7 Tips For Naturally Healthy Hair

7 Tips For Naturally Healthy Hair

We all want it, but it’s so freaking hard to get… healthy hair. After decades of dying, bleaching, straightening, curling, and who knows what else - it’s no wonder our hair tends to turn against us and basically give up. When I realized that my hair was thinning, falling out, and damaged so badly a trim couldn’t save it, I decided I needed to switch it up. I decided to to make a huge effort to make my hair healthy again. I implemented these 7 tips slowly over time, and each of them played a big role in really transforming my hair. It is finally getting thicker and is a bazillion times healthier, I can’t even handle it! So let’s dive in!

1. Stop dying and bleaching your hair
   with crappy chemicals

Trust me, I loved my purple hair too. But it required bleaching and constant dying that left my hair angry AF. It was extremely damaged and it was breaking like crazy. My husband was the one who actually told me I should stop dying it. Of course I didn’t want to listen. I hate when he’s right, but he was. Once I stopped bleaching and dying my hair with all that chemical filled stuff, my hair drastically improved.

Now keep in mind I don’t love my natural hair color. Especially the insane amount of grays I’ve acquired since I was 19. Yes seriously. At 28 I have way more gray hairs than anyone else I know my age. And it’s my preference to cover them up. Maybe one day I’ll embrace them, but not yet.

So how does one cover up grays without using chemical hair dye? Let me introduce you to my friend HENNA!

Henna

I’ve been dying my hair with natural henna powder for several years and it has been a game changer. I’ll do another blog post alllll about it, but you can watch this YouTube video to give you the run down!

DO! Get the henna powder that only has henna as the ingredient. Be ready to be committed to henna (no going back to regular hair dye). Clean up messes asap so it doesn't stain counters etc. DON'T! Rinse hair with shampoo after dying (only conditioner) Wash your hair for 3 days after dying.

*Please keep in mind that henna powder is naturally red in tint and may not be the best option for lighter hair colors. It is highly recommended to avoid standard hair dye on top of henna. Please do your own research before deciding to switch!*

I purchase my henna powder on Amazon, SHOP IT HERE! I use this one because I like that the only ingredient is henna itself.

2. Collagen

I take collagen religiously for many reasons, and my hair health is a big one. Collagen has tons of benefits and I genuinely think that it’s one of those “wellness trends” that lives up to the hype. I put a scoop of collagen in my coffee every morning or add it to my oats. You can put it in smoothies, protein shakes, you can bake with it, the possibilities are endless really. This multi collagen blend is my absolute favorite because you get all the great different types of collagen in one.

3. Minimize Hair Washing

Who would have thought that dirtier hair is healthier hair?? It took me a long time to become okay with this one. I was a daily hair washer. Sometimes multiple times a day if I sweat a lot. But after being bombarded with the info that hair washing should be limited, I finally caved and decided to give it a try. I “trained my hair”, as its generally referred, to be able to go longer and longer between washes. It’s nasty for a while. And sometimes day 5 hair IS nasty, definitely to the touch. But overall you are left with much healthier hair. I now wash my hair about 2 times a week and supplement with dry shampoo. This dry shampoo is a killer deal and is my go-to. Some other amazing dry shampoos that are more of a splurge are this one by Dry Bar, and I’ve heard INCREDIBLE things about this one by Oribe.

4. Chop it off

I made the chop. My hair was so damaged from all of the bleaching and dying and previous misuse that it just couldn’t be salvaged to the hair I wanted it to be. So I started fresh with a good ‘ol hair chopping. Honestly I was terrified, and I know that cutting numerous inches off your head isn’t the ideal situation for everyone - but it ended up being the best decision for me. It turns out that I LOVE my short hair. And after growing it out, I went right back to the shortness because it turns out that it is much more ME.

Cutting off all the inches of damage truly gave my hair a second chance to come back thriving. It’s never been happier! Shout out to my girl Kelsey for my freshest chop.

5. Minimize Heat

I’m sure this one is quite a broken record at this point, but it really does make a difference. I try to let my hair air dry as much as possible to start with. And then if I feel the need to blow dry, I do it - but I ultimately avoid straightening or curling as much as possible. I leave it for special occasions!

I also use a blow dryer that reduces the risk of heat damage. I have one I like but I’ve been hardcore eyeing this one by Dyson. I hear it’s basically the holy grail hair dryer of the moment. Santa, are you listening??

6. Change Up Your Hair Tie Game

Your old standard hair tie is cancelled my friend. No more pulling out wads of hair each time you take your hair down. No more unnecessary breakage falling victim to your hair band. These strange but fabulous hair ties really do make a huge difference is saving your hair. I started using these about a month ago and they make such a difference. And while they remind me of the key holder my mom used in the 90’s, I gave them a shot.

No breakage, and yes, your hair does still stay put! You can grab them basically anywhere these days! A lot of brands make them now which makes them easy to find.

7. Natural Hair Care

I’ve slowly been trying to switch out almost everything I use to cleaner and more natural versions. One of the first things I switched out was hair care.

Something to keep in mind with natural hair products is that they are not going to feel like the shampoo and conditioner you are used to. When you take out some of the unnatural ingredients, you’ll find that your shampoo won’t really lather as much and it will feel like it’s not working. But it’s just working in a different way!

My favorite clean hair products are by Seed Phytonutrients. I love their standard hair cleanser and moisturizer, along with their volume line. They use the most eco-friendly packaging I have EVER seen. Plus you get seeds to plant in each package!

I know that Seed isn’t exactly cheap, but there are also great more affordable options. Love Beauty & Planet is a fav of mine! I opt for the sulfate free shampoo and conditioner.

So there we have it!

Those are my top 7 tips to help rejuvenate your hair and make it healthy & luscious AF. I truly think implementing each of these has made a world of difference for my hair and I’m excited for you to try them out as well.

Let me know what you think of these tips and please drop your own suggestions down in the comments!