Resolutions for Healthy Hair

Happy New Year! Salon 1580 wishes you health, happiness, and prosperity in the new year! May this bring you and yours a year of immeasurable blessings and joy.

The start of a new year is always a time of change … new hopes, new goals, a call to action. According to a Nielsen survey, 37% of Americans say their #1 new year’s resolution is to “Get or Stay fit and healthy.” That resolution should include your HAIR – it’s part of your body, too! If you resolve this year to do nothing else, commit to making and keeping your hair healthy for a beautiful new year. 

Healthy hair is good hair. Period. Healthy hair is your best accessory, your crowning glory. Talk to your stylist about the type of hair you were born with and the type of hair you want and what looks best on you, and take steps together to make it the healthiest and most flattering it can be.

Here are some recommended healthy hair resolutions plus tress-related tips. I hope you embrace them!

#1: Commit to Completely Redoing the Way You Shampoo and Condition Your Hair.  Shampooing your hair can quickly become a mindless routine like brushing your teeth. Maybe it's time to put some thought into your hair-washing regimen. When doing it properly, you can take advantage of the many good things you can do for your hair, and avoid making some common mistakes. Using the right products for your hair type is important, but beautiful hair starts with a healthy foundation achieved by using the right cleansing techniques. As tempting as it can be to quickly shampoo, condition, and rinse, the truth is that taking the extra time to properly cleanse your hair can be worth it in the long run. To keep your hair looking its best, and your scalp healthy to promote hair growth, consider rethinking how you wash and condition your hair with step-by-step helpful tips to make the best of your shampooing routine, found HERE.

#2: Try a Keratin Treatment.

This truly may be a life-changing experience (that’s what so many of my clients say!). Keratin is a protein that already exists naturally in your hair (and nails, for that matter).  Keratin hair-smoothing treatments are a hugely popular option for delivering more manageable and healthy hair. They temporarily (lasting 3-5 months, depending on the type of treatment you choose and your commitment to proper follow-up care) eliminate frizz; reduce time spent blow-drying; make hair silky, glossy and smooth; and generally make hair healthier, strengthening the hair shaft by bonding keratin to your hair proteins. My salon uses GK Hair (formerly called Global Keratin) hair-smoothing keratin treatments (and we’re so happy that we were chosen as a “Top 20” Atlanta-area GK Hair Salon!) Also, our hair care products are the GK Hair line, which are infused with their proprietary Juvexin keratin polymer. Unlike many over-processed hydrolyzed keratins found in the market today, GK Hair's Hair Smoothing System with Juvexin is an active compound (derived from baby sheep wool!), delivered to the hair in its raw, natural state. For healthier, more manageable hair, try a hair-smoothing keratin treatment in 2021! You can read more about keratin treatments HERE.

 

#3: Eat Your Way to Healthier Hair

Protein is essential for healthy hair growth so focus on white meat, fish, dairy products, and nuts. Try the superfood spirulina, and add the dietary supplement biotin to your daily multi-vitamin/multi-mineral regimen. Spirulina, a blue-green algae rich in chlorophyll, iron, and vitamin A, is a lean protein and potent detoxifier. Spirulina and biotin are powerful nutrients that help your hair, skin, and nails to grow. 

If a flaky scalp is your concern, munch on sweet potato and carrots, great sources of the antioxidant beta carotene which your body converts into vitamin A – a wonder vitamin which helps protect and produce the oils which sustain your scalp.

#4: Be Kind to Your Hair + Commit to a Hair Care Routine

You probably put your hair through a lot. Regular, hair care dedication will give you healthy hair that looks and feels more beautiful and will be easier to style.

Here are (nine!) good resolutions to help with hair health, with special focus on Avoiding Heat Damage to Your Hair (read our blog post HERE for more info):

Reduce the heat: Choose at least one day a week to give your hair a break from heat styling. Resolve to allow your hair to air dry as often as possible and/or try “plopping” (see #6, below). There’s nothing worse than damaged, brittle, or burnt hair, which you can likely avoid by turning down the heat on your styling tools. Any heat over 300(F) degrees can damage the cuticles of your hair, leaving it feeling weak and lacking luster. (An exception would be when locking in keratin treatment product, but this is done only by a certified stylist, in the salon.) 

Protect while heat styling: Protect your hair with serum and/or leave-in moisturizing spray/cream before heat styling. You may need add a little more product to the dryer ends of your hair.

Use the correct hair styling tools: Hair is at its weakest when wet, so avoid brushing it when the strands are likely to break. Always use a wide-tooth comb when it’s wet, never a fine-tooth comb or a brush (which will break the hair). Use the right type of brush on dry hair; talk to your stylist about what sizes, shapes, and bristles work best for your hair type and to create and maintain your best style. 

