Five Ways You’re Damaging Your Hair
1. Regularly expose your hair to chemicals. Hair is fiber, it's bundled in the middle, enclosed by a protective cuticle which is always the first to get damaged. Certain chemicals, when applied to the hair, can damage the cuticle, making the inner fibers more vulnerable.
Bleaching, usually done to "lighten" or "change" hair color, strips the melanin in your hair—which means changing its normal structure. Perms, on the other hand, break the inner bonds of hair, only to re-form them together, building a new structure (which explains how a perm can either straighten or make your hair curly). Both treatments change the hair's basic structure, which in turn removes the protein bonds that keep our hair strong and lustrous.
Can't keep from sitting in the salon chair? Make sure you don't skip on the daily conditioner and weekly treatment hair mask. You can also try "hair-healthy" salon alternatives, such as organic dyes or even henna. These, however, do not give you the same results as chemical treatments.
2. Use heat to style. Exposing your hair to excess heat cracks the cuticles and removes its moisture—leaving it dry and brittle. If you reach for any heat-styling tools (flat irons, curling irons, hot rollers, and your hair dryer) on a daily basis, always make sure you protect your hair.
Heat protectant products like serums protect the hair from the damaging effects of blow drying or using flat irons. You can also apply leave-on conditioners to give your hair a protective barrier from the heat. That way, the heat will be frying the product, not your hair. When blow drying hair, keep the nozzle a good six inches away from your tresses.
3. Brush with the wrong comb. Combs come in different shapes and sizes for a reason: to be used on certain hair types, at different times of the day. The idea is finer bristles should be paired with fine hair. For example, fine to medium-haired gals should use natural boar-bristle brushes, while thick haired/curly girls should stick to brushes with individually-spaced bristles with coated tips, since uncoated tips might break hair.
As a general rule, you shouldn't brush wet hair: they tend to be more fragile, so using a fine-toothed brush to fight tangles will only damage your locks. Instead, use a wide-toothed comb. And don't think that brushing your hair a hundred times a day will leave you with shiny, healthy hair. Your hair may look shiny, but that's just because your constant brushing helped distribute the oils from your scalp to your tresses…but in the process, you've also exposed your hair to too much friction. The result? Split ends and more breakage.
4. Wash too often. You need to shampoo your hair to cleanse your scalp and remove oil build-up. But shampoo too much, too often, and you'll be doing more harm than good. Washing your hair too much can strip your hair of moisture, making your hair dull and dry.
Try to not be too vigorous with your tresses when you hit the shower, since too much friction makes it prone to breakage, as well. Try to find a "hair washing frequency" that works for you, as well: if you have oily hair, you might want to wash your hair every day. If your hair is on the dry side, shampooing every other day should do the trick. Using a shampoo with hair repair properties can also help.
5. Sport "tight" hairstyles. We're a big fan of the ponytail, especially since it's so versatile (it keeps our hair off our face at the gym, and transforms us into sleek vixens at night). But be wary of pulling your hair back too tight.
Too-tight hair styles can cause hair to break, and damage can be permanent if you do it too often. So try to keep your ponytails and braids loose as much as you can. If you really have to constantly style your hair in tight buns or ponytails (say, if your job entails you to keep that updo all day), don't forget to let your hair down—literally. Give your hair a break from all that tugging and pulling, and your hair will thank you in the form of less hair fall and
breakage.
Foods to beat the summer heat! :)
Gooseberry (Amla): Eat enough and this gooseberry might give you goosebumps instead of sweat stains. "Not only is amla a great refresher, it'll also reverse the ageing effects of the strong Indian sun and give you added stamina for gym sessions," says Ritika Samaddar, dietician, Max Healthcare. "It strengthens the heart, hair and different glands in the body, as well and can be drunk at any time of the day."
Apricot: If you're prone to skin breakouts or acne in the summer, apricot's your man.. err fruit. "They provide the body with iron, vitamin C, potassium and fibre," says Dr Kakar. Pack a handful to the gym and enjoy them as a great pre- or post-workout snack.
Butter milk: Butter milk can kick diet soda's ass. "It is one of the healthiest bracers in hot summer months as it is the residue left behind after the fat in milk has been churned to produce butter," says Mumbai based nutritionist Niti Desai. Glug a glass a day to avoid dehydration and avoid digestion issues.
Cardamom (Elaichi): Look no further than your cup of elachi chai for an instant cooldown. Cardamom, an original Indian spice, is commonly used in Ayurveda for almost any ailment from halitosis to digestion and has wonderful detoxifying properties to effectively cool down even the most hot-headed days. Africa, jealous much?
Corn: Nothing elevates work stress more than a malfunctioning air conditioner. So pop some corn. It's a good source of pantothenic acid, which provides vitamin B to lower stress levels. Dr Kakar recommends boiling corn for a snacker or a lunch takeaway as it lowers cholesterol levels and is high in essential carbs.
Mango: Skip Katrina's aamsutra adverts and focus on the real fruit. Chilled mangoes are the juiciest way to cool off, but if you're looking for a bit of spice, try this: Unripe mangoes are a rich source of pectin and when steamed and juiced with cumin (jeera) and salt, they provide an excellent remedy for heat strokes and exhaustion in summers.
Oyster: Even if the world's not your oyster, make this shellfish a part of your summer meals. Already established as an aphrodisiac, oysters contain phytochemicals that wipe out the toxins that encourage sweating. But heed these pearls of wisdom: They're best consumed fresh and should not be bought from stores where they're sold in bags and bowls.
Peaches: Dried peaches are advisable for those who are anaemic and over-fatigued," says New Delhi-based nutritionist, Dr Sonia Kakar. They also fight high cholesterol. Eat them with the skin for breakfast to get your requirement of vitamin A, vitamin B2 and potassium and everything will be just peachy.
Soybeans: Traditional Chinese medicine proves soybeans are great natural coolants. "Rich in protein, they help prevent nasty summer colds," says Dr Kakar. Add some to caramel custards, kheer or payasam to lower bad cholesterol levels. Soy far, Soy cool!
Watermelon: There's a reason this fruit holds a lot of water to its name: Super-sized and super-packed with nutritional goodies such as iron, potassium, beta carotene and vitamin C, watermelon has 95 per cent water content. "It also helps treat kidney, bladder and digestive problems and can be drunk as juice or directly eaten," says Desai.
