Good Grooming and Care
Good Grooming and Care
Hair is fairly strong and can generally withstand normal
grooming techniques. However, there can be thinning or
breakage of hair due to poor grooming habits, and
following several tips can prevent these bouts of thinning
and breakage. Avoid combing hair with fine-toothed combs
when wet, as this is a common cause of breakage. Although
this is a tempting practice because hair straightens and
detangles much better if combed when wet, the stress on
the hair shaft is immense when the hair is wet because it is
weakened.
This goes for brushing the hair when wet also. Brushing the
hair in general can be stimulating to the scalp, encouraging
blood flow to the hair follicles and maintaining their health.
Brushing the hair before washing it can loosen up flakes of
sebum and dead skin buildup and make it easier to
thoroughly clean the scalp during shampooing. Remember,
over combing or over brushing generally will cause damage
to the hair, which is quite contrary to the old 100-stroke
brushing rule.
Altho ugh clean hair is desirable and even necessary for the
maintenance of healthy hair, excessive shampooing can
strip vital minerals like calcium, phosphorus, nitrogen and
iron from the hair. This is particularly true when using
commercial shampoos. Most commercial shampoos contain
formaldehyde as a preservative. To disguise the presence
of formaldehyde it is listed in the ingredients as
Quanternium-15. This substance can be carcinogenic
(cancer-causing) and poisonous to the entire system.
Unfortunately for those who suffer with dandruff, anti-
dandruff shampoos are some of the most dangerous
shampoos on the market. Selenium sulfide is the main
ingredient in most dandruff shampoos, a substance that has
shown to cause degeneration of the liver. Other toxic
chemicals such as polyvinyl pyrrlido ne plastic (PVP), which
is a proven carcinogenic, and creosol which has been
proven to be highly toxic are commonly found in dandruff
shampoos. This is why it is very important to correct this
condit ion as quickly as possible through natural means.
Natural shampoos normally found in health food stores are
a much better choice. Even with natural shampoos, be
careful of the ingredient Sodium Lauryl Sulfate can strip
away too much oil from the hair, causing shampoo residue
to be left behind. Ingredients that have proven useful in
shampoos are cocamides, Panthenol Pro-B, of course the
previously discussed vitamins, aloe vera, sage, nettle,
burdock, chamomile, chaparral, horsetail and rosemary.
Also look for shampoos that contain keratin, the protein
substance that hair is made of, or amino acids. This will
help seal breakages in the cuticle.
Choose a shampoo with a proper pH balance; a level of 5.5
is ideal. The pH scale runs from 0 to 6.9 for acids and 7.1
to 14 for alkaline, with 7 being neutral. Although generally
condit ioners are good for hair provided that they do not
Contain the previously mentioned harmful chemicals,
shampoos with conditio ners included should be avoided.
Shampooing and condit ioning serve two different functions
and the effectiveness of both are diminished by combining
the process.
When shampooing, pour the shampoo into the hands and
rub the shampoo in with your hands rather than pouring it
on your head. By pouring shampoo directly into the hair
you may promote buildup in one particular spot. Massage
gently with your fingertips to loosen flakes and buildup and
to stimulate circulation, but avoid using the fingernails as
this may scratch the scalp and cause scarring over time.
Shampoo with warm water to open the pores and rinse with
cool water to promote shrinking the pores back to their
normal size. After washing hair, dry it by blotting the hair
with a towel. Avoid rubbing, especially with terrycloth
towels, as this will pull hair when it is in a weakened state
due to the wetness.
Be sure to follow directions on all perms and relaxers, as
misuse can cause serious damage to the hair shaft.
Excessive coloring, styling or heat treatments, and chemical
treatments can damage hair and cause breakage even when
directions are followed. Always keep in mind that these
perms and relaxers have harsh chemicals in them that
chemically alter hair, and long-term use of these chemicals
can cause harm to hair shafts and follicles causing some
hair loss. If you can avoid the use of these chemicals, by
all means do. The result could be the increased life of your
If you decide to use perms or relaxers to process hair, be
sure to use semi-permanent hair color or henna. This will
avoid harsh reactions between the relaxer or perm and the
ammonia and peroxide amounts in permanent dyes. It is
always best to allow the hair to rest untreated as much as
possible, and avoid mixing chemical processes.
Another styling cautio n is against the overuse of hairstyles
that pull the hair too tight, such as ponytails and braids,
which will cause hair loss especially along the sides of the
scalp. This syndrome is called traction alopecia. Keep in
mind when styling hair that hair is living and growing, and
is susceptible to the stress of constant pulling continuous
abuse causes scarring, which will lead to permanent hair
loss in the areas affected. Along with leaving the hair
chemically untreated for a time, leaving it in a loose style
without over-manipulation for as long as possible will
ensure optimum results.
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