If you’re having problems maintaining your crowning glory, you may be doing too much or too little. Fact is, hair responds to good care. It’s just a matter of knowing what to do and how much to do.
These 5 hair tips for men will get you off to a flying start.
1 Don’t over-wash
There’s no chemical or organic substitute for natural oils synthesized by your scalp and hair. The natural oils make your hair shinier and stronger. It’s like moisturizing your face to keep your skin hydrated and promote the repair of skin cells and production of new ones. By lathering up every day, you are stripping away the oils and not doing your hair any favors.
Wash your hair twice a week if you have oily hair and every three days if your hair is dry and coarse. If your scalp releases excess oils, washing every other day makes sense. For African-Caribbean hair, which is typically porous and requires oiling, hair consultants recommend washing every two or three weeks to avoid breakage.
2 Treat greasy hair with TLC
Taming hair grease requires a gentle touch. Don’t wash your hair in hot water or rub it vigorously in the shower as friction and excess heat can cause sebaceous glands to release more oil. Use lukewarm water and wash gently.
It’s also important that you use styling products that don’t weigh down your hair and instead opt for those that absorb excess oils. By the same rationale, avoid conditioning too often; when you do, apply the conditioner to the hair tips and leave out the roots.
3 Nourish with home treatments
Raw egg wash works equally well for oily, dry and normal hair. The yolk, fortified with proteins and fats, is a good moisturizer, and the whites contain bacteria-fighting enzymes that remove unwanted oils.
If you have normal hair, you can use the whole egg to moisturize. For oily hair, use the egg whites and stick to the egg yolks for dry hair. Apply the egg/whites/yolk directly to your scalp, leave it on for 20-25 minutes, rinse with cool water, to prevent the egg from “cooking”, and rinse through with shampoo.
A whole egg treatment and a yolk treatment can be used once a month, while a whites-only treatment can be used once every two weeks.
Plain yoghurt keeps hair moisturized and adds shine to it. Apply half a cup of plain yoghurt to damp hair and let it rest for 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water, follow up with cool water and then shampoo.
4 Follow the right ‘hair handling’ rules
1. Brushing wet hair increases chances of hair loss. If you must comb, use a wide-toothed comb.
2. Don’t use a brush or comb to remove tangles, work your fingers.
3. Brushing your hair too often can damage it.
4. If you have greasy hair, don’t touch or fiddle with it too much as this can trigger the release of oils, which is the last thing you want.
5 Make lifestyle adjustments
Smoking can trigger hair loss by constricting blood vessels that supply nutrients for hair growth. Cut down on the ciggies if you care about hair length and volume. While a healthy dose of vitamin D is beneficial for your skin and hair, over-exposing your hair to the blazing midday sun can be damaging. Sunburn promotes the release of a compound called superoxide by the scalp, which can cause hair follicles to shed.
Do you have any great tips about hair care? Tell us below…