5 Easy Healthy Hair Hacks

1. Avoid over-processing

Coloring your hair the same color, or at the same level, when done by a professional, isn’t too damaging. But going lighter is!

You will know if you have bleaching damage if your hair seems flat, dry, brittle, prone to breakage, and split ends. 

It’s a vicious cycle, because when your hair is damaged from overprocessing, it loses elasticity, and then becomes even more easily damaged. For example, heat-styling already chemically-damaged hair, only further damages it. 

So, what do you do if you want to color and go a bit lighter? Get a balayage, which is a hand-painted highlight that doesn’t start at the root. Get your balayage only on the top layer of your hair to minimize damage. 

If you really, really want to go considerably lighter, then ask your hair stylist to ensure a bonder is added to your color.

2. Do regular hair treatments

Make sure you really understand what’s in the products you are using, and choose high-quality products. 

Use your high-quality hair treatment products regularly to maintain healthy hair. I recommend using a hair full-up product that you mix 1:1 with cold water to make a cream.

After you wash and towel-dry your hair, apply the hair full-up, focusing on your hair ends.

Then wrap your hair and wait 10 – 15 minutes before rinsing it off.

3. Maintain a healthy scalp

Hair health begins at your scalp, so if your scalp is unhealthy, it’s unlikely that your hair will be healthy. 

When you shampoo your hair, make sure that your hair is completely wet before applying shampoo. 

Shampoo needs water to work, so if you have thick hair, separate out sections in the shower to ensure it is all getting saturated with water.

Then focus your first shampoo application on your scalp, not on your hair ends. The first shampoo will pick up the oils from your scalp, so may not lather very much. 

The second shampoo will cleanse your scalp and lather more.

If you have issues with a dry scalp, then add an inexpensive scalp brush into your routine to exfoliate as you cleanse. 

You can also try using a scalp tonic daily, to relieve itchiness, remove dandruff, and prevent hair loss.

4. Use minimum heat

Before applying any heat to your hair, make sure you have a barrier, like a thermal protection spray, between your hair and your heat source.

When you heat-style your hair, use the lowest possible heat setting you can, to achieve the result you want. 

There are really very few hair types that need maximum heat.

Next time you are heat-styling your hair, try dialing down the heat by half, and see if you get the same result you would at full heat.

5. Don’t sleep with, or tie-up wet hair

When your hair is wet it’s at its weakest state, because the hair cuticles naturally lift, which makes your hair more vulnerable and prone to damage. 

Putting your hair up when it’s in that vulnerable state will absolutely lead to damage. 

Sleeping with wet hair, can create the perfect environment for yeast to flourish, including the yeast associated with dandruff.

Healthy hair hacks

Check out what my hair looked like before and after I was following these healthy hair tips.

Before, it was thin and dry, with no glossiness or silkiness. 

Then I figured out how to get gorgeous, shiny, silky hair, without abandoning my heat-styling tools. 

I hope these five healthy hair hacks work for you!

Leave a comment to let me know which tip you liked best, and tell me what your biggest hair struggle is.

Check out my 5 Super Simple DIY Overnight Hair Mask Recipes.