It’s frustrating, isn’t it?
You spend a lot of time on your hair every morning only to end up with split ends or thinning hair. You’re not sure exactly what you’re doing wrong or how to fix it though. All your girlfriends use the same products you do, and no one seems to have the same problems. Or, if they do, they seem to know something you don’t about how to fix it.
Here’s what you’re missing.
Heat Is The Problem
Heat damages hair. You know this. What you might not know is the extent of the damage. Heat weakens and breaks down hair by degrading a protein called keratin. Keratin is what gives your hair its shape. High heat can cause permanent damage.
You can minimize the damage in a few ways. First, buy good tools. Good hair styling tools don’t have to cost a lot, but they do need features like controllable heat settings. Cheap hair curlers and flat irons don’t have settings. Or, rather, they have one setting: on.
This is no good. You want to be able to set your hair iron, for example, to between 175 and 400. While the 400 degree setting is obviously way too hot for a non-professional, it’s still nice to have that level of control.
Another way to minimize the risk of damaging your hair is to change up your technique. When you use a blow dryer, for example, don’t apply heat directly to your hair if you can help it. Also, don’t use your flat iron on any one section for more than a few seconds.
When Your Hair Is Already Damaged
It happens to the best of us.
When your hair is already damaged, you need damage control. The solution is some type of tea tree oil combined with something called baobab oil.
Tea tree oil is an essential oil that’s very good for the hair and scalp. You’ll want to stick with natural and organic oils, always. Aside from its antifungal and antibacterial properties, it acts as a moisturizer for hair.
It also helps cut down on dandruff, helps repair split ends, and reduces or eliminates itchy scalp.
Baobab is one of the richest, and silkiest oils you’ll ever find for your hair. It’s made from the seeds of the Adansonia (baobab) tree, has a mild aroma, and is an excellent moisturizer.
One of the reasons people use it in their hair is because it’s an excellent emollient. This means it moisturizes your skin, and it’s non-siccative which means it takes a long time to fully dry. It’s also an insulator which protects you from excessive heat. Finally, it rejuvenates your skin cells and can even repair broken hair follicles.
When looking for baobab oil, make sure you source something that’s natural, clean, and organic. The reason you want organic oil is it will contain a high amount of antioxidants, won’t be highly processed, and won’t have any harsh chemicals added to it.
Shea Moisture makes one of the best products on the market containing organic baobab oil. It also contains tea tree oil and spearmint extract, which is good for revitalizing your hair and scalp (and it smells nice too!).
Most products with baobab oil in them will be either shampoos or conditioners, and will help a lot if you’re worried about drying your hair out or sweating out your edges.
To fix damaged hair, just saturate it with warm water, apply the product and work it in. If it’s shampoo, obviously you need to rinse it out. With conditioner, you may or may not be able to leave it in. Repeat at least once per day.
That’s it.
