One great way to keep your scalp in top shape is to use an astringent wash once a week. Apply the astringent to your scalp with a cotton ball, and then shampoo out. Unlike clarifying shampoos that only clean the hair, the astringent will get grime and product build-up out of your cuticles, leading to stronger, smoother hair.
2. Use Less, Save Your Hair (and Some Money!) – Next time you’re putting product in your hair, take a look at how much you’re using. If you’re like most people, it’s probably way more than your hair actually needs. Not only does that make some products less effective (think too much gel – instead of a clean, slick look, you end up looking like a bad used car saleswoman!), it can also lead to a buildup of gunk in your hair and in your cuticles.
For the rest of the year, try halving the amount of product that you put in. Really! Trust us! You’ll be exposing your hair to less product and less gunk, and you’ll also find your hair products last a whole lot longer, which can save you big money (that you can then use to buy MORE hair products!)
3. Beat the Heat – Using some kind of heat treatment in your hair at some point in the year is pretty unavoidable, unless you’re going for the “au naturale”, matted-down-cavewoman look. Still, heat can and often does damage hair. Repeated exposure to extreme heat can leave your mane frazzled and bone-dry. Too much heat too often can even lead to hair loss.
This year, try to limit how often you blow-dry, curl, or straighten your hair with hot devices. When it’s unavoidable, try turning down the heat or heating it for less time. You might not always get the exact look you were going for, but you’ll definitely have shinier, healthier hair!
4. Eat Better – It wouldn’t be a list of resolutions if this one didn’t make it. No matter what else you do to your hair, no matter what shampoos you buy, how you clean it, which salon you go to, or how expensive your miracle hair cream was, none of it matters if you aren’t giving your body the vitamins and minerals that are the building blocks of great hair.
In 2016, eat a diet high in Zinc, Iron, Omega 3 and other healthy fatty acids, protein, and vitamin B. Sure you can take most of these as supplements, but nothing beats the real thing, and making sure that your diet is hair-healthy can mean the difference between looking like a movie star and looking like someone desperately trying to look like a movie star.
