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How to take care of quarantined hair

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How long has it been since you’ve paid a visit to your hairdresser? If you have been quarantined to your house and small businesses and hairdressers are closed due to government restrictions you had to look for ways to get your job done from home (if your are lucky enough to be employed at this time) and a lot of things which we take for granted, like going to your hairstylist for a haircut or coloring, are now off the list. I know it is not the most important problem our world is facing right now but still… especially after a couple of weeks of working in your home office without professional blowouts, haircuts or getting your roots done you might start to wonder if it is still “safe” (to talk in covid 19-terms) to show your true self on that video-call screen… 😱

Luckily there are some tips you can use to make the best of these times.

1. Now is the perfect time to detox your hair

Now is the perfect time to detox your hair routine. It is the right time to “sober-up” on silicones and products loaded with chemicals. I love checking out goop.com to check out the latest thing in natural beauty land to take care of my body, hair and skin. And although I used to love the effect silicones in hair products have on my hair I took a silicon-detox about 2 years ago. In the beginning your hair looks very dry (my opinion) but if you persist in your new healthy, natural hair routine you will see improvements. I did it in “full action” but you now have the opportunity to go “silicon cold turkey” being confined at home in your home office.

To know if your usual products contain silicones check the ingredients. If you see anything like the following, you know it has silicones:

Some non-soluble silicones that are typically found in hair products include ingredients ending with “-cone”:

  • Dimethicone
  • cyclopentasiloxane
  • Ceteraryl Methicone
  • Pheryl Trimethicone
  • Cyclomethicone
  • Amodimethicone
  • Dimethiconol
  • Stearyl Dimethicone

Some tips to go silicone free:

  • Wash your hair twice with a natural silicone free gentle shampoo to get rid of the silicone residues. I love the shampoo of Caudalie (Gentle Conditioning Shampoo) and a clarifying shampoo from René Furterer (Naturia), Rahua Voluminous Shampoo, to get rid of any residues. Let the shampoo work its cleaning power for longer than you’d usually do. Leave it on for 2 minutes with each shampoo.
  • When I took the detox, I followed that up with an apple cider vinegar rinse: I diluted one part apple cider vinegar with one part water to make the rinse. (this recipe and other recipes can be found in my book “The complete guide to healthy hair.”
  • some brands also offer special clarifying shampoos but I have also seen good results using dishwashing liquid (organic brand!) to wash it out. And after doing that you have to start nourishing with silicon-free products and natural oils.Less heat

Now is the time to cut down on heat treatments like your hair dryer, brushing, curling irons, hair straightener,… Let your hair dry naturally after you had a shower. Let your hair swing the way Mother Nature made it. If you have a video-call than use a nice hairpin or hairband or braid your hair to give yourself a stylish appearance. Especially when you have to survive without haircuts you have to be extra careful not to damage your hair.

2. What’s your real color?

If you are used to have highlights or color your hair and thought about changing it before but never had the courage to go through the transition months between your current fake color and your real hair color then now is the time to get tough and give it a go. My Aussie friend Sally Gray ND, a renowned coach (check out her website and work HERE) did that about 2 years ago and went from dark to the most gorgeous grey hair! She is absolutely stunning!

3. Wear that mask!

Now you can wear a mask! And I am not talking about a face mask we’ll all be wearing for the time to come warding off the corona-virus. I am talking about giving your hair a treat with hair masks. Some ideas:

  • Natural oil: I love natural oil on my hair and gently spread it on my scalp and hair strands. I then make a braid or put my hair up with a hair pin. (see picture of me working on my macbook in my sofa with oiled hair). After a couple of hours I just wash it out with a gentle shampoo. My favourite oils? I love Ricinus, jojoba, argan and if I am out of “beauty”-oils then I sometimes open my kitchen pantry to use some coconut or olive oil.
  • Homemade hair masks like: avocado-mask, beer mask, chamomile mask for natural highlights,… (for the recipes see my book: “The complete guide to healthy hair” and subscribe to my newsletter cause I might share them with you in the future…)

4. Brush, Brush, Brush!

Brush your hair daily with a high quality, natural boar bristle hairbrush. The brand Delphin & Emerence is my absolute favourite. Grandma was right saying that 100 strokes of brushing everyday are a must for healthy hair. Brushing makes sure the sebum on your scalp is moved from your scalp (where you don’t want it) to the hair lengths (where you DO want it) to nourish your hair and make it smooth and shiny.

5. DYI Haircut

If your hair is looking awful, extremely damaged and you suffer from (severe) split ends than you can give yourself a DIY haircut. It won’t be perfect but at least you will have cut out all the damaged hair parts. Only do this when you have long hair. I am not responsible for any haircut-accidents on shorter styles! To play it safe I can give you some recommendations:

  • Use a high quality, professional pair of hair scissors. Not your kitchen or paper scissors, cause they will make things worse!Buy a good pair online. They are not cheap but an expensive, high quality one will last for years. (as does a good hairbrush)
  • Wash your hair and use a nourishing conditioner afterwards
  • Towel dry your hair and brush out all remaining knots with a gentle detangling hairbrush. I use the Mistletoe, Tangle Power Soft from Delphin & Emerence.
  • Take small parts of your hair and cut an equal part of each strand. I did 1 inch on my long hair. Work gradually and make sure you cut of the same length on each strand so the end result looks ok.
  • Treat the hair ends with a nourishing dry oil or natural sealing product to protect against split ends.
  • Let your hair dry naturally.
All things said and all tips shared… I am praying that I will be able to go to my hairsalon soon! But as long as we can’t these tips might get you through it.
Wishing you all safe times. Be well!
xxx
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