10  super tips for thick, shiny and healthy hair

1. Healthy diet is a must

Make sure your diet is healthy, or it will reflect on your hair. Get your daily dose of proteins, vitamins and minerals. Fish, nuts and greens are excellent for healthy hair.

2. Shampoo every other day

Shampoo your hair every alternate day, not daily. Daily shampooing could dry the scalp and hair of its natural oils. However, don’t let your hair get too dirty before you shampoo it, as this could cause your hair to fall. Shampooing it every alternate day, or, at the most, every two days should do the trick. Also, take a clue from the climate you live in. Humid weather requires frequent washing. But if you are mostly staying indoors and don’t sweat too much, you can wash your hair less frequently.

3. Protect your hair from UV radiation

Does your work or lifestyle take you out in the sun a lot? Wear a cap, and use a conditioner which has sun-block. UV radiation can cause untold damage to your hair.

4. Weekly oiling promotes healthy hair

Oil your hair at least once a week. Leave it on for about half-an-hour to an hour, and cleanse with shampoo. Once-a-month do a deep-conditioning treatment by steaming your oiled hair.

5. Treat your hair to egg protein

Egg is excellent for hair. It nourishes the hair and adds shine. After applying oil, whip up an egg and apply it to your hair once a week. Leave it on for an hour and then rinse. Don’t forget to rinse with cold water, not warm. You don’t want scrambled eggs in your hair.

6 Trim your hair at least once in 4-6 months

There is no “cure” for split ends. Once a hair is split, the end has to be cut off to avoid further splitting of the strand. Trimming regularly keeps split ends in check.

7. Condition your hair after every wash

After shampooing your hair, towel dry. Take a few drops of a conditioner in the palm of your hand, rub hands together, and apply the conditioner to the ends of your hair. Never apply it to the scalp. Once you’ve applied the conditioner, run through your hair with a wide-toothed comb so it gets evenly distributed. Wash off after 3 – 4 minutes.

8. Fab tip for frizzy hair

One great trick to tame frizzy hair is to apply two or three drops of oil to your hair, just after washing it, when your hair is still soaking wet. This tames the hair without giving it an oily appearance. This is an easy substitute to leave in conditioners and hair serums.

9. Hot water is a strict no-no

Never shampoo your hair with hot water. Rinsing with hot water washes away essential oils and moisture, leaving the scalp dehydrated and the hair frizzy and static. Use cold water or warm water instead.

10. Sleep on a satin pillowcase

If you have long hair, use a satin pillowcase to sleep. This helps the hair glide when you move in your sleep. Regular cotton pillowcases may latch on to your hair, causing breakage. Also, it’s best to tie hair up when sleeping.

Do’s & Don’ts for healthy hair

Drying

• Hot air can be damaging to your hair, so when using a hair dryer use a cool setting.
• Don’t leave the blow-dryer in one spot for more than a few seconds, keep it moving and hold it at a good distance from your hair.
• To speed up the drying process, pat your hair dry with a towel and let the remaining moisture in your hair dry naturally.
• Gently use your fingers to untangle any knots while your hair is drying.

Hair products

• Hair styling products with alcohol dry out the hair; avoid their use.
• Avoid using hair styling products directly on your scalp; they tend to clog the pores on your scalp.

Swimming

• Before entering a pool, wet your hair so it soaks up the “top” water instead of chlorinated water.
• When swimming, wear a cap to protect your hair from chlorinated water. If you choose not to, make sure you shampoo and condition your hair right after you are through with your swimming session.

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In this quick video, Patry Jordan shares some handy tips to help you manage some of the challenges your hair throws up to you. Her ideas are so easy, you will jump with joy and be tempted to try them right away. From keeping moisture locked in to making your pony look longer and fuller, there are 10 tips and tricks that you will absolutely love if you are a lady with long hair.

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I often have patients come to me with a pre-conceived notion of the state their skin is in. Sometimes, it really takes lots of patience before I can make them see sense. You need to understand that the state of your skin is never constant, especially if you are a woman who goes out to work and spends time in different environmental conditions.

Understanding your skin

The external conditions—pollutants, dirt, grime, and changing weather—play a major role in how your skin feels or behaves. You might be born with a certain type of skin, but over the course of time, weather changes can aggravate a skin condition or change its texture. I am sure you must have noticed that if your skin is prone to oiliness, summer time can be a pain because suddenly the greasy factor increases tenfold. Similarly, if in normal conditions your skin is dry, it becomes dull, flaky, and dehydrated in winter.

