♥ Healthy Beauty ♥ Hair Care

Hello again, guys!
I have here the second part of the Healthy Beauty Series for you! This post will be all about hair care and how to keep your hair healthy.

I will start off first by telling you what my hair type is:

Hair Type
My hair is very fine and thin, with a natural wave to it. It isn't curly, just has a bit of body. My scalp tends to be normal-oily and the ends of my hair are prone to breakage and dryness because of how thin they are. I am also prone to "shedding" because of a thyroid condition that I have, so I have to be careful that the products I use don't contribute to the breakage and damage of my hair.

If you have a hair type that is similiar to mine, I will be sharing with you exactly what I have found to be working and what I religiously avoid. If you DON'T have hair similar to mine I will still be talking about general hair care, so there will be tips for you as well.

So let's get started!

THINGS TO AVOID IN YOUR HAIR CARE:
Sulfates: First and foremost, you HAVE TO AVOID SULFATES. Sulfates in general are just bad news. They strip your hair of all its protective oils and leave it porous and on the search for moisture. This is why your hair may feel light and bouncy but it is actually dry and prone to frizzing and breakage.
Silicones: Beware of these in your hair products. Silicones give your hair that nice silky, slippery feeling but they suffocate your locks. They coat them so that they feel nice, but all that does is dry them out build up in your hair, causing an oily film that only contributes to the drying out of your hair.
Alcohol/Sodium Chloride: These two ingredients are drying and are often used for clarifying the hair. For my hair type this is bad as they will dry out my scalp and cause my hair to become very oily and damaged.
More ingredients to avoid and why can be found here

THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN YOUR HAIR CARE:
Aloe Vera: Aloe vera is a moisturizing base in hair care and helps to balance the scalps natural pH, so that your hair does not become stripped or too oily. 
Carrier Oils: You have to be careful with these because some of the oils you choose can be too heavy for hair types such as mine. Good oils to look for are jojoba, coconut, sesame, apricot, or if you have thick, coarse hair look into shea butter, macadamia oil, olive and sweet almond.
Proteins: Look for hydrolized proteins as they rinse off and strengthen the hair. Proteins like keratin, soy, wheat, silk and collagen are all beneficial for the hair. Read more about them here.
Essential Oils: Essential oils are one of the main things that I look for in my hair care products. Essential oils such as rosemary, peppermint, thyme, and lavender are all good for hair loss prevention and help to promote growth. Oils such as tea tree, cypress, lemon, and basil are good for oily scalps and dandruff.
Apple Cider Vinegar: ACV is a common natural hair care ingredient because of its ability to balance the pH of the scalp, but also because it is surprisingly moisturizing for your locks.
PH BALANCING: One of the most beneficial things I have learned for my hair is that the more balanced it is, the healthier it is. I try and only use shampoos and conditioners that are pH balanced, it is has helped to balance out my oily scalp/dry ends issue like you wouldn't believe.

TREATMENTS THAT ARE GOOD FOR YOUR HAIR
There are a whole bunch of products on the market that claim to help your hair with damage, growth, split ends, you name it. But here are a few treatments that you can do for your hair that are natural, mostly DIY, and can actually benefit your hair and scalp.
Pre-poo  
This process is very popular with people who have coarse, porous, dry hair. The concept is that you apply a pre-shampoo treatment so that your hair absorbs the nutrients in it and your hair cannot absorb so much water. When your hair absorbs water, it expands to absord it, and then when it dries and the water evaporates, the hair shrinks back, leaving it dry and stressed. You can buy pre-made pre-poo treatments such as Burts Bees Avocado Pre-Poo Treatment or Kiehl's Magic Elixir, however you can make your own effectively for cheaper using coconut, olive, or avocado oil. Coconut oil is the easiest to use, so you apply all over your hair and leave on for 30-60 minutes, then get into the shower and shampoo and conditioner as normal.
*What I do is a little different however. I dampen my hair with ACV and aloe vera juice by spraying it onto my hair and then I apply a small amount of coconut oil over top. This has worked for my hair as it doesn't weigh down my hair as much as straight oil does*.
Hot Oil Treatment
Hot oil treatments are good for moisturizing your hair and giving it a lot of shine. The most common oils to use for this is olive oil, jojoba, coconut or avocado. My favourites are olive and jojoba because it is so easily absorbed into hair and offers deep moisturization. You can also add essential oils mentioned above in this post to add some extra stimulation to your mix. To do a hot oil treatment, put some oil in a glass bowl and heat it up until its very warm. Start at the scalp and massage the oil into your head and gradually work your way down the hair shaft to the ends. When your hair is coated wrap your head in a shower cap (or you can use a plastic bag or tinfoil) and soak a towel in very hot water and wring it out, wrap your head up and wait 30 minutes - 2 hours. Keep the towel hot. You can also use a hair dryer if you have the time and patience. When you have let the oil soak in, hop in the shower and shampoo and condition as normal. It may take a few rinses but once the oil is out you will know. Don't forget to wash your body AFTER you have washed your hair so that you get the oil off of your body, that way your hair won't come into contact with it and get re-oily.
ACV Rinse
Apple Cider Vinegar rinse is to help rid your hair of any build up, while balancing your hairs pH and softening it. After you have shampooed and conditioned, spray a diluted mixture of ACV onto your hair and wait 2-5 minutes and rinse out. It will close the hairs cuticles keeping your hair smooth, silky and soft. 

