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5 Hair Health Questions Answered That Every Girl Should Know

Before transitioning into the world of wellness I worked in fashion and beauty PR for over a decade. My gal pals always loved to indulge in my work perks, filling their make-up bags with free swag and their closets with sample sizes. But, no one in my lady gang ever really talked to me in depth about any of the products I was peddling to the media. All that changed when I took a position at one of the biggest hair care brands in the world.

What I learned from working in the hair care industry is that women have a very deep and personal relationship with their hair. We curse it as much as we protect it. We have it one way and long for it to be another. We feel like one woman when we tame it and another when we let it flow long, or big, or wavy and wild. And each of us have our own secrets to maintaining our style that are only shared in the most intimate of conversations.

Hair has also become a hot topic because as always with product innovation comes an emerging new vocabulary. We hear strange words like pre-poo and co-wash. Aren’t we still trying to figure out how often to wash our hair? And what about the toxic conversation?

I decided to share the answers to my girlfriend’s most burning hair care and hair health questions.

  1. How often should I wash my hair? Well, ladies I hate to say it, but it’s complicated. Yes, the rumors are true. We should not wash our hair everyday. When you suds up on the regular you strip the the natural oils that your scalp creates from your mids to ends making them more dry and prone to breakage.

    The scalp also suffers becoming dehydrated and sometimes itchy. Which is often confused as a sign of dirty hair when the source of that itch is exactly the opposite. But, less frequency won’t solve the problems that over sanitizing creates. More on that below.

  2. What shampoo is right for my hair?

    For the same reasons we just talked about, it’s best to keep a mild, gentle cleanser as your go-to shampoo. Don’t get duped by fancy commercials featuring shiny celebrity locks and trendy buzz words like shea butter and thermo heat technology.

    Instead keep it simple and spend your dollars with sense. Save the moisture and repair for your before and after care. And yes, we will get to that later.

  3. What’s the deal with conditioner—What should I use? How do I apply it? Will it weight my hair down causing me to wash it more?

    Not if you are using it to create the right condition for your hair. See what I did there? While cleansers remove dirt, oil, and product from build-up, conditioners add moisture, increase shine, strengthen tresses, and help to detangle knots. Let’s talk about it by hair texture.

    1. For finer and less dense hair types adding a mild conditioner at the ends or from the mids to ends will give you all the good stuff without adding weight.

    2. Denser and courser hair types that are prone to frizz or dryness should still use a mild conditioner, but it should be applied from root to tip.

    3. Finally, my curly, natural, and very course hair girls that suffer from thirsty hair that’s prone to frizz should look for a mild, hydrating conditioner that is also an anti-humectant. Shampoo and condition before the rest of your grooming routine. Apply conditioner from root to tip and leave in until the end of your shower. You can also use your conditioner as a co-wash. Skip the poo and apply conditioner like you do your cleanser every other wash which should be every 1 to 2 weeks.

  4. What is a pre-poo and do I need it?

    A pre-poo is an oil based treatment that you apply to dirty hair before cleansing and conditioning. The popular pre-poo trend has had some recent hype thanks to the addition of pre-poo products in the lines of several popular hair care brands. An underground favorite of natural and curly girls for generations, women have been creating their own treatments from pantry staples like coconut oil and olive oil long before the trend.

    I do recommend investing in a pre-poo product vs. a DIY if this step is essential for keeping moisture in the hair. The technology used to create the blend of oils is usually superior for penetrating the shaft of your strands down to the cortex vs. sitting on top of the hair. Pantry oils are great options if you are looking for an occasional extra step to simply add softness to strained ends.

  5. What is your #1 tip for achieving healthy hair?

    You are what you eat. That’s right! The best way to achieve your healthiest hair is to eat foods that are packed with protein, nutrient dense, loaded with antioxidants, omega 3-fatty acids, and fortified with minerals like iron and zinc. Incorporate eating the 7 foods below into your weekly hair routine to increase shine, fortify strands, increase blood flow to the scalp, prevent breakage and hair loss, and get fuller, thicker hair.

    1. Plain Greek or goat yogurt

    2. Spinach and kale

    3. Lentils and ancient grains

    4. Sweet potatoes

    5. Lean meats and salmon

    6. Eggs

    7. Oysters

    BONUS QUESTION: Ok, I was only going to answer 5, but this was a top contender. We can consider this a bonus like that extra bday spanking or Kevin Jonas.

    How often should I cut my hair? Should I cut it more frequently if I’m trying to grow it out?

    How often you cut your hair has nothing to do with how fast it will grow. The follicles in your scalp determine how quickly your hair grows. So yes, some people’s hair literally grows faster than others. But, on average you can expect to gain a half inch every month.

    To maintain easy styling and manage split ends, a trim or dusting every 8 weeks should do the trick. Growing out a bob or a shorter style on the other hand is a bit more complicated.

    Lengthwise it’s best to go as long as possible without getting a trim. Use my tips above for your hair type and texture to keep it at its healthiest and avoid chopping the ends.

    While you may not be visiting the salon for a haircut, growing out a particular style may require other salon upkeep. Weight removal throughout the style and even extensions in the front of the hair can be key to transition from a bob or pixie into a longer look. Be honest with your hair stylist and let them guide you through the transformation.

Abundantly,

BE.