You need to examine your current skin care regimen and adjust it to meet your skin’s ever changing needs, based on shifts in climate and sun levels. It’s critical to establish [and diligently follow] a routine that meets your skin’s specific needs during specific climatic conditions.

Adjust your skincare to the season

Many of us jet-set across the globe; often, in the span of just one week, our skin faces different conditions. For instance, you may start off from a summer country and land into a country experiencing winter. While you do your travel packing, make sure your skincare products are packed accordingly. Your skincare routine must remain the same but according to the changing climate conditions, you must use specific products.

Do not go by what you think is your skin type to choose products round the year. Be tuned in to the changes in the weather and how your skin reacts to it. Once you start recording the changes, you will naturally be in sync and treat your skin accordingly. Change your face washes, cleansers, moisturisers and sun protection products to match your skin condition. You will be surprised that all it really takes is to make small adjustments in your daily regime to keep your skin perfect and glowing round the year without any special skincare treatments.

Monsoon

Who doesn’t love the rains? After the scorching sun and all that dust, it is a relief to feel drops pouring from the sky onto your face. I do enjoy a cup of steaming coffee as the rain lashes around, cooling and cleaning everything. There is such a sense of freshness, but I cannot say the same for my skin. The monsoons bring with it a series of skin woes for many—open pores, dull skin and infection along body folds. In simple words, we have summer skin plus increased humidity. A bit of moisture is good, but a lot isn’t.

Look and feel of monsoon

Skin feels hot and humid since the pores are still open from the summer months and can get further aggravated. Acne and skin infection along the body folds can also occur. Sweating can be even more irritating in the humid weather.

Hair swells and is more vulnerable to damage, especially breakage, so it is advisable not to go for too many salon treatments. Even a simple blow dry can cause damage.

Monsoon special care

• Refreshing face wash: Do it four times a week and with cold water
• Toner: Optional
• Scrub: Once a week
• Day cream: Use only a sunscreen
• Skin actives: Apply in the form of serums and gels
• Post summer care: Tan removing creams and skin soothing ones
• Night care: Skin lightening actives, AHA and BHA [Acids at 6 – 20 per cent are available OTC]
• Just hydrant minus the cream: Magic mist
• Hair and scalp: Sun protection for hair
• Body: Couple of showers a day

Pick powders: For this season, you must look for the powder form of most things like compacts, deodorants etc. There are some collagen boosters in powder form too.

Dry up ASAP: If you happen to get wet, wash your face and feet as soon as you can. Then dry them; this removes any impurities you might have picked up. A good idea is to carry some wet wipes and then reapply your skincare product or make up.

Stay with sunscreen: If you are planning to stop the sunscreen regimen, thinking that the clouds will protect you, you are greatly mistaken. Cloudy skies do not guard you from the sun. You can look for a light textured version of sunscreen. There are also some gel variants that offer you protection without clogging your skin. Try the new powder sunscreen with nano-particle technology.

Work towards healthy hair

• Coconut oil massage
• Dry wet hair with low heat
• Do not brush wet hair
• Use loose hair accessories
• Avoid salon treatments—any chemical treatment will harm the strands since the cuticles are open

Have happy hair: Hair care should not be ignored during this season. Since the summer’s intense UV damage makes the hair dry, frizzy, damaged, getting your hair wet in the rains will further weaken it. So say no to all hair treatments that make use of heat and chemicals. Ironing semi-wet or wet hair is a sin.

Monsoon must dos

Getting wet in the rain is fun but change your clothes as soon as possible. Damp clothes increase the risk of skin infections, especially in body folds.

• Dry your hair to remove as much moisture as possible. Blow-dry your hair gently if needed.
• Keep wet wipes, moisturiser, face wash, and sunscreen in your purse to keep your skin in great condition.

Supplements to take in monsoon

• Go high on immune boosters—multivitamins.
• Add anti-inflammatory ingredients to your diet like ginger and turmeric. These ingredients are a major part of our Indian diet.

Monsoon kitchen goodies

• Apply a papaya face mask to remove dead skin layers and reduce tanning.
• Turn over half a lemon and use it as a gentle loofah on the face and the body.
• Use a mixture of lemon juice and rice flour paste on face and body to slough off dark, dead skin.
• Apply lemon, curd, and sandalwood powder as mask and then scrub gently to de-tan.

At your skin doctor’s

Most treatments are safe to receive in this season. Concentrate on de-tanning treatments like peels and microdermabrasion.

Start off laser treatments for skin lightening, tightening, or hair removal.

Adapted from Age Erase by Rashmi Shetty. Published by Random House India

This was first published in the July 2014 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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