Like skin, hair reveals age. Your scalp is an extension of your skin and requires the same care as your face.
Hair really matters! It can make-or-break career opportunities, cause depression and affect confidence. Limp listless hair brings your whole face and body down. So, the important thing is to look after your crown of glory while it’s still healthy to save from getting unhealthy.
Your hair is you – amazing-&-unique as the person it belongs to whether it is long/short, big, curly, straight, red, blue or green. Despite all these apparent differences, hair has similarities.
FACTS
An average person has 100,000 – 150,000 strands of hair; one would shed around 50-150 of them a day which means it would take 2000 days (5.5 years) for the head to become bald. For it to be apparent, you’d have to lose 50% of your hair. The good news is, it’s the second fastest growing tissue in the body; the first being the bone marrow.
Hair is not a living entity; growth occurs at the roots. A hair follicle anchors each hair into the skin. As the hair begins to grow, it pushes up through follicle and through the skin where it can be seen. Blood vessels at the base of every follicle feed the hair root to keep it growing. But once the hair is at the skin’s surface, the cells within the strand aren’t alive anymore. Hair stops growing once a certain amount of time (2-7yrs) has passed, not once it reaches a certain length.
So, cutting the split ends does not mean hair will grow fast. It’s your hair follicles that are responsible for sprouting new hairs. A new hair begins to grow as soon as it is plucked from its follicle. So, in order to keep your hair follicles alive and kicking, massage your scalp. This will help increase oxygen, dilate blood vessels beneath the skin stimulating growth. You can use coconut, aloe vera, rosemary oil or ginseng. Use tips of your fingers and then in circular motion stimulate nerve endings, muscles and blood vessels. And massaging helps relieve stress-&-tension and promotes a feeling of wellbeing!
Think of your hair as important as anything else in life and care for it. Hair is art – create what you want. Thick, vibrant hair is a hallmark of youth-&-vitality, which is why we all want it. They say, less is more. I have some very simple tried-&-tested bear-hair-essential tips that will put life into your mane.
First, they say, you are what you eat. I’d say, your hair is what you eat. A healthy diet can help your hair grow, stay strong, shiny and repair damaged hair follicles and revive your dead hair follicles.
And secondly, the only way you can avoid overuse of chemicals, curling-irons and straighteners is by washing hair as-less-as-possible. Think of long-term undue effect on your baby, your hair. Having a polished mane day-after-day also becomes dull-and-boring. Let your hair ‘be’ – leave them alone. Tie them in a loose-bun on top of your head, especially during sleep to prevent breakage. Better still, keep it covered day-and-night; you’ll see your polished mane will last longer. Keeping hair covered at night will help prevent the oils from hair getting into the pores on your face and clogging them. This helps to prevent blemishes from forming on your face. Covering it also will avoid breakage, frizz and split- ends. Then when you go out, let your thick, lush and vibrant hair, down.
Split ends can leave your hair looking damaged-and-dry. Once a month, spend a few minutes trimming. Take a section of hair, twisting tightly. You’ll see the ends of some strands popping out of the twist. Snip off the popping-out strands, say 5mm. Then undo the twist and start twisting the opposite way; this will reveal the split ends that didn’t appear during the first twist. Snip off again. Repeat until you’ve gone around your entire head. It takes time but it is worth it.
Try not to tease your hair. Backcombing rubs against your strands and lifts the cuticles. Overtime, your hair will thin. On the note of cuticles, after a hair wash, always rinse off hair with cold-water; it helps to seal your hair-cuticle. A smoother hair cuticle reflects light better, making your hair appear shiny. For super-sleek results, use a tad bit of leave-in conditioner, followed by a-drop-or-two of serum. Then use a wide-toothed comb to de-tangle; it’s gentle on your hair than brushes. Brushing causes friction on hair, leading to cuticle damage-and-breakage, which makes hair faded and frizzy. Ritually, do 100 strokes after every wash; this will distribute the natural oils from your scalp to add shine, stimulate blood flow and boost hair growth. Then, use your ceramic coated plates; see it glide through your tresses leaving your hair soft and flowy falling through your fingers. Voila!
As we age, our scalp produces less natural oil; use a moisturising conditioner to replenish hair. Thinning of hair can also be a sign of a deficiency. So, keep an eye on your iron and vitamin levels. If you have scanty fine hair, have vitamin A for growth, vitamin B for growth and vitamin C for growth. Remember, ABC – that’s it!
The bottom line is if you want to improve your hair, just follow these simple home remedies, but be consistent and your hair can look 26 at 62. Wishing you success with your tresses!
