The Basics Of Having Healthy Hair & How To Repair Damage
Alright, friends. I know you're going to be peeved when you hear it... but you've got to STOP using aerosol hairsprays on your hair! Really though. This is just one practical way to improve hair health and on this blog, we're going to jump into the rest of the tenants of achieving and maintaining healthy hair. Come on, let's get right into it!
To avoid:
You probably already know what's coming... yes, I am going to ask you to stop using any kind of hair care products with:
- sodium lauryl sulfate
- ammonium laureth
- lauryl sulfate
- sodium laureth
- alkylbenzene sulfonate
- ammonium
- ethyl peg-15 cocamine sulfate
- sodium lauryl sulfoacetate
- dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate
- sodium c14-16 olefin sulfonate
- sodium cocoyl sarcosinate
- myreth
- lauryl sulfate
- sodium xylenesulfonate
- tea-dodecylbenzenesulfonate
- propylene Glycol
- polyethylene Glycol
- stearyl dimethicone
- dimethiconol
- cetyl dimethicone
- dimethicone
- cetearyl methicone
- ethylparaben
- isobutylparaben
- propylparaben
- methylparaben
- butylparaben
- synthetic fragrance
- phthalates
- synthetic dyes
- sodium chloride
Okay, got all of that?! No? Don't worry, neither did I. That's why I just stick to SBA hair care.
If only I had the time to write about how harmful (not only to your hair but your overall health) the above ingredients are... it would take an eternity!
Instead of having to comb through your local store's hair care ingredients, trying to find something without these ingredients (if they're in the store, there's a 99% chance they'll have at least a few of these gross ingredients in them), why not just switch to hair care you can trust? Hair care that does not and will never have anything but organic and all-natural ingredients?
At SBA, we're passionate about providing you with hair, skin, and body care that is made of 100% natural and organic ingredients. Based on science and personal experience, we believe what you put onto your skin affects your overall health!
With all this said, we've put together our suggestions and tips to achieve the best hair possible!
Hair care tips & routine suggestions for your best hair:
***Pssst! Here's our very popular DIY detangler & leave in recipe!
- Gentle Cleansing: Replace your chemical-laden shampoos and conditioners with a natural alternative like our Nourish Shampoo Bar. At least, a shampoo without the nasty chemicals listed above. Look for ingredients like aloe vera, coconut oil, jojoba oil, or tea tree oil to cleanse your hair gently without stripping away its natural oils.
- Deep Conditioning & Oil Treatments: Nourish your hair with deep conditioning treatments using natural products like our Nourish Conditioner (which comes in multiple scents!) and deeply moisturizing Revitalize Scalp & Hair Serum. You can also make your own DIY deep conditioning treatment with shea butter, mango butter, coconut butter/oil, argan oil, and marula oil, to name a few. (Keep in mind, certain hair types handle different oils and butters better than others.) Apply the chosen ingredient to damp hair, lather and squish into hair and leave it on for a while, and then rinse thoroughly. These treatments can help moisturize, repair damage, and enhance hair's shine, strength, and softness - and help prevent split ends! But, we love our super popular all natural detangler & leave-in DIY that all hair types love (especially curly hair types!
- Herbal Rinses: Add weekly/bi-weekly herbal rinses into your hair care routine! For example, rinsing your hair with a very, very diluted apple cider vinegar or brewed herbal teas like chamomile or rosemary can help balance pH levels, promote scalp health, and add shine to your hair. Don't over do it here, though! You can also add a few drops of our essential oils depending on the desired benefit.
- Scalp Massage: A scalp massage using our minty and highly moisturizing Revitalize Hair & Scalp Serum will certainly aid scalp and hair health. Gently massage the oil into your scalp in circular motions to stimulate blood flow, promote hair growth, and nourish your hair follicles. I know this seems basic, but these tips all put together can yield good results.
