10 Tips for Healthy Hair 2023
Here at GLISTER, we’re all about helping you achieve hair that’s beyond stylish. It’s not just about creating voluminous, lush curls or getting your hair pin-straight - we want your hair to glow with health. To feel touchably soft.
That’s why we’ve put together this guide with our 10 top tips for healthy hair. You don’t need to fry your tresses to look like you belong on the red carpet.
Don’t Wash Too Often
At this point, everyone knows - overwashing is one of the worst things you can do to your hair! It strips the hair of its natural oils, making it weaker and more susceptible to damage. Plus, if you keep your hair looking stylish at all times, that also means forcing more heat damage on it by needing to heat style more often.
How often you actually need to wash your hair depends on how much oil your scalp produces. If your hair gets pretty oily, then washing it every other day might be necessary. If your scalp tends to be dry, once a week is more than enough.
Detangle Your Hair Correctly
Tangles and knots are more common when your hair is damaged, but they also make the damage worse. Tangled hair breaks more easily, not to mention that the process of detangling can be pretty damaging.
We’ve created a whole guide on how to get rid of knots, but the basic premise is this:
1) Do it either before a shower or in the shower when your hair is saturated with conditioner.
2) Use a gentle tool, like a wide-tooth comb or a paddle brush with thick, rounded bristles.
3) Start your way from the bottom, and then slowly move the brush or comb up as you detangle.
Keep Temperature Low
We like things hot, but your hair doesn’t.
Washing your hair in hot water can be irritating to the scalp and damaging to the hair cuticle. Extreme heat can damage the hair cuticle, leading to hair that’s frizzier and more prone to breakage.
Instead, when you wash your hair, one of our best healthy hair tips is to aim for a warm or lukewarm temperature that’s still pleasant but not damaging. Trust us - your skin and hair will both thank you!
Dry With a Diffuser
Once you’re out of the shower, how you let your hair dry also matters. Your hair is in a very vulnerable place when it’s wet. Water causes the hair cuticle to swell, making the hair more prone to breakage. It is necessary to dry the hair in order to remove that water, but drying can still cause its own damage if done too aggressively.
Science shows that blow drying is better for the hair when the temperature is low and the hot air is never in contact with the hair for too long. Not only is this less damaging than drying on high heat, but it’s also less damaging than letting your hair air dry.
Using a diffuser is one excellent way of controlling the heat distribution and ensuring the hair doesn’t get blasted with too much intensity. Plus, if your hair is naturally curly or wavy, it’ll also help define your natural pattern. If you don’t have a diffuser blow dryer yet, pick up our Interstellar Blow Dryer - it has the gentle heat settings and diffuser necessary for regular, healthy drying.
Use a Heat Protection Spray
It may not be the healthiest choice, but half the fun of having hair is that you get to change your style every few days. Some days you want glamorous waves and other days you want it looking fierce and smooth.
When you do use heat styling tools that change the hair pattern dramatically, it’s important to use a heat protection spray. Heat protection sprays will actually help form a protective layer around each strand, helping to keep the hair sealed and preventing heat damage.
Choose Styling Tools With Temp Control
Heat styling, even with the most gentle tool, can still do some damage to your hair. The higher the heat with which you style, the more damaging it’ll be. One great way to prevent trouble is by choosing tools that give you a lot more control over the heat settings - three heat settings are rarely enough!
Digital tools are real game changes in this instance. They let you control the temperature with precision, with an LED display that lets you know exactly how hot things are getting. The GLISTER Digital collection does just that, with a temperature range from 250 F to 450 F.
When you style your hair with a new tool for the first time, start low and then slowly work your way up until you find that sweet spot that works for your hair without damaging it.
Look for Tourmaline and Negative Ions
Source: iRocks
Using hairstyling tools that emit negative ions is another excellent way of preventing damage while styling your hair. Ceramic-tourmaline hairstyling tools are made with a precious gemstone that emits those negative ions.
The negative ions do two very important things:
1) They speed up drying and styling times, reducing the amount of time your hair is exposed to heat.
2) They seal the cuticle, thereby helping your hair retain moisture and preventing breakage-inducing frizz.
Tourmaline and negative ions won’t totally remedy the damage of styling your hair on high heat, but they do help make things a little gentler. That’s why all GLISTER hairstyling tools are made with this exceptional technology.
Try Low pH Shampoos
Much like high heat, high pH can also damage your hair. This is a lesser-known but important tip for healthy hair.
If you’re not familiar with pH levels, here’s a quick explanation: low pH means that things are acidic, like vinegar, lemon juice, or your favorite exfoliating serum. High pH means that things are basic or alkaline, like baking soda or soap.
Your hair and scalp are happiest when you use products that match their natural pH which is around 5.5. On the other hand, using high pH or soap-based products on your hair can disrupt the scalp and the electrical charge of the hair, leading to static electricity, frizziness, and friction that leads to hair damage.
Most brands don’t disclose the acidity of their products, but if you search for low-pH shampoos you’ll still find some hair-friendly options.
Know Your Hair Porosity
Knowing your hair porosity will open your eyes to a whole new world of hair care. Porosity is the question of how much water your hair can absorb. You actually don’t want your hair to absorb a ton of moisture - that’s when things get frizzy and fragile. Often, the hair becomes more porous after it’s been damaged by things like bleach.
Hair porosity goes from low (not very porous) to high (very porous). Products for porous hair can make hair with low porosity feel brittle and dry, which is why it’s so important to know what you’re dealing with.
So to find out your hair porosity, just do a strand test! All you need is one strand of your hair (don’t pull it out - chances are you have a bit of hair hanging out in your hair brush).
Drop a strand of hair in a glass of water. If the hair sinks, your hair has high porosity. If it floats, you have low porosity. If it hangs out somewhere in the middle, then you have medium porosity.
Pick Your Conditioner Wisely
Once you know your hair’s porosity level, you can choose a better conditioner for your hair.
If your hair is damaged and has high porosity, look for conditioners with proteins that’ll help fill in gaps and restore moisture. Another great category of ingredients to look for is bond builders. These unique hair care ingredients help reinforce the protein bonds in the hair. They can make a huge difference, helping to restore shine and strength.
For low-porosity hair, you want the opposite. Look for lightweight conditioners that won’t overwhelm your hair. Instead, they should contain lightly moisturizing ingredients that’ll penetrate the hair shaft more easily. Look for formulas with glycerin and panthenol, but avoid proteins or heavy oils.
Love GLISTER Loves Your Hair
Giving your hair a ton of love is the secret to maintaining its health. By using gentle, high-quality products designed with your hair’s unique needs in mind, you can help your hair glisten with health. And by following our styling tips for healthy hair, you can also achieve any look you want without taking a toll on your precious tresses.
Love,
GLISTER