Nourish - 7 Ways to Nourish your Hair from the Outside – Part One
Welcome to our two-part blog series where we cover both internal and external ways to nourish your hair naturally from the inside out. This two-part blog will give you the ultimate guide to caring for your hair in a natural & healthy way, from both the inside and the outside.
Part one of this blog covers 7 Ways to Nourish your Hair from the Outside.
Part Two of this blog covers Nutrients to Nourish your Hair from the Inside. Here we cover what nutrients you need and where to find them, from both food and supplement sources.
Read on for a comprehensive guide to caring for your hair in a natural & healthy way with my 7 Ways to Nourish your Hair from the Outside.
Let’s get to it!
7 Ways to Nourish your Hair from the Outside
The key to a well-rounded hair care routine consists of:
- a nutrient-rich diet
- healing herbs
- supportive supplements
- healthy lifestyle practices
- natural external treatments
No. 1 – Shampoo Your Hair Less Frequently
It may seem counterintuitive, but did you know that the ideal frequency for washing your hair is between 1-3 times a week?
Shampoo strips your hair and scalp of sebum, the oil your sebaceous glands produce to protect your hair and keep it healthy and supple. When you wash away the naturally produced sebum, and especially when you wash it too often, your glands produce more sebum. In turn, this means your hair can become even oiler than you already thought it was!
And to top it off, by removing the oils too often you can actually strip and dry out your hair and your scalp. This results in dandruff, greasy roots and dry ends – gah!
The best thing to support a healthy head of hair is to get into a healthy hair washing routine, allowing time in between for the natural oils to absorb. This will add natural softness to the hair over time.
To maintain a healthy scalp and oil balance, try shampooing your hair a maximum of 1-3x per week. Naturally, start reducing your hair washing over time – don’t just go from washing every day to just Monday mornings!
Simply try to wait longer in between washing your hair.
Instead of every day, go for every two days, then every 3rd or 4th day. Keep in mind that it may take a little time for your hair to adjust to less frequent washing. But remember; in the end, it means healthy, lustrous tresses.
No. 2 – Switch Over to Natural Shampoo
And whilst we’re on the subject of shampoo – natural is the way to go my friends.
Natural shampoo cleanses hair without stripping it completely of its natural oils, plus it’s much friendlier on the environment 🙂
Take your time to shop around for natural hair products that don’t contain any nasty chemical ingredients or additives like:
- parabens
- preservatives
- sulphates
- artificial fragrance
- dyes (to name a handful).
These chemical ridden products can cause all matter of irritation to the scalp (we’re talking dermatitis, psoriasis, or eczema) and even damage to your hair over time.
And don’t forget how absorbent your skin is. You can actually absorb these chemicals into your skin via your scalp, increasing your exposure to hormone disruptors and toxic build up. You only have to see how nicotine patches work to see how easily your skin absorbs things into the body.
As everybody’s hair is different I advise trying out different products and companies to find the right ones for your hair. We have plenty to try out in our Nourish store’s, so feel free to pop in, or have a browse in our online store.
Products we love:
Faith in Nature
Beautiful smelling shampoos containing herbal extracts and essential and organic oils to leave your hair feeling both smooth and glossy – just as nature intended. They use organic and natural ingredients and all products are free from parabens, perfume, colourings and SLES. Faith in Nature don’t test on animals, nor do they contain any animal ingredients. Their ingredients are naturally derived and cruelty-free sourced.
Try for yourself – we love Rosemary, Lavender and Geranium, Ginger and Lime or Aloe Vera.
Urtemkram
Lovely organic and vegan shampoos with hair and scalp healing benefits. Urtekram Organic Nettle Anti-Dandruff Shampoo is a great organic and vegan anti-dandruff shampoo. It combines nettles, known for their high mineral content that may relieve a dry scalp, with magnolia bark extract and aloe vera. These offer wonderful moisturising benefits.
Jason
Has plenty of natural hair care products for shampooing, conditioning and styling.
Surya Brasil
If you’re still wanting to cover those greys, or just try out a new shade but don’t want to damage your hair, check out Suyra Brasil. They have some amazing all natural henna hair colour creams to cover your grey or change your hair colour. Simultaneously they also protect your scalp and colouring, condition, strengthen and add extra shine to your hair. Plus they have a great shampoo and conditioner to nourish those locks of yours!
No. 3 – Condition Your Hair
For those of you with very short hair, you probably don’t need conditioner. But for those with longer hair or very fine hair, here’s a tip on conditioning: Shampoo your roots and condition your ends.
Leave your conditioner in for roughly 3-5 minutes to allow it to really absorb and then wash out.
