Dry Hair? Don’t Despair. Your hair — your “crowning glory” – is the first thing people see when they look at you (I believe your shoes are the second thing – but that’s a whole ‘nother post!). You want your hair to reflect all the good things about you – your natural health, your natural beauty, your radiance, your elegance.
First things first – Cut it! Get your hair back into healthy condition by getting it trimmed and rid of the split and dead ends. That will get you going on the right track. To keep on the right path to a beautiful head of hair, don’t use your brush when your hair’s wet. Invest in a good wide-toothed comb and start at the bottom of your hair no matter what length it is and don’t get stuck in the knots and pull – just gently use your fingers to unravel the clumps. Also invest in a good soft bristle brush, maybe a baby brush, and use it gently to distribute natural oils through your hair without causing any breakage.
Cut down on the frequency of washing your hair – if it’s dry, no more than twice a week! Check the ingredients in your shampoo and eliminate the ones that have harsh ingredients like alcohols or sodium laurel sulfates. A soft and gentle shampoo made out of some healthy oils like almond or jojoba mixed a little bit of pure castile soap (Dr. Bronner’s is great) will keep your hair clean and shiny and healthy. Just say NO to harsh chemicals that can harm your hair!
Mayonnaise and avocados have lots of natural oils that nourish your hair from the outside. Skip the California sandwich of avocados and mayonnaise (with sprouts in LA!) and instead, put those ingredients on your head. Cover and sit for 15 minutes, then rinse it out with warm water. Shiny!
Healthy fats equal healthy hair. Deficiencies of essential fatty acids (EFAs) can result in unhealthy hair (and body)! Polyunsaturated, omega-3 fatty acids are the best healthy fats for ensuring your internal health and protecting against the damages caused by free radicals which not only lead to heart disease and cancer, arthritis and asthma — they also result in dry, damaged, lifeless, brittle hair! Fish oils such as salmon and cod liver, and nuts and seeds are essential to your diet for your hair and for your health.
Drinking water is a key to natural health (see Previous Post – D is for Drinking Water). Water will help you to get rid of unwanted fat and flab, and will help to flush toxins from your body. Think about moisture when you want healthy hair and drink a good amount of water daily!
Here’s a great recipe to restore the shine and moisture to your hair:
YOGURT HAIR MASK -
1/2 c plain yogurt
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 egg
Blend all ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Shampoo as usual and apply the yogurt mixture to your hair and scalp. Leave it on for about 15 minutes. You can cover your hair in a hot towel (put a moist towel in the microwave to heat it up) to help it be absorbed and keep it from dripping all over. Rinse your hair out completely with warm water, and follow this with a gentle conditioner.
