There are literally thousands of hair care products on the market. Each one promises to give your hair health and nutrition. While the products you use are important, there are actually three basic things that will help you maintain good hair health. A healthy and adequate diet, proper hair maintenance and avoiding activities that damage your hair.

1. Proper diet

Hair growth depends on a proper diet. A widespread dietary problem that causes hair loss is iron deficiency anemia. The cause is a shortage of iron in the blood caused by a diet that contains very little meat, eggs, cereals or peas and beans. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also needed to provide vitamin C, which allows the body to absorb iron. A proper diet will provide the body with the ability to better replace hair lost during the natural shedding process and will ensure that the hair that grows out is strong.

2. Cut the hair

Cutting your hair on a regular schedule is essential to your well-being. Over time, they are exposed to different stressors that can damage the ends of the hair shaft. This damage is known as “split ends.” If split ends are not taken care of, it will continue to work its way up the hair shaft and eventually weaken it. Regular hair trimming eliminates split ends and prevents the progression of cracks.

3. How we damage our hair

One of the most important and frequent activities that damage hair is frequent shampooing. Hair has what is known as an acid mantle that surrounds the cuticle. The mantle protects the hair and keeps the natural moisture and oil within the hair. The shampoo removes this mantle and exposes the hair to the environment. Unless you are using a quality salon shampoo and conditioner, it will not restore acidity to your hair. Poor quality shampoos and conditioners do not try to restore the acid mantle.

The second most common activity that damages the hair is the use of over-the-counter products to color or lighten the hair. Although the hair on the scalp is tough and can take a lot of abuse, it can be damaged by too much or inexperienced perming, coloring, bleaching, and massage. The amount of chemical service that hair can receive varies from person to person. Occasionally, the scalp is allergic to the dye and becomes inflamed and swollen.

Most people who bleach their own hair do so with hydrogen peroxide and then fail to properly treat the hair. If peroxide is applied repeatedly, it can cause hair to dry out and become brittle.

A professional stylist can be very beneficial in helping you achieve healthy tresses. A professional stylist, with the right amount of continuing education, can adequately access each individual situation and make a proper determination of how to proceed with each service.

If you are not sure how healthy your hair is, please visit us or call Beth & Company and one of our trained professional stylists can help you.