Many of us will suffer from unhealthy hair from time to time. It can be caused by environmental factors like the weather or by self-inflicted issues like our diet, styling routine, or unhealthy habits.
The first step is to determine whether or not you have unhealthy hair. This means checking in the mirror and feeling your hair for any common signs that your hair isn’t what it could be. You might, for instance, notice a dry or flaking scalp, or you may experience regular split ends.
After identifying the problem, you can then try numerous different techniques to improve the health of your hair. These small changes are extremely easy to implement and can have a big impact, as we explain below.
First: Is my hair unhealthy?
You might have noticed that your hair feels dry or your scalp feels itchy in recent times. These tend to be two of the most obvious signs that your hair is unhealthy. Most people with unhealthy hair experience dryness, but you can also experience excessively oily hair, as your scalp has produced too much sebum. Some of the most common symptoms of unhealthy hair include:
- Regular hair shedding. While it’s normal to lose 50-100 hairs daily, anything more than this could be a sign of unhealthy hair.
- Oily or greasy hair.
- Split ends (How to prevent from split ends?).
- Dry or broken hair that feels brittle or straw-like (Treatments for hair that feels like straw).
- Dull hair with little shine.
- Flat hair without volume, depth, or texture.
- Lack of elasticity.
If you recognize any of the symptoms above, learning how to get thick, healthier hair is an important first step. Depending on the cause of your unhealthy hair, you can try one or several of the recommendations below to improve the way your hair looks and feels.
How to get healthy hair naturally at home?
The good news is that you don’t necessarily need to visit your doctor if your hair feels unhealthy. That said, if you feel that your unhealthy hair is caused by an underlying health condition, you should, of course, seek medical advice.
But here are some simple steps you can take if you’re wondering how to get your hair healthy again without taking drastic action:
1. Improve your diet
Often, people experience unhealthy hair due to a bad diet. Too much alcohol and refined foods can starve your hair of the nutrients that it needs to thrive. One of the most important nutrients for your hair is protein, as this is hair’s main constituent. If you have dry, weak, and brittle hair, it could be a sign that you’re not eating enough protein.
Easy sources of protein to add to your diet include beans, fish, chicken, eggs, and lean meat. You should aim for at least 45g of protein daily to keep your hair healthy.
If you experience regular hair shedding, it may be a sign of zinc deficiency. zinc is present in fruits, vegetables, and nuts like pecans, cashews, and Brazil nuts. You can also take a zinc multivitamin as a short-term solution.
2. Eliminate alcohol and smoking
You probably don’t need us to tell you that alcohol and smoking are bad for your general health, but they do your hair no favors, either. Smoking can stifle hair growth, while excessive alcohol can also have a negative effect on your hair.
We recommend eliminating both smoking and alcohol entirely to see significant improvements in your hair’s health. If you can’t eliminate both, consider reducing your consumption to begin with, and you will see marked improvements in a short period of time.
3. Change your hair products
Aside from diet, your haircare routine is perhaps the biggest cause of unhealthy hair. Many people don’t realize that the products they use to clean and style their hair are actually having a negative effect on their hair’s long-term health.
As a result, people pass up long-term issues for short-term gains, and by the time they realize that a product has been doing more harm than good, it’s too late to make a change.
Our advice is to review all the products you currently use in your hair, including shampoo, conditioner, and styling products like wax, hairspray, or pomade. Carefully read the labels to see exactly what you’re adding to your hair.
At the very least, move away from products that contain sulfates and alcohol, as these are bad for the long-term health of your hair.
As a general rule, invest in natural products wherever possible, including those rich in healing oils such as coconut, jojoba, and tea tree. Instead of stripping away your hair’s key nutrients, natural-based shampoos renourish and replenish your hair, and will help to get you back on the right track.
4. Limit heat-based styling
Learning how to get healthy hair naturally is also about considering the frequency at which you perform heat-based styling and the tools you use. You should limit (or, indeed, eliminate) your use of curling irons and hair straighteners, as these typically cause your hair to dry out over time.
Also, when blow drying your hair, you shouldn’t always dry your hair on the hottest setting. Again, this causes your hair to become dry and brittle.
Investing in an ionic hair dryer like the Laifen Swift Special is a simple solution. All Laifen hair dryers have adjustable heat settings, meaning you can dry your hair on low or medium heat to prevent overheating. The ionic technology also combats static electricity and is a great way to eliminate frizz.
5. Visit the salon regularly
Visiting your stylist or barber frequently is another essential step when it comes to maintaining healthy hair. Your hairdresser is perfectly positioned to remove split ends and offer advice on how to treat your hair to a makeover, no matter its current condition.
Regardless of your hair type of length, we recommend visiting the salon once every six to eight weeks. You don’t necessarily need to go for a full cut each time you visit, but you can ask your hairdresser to wash and treat your hair if you have concerns about its health.
They will also advise you on the best products to use and the best styling options for your hair in its current shape, which will help you as you nurse your hair back to life.
6. Adjust your washing schedule
Another potential cause of unhealthy hair is your washing schedule. You might under or over-wash your hair, and both can lead to potential issues. For instance, if you under-wash your hair, it may look greasy and dirty, which is something most people want to avoid.
If you over-wash your hair, you might be stripping away some of its natural sebum, which has caused your hair to feel dry and brittle.
Of course, you need to find a happy medium, and every person is different. Still, you shouldn’t wash your hair more than 2-3 times per week, but depending on your hair type, you can get away with washing it once a week.
If you’re unsure of your hair type and need some guidance on how frequently to wash your hair, speak to your stylist during your next appointment.
How to get long healthy hair? Quick tips
So, let us leave you with some quick takeaway tips that explain how to get shiny, healthy hair:
✅ Make sure you eat enough protein and incorporate zinc into your diet to restore your hair’s health.
✅ Stop smoking and reduce the amount of alcohol that you consume.
✅ Switch chemical-based hair products for natural-based products, including shampoo, conditioner, and hair styling products.
✅ Limit your use of heat-based styling methods like straighteners and curling irons.
✅ Invest in an ionic hair dryer with adjustable heat settings, such as the Laifen Swift Special.
✅ Visit the salon regularly and ask your stylist or barber to treat your hair.
✅ Change how frequently you wash your hair to guard against over or under-washing.
Conclusion
Learning how to get long and healthy hair is about considering what is causing your hair to feel unhealthy and doing something about it.
Fortunately, there are so many simple things you can do to boost the health of your hair, and you don’t need to change your haircare routine drastically.
However, if you try the above tips and don’t see any improvements, your hair might be unhealthy due to an underlying health condition. In this case, you will need to contact your doctor to try and get to the bottom of the issue.
