Conditioning & Protection

A smooth cuticle allows your comb and brush to glide through your hair, eliminating tangles. Leave-in natural conditioning vitamin treatments and detanglers such as Infusium 23 help by penetrating each hair shaft to correct damage, then restructures and smoothes the hair cuticle, giving it extra protection. If you can stand it, most hair dressers that handle long hair suggest that the last hair rinse be a cold one. This shrinks the molecules of the hair, closes and smoothes the cuticle, and gets rid of superfluous coatings, making hair much more manageable.

Apply a deep conditioning hot oil treatment once a week to your hair. To do so, wet your hair with warm water. Warm a small amount of olive oil and apply to the scalp; work well through the hair to the ends. leave oil in hair for 5-10 minutes and then shampoo well. Mixing Tea Tree Oil with the olive oil mixture is very healthful and stimulating to the scalp. You may also choose to use essential oils like lavender, rosemary, geranium, or sandalwood with lubricating oils such as jojoba or peach kernel to restore deep moisture to your hair. For intensive treatment: After applying oil, wrap head in a warm damp towel that has been dipped in hot water and wrung out, and then in a large shower cap in order to prevent loss of heat. When the towel cools down, rewet it with hot water. Leave on for 20 minutes and then shampoo well.

Preventing tangles while you sleep is an important part of protecting your hair from damage. First brush (straight hair) or comb (curly hair) before you go to sleep. Satin pillow cases provide the greatest protection from frizz and tangles while sleeping. The hair can slide easily over the satin and does not tangle as much as with a wool cover sheet. As soon as your hair is long enough (waist length and longer) you can place it behind your head to get it out of the way - regardless of you rolling around, it will stay there due to its weight and length. Some ladies make a ponytail or a braid which helps to keep the hair out of your way. Make sure that it is a loose braid, don't tighten it. If you find out that you get a headache, damp you hair before you braid it and braid it upwards (not toward your waist). This prevents pain resulting from the fact that all hair is used to bend in the opposite direction and the scalp becomes irritated by the change of direction.

Sun is another element that contributes to hair damage. Ultraviolet rays break down proteins and cause dryness, unmanageability, and split ends. Just as the sun can burn skin, it can also dry out hair, leading to limpness and breakage. A hat or light colored opaque headcovering is the most effective way to protect your hair against the sun and stop UV damage. Using hair care products with sun protection factors (SPFs) can help prevent sun damage as well.

Chlorine and saltwater also contribute to the damage of hair, stripping and etching away at the natural bonds of protein. Hair is porous and will absorb chlorine unless you apply a barrier. Water quality is very important to your hair. There are a wide variety of results with different types of water. Hard water is harmful to the hair as well as salt and chlorine. Water out of the well will harm as well, if it contains too many minerals. Carbon water filter attachments are the best solution for reducing this damage in the shower. The most efficient way to protect your hair is to soak it in oil. Oil is hydrophobic (waterhating) and will therefore keep the water, and thereby chlorine and salt, away from your hair. Before swimming in chlorine-treated pools, wet your hair and coat it with a natural conditioner. It also has the additional benefit that you get a deep conditioning treatment while having fun. Another is to put lots of conditioner in your hair before going into the pool, that is for short stays, as the water will take the conditioner out of your hair. This also has the benefit of a deepconditioning treatment. If you have forgotten either of these remedies, then make sure to soak your hair in fresh water, so it is saturated, which will hinder too much contact between chemicals and your sensitive hair. And make sure to pour fresh water over it again when you are done swimming. If your hair has turned green from chlorine, then dissolve two aspirins in lukewarm water and pour through your hair, keeping an extra bowl underneath, so it can be poured through a couple of times.

Do not use a hair dryer or other heated appliances on your hair. Blow drying causes a great amount of abrasion, which can strip the cuticle from the hair shaft, resulting in hair breakage and split ends. To further protect your hair against damage, avoid vigorous towel drying which can turn wet hair into a mass of tangles. Allow your hair to dry naturally and pat it dry with a towel if needed.