Hair Health Buki

Hair Health Buki

Hair Health Buki The ultimate secret to fabulous hair is healthy hair. Sounds simple yet colouring, heat styling, sun, and salt water can leave you with more stressed tresses than lush locks.

Get your hair into tip-top shape and it will grow faster, be easier to style, and colour will shine rather than look dull and over-processed.

Hair health should be as important as your commitment to overall health. If you put in the time to work out then make that same commitment to working your hair.

Our Hair Health Buki is your ultimate guide to getting your hair into top shape and keeping it that way.
-Alan Buki

Do's & Don'ts Of Healthy Hair

Do: Take care of your overall health. Hair is an ever-growing tissue aected by your physical well-being. Eating well and managing stress will absolutely have an impact on hair health.

Do: Protect Your Hair. Think sunburn is only bad for you skin? UVA and UVB rays are just as damaging to your hair. Repeated sun exposure will leave hair damaged, dry and fade colour. Cover up with a wide-brimmed hat. Extend your sunscreen to your hair. Mix it in your hands and then run through to the ends.

Do: Take care of your scalp. It's the foundation for your hair follicles so it's super important to take care of it! Use a scalp mask weekly, which typically will exfoliate and moisturise, stimulating the scalp and hair growth. Aloe vera is a great natural oil to use on your scalp. Baking soda is a natural exfoliant and stimulant for the scalp.

Don't: Swim unprotected. Chlorine and sea salt can wreak havoc on hair, drying it out, causing split ends and stripping your colour. Apply a leave-in conditioning treatment or hair serum to damp hair before hitting the water. Dampen hair before going in the pool. Your hair is like a sponge, wetting it slows down the absorption of chlorine. Rinse hair after swimming with apple cider vinegar. Add one part vinegar to four parts water and pour over freshly washed hair. It acts as a natural clarifier.

Don't: Tie your ponytail too tight. As cute and easy as they are, they can cause hair loss by pulling on your scalp too tight. Go lower and looser if you can.

Don't: Overuse appliances. Have some hair appliance-free days. Whilst they help style and smooth hair they can also dry hair out, cause breakage and damage, if used daily.

Top 10 Hair Health Commandments

1. You are what you eat and that goes for your hair as well. About 3% of your hair shaft is made up of Omega 3 Fatty Acids and they are vital to keeping your scalp hydrated. Eat foods high in this essential hair nutrient, such as salmon, tuna, walnuts, and almonds. Iron is another important mineral as it helps carry oxygen to the hair follicles, which helps hair grow. Dark leafy greens like spinach and kale are full of iron. As hair is made up of protein, a lack of it can lead to hair loss. Be sure to eat a diet that includes lean meats and eggs. Or if you are vegetarian, tofu and legumes are good sources of protein.

2. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day to keep your skin and hair hydrated from within.

3. Heat and friction can aect the natural structure of the hair and can damage the hair cuticles, leaving hair feeling brittle and looking dull. A simple fix is adding a few drops of hair care oil or Rosemary oil to your shampoo. Rosemary has traditionally been used to prevent hair loss. It stimulates hair growth and promotes regeneration of tired, lifeless hair.

4. Use the right tools. The flat iron or curling iron are the go-to hair tools for easy styling but they are also the biggest culprits when it comes to hair damage. Firstly, invest in good quality tools. Irons that feature ionic energy actually lock in moisture and hydration as you style and are a far better choice. Be careful not to set the temperature too high, as it will burn the hair. Use a heat protecting spray prior to using an iron. Run the iron through small sections quickly and once only. When it comes to brushes choose one with natural boar bristles as the bristles help to distribute natural oils though the length of the hair. For really thick, coarse hair a mix of nylon and natural bristles is best.

5. Natural styling. Give hair a break from heat styling 2-3 days per week. This doesn't have to mean facing the world sans style! Try air-drying hair. Simply towel-dry hair after washing. Comb through. Rake fingers through and leave to dry for a gorgeous, natural look.

