As the year kicks off and we’re finalizing our list of new year’s resolutions, we’re motivated to get to the gym, eat healthier and try a new hobby. But when you’re making your list, do not forget about your hair. Healthy hair starts as a good habit. There are real steps you can take to reach your hair growth goals, and keep your hair looking shiny and healthy. Here, we share our expert tips for nine of the best new year’s hair resolutions for you to add to your list.
1. Feed Your Roots
Healthy hair starts from within. That’s why it’s important to nourish your hair follicles with the vitamins, minerals and nutrients they need for thick, healthy hair growth. If it’s inconvenient or difficult to get these nutrients through your diet, try a hair growth supplement like Viviscal Professional. Sure, if you read our blog often, you’ve heard us say this a lot of times before. But we have the science to back this up. We’re the only hair growth supplement supported by eight clinical trials and 25 years of research and development. Learn more about Viviscal Professional Hair Growth Supplement.
2. Cut It Off
Even if you’re growing out your hair, don’t shy away from regular trims. Stephen Pullan of the Philip Kingsley Trichological Clinic recommends trimming hair every six to eight weeks to minimize split ends and breakage. Bonus: removing dull, split ends that weigh hair down and make it look more unhealthy also gives hair thickness and bounce.
3. Go Nuts for Your Scalp
Coconut oil is ideal to condition your roots and your scalp, and minimize dandruff with a weekly at-home coconut oil hair mask. Find the right hair mask recipe for any hair woe including a coconut oil mask recipe that is perfect for dry, itchy scalp.
4. Lay Off the Heat
Limit yourself to using heat tools only two or three times a week. Flat irons, curling irons and blow-dryers, especially at high temperatures, significantly damage the keratin that makes up the structure of your hair strands. In fact, temps of more than 400° can actually melt keratin fibers. So cool it on the heat tools every now and then. When you do use them, always start with a heat protectant product such as MoroccanOil Heat Styling Protection spray.
5. Get Your Washing Schedule Right
Sure, you should not shampoo hair every day. That’s because using harsh detergents too often on hair strips the hair and scalp of its own natural oils, making strands more porous and more prone to damage. But on the other hand, you should shampoo hair often enough to remove dirt, debris, flakes and excess oils from the scalp. This will help maintain the ideal environment for healthy hair growth, and keep hair looking and feeling clean. Use a gentle, lightweight smoothing shampoo.
6. Move It Around
We’re creatures of habit, especially when it comes to our hair. Keeping our topknot or ponytail in the same spot on a daily basis causes more breakage in that one area. Switch up the location of your bun or ponytail to minimize damage and breakage, encouraging stronger hair.
7. Toss It Out
Beauty and hair products, just like food or medicine, have expiration dates. Justine Piecuch, a stylist at the Jeffrey Lyle Salon in Boston, recommends weeding through your drawer of irons and dryers throwing out the ones you’ve had for years. (We’ve all got them!) If you’re wondering how to gauge whether your tools are too old, ask yourself: Do they smell when you’re using them, and have they been sitting in a drawer or closet for several years. If the answer to one or both of those questions is yes, toss them out.
It’s not only hair tools that need purging. Products like serums, hairsprays and gels have an expiration date as well. For open products, throw out anything that is more than two years old.
8. Up Your Styling Game
It’s so easy to get stuck in a hairstyling rut. But with all the cute, innovative hairstyles all over social media and blogs, it’s time to take the plunge into something new. Try unconventional braids, a dramatic bob, a cool-girl hair bend, edgy color or on-trend accessories. Stylist Justine Piecuch urges, “If you’ve only been air drying or blow drying for the past year, it’s time to step it up!”
9. Keep It Clean
Let’s face it, we wash our hair and even our make-up brushes on the (semi)regular. But most of us neglect washing our hairbrushes. Even when we think to do it, it can be a pain and they never seem to get truly clean. A clean hairbrush is important because the dirt, dust and debris can irritate your scalp and even make hair look dull and dirty. For pro tips on how to clean your hairbrush, watch this video.
