People who know me, know that I have literally tried every product available on the shelf when it comes to hair. And those that I love, I stick. Having a combination of super straight and very fine, it is not the easiest type to manage. Looks pretty easy on the face but my kind of hair is not easy to curl, style and is very sensitive to weather changes. Over time however I have found my comfort products and ways to manage my hair, my way.
If you feel that the water is too harsh for your hair, weather changes make your hair too dry or experiencing hair fall, maybe the tips I have learnt over time might help you. Have a read –
1. Sulfate Free Shampoo :
I have completely stopped using anything that contains sulfate or harsh chemicals. Marc Anthony is one of my favourite haircare brands but its hard to find a wide variety of its products in the US. I usually use Organix or Loreal sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner for a frequent use. If you have colored your hair, choose the type for coloured hair.
Average Cost of Shampoo + Conditioner : $7 + $4
2. Massage the Oil :
So our grandmothers since eons have been persistent on oiling the hair and only now I realised that they were pretty right. It is important to keep the scalp moisturized time to time. A good massage also helps with blood circulation that promotes hair growth.
People swear by a hot massage of coconut or olive oil for the hair especially those who have curly or wavy hair. But for me and those who have a combination of oily scalp and dry hair, these oil don’t really work. Over trial and error, I have found that a mix of amla oil (Also known as Indian gooseberry or Malacca tree ) and a little bit olive oil has worked wonders for me. I usually apply it 30 minutes before I wash my hair once a week.
Average Cost of these oil : $4- $9 (depending on brand and size)
3. Grandma’s Lemon or onion juice trick :
Onion and lemon were part of hair tips I heard from my grandmothers while growing up. I finally tried them a couple years ago when I was in a phase where I was trying to go all natural. Lemon juice is great for flaky scalp. Squeeze lemon in a bowl with a pinch of water to slightly dilute it. Apply it only 10-15 minutes before shampoo as it is acidic and too long of an application may not be best. Rinse with shampoo after.
Onion juice on the other hand is good if you find you are losing hair due to weather changes. Apply onion juice with an optional dash of olive oil 30 minutes before shampoo.
Now from my experience of trying these, it’s a good short-term usage but it doesn’t help in the long term. Hair loss or flakiness cannot just be stopped by outer treatment. It is often caused by a combination of diet and outer factors. Try these on a short term basis while identifying your long-term hair loss cause and improving your diet.
4. Avoid blow dry :
No matter how cold it is, I prefer to let my hair dry naturally. If I am in a hurry, I use a cold air blow dryer. I feel heat causes unnecessary stress to the hair. Avoid it if you can. If you can’t, restrict your use to outings and opt for serums to tame your hair. Also try using hair protection serum before you use any heat application like iron rods or curlers. We often under-estimate their use but over time they really help to protect the cuticle of your hair which provides the shine.
5. Serum and more Serum :
I am not so much into hair products as I have never ever coloured my hair, but if there is one thing I swear by is Argan Oil serum. I have pretty fine hair and I usually use argan serum after every wash to keep my hair sleek and avoid any flyaways. It keeps your hair conditioned as well. It is a great product to use even if you have wavy or curly hair as it helps to keep your hair in place.
Average Cost of these oil : $6 – $20 (depending on brand and size)
My Routine :
Frequency of hair wash – Alternate days
- Apply a mix of Optimum Amla (Indian gooseberry) oil + Olive Oil 30 minutes before ( only once a week).
- Shampoo using Organix Sulfate Free Shampoo.
- Apply Loreal Everstrong Thickening Conditioner and leave for 5 minutes before washing off.
- Pat Marc Anthony Argan Oil serum into wet hair after softly towel drying it.
- Let it dry naturally.
My last piece of advice would be to never use hotel shampoo, rather always carry your own shampoo, don’t ignore split ends, always go for a trim if you notice them and most importantly have a healthy diet and drink lots of water.
Let me know if these tips helped you and if you have any further questions.
We heart you,♥
The Crispy Corner
Author : Nupur Singh, founder of www.socialnupur.com and a certified image and style consultant. If you would like a personalized style or colour session with us to know what looks best on you email us now on thecrispycorner@gmail.com or ask me your question here
My biggest struggle has been that my hair (and skin!) hates how hard the water in SF is (too many minerals)! It feels like it’s so hard to get it clean! I’ll have to try a sulfate free shampoo 🙂 your hair is so gorgeous and shiny!
Lindsey I completely agree. The water is horrible for the hair here and I have struggled with it too and that is why the best way is to reduce the chemicals in our hair product. Try the sulfate free and let me know how well it works for you.You can also try to rinse your hair with lemon or vinegar after shampooing. Mix a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon to 3 cups of water. After shampooing, massage this mixture on to your hair. Leave it for couple of minutes and rinse it off.It helps to reduce the chemicals.
Another alternative is you can get a shower filter too. I’m going to be writing about it in my next post.