The fall and winter months can wreak havoc on your hair, drying it out, causing fly-aways and frizz. Nobody wants that, am I right? So when Stacey Gavin contacted me and pitched today’s beauty post, I was thrilled to share it y’all.
Stacey is a wellness advocate and blogger with a passion for living a natural and healthy lifestyle. Currently pursuing an Aromatherapy Certificate and a balanced life. She loves walking her dogs and spending time on the water with her family.
It is always a pleasure when other bloggers reach out to me with an idea and want to contribute to my blog. So without further ado, here’s Stacey’s guest post.
Natural Ways to Manage Your Mane: Tips and Advice on Keeping Your Hair Healthy
Everyone has experienced bad hair days at some point. Those days when nothing you do seems to work to make your hair look presentable can be frustrating. A few of the most common hair problems tend to exacerbate a bad hair day, like greasy scalp, dry hair, dandruff or flakiness.
The number of haircare products to tackle these problems is overwhelming. In fact, Americans spend millions of dollars a year on hair care products to keep their hair looking healthy. There are many types of hair out there, but the fact remains that things like medication, nutrition and lifestyle can determine whether our hair is normal, dry or greasy. With such a widespread use of chemical color treatments and heated styling tools, it’s no wonder we spend so much on treating hair problems and trying to get our hair back to a natural, healthy state.
If you experience bad hair days, are tired of your over-processed and damaged hair or want to get control of your dandruff, check out these natural tips and advice for healthy and great-looking hair.
Don’t Over-Wash
Too much exposure to water can damage your hair because it makes hair swell from the inside and forces the cuticle up. When this happens daily, it can cause frizz and breakage. It’s important not to wash your hair more than you need to, so skip a day when you can. If you are feeling just a little greasy, try using dry shampoo or a little baking soda near your roots to remove grease and get that lighter, cleaner feeling.
Be Gentle
Hair can easily become damaged from things like too much UV exposure, blow-dryers, curling irons and over-brushing. Always be gentle with your hair and try to avoid daily use of styling tools or use them sparingly. You can avoid split, puffy ends by not holding the dryer too close to your hair, and heat damage can be avoided by only holding hot tools on your locks for a few seconds.
You can also avoid hot tools by multitasking your hairstyle. If you give yourself a blowout on Monday, let it ride on Tuesday, and throw it into a ponytail on Wednesday. Keeping your style going for a few days can really help prevent lasting damage from daily use of hot tools.
Treating Hair with Essential Oils
Unfortunately, many of the products we purchase to help keep our hair healthy do just as much harm as good. Many hair products on the market contain synthetic ingredients that can be harsh on our hair. Sulfates can corrode hair follicles, oleyl betaine can cause dry hair and scalp, mineral oil treatments can clog pores, and propylene glycol causes irritation and dry skin.
While there are some products available that are less harmful, a better way to address hair problems naturally is by incorporating essential oils into your beauty regimen. Not only are they great for aromatherapy, but they retain the properties of the herbs, flowers and plants that they come from to offer an array of healing properties for the scalp and hair. Essential oils won’t make your hair oily, and some can even help with greasy hair. Environmental and lifestyle factors like dust, wind, heat and over-washing can strip hair of its natural oils. The right application of essential oils can help get your scalp and hair back into balance and leave it more vibrant and healthier than ever.
Best Essential Oils for Hair
Tea Tree
You’ve probably noticed tea tree as an ingredient in many hair and skin care products because of its powerful healing abilities, and if you suffer from flakiness, tea tree oil is a great choice. A 2012 study even showed that tea tree was effective for fighting psoriasis, which is a common cause of flakes. This pungent oil helps to open hair follicles, promoting scalp health and hair growth.
Lemon
Lemon oil smells fresh and crisp and can clarify your hair and scalp while drying up greasiness. It works well as a preventative for blemishes and flakes that are caused by fungus because of its natural cleansing properties that can also be effective against pests.
Peppermint
Peppermint is invigorating and feels wonderful on the scalp. This versatile oil is good for both greasy and dry hair, and the tingling will encourage blood flow to the scalp which can promote hair growth. Peppermint balances your natural oils and can help with a flaky scalp.
Lavender
Is there anything lavender can’t do? It’s one of the most popular oils used to ease stress and calm the mind, but it can also be great for all hair types including oily, dry, flaky and normal. It can promote scalp circulation, which is said to encourage growth, while balancing the oils on your head, reducing itchiness and deeply conditioning your locks.
How to use Essential Oils on Hair
Make sure to choose the essential oils that you find pleasant because your hair will take on some of their aroma. The simplest way to reap the benefits of essential oils for your hair is to add a couple drops to your shampoo. For extra moisturizing, add a few drops to a carrier oil and leave it on your hair for 30 minutes before washing with a gentle shampoo. For a dry scalp, try mixing five or six drops to a couple tablespoons of carrier oils. Gently massage into the scalp and leave it on for two hours before rinsing well.
Always dilute essential oils before using them topically, and remember that a little goes a long way. Oils like peppermint and tea tree are cooling but extremely potent, so be sure to avoid applying them near the eyes, nose or inside of your ears.
Try adding some essential oils to your haircare routine and get an extra boost of health benefits that you have been missing from your regular products.
How to you keep your mane healthy?
Do you use essential oils to keep your mane and scalp healthy? What are some tips and tricks you use to maintain a healthy head of hair? Leave your comments below!
And if you like post about using essential oils to help manage your mane, then check out this post I wrote a couple of years ago about using essential oils in your beauty routine.
Yours Truly,
Vanessa
