Do's and Don'ts for healthy hair

Do
Do get your hair cut. To start your healthy hair journey you need to cut off ALL your split ends. You may hear on adverts etc. of magic conditioners that fuse your split ends back together giving the APPEARANCE of healthy looking hair. 'Appearance' is the key word here because these products cant actually make your hair healthier and therefore your hair will not grow longer.
A good analogy I heard from andreaschoice: If you split a nail you cant fix it, you have to cut it off. This is the same with hair as they are made from the same thing.
If you really dont want to get your hair cut because you dont want it sure just wear it up for a few months or invest in some extensions.

Don't
Don't use heat on your hair everyday, and when you do use a heat protectant. When blow drying your hair only do it on the coldest heat, aim to straighten your hair only once a week or more, curl your hair by doing 'pin-curls' or steam rollers (which ill talk about soon).

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Don't
Don't wash your hair everyday, because of our curly hair, oils cant get all the way down the hair shaft and therefore our hair doesnt need washing everyday. I aim to wash my hair twice a week, minimum once a week.

Do
Do check the ingredients of your shampoos and conditioners. Avoid Mineral Oil, Sulphates and Parabens. This may mean spending a bit more money on shampoos and conditioners but in my opinion its worth it. Bed Head tends to do shampoos and conditioners without these ingredients and you can get Bed Head cheaply in TK MAX or on ebay.


Don't
Don't relax your or your childs mixed race hair! It is (in my opinion) the worst thing you can do to your hair. Im sure you'll read a lot of stories about how great it makes your hair look and how it makes your hair more manageable but actually it destroys your hair. Its hard (but possible) to keep it healthy and therefore do your best to avoid it at all costs. I am saying this from personal experience. I was about 15 when I first relaxed my hair and after a few relaxes this is the result. (please excuse the awful quality). Its damaged, it has split ends and its short and dry. It felt HORRIBLE and was a disaster. Not only this but it burns a lot when its on your head, close to this point of tears. Not to mention the advise health affects.

Do
Do use coconut oil. For me coconut oil was the final stage to me having healthy hair. I'll do a post about coconut oil at some point in the future

Don't
Don't (or avoid) brushing or combing your hair when its wet. Only comb it when its got conditioner in it. I finger comb my hair in the shower when I am deep conditioning or conditioning my hair. The reason for this is because when your hair is wet it is at its weakest and when it is most likely to break the conditioner prevents this however.

Do
Do deep condition your hair. Deep conditioning should be an important part of your hair care routine. When deep conditioning it is important to use specifically a deep conditioner rather than a normal one, you may need to look online for them. I recommend ion's moisturising deep conditioner from 'sallys'. It is imporant to deep condition your hair once a week, maximum of twice a week. You can deep condition your hair and put a hot towel on your head to make your hair even softer. Why not try a home made deep conditioner? here