DO'S AND DON'TS OF HAIR CARE 
DON'T

• Wash your hair everyday. It strips the oils from your hair and makes it brittle and causes your scalp to produce more oils. You should only ever wash your hair every 2 days MAX. Some people wash their hair once a week and let their hair naturally sort itself out.
• Scrub your scalp. Be gentle and massage your scalp in the shower, otherwise you could be breaking your hair before it even has a chance.
• Get trims. You do not need to get your hair trimmed every 6 weeks. It would never grow! Only get it trimmed if you have split ends, and even then, only get the split ends trimmed! If I notice a split end on a hair, I just snip it off with scissors and keep up the maintenance.
• Use heat tools. You really don't need to use your hair dryer and straightener everyday. There are plenty of cute, no-heat styles, try some! Keep the heat away from your hair as much as possible and only use it on special occasions!
• Use hot water. Heat damages hair. That means that scalding water will have the same effect as other heat tools.
• Pick/touch your hair: DO NOT PICK YOUR HAIR! Do you want a head full of split ends? Also avoid touching your hair as your hands will deposit grime and oils in your hair and it won't look very good at the end of the day
• Wear your hair up all the time. Let your hair be hair and run wild and free. If it is always in a ponytail or worse a messy bun (don't get me wrong...I LOVE messy buns) the oils won't travel down your hair and you are risking badly breaking your hair and causing split ends.
• Brush your hair. Don't brush your hair more than you have to, you could be causing more breakage than benefits. If it gets incredibly tangled, brush it and then leave it. Also ALWAYS start at the bottom and work your way up with a comb and NEVER brush or comb your hair wet.
• Use products. If you really need to use product in your hair, opt for the natural option, it won't damage your hair nearly as much and won't leave build up.

DO

• Start at the scalp. The ends of your hair are dead so if you notice they are damaged then it is too late. You need to take care of the hair on your scalp before all else because that is where your hair comes from! If you keep healthy hair growing, it will all be healthy.
• Protect your ends. Even though your ends are dead, it can still absord. If they are damaged beyond repair, you are out of luck. But if you have kept your hair healthy, moisturize your ends with aloe vera juice/gel, argan, or jojoba oil. The best way to do it is to make a low ponytail with your hands and anything below your hand you need to moisturize, paying particular attention to the ends of hair.
• Sleep on silk. Not only is it good for preventing wrinkles and keeping your skin cool, it also avoids having your hair snag and tangled over night.
• Braid your hair. If your hair is really long, putting it in a loose braid and using a scrunchy (aka something soft that won't break your hair) to tie it at the ends overnight is a good idea. It will keep it from getting caught in your hands or armpits...or partners teeth.
• Use a boar brush. Invest in a boar brush. They are great for gently de-tangling and helping natural oils in your hair moving and your scalp stimulated.
• Eat healthy and get your protein. Your hair is mostly protein so make sure that your body is getting enough to expend some on your hair. 
• Use dry shampoo that is talc and sulfate free. Using dry shampoo will help extend your no-wash days and keep your hair looking nice.

Okay, so now that you have some ideas of how to take care of your hair, I will share with you my regimen and products that have done my hair wonders! 

Shower
Pre-poo: Mixture of ACV and aloe vera juice in a spray bottle and dampen hair. Apply jojoba or coconut oil 30 minutes prior to shower.
Shampoo: I use Kiss My Face Whenever Shampoo because it's ingredients are fantastic and it is pH balanced.
Conditioner: I use Kiss My Face Whenever Conditioner as well. I squeeze excess water out of my hair and apply the conditioner in my hair using the "ponytail" method, carefully massaging it in and working it into the ends. I then clip it up and leave it in for at least 3-5 minutes as I wash my body/face and shave my legs, etc etc
ACV Rinse: Spritz hair with diluted apple cider vinegar and massage in for about 2 minutes then rinse really well.
Post-Shower
Aloe Vera Juice: I put aloe vera juice in a spray bottle and once I have squeezed out as much water from my hair as possible, I spray the aloe all throughout my hair, especially on the ends.
Air Dry: I almost always let my hair air dry. I can confidently say 90% of the time my hair will be air dried. If I do use the blow dryer, I use it when my hair is almost completely dry anyways.

Products
Heat Protectant: On the rare occasion that I do use heat on my hair to blowdry I spritz my hair with Desert Essence Coconut Hair Defrizzer and Heat Protectant and blowdry. 
Mousse: I am a huge fan of mousse because it helps give my hair volume and bounce, and helps bring out my waves in my hair. I use Kiss My Face Hold Up Styling Mousse. If I am using my diffuser then I will apply this mousse before my heat protectant and then blow dry with the diffuser. Otherwise I just scrunch and let air dry.
Dry Shampoo: On days where my hair is getting greasy I use Acure Organics Dry Shampoo or Talc-free/corn-starch based baby powder to control my oiliness.
Beach Wave Spray: I don't use this often because the sea salt is drying but if I feel like looking beachy and wind blown I use this DIY recipe for sea salt spray:

Treatments
Hot Oil: I use a mixture of castor, olive, coconut, sweet almond, jojoba, avocado, peppermint, and lavender once or twice a week.

Schedule
I try to extend not washing my hair for as long as physically possible, so I tend to wash my hair every 3-4 days, and use a dry shampoo in between. Then I hot oil treat once or twice a week depending on how much I wash my hair.The more I wash, the more I will treat. A typical week looks like this:
Monday: get up and go, don't do anything to it.
Tuesday: dry shampoo if need be, if not, get up and go.
Wednesday: Depending on how my hair is looking I will either water wash my hair, dry shampoo if need to and wash completely at night. If it still looks fine with dry shampoo I will wait another day.
Thursday: If I washed my hair the night before: get up and go. If I didn't: water wash, dry shampoo and wash out hair at night.
Friday: dry shampoo if I need to
Saturday: dry shampoo if I need to
Sunday: Hot Oil treatment and shampoo hair

So that is the end of part 2 of the Healthy Beauty Series on hair care. I hope you found some of this information helpful and happy hair care everyone!