couple of weeks to remove gunk. To use it, wet hair with warm water, or shampoo and rinse as usual. Then pour 2 cups of the vinegary mixture over the scalp and let mixture saturate the hair. Finish everything up with a cold-water rinse. Your hair should now be clean and free of pollutants.
2. Moisturize
Harsh chemicals in the air and washing your hair too much can rob your hair of essential oils naturally secreted by your scalp.
While it is true that regular moisturizers and other professional products like hydrating serums are effective, there are a couple of home-made hair masks that work just as good and give you the confidence that no unwanted chemicals come into contact with your hair. One of my favourite hair treatments is an Olive oil Avocado mask.
Bubbi from Bubzbeauty.com has already made a how-to video of the same recipe I use:
- 1 ripe avocado, mashed
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons of olive
One other easy hair treatment is putting plain real mayonnaise into your hair, covering it with a shower cap and warming it up, either by placing hot towels around your head either by blow-drying the cap for a longer time to favour deep moisturizing
While some of you out there might think these remedies don't apply to you because you have oily hair you're not quite right, because the over-secretion of oils by your scalp can be indicative of a couple of things, a pH imbalance at the skin level being one of them. These treatments help restore your hair to is natural state and as long as you avoid applying too much oil to the roots of your hair there shouldn't be any oily problems afterwards.
3. Bring out your natural colour tones
Depending on your natural hair colour there are a few things you can do to bring out your hair's natural highlights.
Boil one quart of water and add the following to the boiling water:
- For brunettes, a handful fresh rosemary sprigs (bruise by crumpling in your hand)
- For blondes, a handful of dried chamomile
- For "orange tone" redheads a chopped-up carrot
- For "berry tone" redheads a chopped up beet
- Remove from heat, let steep for 10 minutes after which filter the mixture by puring it through a fine colander or a cheesecloth.
- Shampoo and rinse your hair as is your usual routine then put the warm colour-enhancing mixture into your hair and let it saturate it.
-After 5-10 minutes rinse with cold water. I usually reapply the chamomile tea over and over again until I am done with the quart of liquid
Having personally used all of the above treatments I highly recommend them so that you too can have smoother, shinier and healthier hair