6. Flyaway hair is a common problem in the cooler months. It can be caused by heated indoor air or as a result of wearing hats or headbands. The movement of these clothing fibers against the hair produces static and hair that stands on end. Use styling products that are designed to prevent flyaway hair. Choose from styling mousse, extra gloss wax or hair oil, such as O&M Frizzy Logic or Snob Girls Curalign Masque. For hat days, be sure to apply a volumising spray to hair, such as O&M Rootaliscious or a sea salt spray, after washing. Tip hair upside down to blow-dry. This should minimise any hat hair!

7. Change up your product with the seasons. Hair tends to go dry and brittle during winter so during the cooler months look for shampoos and conditioners with ingredients designed to protect and heal the hair and that are slightly more moisturiing than you would use during the summer months.

8. Nourish and repair. Treat your hair to a treatment mask once a week to help nourish and repair the hair. There are plenty of great treatment masks on the market or you can make one at home yourself with basic ingredients from your kitchen. We've included some great home remedy recipes in this issue of The Hair Buki!

9. Hair tends to be naturally lighter during the summer months, which means your coloured tresses could definitely do with a touch up. Experiment with caramel and golden hues, like Jennifer Aniston, if you're blonde, to balance your colour and add warmth to your probably by now slightly paler complexion. If you're a brunette, add natural-looking high and low-lights, JLo style.

10. Use sulphate-free shampoos and conditioners. Sulphates draw moisture out of your hair so it's best to opt for products that reduce the chemical overload to your hair. O&M is the range we use in our salons, as it is free of harsh chemicals. Not only in its shampoos/conditioners and styling products, but also colour, which has no ammonia, resorcinol or PPD.

Healthy Hair Fixes

Your worst hair nightmares do not necessarily require an emergency dash to your salon for a fix. Here are some of my favourite at-home hair fixes to remedy even the most dire hair dilemmas! And the best part….you have everything you need right in your kitchen.

Make Hair Grow Faster. As hair is made up of keratin protein, a little egg mask, full of protein, can definitely help. Whisk two egg yolks with two tablespoons of olive oil. Apply the mixture to your scalp and leave for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse with cold water. Shampoo.

Rosemary Oil is an excellent hair herb for boosting hair growth. Mix a few drops with almond or avocado oil and apply to hair by massaging into scalp. Leave for 30 minutes and then rinse off.

Add Shine. Mix one part baking soda with three parts water. Place the mixture on your hair roots end and leave for three minutes. Follow with apple cider vinegar mixed with a few drops of rosemary. Rinse with cold water.
Add Moisture. Coconut oil applied from root to ends and left for half an hour before rinsing is great for rehydrating hair and quenching with moisture.

Deal with Dandru. A scalp treatment with apple cider vinegar is great for getting rid of dandru as it restores the pH balance of the scalp and as a result inhibits the growth of yeast. Mix two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with equal amount of water.

Apply to scalp and massage. Rinse after a few minutes. Baking soda rubbed into the scalp helps remove dead skin cells and absorbs excess oil and also helps reduce the growth of fungi that causes dandru. Wet hair, rub a handful of baking soda onto your scalp and after a few minutes, rinse hair with warm water. Two to three times a week for either treatment is needed.

Enhance Colour. Make your colour last longer with these easy natural fixes. For brunettes, pour percolated coee over hair and rinse. For blondes, whip up a cup of chamomile tea and pour over hair.

Fix Dry Hair. Make this deep conditioning mask. Mix ½ cup of mayonnaise with ½ an avocado. Blend until it forms a light green past. Smooth the mixture into hair, ensuring you saturate any dry ends. Cover with shower cap or plastic wrap. Wrap hair with a hot, damp towel and leave for 20 minutes. Rinse and shampoo as normal. Both the mayonnaise and avocado have natural oils that are great for dry hair. Avocado is packed with vitamins B6 and E to boost strength and shine.

Fix Damaged Hair. Go no further than olive oil. It's been used for centuries to repair damaged hair. Work it into your scalp and hair, cover with a shower cap or plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes. Shampoo as normal.