Mar 27 , 2017
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I need my hair to look its best!
“I need my hair to look its best”
Women and men crave luscious thick locks without weighing down their hair. Are you one of them? You wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t. I can relate to the importance of it all, stating that my hair can’t be too frizzy, nor too greasy and flat, but just absolutely perfect so that it looks at least decent to go out for the day. How do we achieve that with so many products to choose from? How often should you wash your hair? Do I really have to wash, rinse, repeat? What’s a good amount of conditioner to apply? I need my hair to be strong! With regards to the millions of different shampoos and conditioners, along with all these hair gels, sprays, serums, mousse, wax and hair colours to choose from-take a deep breath-I totally get why there’s confusion, and hair damage, stress, and more. It also starts from within. For example, it’s common for people to lose their hair when they “get to a certain age” and the frustration is obviously present when it starts to thin out. I don’t blame any of you, but I’m writing this to shed some light on most of the reasons why this happens so that you won’t have to wear a hat or slick it back in a ponytail to cover up any evidence. All these problems are totally reversible with organized knowledge and you can never gain anything without paying the price. Our rewards in life are in exact proportion to our contribution. I’ll walk you through the new habits as best I can to keep the hair on your head looking voluminous and shiny by using these useful inside and out tips!
Are you sure your feeding your hair?
The trick to making hair look fabulous effortlessly is to have hair that’s already healthy! How do we do that in this fast-changing world? Many people stress their hair out unintentionally with the wrong products and mindset, lack of nourishment and it’s not fun at all. We get asked this question all the time at the store about how to thicken hair and prevent it from falling out. Biotin is our number one recommended supplement to encourage hair growth and thicken that beautiful hair of yours! You take this internally, preferably as a liquid and within about a week improvement should take place. This is a B vitamin and a Coenzyme which is naturally found in the body, however most people fall short by not consuming enough through diet. This may not be something we like to hear at first, but who cares? By understanding the truth, we can better solve problems and prevent them from reacquiring in the future. We are at our best when we choose to supplement WITH consumption of the right foods. Your strands thrive on what you put into your body, not just with the topical products. For even better results, let’s take a more holistic view inquiring foods and shakes, and oils, and all the fun useful resources!
You’ve probably heard of protein going a long way and you’re right, but are you practicing what you preach properly? Your hair is made of keratin, a type of protein that thrives off protein for survival. Duh. Anyways, I’m just going to say it…we have to stop referring meat as the only high source of protein(vegetarians certainly have my back on this). I’m not saying not to consume meat at all. By all means do so if you love it. If it’s organic, grass-fed and raised without anti-biotics and hormones, even better. Fantastic! It IS an excellent source of protein but NOT the only one. I’ll get back to the point I’m trying to make here….to decrease tunnel vision, there’s a difference between simply eating just your meat, and then going the extra mile such as grabbing a healthy protein bar and/or nuts as a snack for a quick lunch, eating eggs every single morning, and my favorite of all-protein shakes. It feels so good to mention that. I’m so happy that this has become quite popular. Protein shakes are highly essential for fullness of the stomach which equals fullness of the hair! Yay! I think everyone should be taking one to two shakes a day even when you don’t workout. This is vitally important for our health and absorption of protein, plus our locks love it. We want faster results don’t we? Drinking it is one of the best ways to go.
My absolute favorite shake is VegaOne meal replacement protein shake containing 20 grams of protein. This is an all-in-one meal replacement which includes vitamins, six servings of greens, probiotics and essential fatty acids. It’s completely vegan and the best part is that it has the biotin!
Every strand needs strength
Now let’s pump those strands full of iron! Yes, you read that right. Just like protein, you can never get away with singling out this important mineral. One of the symptoms of iron deficiency is hair loss and breakage. This is known as anemia and if it gets to that point, a liquid iron supplement is needed as soon as possible. I’m mostly referring to women, because we need more iron than men-about 20 mg a day at least. Another sign of lack is those stupid, annoying dark circles under the eyes. Uggghhh! Believe me, I know all about that and even though I kept hydrated, ate tons of greens and went all out on organic produce, did a kidney flush, slept well-you name it I did it-the only one single thing I was not taking was the freaking iron. It was the one cause I didn’t take care of. The internet gave me barely anything on the subject, but that’s a whole other long story I won’t get into. Anyways, I will finally mention that the drain in my bathtub was also full of hair. Yeah, it was pretty disgusting. After taking iron for 2 months, the darkness under the eyes have dramatically faded and all my hair stays on my head and out of my drain! Seriously, there is not one single strand in there. They know better than to escape lol. I take two tablespoons of iron liquid by Hubner with my B12 and Vitamin C to absorb it all and it gives me that boost of energy for the day.