We love Faith in Nature (especially the Coconut Conditioner) and Suyra Brasil conditioner.
No. 4 – Scalp Massage
Scalp massage is a lovely way to stimulate hair follicles and promote growth. Massaging your scalp increases the blood flow to your hair follicles, conditions the scalp, and helps relieve stress.
Simply massage your hair with oil once a week. Run the oil through your hair, root to tip and allow it to stay in anywhere from 20 minutes or even overnight before washing it out. This trick can really nourish your locks. You may need to wash twice with shampoo to really get the excess oil out.
Extra tip: Rosemary is excellent for helping to prevent dandruff and hair loss. Equally, it also works as a great circulatory stimulant when gently massaged into your scalp.
Combine a drop or 2 of rosemary essential oil (and/or a drop of ginger) with a carrier oil like coconut or jojoba oil, then gently massage this into your scalp for a circulatory boost.
Try out any of the following oils to help promote growth, nourish your scalp and heal hair damage:
For anyone with a dry or dandruff-prone scalp, have a look at Moogoo scalp cream. This cream helps return the skin to a healthy condition.
And if oils aren’t your thing, you can even just give yourself a gentle scalp massage while shampooing your hair.
No. 5 – Hair-Rinse
If you have a build-up of products in your hair or it’s just feeling really limp, then apple cider vinegar could be the answer. I know this may sound a little strange but it really does work.
You can either:
- mix one part apple cider vinegar with one part water in a water bottle or;
- use one part ACV and one part cold herbal tea (in place of water) like chamomile for example.
Wash your hair like normal with shampoo (and conditioner if you use it) and then finish off by rinsing it with your diluted ACV.
You can choose to leave it in your hair for a few minutes then rinse, or chose not to rinse it out and just leave it in. Don’t worry – you won’t smell like vinegar once your hair is dry 🙂
- a natural conditioner
- helps to remove product build-up
- won’t strip or dry the hair
- contains antibacterial and antifungal properties which help heal itchy and dry scalp conditions.
Personally, I brew my own kombucha, and once it’s reached its vinegar stage, I use that sometimes and it works wonderfully!
No. 6 – Limit Heat Styling
You can eat all the best foods, drink all the water and cover your hair in all kinds of lotions. But, if you constantly blow dry your hair, curl it, straighten it and bleach it, you’re going to suffer from breakage and damage.
Unfortunately, styling with heat is one of the most damaging things you can do to your hair.
Try limiting your use of blow dryers, curling irons and straighteners to the minimum. Equally, make sure to keep your hair healthy and moisturized so it can hold up as best it can.
Blasting your hair with heat day after day only serves to make it dryer and weaker. Try to limit your use, or better yet, try stopping your use of these appliances altogether – even for a little while. Simply for the sake of your hair and instead try letting your hair dry naturally as much as possible.
Try styling your hair in a way that doesn’t use heat. For waves, try overnight plaits or rollers for a change.
Of course, the occasional use is fine, but even when you do, try lightly brushing a few drops of jojoba or argan oil through your hair for heat protection. Or find a natural product to do this job. I know, I know, it’s easier said than done, but if you’re suffering from dry or damaged hair it really is one of the biggest things you can do for the health of your hair.
No. 7 – Get Your Hair Cut/Trimmed Regularly
To improve the length, strength, and condition of your hair make sure to get it cut or trimmed regularly. The recommended time between cuts is generally 6-8 weeks. And for those of you with really damaged hair and split ends, I’d recommend you follow this hair care routine until your hair has perked up.
I’ll leave you here with one final tip – avoid brushing your hair when it’s wet. This is when it is at its most vulnerable. Soaking wet hair is much more fragile and weak, and brushing it can damage your hair.
And that’s it for 7 Ways to Nourish your Hair from the Outside.
Check out part 2 here covering Nutrients to Nourish your Hair from the Inside 🙂
Emily Nöth
Any questions? Drop into your local Nourish store to chat with our expert team and explore our full range of foods, supplements and skincare. You can also find our full product range in our online store.
Follow (and chat with us) on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to our weekly Nourish newsletter.
*** If you are experiencing sudden and/or extreme hair loss, a skin rash or any major change, please speak to a registered health practitioner.
These may be caused by hormonal imbalances, thyroid problems or a reaction to your shampoo or hair dye, so it’s best to check it out.
*Please note that while we are knowledgeable about our products and nutrition, this blog should never be a substitute for medical advice and attention
Please remember that you should always obtain the all-clear from your doctor before starting any new supplement plan or diet if you’re on any medication
