Who doesn’t love the sight of beautiful, lustrous hair? Don’t you want it to shine like those in the commercials? I bet you do.

It might be possible to relate to some bad hair habits we have inculcated in our routined life. Getting rid of these can help you maintain your hair’s beauty and glow.

Improper hair care habits such as over usage of chemical products and careless handling of wet hair can negatively impact your hair. Many people often fail to realize the importance of maintaining hair until the moment they start to realize it’s beginning to fall off.

Here is a list of 10 different things you’ve been doing wrong the whole time, that you can prevent to maintain good hair!

1. Hot Showers

Though it can be relaxing, washing your hair with extra hot water is not advisable as it washes away the natural protective oils. For colored hair, it speeds up the fading process. Constant hot showers can dry out your scalp and create split hairs.

While it would be fine to rinse your hair with warm water before you shampoo it, make sure you always rinse out your shampoo with cool water instead. This helps to close the cuticles and leave a smooth sheen on your hair.

2. Brushing your hair immediately after a shower

Brushing your hair when it is wet leads to increased breakage, as the hair is significantly weaker at this stage. In case you want to comb your wet hair during or after the shower, do it gently using a wide-toothed comb or it would be even better to use your fingers. Drying wet hair using towels can also lead to ripping or breaking the strands, if you rub too hard.

3. Over-Coloring

Too many artificial chemicals can harm your hair. Regular changes in permanent hair color can make your hair vulnerable to chemical damage.

Unlike permanent color, semi-permanent color is less damaging. Also, consider using a shampoo and conditioner formulated for color-treated hair.

4. Tight Hairstyles

While an occasional ponytail is harmless, if encouraged, such styles put excessive tension on the hair follicles. Though tying your hair off your neck in a tight way may be convenient for sleeping or working out, it can also cause stress on your mane.

As the elastic will be in the same spot every time, the hair in that section will start to show wear and tear, resulting in hair damage that destroys them permanently.

It is ideal to try wearing your hair down whenever possible or opt for low ponytails and exchange elastics for soft fabric hair ties.

5. Shampooing roughly and regularly

Shampooing too often can cause dry scalp, dull looking hair, and breakage and damage of hair. At the same time, not shampooing enough can leave dirt and too much oil on your hair, making it look dull.

Limit the use of shampoo to just once or twice a week. Just rinse and condition the hair every other day. For colored hair, overuse of shampoo can wash out the color. Consider using water-based and sulfate-free shampoos that cleanse.

Choose a lightweight conditioner that helps with the detangling process. When using shampoo, apply it on your scalp and not on the ends of your hair. Gently massaging the scalp during the process will encourage blood circulation as well.

Massaging your hair using homemade natural shampoos is one of the most recommended methods for natural hair regrowth. The ingredients can be varied to reap in various benefits and they help in detoxifying, hydrating and nourishing the scalp.

6. Heating Tools

As heat damages hair, reduce the use of tools such as hair dryer, curling iron and hair straightener. Excessive use of such heat-styling products without proper protection can result in hair loss.

Avoid using heating tools on wet, delicate hair and style your hair when it's as dry as possible. Keep temperatures in check while using these tools to dry your hair. To avoid the gradual damage of the surface of your hair, you can use heat protectants that will help restore the hair to its natural health and create a layer of protection between your hair and the heat.

7. Damaging chemical products

Most of us use damaging styling products to make the hair look good and manageable. Chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide and ammonia in hair dyes, dihydrotestosterone or DHT found in shampoos, and sodium hydroxide in hair relaxers can weaken the hair and contribute to hair loss and scalp infection.

Reducing the usage of such harmful chemicals, or opting for herbal products or homemade recipes for hair masks or hair dyes that use natural ingredients can reduce the impact to a great extent.

Drinking matcha can help with hair loss to a good extent due to it’s DHT blocking abilities.

8. Cotton Pillow Cases

Your hair is likely to suffer from more wear and tear if you are sleeping on a regular cotton pillowcase. Cotton pillow cases absorb moisture and bacteria from your skin and become dirty. Such pillow cases may cause hair breakage.

Instead it is advisable to use a silk pillowcase, as it allows your hair to glide easily when you toss and turn around.

9. Not getting regular haircuts

Trimming your hair on a regular basis will help prevent split ends. Whether you have long or short hair, regular trims are critical for better hair growth. Without regular trims, the dry ends of your hair will begin to split and the damage will spread to the healthier parts of your hair.

For those with short hair, it is better to get a trim every five to six weeks, and for those with longer locks, trimming it every eight to ten weeks would be fine.

10. Sleeping with wet hair

Wet hair will be in a compromised state. Though sleeping with wet hair does not immediately damage your hair follicles or shaft, it can certainly lead to hair breakage. Tying your wet hair before sleep can also result in serious hair damage. Make sure to completely blow dry your hair before bed or at least towel dry it before you go to bed.

It may be difficult at first to switch to these healthy hair-friendly habits. However, remember that the earlier it is, lesser the losses would be.

Don’t you want to flaunt your hair like those L’Oreal models? I bet you do. Adopting these healthy hair habits are critical if you want your hair to look good and luxuriant, and add to your overall attractiveness.

By Catalin Zorzini

Catalin is the founder of Ecommerce Platforms and Web App Meister. He blogs about matcha, Japanese lifestyle, and mindfulness at matcha-tea.com. He's a design enthusiast and loves matcha, and is uber passionate about blockchain technology and travel.

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