The ultimate iron superfood
I’m going to mention an INCREDIBLE source of iron that everyone should eat. This is the king of all iron right here. That, my friend, is LIVER. I followed my intuition and recently got our fabulous coworker, Kim, to order some and although it doesn’t taste the best, it’s totally worth it. I feel extremely well, energized, healthy, and my body thanked me for it by providing me with super healthy and low-maintenance hair that NEVER breaks. It is inexpensive, easy to cook and you get 18 mg of iron per 100g in return.
External goods
The outside is just as important as the inside. You could be eating fine, meanwhile, the strands are thirsty and dry, showing symptoms of static and frizzyness….perhaps because you aren’t using the right products. Watch out for the brands that pretend to be natural and always read the label carefully. A lot of companies are aware of people staying away from the sulphates and the parabens, but unfortunately, they sneak in other chemicals to replace those ones and they’ll have the same drying effect. Who wants to ruin their hair? People may do it unknowingly, but there is a way out. I’ve been at that point where I’ve had to let go of the shampoos I thought I loved-I know, I know, we all get emotionally attached to our hair products and it sucks, but sorry guys, sometimes you may need to throw out those commercial brands. Let’s fix it by smoothing in some creamy loving organic goods! This is simply sacrificing a lower gain for a much higher gain.
The very first and most IMPORTANT task that needs to be addressed is this: Don’t ever wash your hair more than every 4 days…even better if you could stretch it out to a week. I know this sounds like a nightmare and you’re immediate thought is a grease ball. Ew. Listen, I’m not saying your entirely wrong, and yes, it may be greasier at first, but the good news is you can simply add baby powder to your roots on the 3rd day. This absorbs the topical grease temporarily so that you can go longer. Just like I mentioned in my last blog about your skin producing oils, so does your scalp. It’s the same idea-you wash your hair too often, you strip away too much oil. Trick your scalp into not producing so much by reduction of daily shampooing, no matter which one you decide to use. Your hair is stressed and tired! And the best part about this is you won’t have to buy shampoos so often. The absolute best brands of hair products to buy are from Carina Organics, Bamboo, Earth Science and Prairie Naturals. These contain very clean ingredients that are incredibly gentle, hypoallergenic, biodegradable, and do not test on animals. You can find these at your one stop shop health food store Paris Natural Foods!
“But is rinse, wash, and repeat really necessary?”
Not every single time. Perhaps it’s necessary to repeat only if your hair got super dirty and greasy due to certain activities.
-Before the application of conditioner, make sure to strain your hair so that it isn’t too water-logged. Conditioner can’t get through and penetrate easily while completely drenched. You need only to apply very little, around half a teaspoon, since huge amounts will weigh it down and make it appear more dry than it actually is. When I was very young, I used to think the more the better, until my hairdresser advised me to do the opposite, and she was obviously right. My current hairdresser mentions that if you’re still worried about your hair being dry, simply apply a tiny amount of coconut oil to the ends of towel-dried hair. This can even work if you don’t want to use conditioner.
-Try to break the habit of brushing every single day. This actually causes more grease to be present and breakage. Only brush before getting into the shower, and afterwards. I promise your hair will be a lot healthier just by decreasing the mileage of your brush.
-Peppermint oil shampoo & body wash by Carina Organics is a top seller at the store. It is just excellent for that itchy, flaky scalp in the winter time and is perfect for those with psoriasis.
-If you want to colour your hair with the least amount of damage, I’d suggest going with Herbatint, Hair Wonder, and lastly, Organic Hair Colour
Fun products that actually work
For the final magic touch, I’m naming more of my favorite brands that carry the top quality serums, sprays, masks and scalp treatments!
-Nutra volumizing spray and hair oil serum (with argan oil, rosehip, ylang, keratin and silica)
-Earth Science avodaco and olive mask (which provides silk protein for damaged hair)
-Dr Bronners hair creme for even deeper conditioning
-Lavigne Organics scalp therapy spray (contains argan, keratin, tepezcohuite, and seaweed to remineralize the hair and scalp)
-Bamboo and Prairie Naturals hairspray
Awesome, you’re still here reading this! Thank you very much for taking this time out of your busy day and dedicating it to yourself to educate and start your journey on healthy strong hair!
Until next time, cheers. :)
-Kathryne R.