12 Beauty Tips for Healthy Hair

Your hair can add to (or detract from) your overall look instantly. Keeping it in healthy condition is the most important thing you can do to help it look and feel fabulous. And, while it seems easy, this isn't as simple as minimizing chemical treatments or slathering on a weekly deep conditioning. While these can make your strands softer and less split-end-prone, what really matters is the daily handling; this is what creates the most stress -- and potential damage -- to your tresses.

Tips for healthy hair # 1 Steer clear of plastic-bristle brushes. Natural boar bristle hair brushes (either a round or flat brush) are best for dry hair, while soft, rubber-toothed wide-paneled brushes are best for damp hair.

Tips for healthy hair # 2 Brush before shampooing. A few gentle strokes on dry hair will help remove product buildup and scalp flakes, as well as stimulate the scalp and promote blood flow (which delivers nutrients like oxygen) to hair follicles. 

Tips for healthy hair # 3 Know your water. If your hair looks dull or is hard to style, the problem could be your tap water. Well water contains natural minerals (called "hard water") that can leave hair lusterless and hard to manage and can impart a brassy, orange hue. Soft water, on the other hand, has fewer damaging minerals.

Tips for healthy hair # 4 Mist your ends with water before home coloring. The ends of your hair are more porous and, as a result, absorb more pigment. Wet hair doesn't absorb color as readily as dry hair.

Tips for healthy hair # 5 Trim your troubles. As the ends of your hair get older and damaged by rough handling, they become prone to splitting. Get regular trims, at least 1/2 inch every four to eight weeks. Hair grows (on average) half an inch per month, so trim to maintain healthy ends.

Tips for healthy hair # 6 Use color-protective products. Chemical treatments like color can damage hair because the chemicals have to penetrate the outer layer of the hair (or cuticle) to allow the hue to be absorbed. Color-protective products are specially designed to minimize dryness, keep color true and prevent damage. They typically have more nourishing ingredients, strip less color and are less abusive

Tips for healthy hair # 7 Give wet hair extra TLC. It stretches and snaps more easily than dry hair does, so be extra-gentle with it. Use a wide-tooth plastic comb while hair is wet; then, once it's towel-dried, switch to a good brush, and avoid wooden combs; wood can have microscopic divots that snag hairs. 

Tips for healthy hair # 8 Deep condition once every two weeks. These treatments penetrate the hair shaft and strengthen strands,  using heat from a blow-dryer can intensify deep conditioning, as the heat causes the cuticle to open and the ingredients to penetrate. 

Tips for healthy hair # 9 Try an ionic hair dryer. Ions are atoms with a positive or negative charge. These particular hairdryers bathe your hair in negative ions, which help break up water molecules faster and cancel out hair-damaging positive ions. Plus, your hair-drying time is cut in half. 

Tips for healthy hair # 10 Just use your dryer's nozzle, it's the best way to help prevent frizz because it concentrates the airflow on sections. Without a nozzle the dryer's grill gets very hot; if your hair gets too close to it, it will cause damage and/or breakage. For curls, use a diffuser attachment to gently surround your hair with air. 

Tips for healthy hair # 11 Give textured or relaxed hair a break. African-American hair tends to be coarse due to a lack of natural oils. Opt for gentle color choices like semipermanent or vegetable color. Spacing processing treatments at least two weeks apart, with weekly conditioning treatments in between for shine maintenance, helps.

Tips for healthy hair # 12 Use the right accessories.  Putting hair in soft braids or twists and using claw clips rather than barrettes, which can pull hair.