What isn’t your hair fond of? I bet you’ve already come up with a few ideas. A flat iron comes first – its extremely-hot plates simply burn your hair and break the disulfide bonds inside. Another one? The sun – obviously, it’s a fatal enemy of youthfulness. Above all that, are you aware of the number of other daily sins that you hair must deal with?

How NOT to care for your hair?

Hair doesn’t like:

1. Heat

I don’t only mean a flat iron. Its destructive action seems to be obvious (there’s no hair that could get through the extreme temps in the long run). A regular and ‘innocent’ blow-dryer turns out to damage both your hair and scalp to the same extent. Around 40 Celsius degrees is the optimal temperature. The higher the temp, the more significant the damage.

2. Tugging

Mechanical damage makes hair get weaker, fall out or break; its structure is gradually getting poorer. The mechanical damage is connected with the most common hair sin – harshly towel-drying after a hair wash. Wet hair is much more prone to damage, therefore you must gently squeeze the excess of water. Sleeping with wet hair has the same (bad) result. While asleep, we often toss and turn, rubbing hair against a pillow – you can disturb hair structure easily.

3. Ill-Matched Hair Products

What you use for hair washing and conditioning turns out to largely affect your hair looks. Many products give dismal results instead of a desired effect – it is because we wrongly diagnose hair state and type. To find out what hair needs in daily care – hair porosity is worth learning, namely, the appearance, condition, structure and needs of hair. You’ll come across lots of hair porosity tests online – all you do is answer a few questions on your hair care routine and hair appearance to know its porosity and structure and find out what to use for its care. In this way, you avoid e.g. over-proteined hair or keratin build-up which may contribute to hair breakage, thinning and blocked growth.

4. The Sun

Everybody knows that the UV radiation causes lots of serious skin cancers. Still, not only your skin needs protection. Your hair dislikes the sun as well because intensive sunlight deprives hair from melanin, strongly dehydrates and increases porosity, weakens hair bulbs and irritates your scalp. To avoid the sun-damaged hair – reach for a hat and a natural hair oil – it features UV filters which protect against harmful radiation.

5. Chemical Processing

Bleaching, straightening, permanent wave – these treatments are meant for enhancing your good looks but you need to remember to cut down on them and provide hair with the proper aftercare keeping strands from getting extremely damaged. Applying suited hair oil treatments is the best hair-beautifying therapy you can choose.

6. Silicones, Parabens & SLS

Artificial, comedogenic ingredients in shampoos and conditioners improve the appearance of hair only for a moment (hair shine and smoothness are possible) yet after some time, they make strands dry plus controversial ingredients build up on hair roots. Also, parabens, silicones and petroleum derivatives are to be blamed for poorer state of your scalp. While shopping for a shampoo or conditioner – check if the components are fine, free of damaging substances.

7. Hair Styling Products

Hair styling routine has its dark side, too. All kinds of lotions, styling pastes, gels and sprays settle on tresses and worsen their condition. They often include damaging and drying alcohols and other synthetic substances which leave your hair wrecked. That’s why apply a hair spray or paste on rare occasions – big events, night outs, holidays. On a daily basis, let your hair rest from chemicals.

8. Smoking Cigarettes

Apart from the extremely harmful impact on health, cigarettes, to be more precise – the compounds included in cigarettes – worsen the state of skin and hair. They weaken bulbs, destroy the inner hair structures, worsen its appearance. Cigarette smoke gets inside hair which becomes sick; its absorption of shampoos’ and conditioners’ nutrients gets poorer. Smokers complain about blocked hair growth and intensified hair loss more often.

9. Stress

Long-term and chronical stress means no good for both our mood and condition of hair and skin. People living busy lives tend to complain about various skin dysfunctions, hair loss and hindered growth. To make things worse, stress helps us ‘catch’ wrinkles more quickly. If you often feel nervous and upset – try to find a form of relaxation which lets you calm your nerves at least a bit. Yoga, meditation, long walks, a warm bath or aromatherapy? Do your best to find a moment for relaxation every day and remember to get good night’s sleep. Your hair and skin will be surely grateful!

10. Bad Diet

What we eat – the nutrients we deliver to the body – has a direct influence on how our hair and skin looks. Make sure your diet is balanced and abounds in vitamins and minerals. Try to cut down on cigarettes, alcohol and processed food to see a rapid hair make-over.