- Avoid Heat Styling: So, I know many of our readers use a lot of heat on their hair on a weekly basis. You are going to have a very hard time avoiding split ends and achieving the best hairy possible for you if you're constantly bombarding your hair with heat, week in and week out. Don't get me started on damaging perms I know some of us have partaken in... lol. You're going to need to minimize the use of heat-styling tools like straighteners and curling irons. It's time for us ladies to embrace our natural, God-given hair and learn to care for it naturally. You may not like how your hair looks naturally right now, but you will after 6 months to a year of laying off the heat, eliminating nasty chemicals, and replenishing your natural hair with high-quality, natural hair treatments. Just give it a chance! Together, let's reject the modern age that says your natural hair length, color, texture, or whatever isn't beautiful or good enough. Forget that! Rock your fine silky hair, your tight curly fro, your big wavy hair, your "thin" straight hair... whatever is naturally yours, it's time to own it! Let's stop investing in companies and products that tell us our natural hair or self isn't good enough. You may be seated!
- Protective Styles: Opt for protective hairstyles that minimize hair manipulation and protect your strands from environmental damage. Depending on your hair types, styles like braids, twists, or buns can help retain moisture and reduce breakage.
- Nutrient-Rich Diet: Alright, you knew it was coming. Here at SBA, we try and really focus on holistic health, meaning that yes, even your hair is connected to what you eat, and what you eat impacts the health of your whole body, including your hair. Take care of your body and health & maintain a well-balanced diet that includes foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and proteins essential for healthy hair. Incorporate foods like ORGANIC avocados, nuts, seeds, legumes, leafy greens, and grass-fed, lean proteins to nourish your hair from within.
- Eliminate: any hair products (hairspray, mousse, repair"oils" & masks, gels, etc) that contain any of the harmful chemicals and toxins listed above. It's just not worth it!
- Oh, and stop yanking out your hair when you brush it! PLEASE! Be gentle with you sweet lil' strands...
Personal hair story:
As a child and through my teen years, I had 3a/3b curly hair. I remember not appreciating my naturally curly hair growing up and I used lots of chemicals and heat on it, thinking it would just stay curly throughout my years-long assault on it. Well, you probably already know what happened. My hair eventually couldn't handle the heat, toxins, chemicals, terrible diet, and perms, and I lost my lush curls. By the time I got into my 20s, it just continually got straighter and straighter... to the point where it looked like I had naturally straight hair, with no evidence of my old curly self. I know this can happen because of hormonal changes and puberty, but I know my curl loss was because of the way I was treating my hair.
So, I kept using straighteners and curling irons on it to achieve whatever style I thought was cool at the time, thus continuing the cycle of breakage and damage. I eventually felt, one could say, convicted, about the way I was treating my God-given natural hair. Why did I feel like I needed to do my hair a certain way or use heat on it to achieve a certain look? Was I seriously damaging my hair just to fit into some kind of spoken or unspoken mold? Why did I think frying my hair off (not really, but you know what I mean) is what I had to do to be presentable?
So, I had to answer these questions honestly for myself. I began to clean up my hair care routine (SBA was a wonderful addition to this process!) and pretty much completely stopped using ANY heat on my hair. There were a few times I caved, but for the most part, I stopped using heat. *Disclaimer: I am not saying to have healthy hair you cannot use any heat on it, but in the process of repairing your hair, using any heat on it is a setback.*. Since then, I started using natural and organic haircare and hair oils, focused on correcting vitamin deficiencies and overall health, and incorporated the techniques above as much as possible.
I am happy to say that today, I am seeing natural waves beginning to come back and my hair finally has some body and texture to it again! Hopefully, those curls will eventually be back too. But, if they don't come back in all their former glory, that's ok too. I just want to keep treating the body God gave me with gentleness, care, and intentionality. I share all of this to hopefully give some of you hope that your hair can get healthier, even after years of beating up on it! Patience, my dear. Good things take time. <3
Here to help,
Brier C.