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Here are a few tips and tricks that I've picked up along the way. These have really helped improve the health of my hair. I hope some of them can be useful for you as well.
1. Don't comb too often. One of the things I've learnt is the less you manipulate hair, the lesser the risk of breakage. With that said, try to comb out your hair less often and use easy styles like buns and ponytails that may not require detangling. The process of detangling can leave you with excess broken hair on the floor even if careful methods are used. As a result, I've sometimes chosen to put down the comb and leave my hair in a form that can be easily manipulated for everyday styles.
2. Detangle with conditioner. This is something new that I've taken up. I often heard about wet detangling and its benefits and I can now attest to them. When co-washing or deep conditioning, gently comb out the hair while the conditioner is setting. This step will reduce the amount of detangling you'll have to do once you've washed out the conditioner and preparing to style the hair. It's also less damaging than dry detangling the hair by reducing breakage risk.
3. Shampoo in applicator bottle. This is probably one of my favourite tricks. You ever tried clarifying your scalp but the shampoo doesn't exactly reach the scalp with your fingers? Try putting a little shampoo into an applicator bottle and add water. Shake the mixture until is lathers, and apply to scalp. It's similar to how you'd do a hot oil treatment. Let it sit on the scalp for about a minute and then wash it out.
4. Change go-to hairstyles. We all have that one hairstyle that we do for any and every occasion. It may be a protective style or something a little more fancy. For me, my go-to hairstyle is a high bun. However, it's important not to rely on one hairstyle too often because the hair can be negatively affected. My constant use of high buns caused the hair at the nape of my head to be much shorter than the rest of my head. This was because the hair tie would rest just at the ends of my nape hair, eventually breaking it off. Another example is using ponytails at the middle of the head. Overuse of this style causes stunted hair growth at the center of the head where the hair tie rests. In order to avoid unnecessary breakage try alternating a few hairstyles.
5. Change products to suit hair needs. It is important to know and understand your hair and its needs. For example, when I'm doing a relaxer stretch my hair tends to get dry faster and the previously used moisturizers don't work as effectively. In cases like this, I tend to reach for thicker or more moisturizing products. In other cases, I've had moisturizers that worked well for my hair for a great length of time but eventually would stop penetrating the hair shaft leaving a greasy coat. When I notice this I know it's time to switch moisturizers.
6. Get regular trims. Some people are fearful of trims, but trimming is one of the best things you can do if you want healthy hair. I can't stress enough how important it is to rid of those dead or split ends that can work their way up the hair shaft. It is recommended that you get your hair trimmed every 4-6 months. It really makes no sense carrying around dead ends just for the sake of having longer hair. The hair will grow, so let the rest go!
7. Eat Right. It's very simple. What you put in your body will affect the health of your hair and its ability to grow. It's like gardening, if you don't water the plant, it can't grow. Eating healthily will ensure you stronger, more healthy looking hair. Yes, you can take supplements to help with hair growth but that should not be substituted for a healthy, balanced diet.
