How to Have Healthy Hair: 11 Tips & Habits of Women With Incredible Hair

Learning how to have healthy hair and actually achieving it is kind of what we all want.

But when it comes to clean and silky hair, it does require certain lifestyle changes and a bit of dedication to your own hair care routine and beauty habits.

And yes, healthy hair can depend on genetics, but there are so many factors that come into play when it comes to boosting your hair health. Think the nutrients you’re taking in, diet, scalp care, weather, and even the hair products you use.

Also, just remember that as you try these ideas out for your own hair, it will take time to achieve healthy hair. But I promise you, it will so be worth it!

It’s just all about figuring out your own hair type and the best haircare practices for making sure it’s taken care of. Then overtime, you’ll start to see the results of healthy hair, and be finally beyond that constant hair breakage and frizz.

So check out the haircare tips below to start your journey to healthier more beautiful hair.

How to Keep Hair Healthy

Whether you’re struggling with dry hair, breakage, heat damage, scalp problems, or a lot of product buildup, there’s almost always gonna be a way to fix your hair challenges and problems.

And while these are solutions you’ll have to dedicate yourself to over the long term, you will be able to reach proper hair health.

So let these helpful tips teach how to have healthy hair, and overtime you’ll start seeing the incredible results.

1. Get the Right Shampoo & Conditioner

Continuous itching, scratching, and dryness can cause hair to weaken and lead to hair loss (as shown in a study).

And if you want avoid this, then one of the best things you can do is to learn what kind of hair you have, and what shampoo (and other hair products) works best with it.

There three hair types to know about:

• Low Porosity Hair: If you find that your hair has a hard time absorbing water or even healthy hair products like oils and serums, then this might be your hair type.
• Medium Porosity Hair: If you hair is easily moisturized (or soaks in water) and retains said moisture, then this might be what you have.
• High Porosity Hair: If moisture can easily get into your hair, but it doesn’t stick, then you might have high porosity hair.

Another way to figure out your hair type is to get a glass of water and put a small portion of your hair in it. If it floats to the top, it’s low porosity hair, if it floats in the middle, it’s medium, and if it sinks all the way to the bottom, you have high porosity hair.

And once you’ve figured this out, then you can do a bit of research on the best haircare products to use for your hair type.

Doing this will help you maintain the best hair you can!

2. Give Your Hair a Rest

Your hair endures a lot in your daily hair routine.

You might be tying it up in tight hairstyles, heating it up to high temperatures for styling, showering with really hot water, etc.

So in order to avoid damage, you need to give your hair a rest:

3. Get Regular Hair Trims

Good hair needs to be trimmed every six to eight weeks, so if you’re only doing it once a year, then it’s time to change up your haircut frequency

Why? Because split ends can make your hair look dry and damaged.

So it’s a great idea to set up times to get it done. This way you’re not having any split ends fall off, and your hair remains healthy and looking gorgeous.

4. Use Hair Protecting Serums & Sprays

I know it can seem like a hassle, but girls who have great hair take special steps to avoid breakage and dryness caused by styling.

So while heating tools can make you look great, they are doing some major damage that you should be working to prevent.

And if you want to keep your hair healthy when using a curler or hair straightener, then make sure to use heat protectant sprays and serums. These help shield your hair from the damage you’d get from styling tools.

5. Take in the Right Nutrients

A healthy diet plays a pretty big role in hair health.

Girls maintaining a balanced diet, taking the right supplements, and drinking lots of water have some really nice hair.

And here are a few things to look for if you wanna see your hair health improve:

• Protein: In an editorial published in the International Journal of Trichology, it was said that, “Because hair shaft is composed almost entirely of protein, namely, keratin, the protein component of diet is critical for the production of normal healthy hair.” So make sure to stock up on eggs, lean proteins, lentils, beans, and chicken the next time you do a grocery run.
• Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids: In a 6-month study, women’s hair density improved after taking Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids along with antioxidants. You can get these in foods like yogurt, flax seeds, walnuts, eggs, and almonds.
• Zinc: In this study, it was stated that, “Zinc is an essential cofactor for multiple enzymes and it is involved with important functional activities in the hair follicle. Further, zinc is a potent inhibitor of hair follicle regression and it accelerates hair follicle recovery.” So make sure you’re taking in plenty of foods like leafy green veggies, fruits, Brazil nuts, and walnuts.
• Vitamin D: According to Harvard Health Publishing, Vitamin D “is essential for creating the cells that develop into hair follicles.” So make sure to eat things like fatty fish, egg yolks, and other types of fish like canned tuna.
• Iron: In a 6-month study, it was said that “Iron is an integral part of hair loss management program.” I read further into the study and it showed that if you’re consistent with taking in calcium, aminoacids, antioxidants, Omega 3, and vitamins along with iron, your hair is definitely gonna thank you.

6. Brush or Comb Your Hair Properly

Brushing or combing your hair will always be a good habit, but sometimes you can damage it if you do it the wrong way.

