Important factors that contribute to healthy hair : Eating habits, scalp, ends, products and maintenance. And another important note is Ethnicity does not determine growth rate or texture, your genetic background does. So regardless of what race you might be, hair is hair and hair grows.
HEALTHY FOODS - Eating healthy foods will nourish your hair from within and contribute to healthy hair growth. Most people find their hair grows when they start taking vitamins or "hair growth vitamin". I'm not a fan of pills unless its absolutely necessary and if I do take them it has to be natural & with quality ingredients. Avoid junk foods (occasional eating is okay), avoid sugary drinks especially sodas and drink enough water to ensure your hair gets moisturized from the inside.
The best easy way to get most vitamins or nutrients would be with juicing, get yourself a good juicer, purchase a variety of vegetables and fruits. Get juicing! My favorite juice - Organic carrots, organic apples, organic lettuce, beets, broccoli and a touch of ginger. Engage your kids in the juicing process and have them choose their fruits & vegetables. If your child is a picky eater like mine, sneak in vegetables in meals by blending them - then freezing in cubes - then add them when you cook meals. There are so many healthy foods now being geared towards kids, I encourage you to go into whole foods, trader joes, fresh market and other healthy food stores. Also do not forget protein and healthy fats like avocados, extra virgin olive oil, nuts(almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashew e.t.c), omega 3 fatty acids - from fish like wild salmon, trout, mackerel and from plant source such as flax seeds. Choose healthy snacks for you and your family also.
SCALP - Maintaining a healthy scalp is absolutely crucial to having a healthy hair. Your scalp just like your skin needs to absorb water, air and be clean. Most individuals experience dry scalp and sometimes its caused by lack of exfoliation/unclean scalp, high ph, lack of moisture. Using shampoo will get your hair clean but it will not exfoliate your scalp. You use a body scrub or dry brush on your skin to remove dead skin cells right? Then why not do the same with your scalp. When using a shampoo, ensure your fingers are scrubbing your scalp. Avoid shampoo with chemicals and a good moisturizing one. How often should you shampoo? Every hair is different and there is no rule as to when you should shampoo. Some do not use shampoo and stick with the no poo method. The hair standard is to shampoo every 7 days, does this apply to you? Not necessarily, your hair will definitely let you know when its time to.
Rinsing with apple cider vinegar will help balance the pH of your hair and remove the buildup from using products. I love organic raw apple cider vinegar and keep bottles of them. Rinsing with apple cider vinegar will also close the numerous cuticle scales which cover and protect the surface of each hair shaft. This imparts a smoother surface which reflects more light and as a result leaves your hair shinier, smoother and easier to manage. You basically use this after using a shampoo & especially after using a shampoo bar. The acids and enzymes in ACV kill the "bottle bacillus", a bacteria that is one of the causes for many scalp and hair conditions such as dandruff, itchy scalp, hair loss and often baldness. The bacteria clogs hair follicles allowing dry crusts to form that itch and flake.
ENDS - Hair trim / hair dusting as it is often called is just lightly getting the dead ends off your hair. Can you imagine your hair's condition if you went without a trim for years? Everyone needs a trim including kids. Kids should have their first trim by the age of 3. It defeats the purpose of growing long hair, right? Wrong. While the initial service can be painful and discouraging, when you trim away old ends which are doing nothing for your style, you make way for healthy, stronger hair. Fresh ends encourage curl formation and prevent breakage. Dusting / trimming your ends should be done at least every 3 months. Also I would recommend applying a light oil/pomade/serum to your ends at night to protect them.
MOISTURE - I grew up being told to avoid using water in hair except when using a shampoo / conditioner, due to my kinky hair type and it could cause frizz. No Bueno! Hair needs moisture, it needs water or any type of liquid mist to moisture your hair and support healthy hair growth. Please note applying oil on your hair/scalp WILL NOT add moisture back into your hair. Hair is porous and some hair types are more porous than others. If you have low porosity, you will notice it takes a while for your hair to absorb water and products just seem to sit on top of your hair. Avoid using too much oils, products with low ph, use glycerin or glycerin based products, if using the no poo method - use baking soda rather than apple cider vinegar. And get into the habit of steaming your hair regularly.
A normal porosity hair type means your hair can hold in moisture easily and shine. While a high porosity hair type means your hair has been exposed to severe damage most likely from excessive heat or relaxing often or much chemicals. Your hair will probably lose moisture quickly while being absorbed easily. Hair types like these will benefit from aloe vera, apple cider vinegar, oil rinses/prepoo, avoiding excessive heat or relaxing often.
Do not over saturate your hair with oils or excessive hair creams. Use a good moisturizing shampoo, moisturizing conditioner and then a good leave in/serum/cream. I'm sometimes guilty of being heavy handed :-). Let your hair guide you as to when it lacks moisture! You should get in the habit of using a deep conditioner every time you shampoo! Apply on to damp hair and then use a good hair steamer/plastic cap.
If you have relaxed hair, DO NOT try to do a wash and go. And also DO NOT air dry. Relaxed hair is designed to be heat dried and air drying will encourage dryness/frizz. So you can lightly blow dry but ensure you use a heat serum before using a flat iron. Relaxed hair types do have raised cuticles and heat drying smooths them preventing dryness while increasing shine.
PRODUCTS - Choosing good products will also aid in a heatlhy hair growth. Look for products with essential oils such as peppermint, rosemary, eucalyptus, lemon, cedarwood, clary sage and lavender all which will promote hair growth. Herbs such as neem, burdock root, nettle, horsetail, ginseng. parsley, calendula, marshmallow and green tea. Pro vitamin b5 is also great in strengthening the hair follicles. My favorite Jakeala products are:
Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo
Hair Rinse - Use after using a shampoo bar / after using a shampoo
Nappy Hair Butter - Use as a conditioner or leave in hair cream
Amla Shea Castor Parfait - Great for pre poo and Kinky hair types especially type 3 or 4.
Coconut Hair Juice - Great leave in hair spray with coconut milk
Silky Castor Hair Oil - I use this with Coconut hair juice especially on my daughters hair, daily and when detangling.
MAINTENANCE - Maintaining your hair is essential to having a healthy hair. So a summary - Using a good moisturizing shampoo, conditioner and leave in/serum.
HAIR TEA RECIPE -
Choose a tablespoon of your favorite herbs, After you've decided which herb(s) will get the job done, follow the steps below:
Place the herb(s) in a pitcher (glass is ideal).
Pour boiling water over the herb(s), cover, and steep for 10-20 minutes.
Strain the mixture and allow the liquid to cool.
Pour over your head after your regular shampoo, condition, and detangling session. Do not rinse.
You can purchase good herbs from Mountainrose.com.
And to purchase any products listed go to www.jakeala.net
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