Use the right shampoo and conditioner for your hair type and your hair chemical treatment needs (color-safe, keratin treatment-safe, perm-safe, etc.)

Give yourself a deep conditioning home hair treatment every week or two.  Here’s a tip for deep conditioning your hair at home: once you have applied the deep conditioner to your clean, damp hair, heat a damp towel in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and wrap it around your head turban style. Leave it on for 15 minutes. The heat will help the deep conditioner absorb into the hair shaft. Leave a little of the product on your hair, especially the ends; rinse less thoroughly than you would for post-shampooing; and rinse with cool water.

Get a professional, deep-conditioning hair treatment every 6-8 weeks at the salon (or every 3 months for keratin treatments. If you get keratin treatments, commit to a maintenance plan to include keratin refresh treatments six weeks after your initial full-service keratin treatment to replenish and compound the keratin. This is very important and will extend the life of your keratin treatment and will save you money and time in the long run; as the keratin compounds, you can go longer between treatments.

Get regular hair trims to keep split ends at bay and your style fresh; depending on how fast your hair grows, this will usually be every 6-12 weeks. Get out your calendar and pre-schedule appointments with your stylist. If your stylist lets you pre-pay for discounted hair services to lock in the price, buy ahead while on sale, and save!

Care for your hair while you sleep. This year, resolve to use a silk or satin pillowcase, or sleep in a satin hair bonnet or hair wrap to keep your hair protected all night long. Not only will your hair look better when you wake up, as it can help maintain your hairstyle, it will prevent drying, tangling, and roughing the hair cuticle through friction that cotton pillowcases often contribute to. (Did you know also that a satin or silk pillowcase is recommended to prevent wrinkles? It won’t absorb your moisturizer and will reduce friction. Resting on a smoother surface will help reduce the appearance of sleep lines and the formation of wrinkles on your face.)

Protect your hair (and scalp!) from harmful sun rays. We're all aware of the risks we face by exposing our skin to the sun's rays. Your scalp can get skin cancer, too, especially at the part line and/or if you have thin hair where sunlight can penetrate to the scalp. The sun’s UVA and UVB rays can damage your hair with prolonged exposure, from the cuticle to the inner structure of the hair. Signs of sun damage to your hair can include faded hair color; dry, brittle hair; broken or split ends; frizzy hair; and/or weakened and thinning hair. If your plans include fun (or work) in the sun during 2021, consider protecting your hair from damaging rays by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, and/or use UV protection shampoos, conditioners, and styling aids (we carry the GKhair line and it's fabulous, even if you don't get keratin treatments).  This is particularly important if you get keratin treatments, and your stylist can give you tips on how to protect your investment while in the sun (and salt water and chlorine, which damage hair, too). Weekly deep conditioning treatments will help keep sun damage to a minimum. Because the sun breaks down the hair's protein (keratin) it’s important to use a deep conditioning treatment with protein or keratin. 

For more sage advice and useful tips, read our blog post HERE for Factors That Affect the Health of Your Hair, Including Hair Growth and Loss.

#5 Try Something New

This year, resolve to embrace change: a new color … a new cut and style … straighten it or perm it … try a hair-smoothing keratin treatment … the possibilities are endless. Salon 1580 can help you find and maintain YOUR best style. For what to expect in a hair makeover and nine key factors to consider, read my blog post HERE.

 

Commit to try multi-dimensional hair color this year. I can assure you that you will fall in love with your hair and your look. Using highlights and lowlights to achieve multi-dimensional hair color will have YOU turning heads. Virgin hair has many layers of multi-dimensional color (have you looked carefully at a child’s hair color?). So, for your chemically enhanced hair color to look more natural and vibrant, try adding highlights or lowlights, or both -- two or more colors to the base color -- for beautiful, multi-dimensional hues. If you really want to be brave, try an ombré or balayage or other color trends. You'll love our blog post HERE, "Color Me Beautiful: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Professional Hair Color, Toners, Color Goss and Glaze Treatments, and Color Locks/Seals".

  

Scissor-shy? Bangs can be a great way to change your look without cutting your hair off. Some ladies resist bangs because they want to be able to pull their hair back, but bangs are a great way to soften this look and will better frame your face.  

#6: Out with the Old; in with the New

You throw out your groceries each week when they go stale, purge your closet from time to time, and you should do the same each year with your beauty tools and products! Go through that stash of blow dryers, flat irons, curling irons, and other tools and accessories (brushes, combs, headbands, decorative combs, hair clips, barrettes, etc.), and toss the ones you've owned for quite some time. Take inventory: Do they smell when you're using them? Are they coated with stuck-on hair product? Have they been sitting in your closet/drawer/cabinets for several years? Are they dusty? Do they have broken parts? Did you forget you even had it, or when you bought it? If you answered yes to any of these, it's time to throw it away! INVEST in one good hair dryer and in one good flat iron and/or curling iron. DO THE RESEARCH to find out which flat iron or curling iron is best for your hair! Ceramic? Ionic? Titanium? Tourmaline? Discuss with your stylist your best option. (i.e. If you get keratin treatments, use only titanium!) 