So here are a few things to know so you can make sure you’re doing proper haircare:

• Practice gentle brushing so you lessen hair breakage. Go slow and be mindful.
• Use a wide-tooth comb to get rid of tangles when your hair is wet, but don’t over comb.
• Start from the ends and work your way up to the roots so you don’t rip out hair.
• If at all possible, stay away from combing or brushing your hair when wet as it’s very delicate.

7. Use Hair Masks and Oils

Moisturizing throughout the week is a crucial step for hair and scalp care (especially if you live in a dry climate).

So try using hair masks once or twice a week, or hair oiling two to three times a week.

Hair masks and oiling are great ways to hydrate, stimulate your hair follicles, and help nurture damaged hair.

Here are some things to know before you get started:

• Don’t leave hair masks or oils on for a long time: For hair masks, you only want to leave it in for as long as the product says to. Longer can cause damage. And for oils, leaving it in for hours can clog your hair follicles and potentially cause hair loss. Your hair follicles need to breath so leave it in anywhere from 2-6 hours.
• Don’t use too much oil: Just like leaving it in for too long, using too much can suffocate your hair follicles and do more damage than good. Your hair should look oily, but it shouldn’t be dripping.
• Figure out the right oils and hair masks for you: Before you go and grab a hair mask or oil from the beauty store, you need to figure out your hair type and what problems you want to solve. And for oils, you’re going to be looking for ones that help specifically with your hair type (fine hair, thick hair, etc.).
• Scalp massages: If you’re doing hair oiling, make sure to massage your scalp for a 3-5 minutes to stimulate your hair follicles and help the product absorb.
• Use a clarifying shampoo: To make sure the oils are completely out and there’s no residue, use a clarifying shampoo and use it 2-3 times to make sure it’s all out.

8. Scalp Massages

I know I talked about scalp massages above, but they really are important to do whether you’re hair oiling or not.

Scalp massages are great for increasing blood flow to your hair follicles which promotes hair growth.

There have been studies and research showing that it works, one of them being a study where 9 men received a 4-minute scalp massage everyday for 24 weeks. And at the end, the men had thicker hair than when they started.

So if you can work this into your daily routine for at least 3-5 minutes, then it could definitely help your hair growth.

9. Be Mindful of Ingredients

A lot of shampoos, conditioners, and other hair products have ingredients that can cause damage to your hair, scalp, and health.

And while not everyone is going to be affected by these ingredients, it’s good to be checking up on your hair and scalp health and making changes when necessary.

Or just getting rid of a product all together, depending on the ingredients.

Here are a few to look out for to see if they are or will affect you negatively:

• Parabens: These can cause your scalp to become dry and itchy.
• Sulfates: If you have a skin condition like rosacea or eczema, then consider switching to sulfate-free shampoo. Or if your hair is course, curly, dry, frizzy, or recently colored, then a sulfate-free formula might be best for you.
• Silicones: Silicons can make your hair look nice, but they can also build up over time and make your hair look greasy and limp.
• Formaldehyde: While this can make your hair more smooth, according to the American Cancer Society, it does have the possibility of causing cancer over time.

10. Protect Your Hair

Things like the sun, chlorine, or even pollution can damage your hair.

Sun exposure can make your hair more dry and even speed up hair aging, chlorine strips your hair of its natural oils, and pollution can irritate your scalp and hair follicles.

So here are a few ways to protect yourself from these damaging factors:

• Wear UV blocking hats: Find hats that specifically protect against UV rays.
• SPF hair products: Some hair products have SPF in them, so if you don’t want to wear a hat, then this can be a good option.
• Wear a swimming cap: Wear a swimming cap when you’re heading to the pool so your hair stays chlorine-free.
• Use a chlorine-resistant oil: Whether it’s an actual name brand or just simply using some coconut or castor oil, these will help repel the chlorine from your hair.
• Wash hair regularly: Washing your hair regularly will help get rid of all the pollutants that have built up.

11. Take Care of Your Scalp

Don’t overlook your scalp! Your scalp health will have a direct affect on your hair health, so it’s important that you pay attention to it.

Everything begins at the roots, so if you want to soothe and heal your scalp, then here are a few things you can do:

• Get a scalp treatment: Whether it’s from your salon or buying a product, doing a scalp treatment is a great way to moisturize and get rid of any dry flaky skin.
• Gently shampoo: Instead of roughly scrubbing your hair and scalp, gently lather the shampoo throughout your hair.
• Don’t aggressively scratch your scalp: This can irritate and damage your scalp and hair follicles.
• Try scalp scrubs: Scalp scrubs are great for getting rid of dead skin cells and oil buildup.
• Have a diet rich in antioxidants: As shown in a study, having a diet revolving around antioxidants may help prevent hair aging.
• Probiotics and Omega-3 fatty acids: Start taking these two regularly throughout the week.