Healthy hair hacks: How to get beautiful, luscious locks on a budget

Healthy hair hacks: How to get beautiful, luscious locks on a budget
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In many cultures having healthy hair is one of the most important aspects of beauty. How is it that some people always seem to have shiny, thick hair year-round? Naturally, our genes, diet, and environment affects the texture and strength of our hair.

If you’re wondering how to get healthy hair on a budget, read ahead for five healthy hair hacks.

1. Avoid harmful chemicals to prevent hair loss

One of the easiest ways to get better hair is to avoid using shampoo which contains harsh ingredients such as ammonium lauryl sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate (SLES), Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), sodium chloride, and silicones.

These ingredients are harmful for your hair and the environment.

What are the harmful chemicals in shampoo?

Harmful chemicals in shampoo
  • Parabens
  • Polyethylene glycols (PEG)
  • Diethanolamine (DEA)
  • Triethanolamine (TEA)
  • Formaldehyde
  • Alcohol
  • Synthetic fragrances
  • Synthetic colors
  • Dimethicone
  • Cocamidopropyl betaine
  • Triclosan
  • Retinyl palmitate

2. Eat healthier food for hair growth

What’s more, remember that the price of hair care products does not correlate with their quality. Several name brand shampoo and conditioners are priced higher even though they contain harmful ingredients.

As you shop for hair products, be sure to read the fine print where the ingredients are listed. Alternatively, choose organic products which contain fewer chemicals.

Like most parts of our body, our hair needs the right nutrients for healthy growth.

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This is why having a balanced diet with omega-three fatty acids, protein, selenium, vitamin D3, and vitamin B are essential.

These nutrients promote strong and healthy hair as well as reduce the likelihood of hair thinning.

Some of the best food you can eat to promote hair growth include salmon, avocado, nuts, vegetables, eggs, spinach, sweet potatoes, oyster, shrimp, nuts, berries, and soybeans.

The bottom line is that your diet directly affects the health of your hair so consider eating healthier meals for better hair in the long-run.

In addition, shopping for healthier food using the right grocery credit card can let you access exclusive deals to save on your monthly grocery bill.

3. Minimise the use of heating tools that cause damage

Hair dryers, straighteners, hot curlers. These are just a few of the hair styling tools that many cannot live without. Unfortunately, prolonged exposure to heat not only dries out your hair but also causes frizz, damage, and breakage which are often difficult to repair.

If you absolutely must use heating tools, here are some methods you can adopt to prevent damaging your hair.

  • Before using a heat styling tool, make sure to prep your hair with a heat protectant. Many of these protectants can keep flyaways to a minimum and fortify hair strands against overheating from heat styling.
  • Hold your hair dryer about six inches away from the surface of your hair. Constantly move the dryer to blow-dry different parts of your hair instead of concentrating on one spot.
  • Limit your heat styling sessions to two or three times a week to give your hair enough time to recover in between each session.
  • Set your heat styling tools to a lower setting to reduce the chance of overheating your hair.

4. Reduce overwashing which leads to frizz

Singapore’s hot and humid weather is the primary reason why many people can’t get past a day without washing their hair; some may even run the risk of overwashing.

While keeping your hair clean is essential for managing healthy hair, washing it too often may cause your scalp to become dry. Also, overwashing can cause your skin to secrete more oil to soothe the scalp.

Another scenario that may occur by overwashing your hair is that you could dry up the texture, causing your hair to lose its natural shine and become frizzy.

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5. Pay attention to your scalp

Maintaining a healthy scalp is important for having healthier hair. The scalp has a rich microbiome of bacteria and fungus necessary to keep the skin and hair healthy.

When it is not cleansed properly or in contact with harsh chemicals too often, the scalp can get damaged and this eventually leads to hair loss and other common hair problems.

To maintain a healthy scalp, hair experts suggest regular home remedies such as scalp massage to activate blood circulation.

However, if you’re already witnessing more severe scalp problems and hair loss issues, seeking help from a professional hair consultant could be a wise choice. The following are five hair centres in Singapore that provide comprehensive scalp treatments

Where to find scalp treatments in Singapore

Outlet Service Price
6 Elements Hair Spa by Jean Yip Hydrotherapy scalp spa treatment Not available
Yun Nam Hair Care One-time trial for scalp analysis and treatment $28
TK TrichoKare One-time trial for hair and scalp treatment $45
Apegujeong Hair Studio Scalp treatment and scalp spa detox $120 to $188
Bee Choo Origin Herbal treatment $34 to $64

Simple ways to achieve healthier hair

Paying a bit more attention to how you manage your hair, scalp, and diet can go a long way towards achieving thicker and stronger hair. Many of the methods recommended here can be accomplished on a budget.

Even if you need to shop around for natural hair care products or book a scalp treatment, remember to use the right cashback credit card or rewards credit card to save on your purchases.

What’s more, you can even consider applying for a shopping credit card, designed specifically for online purchases. Regardless of the credit card that you use, remember to create a budget and spend within your means. After all, having healthy hair doesn’t need to cost a fortune.

ALSO READ: 'Gangster lawyer' Josephus Tan shares why he keeps his hair long and how he maintains his luscious locks

This article was first published in ValueChampion.

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