People are always asking “What’s something that I need but I never think to buy?” and they’ll inevitably answer: hair fall products. We’re all told that we need to invest in a good shampoo and conditioner with isopropyl myristate for hair and maybe some leave-in foam or serum, but we never really think about the fact that actually all of those products are just moisturizing our hair. Hair is made up of protein strands, which means they can be damaged by many things as time goes on, such as sleep deprivation or styling products with too much drying alcohol.
1. Sulfates
Hair products that contain sulfates can cause your strands to dry out and flake. I know people who actually sprinkle enough salt on their food to keep hairspray from working, but this is a bad habit. Salts can strip away your hair’s natural oils, causing it to look like it’s been fried for hours under an intense light. It may look good at first, but after several weeks of use it will become dry and damaged looking. If you need the hairspray to stay in place all day long without making strands oily or greasy, then you should leave it on for 2-3 minutes and rinse thoroughly with cool water.
2. Alcohol
Alcohol dehydrates hair, which makes it look dry or even brittle. Alcohol can also cause your strands to feel gritty after washing, and it can dry out your scalp and skin. If you’re looking for a quick fix, you could try leaving some hairspray in a plastic bag in the fridge to let the product cool off. Another way that’s not incredibly healthy is actually mixing alcohol with water to create a 50/50 solution, which is called a toner. This equates to using shampoo with alcohol as its main ingredient. Do not use this product if you want soft and healthy strands!
3. Sun Damage
A lot of people use hair products with sunscreen in them, which is great for the scalp and skin. However, the sun can still affect your strands! The chemicals that are used to stabilize hair color can actually do more damage than you’d like to think. UV rays can dry out your hair, making it look dull and unhealthy. If you just got your hair color done and don’t have time to let it settle in before going on vacation, you should use a plastic cap or scarf when you’re in the sun.
4. Chemicals
A lot of hair products contain silicone, which can cause your hair to become dry or even brittle. Silicones can also absorb too much oil from your scalp and cause it to become oily instead of healthy. That leads me into the next article, but for now just be on the lookout for any ingredients labeled as a fatty alcohol, which is essentially a type of silicone.
5. Chemicals 101: Fracking
Hair products that include nitrates or mineral oil can lead you down a path that’s worse than even your worst nightmares. Nitrates are used as a way to add body and shine to hair while hydrating it at the same time. However, these chemicals can also cause hair to become dry or brittle. Mineral oil is technically a mineral, but it’s actually an oil that’s marketed as a moisturizing ingredient. These oils can actually lead to the formation of underarm and groin odor, which are both discussed next in the article.
6. Groin Odor
The next part of this article is probably why you’re here… If you’re not careful with your hygiene, you can end up smelling like a cheese sandwich that spent a week in the back of your closet! Sure, deodorant might work on you occasionally (I’m sure I smell fine haha), but for everyday use it’s really not enough to make your body smell good all day long. What you need is a good, basic antiperspirant.
7. Underarm Odor
You should probably be using an antiperspirant at least once a day, but if you sweat over a period of time, it’s not going to help much. You’ll want to use more like an antiperspirant that contains aluminum to help prevent the growth of odor causing bacteria. The best way to help stop excessive sweating is by taking deodorizing baths in natural salts or herbal soaks that are made for sweating feet or hands.
8. Exfoliate
Exfoliation is what it sounds like – expelling the dead skin cells that are clogging up your pores. You can do this by taking a loofah and rubbing it all over your body as though you’re giving yourself a sponge bath. You can also just buy exfoliating soap that’s specially made for doing this same thing. They both have the same effect, but you might prefer the latter option because you don’t have to waste time in the shower or sink scrubbing away at your body!
9. Deep Condition
If you’re having issues with dryness or frizzy hair, then you might want to try deep conditioning it a few times a week. Deep conditioning is like an extreme moisturizing treatment that you have to saturate your strands in for several minutes! The only way to get the best effects from this process is by using a deep conditioner that’s specifically made for your hair type.
10. Don’t Over-Condition!
Some people will go too far with their hair problem and end up over-conditioning it, which can lead to the opposite problem from before. Conditioning your hair too much can cause it to become greasy, lose elasticity, and even have a negative impact on your health because more of those unhealthy sebum oils will be deposited in your scalp and upper body. This can lead to the formation of odor causing bacteria on the strands. However, there are specific products made for this problem, so if you’re interested in learning more about them, check out our article on over-conditioning .
