A woman’s hair is her crowning glory. As of 2017, the global hair care industry was said to be worth USD 85.52 billion. This goes to show just how much value women place on their hair, not just to look good but also boost their confidence. In a bid to maintain healthy hair, most women focus on products yet there’s so much to it than that.
Healthy hair is that which is well hydrated. Hair needs lots of water to keep it supple. Especially coilier textured hair. The most effective way to keep your strands hydrated is to drink lots of water. Our bodies benefit most from nutrients and water when we ingest. Topical application through spritzing and using conditioners is just a plus. When your hair gets too dry, it becomes brittle and breaks.
If you have natural hair, another way to tell if it’s healthy is to check your curl pattern. When you wet/ wash your hair, do you see the curls/ coils prominently? If not then you might have heat damage.
This goes hand in hand with shrinkage. Healthy natural hair shrinks up when it comes into contact with water. The amount of shrinkage depends on one’s hair texture. People with looser curls experience less shrinkage than those with tight coils. If your hair isn’t shrinking, this is an indicator of heat/ colour damage.
Tangles are unavoidable with natural hair. However, excessive tangling is a warning sign. It usually occurs when you haven’t trimmed off the ends of your hair in a long time. Unhealthy ends tend to coil around each other more than usual. Failing to trim also leaves room for split ends to travel up the hair shaft, causing more damage.
Strength of your hair strands should also help you determine if your hair is healthy. Hair that breaks off too easily means that the strands are weak. Check on your protein intake. Hair is made of protein called keratin and of course the most effective way of getting protein to the strands is by ingestion. Applying protein treatments once a month helps to boost this.
