Want glossy, healthy hair? Try these 8 simple tips

Just like how radiant skin makes you look younger, healthier and more beautiful, the same effect can be achieved when you hair looks shinier. However, life sets in and factors like poor diet, bad habits and plain old inadequate care can take its toll on your hair, leading to dry, damaged and dull tresses.

Luckily, similar to how skincare and makeup work to improve the way skin reflects light for maximum glow, you can do the same for your hair. Be it making small, simple changes to your daily routine to watching what you eat, here are six easy ways to get enviably shinier and healthier hair.

Try hair oiling

Hair oiling isn’t some new fad — it’s a time-tested method for achieving healthy, shiny locks, and there’s a reason so many people still swear by it. By coating your hair strands, oiling helps to hydrate and moisturise your tresses, preventing dryness and reducing frizz. It also seals in moisture, leaving your hair looking smoother, shinier, and more manageable. There are plenty of oils you can experiment with, but if you’re just starting out, a safe and beginner-friendly option is rosemary oil. Just apply it to your scalp and strands, leave it on for about 20 minutes, then wash it out with shampoo and conditioner.

Switch up your shampoos

If you’ve been sticking to the same shampoo every day and your hair is starting to look dull, it’s clearly a sign that your routine isn’t exactly working. The answer is simple: impurities are probably building up on your hair and scalp, which can strip hair of its natural luster and cause it to look duller. To give your locks a detox, use a deep-cleansing shampoo once a week. This helps to eliminate dirt, grime and product residue that have been accumulating, so your hair looks revived again.

In addition, if your hair is coloured, be sure to also work in a shampoo that is made specifically for dyed hair. Purple shampoo is great for those with blonde, silver, platinum, or highlighted hair, while blue shampoo is best suited for those with brown hair, especially those with highlights or balayage, as it helps to remove any brassiness.

Choose your styling tools wisely

Frequent heat styling can cause heat damage to your hair, which makes it dry, dull and prone to breakage. To minimise this, it is essential that you buy the right styling tools. For example, choose hair dryers that have powerful motors for shorter styling time.

This means that your hair will be exposed to heat for a lesser amount of time since it dries faster. In addition, look for curling tongs or straightening tools that have a temperature control setting. This prevents the tools from over-heating and helps to reduce the damage your hair is exposed to.

Use the ‘Cool Shot’ function

The cool shot button on your hair dryer might not seem like a big deal, but it actually does wonders for your hair. It helps to seal the hair cuticle, which locks in moisture and smooths down the strands — that’s what gives your hair a healthier, glossier finish. It also helps to set your style in place, whether you’re going for volume, waves, or a sleek blowout, so it lasts longer without extra heat. Plus, finishing with a cold blast reduces frizz and adds shine, all while giving your hair a break from the heat.

Protect your hair

As much as we know about the perils of excessive heat styling, it is more often than not a necessity for most women. So if you can’t avoid using heated styling tools frequently, make sure that you do as much prep work as you can to keep your tresses strong and healthy by using the right heat protectants.

For starters, prime your hair with a heat protection product to minimise thermal damage. We like OUAI Haircare Leave In Conditioner, that not only protects your hair from the heat but also detangles, hydrates and repels humidity to keep hair frizz-free.

Commit to regular hair masking

Your hair can only be shiny when it reflects light well. And it can only do so when hair cuticles lie flat smoothly along the entire lengths. However, damaged and dry hair means that the cuticles are often lifted. To address this, use a deeply conditioning hair mask at least once a week. We like the Kerastase Discipline Smoothing Anti-Frizz Hair Masque
 that deeply treats frizzy hair and instantly quenches parched and distressed tresses.

Formulated with nourishing ingredients that not only strengthens the hair, it also seals the cuticles to ensure that your hair feels softer, smoother, and looks shinier. Just remember to avoid applying near the scalp and rinse thoroughly.

Load up on healthy foods

As the saying goes, “you are what you eat”. Naturally, your diet plays a part in how healthy and strong your hair is. Since hair is made primarily of keratin (a type of protein), it is essential to ensure a healthy intake of protein to keep hair resilient and supple. In addition, fatty acids are also vital in maintaining a healthy scalp, which in turn helps to keep hair growth healthy.

One of the most important foods to include in your diet are eggs. Beyond a great source of protein, egg yolks also contain high levels of L-cysteine, an amino acid that is largely responsible for healthy and resilient hair. Other foods to load up on include berries (which are a rich source of vitamin C) and spinach (packed with iron), of which both are essential in maintaining healthy hair growth.

Use the right brushes

Forget about the old wives’ tale of brushing your hair 100 times everyday for healthy, shiny hair. In fact, excessive brushing with unsuitable tools can harm your locks instead. For example, avoid combing/brushing your hair when it’s wet as this is when hair is at its weakest. If you really have to detangle, spritz on a detangling product and run your fingers through your hands or use a wide-toothed comb to minimise breakage.

When styling, opt for a brush with natural bristles. Not only are they more flexible and less likely to snap hair fibres, they also distribute any natural oils on the scalp evenly along the lengths of the hair for added shine.