#7: Learn at Least One New Hair-Styling Skill and Step Up Your Hair Game

Most of us need and like pretty low-maintenance when it comes to hair. But if you've been neglecting your inner hair styling skills, it's time to step up your hair game. Your hair is your most important accessory … learn how to showcase it and use a little variety. Try something new this year to spice up things in the hair department. Learn how to braid, use hot rollers, master different types of updos and ponytails, or learn how to work with a curling iron. Learn to “plop”. Ladies with wavy or curly hair are probably familiar with plopping already, but if not, take note! Plopping is a technique where you basically plop your wet hair in a towel or T-shirt (best!), wrap it, and twist and secure both sides of the shirt or towel, leaving it in tact while your hair dries. If you're not familiar with this technique, there are lots of tutorials on YouTube that demonstrate step-by-step details.

Use cute hair accessories to accentuate your lovely locks: How about a sparkly headband, a pretty bow on a low ponytail, bejeweled bobby pins or combs, hair ties with silk flowers, or small barrettes? 

Invest in a proper teasing brush (not a plastic comb – a natural bristle brush), and learn how to tease/”back-comb” to enjoy that volume you’ve been dreaming about!

#8: Invest in a Good Hairbrush and Keep It Clean

A good, clean hairbrush is essential for keeping your hair strong, voluminous, and shiny. Brushing your hair improves the texture of your hair and helps activate blood circulation in your scalp (which will also reduce stress!). Shiny and smooth hair is the sign of a good brush, as brushing keeps all the natural oils flowing through your hair. Wash your hairbrushes regularly; to do it like a pro, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SakfzXlTMvU

#9: Commit to a Cold Rinse

A blast of cold water at the end of your wash creates shiny locks, encourages growth, and is invigorating. After washing and applying a conditioner, pile it on your head or cover with a thin cap, then turn up the heat for your body and facial cleansing and shaving, while your hair is conditioning (this will generate moist heat for your hair which helps the shaft absorb the product). Rinse your body and the last thing before you step out of the shower, rinse your hair with tepid, then very cool water. Leave a little product in your hair, especially on the ends; you only want “squeaky clean hair” after shampooing, not after conditioning.

#10: Referrals & Social Reviews

Last, but not least, for your New Year Hair Resolutions, add to your list to help others (and most likely yourself!) via personal referrals and by giving your hair salon good online reviews. By doing so, you may help others find their perfect stylist to give them hair they have longed for, and they will be grateful to you. Of course, it benefits your stylist, an independent, small businesswoman/man, who will also be grateful to you. And it will most likely benefit YOU. Many salons have a referral reward program, with discounts off future services and/or products to thank you for your referrals and/or reviews. And, if they don’t, privately propose this to your stylist and perhaps you can work out an arrangement. I’m sure she/he will be grateful and will make your efforts worthwhile to show how your referrals and/or reviews are appreciated. 

Start now! Make a list of friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, etc., who could use a hair-smoothing keratin treatment, a hair color better suited to their complexion and/or age, or perhaps someone who has been sporting the same old, tired hair style for way too long. Don’t forget to include those who have complimented you on YOUR hair in the past. Contact each one, suggesting that they give your stylist a try. If your stylist offers a discount to first-time customers (like I do), share that tidbit with them to save them money and sweeten the pot. Offer to make joint appointments for the next time you are due for hair service and enjoy your salon time together (and be there in case there needs to be some figurative hand-holding with a new treatment or style). Secondly, go online to social media sites where your hair salon/stylist is listed and take a few moments to write a good review. If you don’t hear back from your stylist, thanking you, be sure to let her/him know of your efforts (usually they will write a response at the review site, thanking you, if not a personal form of contact, or both). If you’re not sure where to start, tell your stylist you are considering writing a good review for them and ask for their recommendations, which may include their website, Yelp, Google,  Angie’s List, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Personal referrals are the best form of advertising, and with recommendations and good social reviews, everyone wins!

If you have enjoyed reading this blog post and can benefit from it, please share it with others, and leave a comment, too! Thanks, and have a WONDERFUL New Year!

________________________________

 

PAT ALESSI - SALON 1580

Salon Lofts #16
Roswell Marketplace   |   10800 Alpharetta Hwy., Suite 240
Roswell, GA 30076 |  678-361-4247
pat@patalessihair.com  |  www.patalessihair.com

  Copyright © 2021-2022. All Rights Reserved.  

Created by:
Susan Leonard, Communications Marketing Specialist, Writer, and Graphic Designer