7 Healthy Hair Lessons I’ve Learnt the Hard Way After Years of Damage
Alisha Bhojwani is a Sydney-based digital strategist and content specialist. When she's not reminding her friends to wear SPF, you can find her drenching her face in Vitamin C and consuming copious amounts of peanut butter. You can find her on Instagram here @alishabhojwani_.
I'd like to think my hair is one of my best features.
My personality's up there too (along with humility, of course), but my hair is the one thing I receive the most compliments on.
From friends, strangers, and even men - which is kind of ironic given I spent most of my 20s trying to change my hair.
I used to struggle with hair loss, thinning and frizz.
Going from my natural colour to bleach blonde and then red probably didn't help. I even had pink tips at one point.
But over the years, I’ve learnt how to take care of my hair and keep it healthy, while still being able to style it weekly.
Keep scrolling for the healthy hair tips I've learnt on my journey from fried bob to the hair of my dreams!
1. Work With Your Hair Type.
I’ve said this once and I’ll say it again: Find out about your hair type and texture, and work with it!
E.g. Shorter haircuts are easier to style if you have thinning or fine hair, and smoothing or straightening naturally curly and coily hair requires daily effort to maintain.
In my experience, I found bleaching my naturally frizzy hair exacerbated things.
Going lighter in general will alter your hair quality. It took bleaching my hair three times in six months and breaking two paddle brushes to realise I was not meant to be blonde.
Now, I have colour done every 12 months, and I've been having keratin treatments to manage frizz for around six years.
You can learn more about keratin treatments in our keratin road-test YouTube video below.
2. Look After Your Scalp.
Did you know your scalp has a rich microbiome of bacteria to keep hair healthy?
Using the wrong products or over-washing your hair (more on that in a bit) can disrupt your scalp's natural pH balance.
Scalp scrubs like VIRTUE Exfoliating Scalp Treatment help to exfoliate dead skin cells and remove product buildup and grime.
You can also use a scalp treatment like Aveda Invati Ultra Advanced Scalp Revitalizing Serum 150ml at night before washing your hair the next day, or VIRTUE Flourish Density Booster 120ml as a post-wash pre-blow dry treatment.
Another thing I love doing is massaging my scalp using an Ayurvedic practice my mum did for me growing up.
Either use your hand to find your pressure points and apply pressure in circular motions to promote circulation.
If you’ve got thinner hair, investing in a scalp massager like Apotecari 5-in-1 Scalp & Shampoo Brush | Exfoliate, Massage, Detox, Detangle & Grow can really help stimulate the growth within the hair follicle.
3. Actually Use Heat Protectant.
Personally, the prospect of never styling my hair again is pretty unrealistic.
So rather than air dry forever, invest in a heat protectant. And then ACTUALLY USE IT.
Yes, I wrote it in caps because if I had a dollar for every time someone asked me if heat protectant really helps, I’d be retired in Dubai right now.
Heat protectants create a barrier over the hair cuticle, helping to minimise the damage created from your heat tools. It's also crucial to achieve shine and bounce.
ELEVEN Australia Miracle Spray Hair Treatment 125ml and Davroe Thermaprotect 200ml are my favourites because they protect and infuse moisture back into the hair.
My top tip? Be liberal with application. I easily go through a bottle of heat protectant every month.
4. Wash Your Hair Smarter.
Sorry, but investing in good-quality hair care makes a difference.
And what’s the point of paying $300 for a cut and colour, only to traumatise your hair with a $3 shampoo at home?
Choose your shampoo and conditioner based on your hair type and concerns.
For my dry and damaged hair, the VIRTUE Recovery Shampoo 240ml and VIRTUE Recovery Conditioner 200ml work best.
I’ve also found replacing the conditioner with the VIRTUE Restorative Treatment Mask 150ml once a week helps my hair to recover from the styling.
Another little-known tip I got from my hairdresser is not to wash your hair more than twice a week.
Over-washing hair or shampooing daily can be counterintuitive as your scalp oil glands go into overdrive to compensate for the lack of natural oil.
5. Get Frequent Trims.
This one's a bit controversial, and it really depends on your budget and care factor.
Leaving frayed split ends will eventually cause your hair to break further up the strand, which makes your hair look thinner and keeps it from ever growing past a certain point.
I know it’s a lot of back and forth to the hairdresser, but I get my ends trimmed every 8-12 weeks.
You can learn more about managing split ends in our YouTube video below.
6. Diet & Hair Supplements.
Our hair is made up of protein, but what happens if you don't consume enough protein in your diet?
As trichologist Anabel Kingsley explained on the Beauty IQ Uncensored podcast, your body will ration the protein and send it to the places that need it most - hair not being one of them.
I focus on eating foods high in biotin, vitamins A, C and E, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids. Things like eggs, berries, lean meats, fish, sweet potato, avocados, nuts, and seeds.
You can also try a hair supplement. Read expert info on hair supplements in this Beauty IQ article.
7. Sleep On a Silk Pillowcase.
Finally, if you aren’t already sleeping on a silk pillowcase... where have you been?
You can read about the benefits of silk for hair in this Beauty IQ article.
I may or may not have five silk pillowcases. And a couple of silk scrunchies.
And a Shhh Silk Eye Mask because once you go silk, you never go back.
You can learn more about my healthy hair tips in this YouTube video below.
Now I’ve shared my top tips, it’s time to level up your hair care and start putting the suggestions into practice.
And I promise, if you implement the steps listed above and regularly use a heat protectant (yes, I had to mention it again), you too can achieve the hair of your dreams.
If not, your next blow dry is on me.
Want more hair routines and product recommendations? Check out these Beauty IQ articles below:
