From Root To Tip

It is true that in order to have healthy hair you have to start at the root. Focusing only on the hair that has grown out will keep your tresses flourishing for some time, however having a healthy head of hair means taking care of everything in it's entirety. In other words, having healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp.

But what exactly is a healthy scalp? One that is well moisturized?, One that is shampooed?, One that is well groomed?... Yes, yes, and yes!!! To one degree or another, all of the above constitute the components of a healthy scalp.

A healthy scalp is one that is clean, well conditioned, and well taken care of.  Free of  dry patches, bumps, cuts, burns, or scars from the remnants of tight braiding, relaxers, rough styling, or any other common styling practices that may lead to stress on the hair and/ or scalp; thereby resulting in unhealthy conditions.

Wow!  That sounds like a lot, but in actuality, it is not difficult to maintain a healthy scalp once you put certain practices into place. First and foremost, the scalp must be clean.  A clean scalp is a happy scalp, but DON'T overdo it. Hair should not be shampooed on a daily basis. Shampooing hair too frequently will strip the hair and scalp of needed moisture, causing excessive dryness.  Ideally hair should be cleansed at least once a week, but should not exceed two weeks without being shampooed.

Once hair is clean, it SHOULD be conditioned.  This is an essential step in maintaining healthy scalp and hair. Soooo many people overlook this step, but conditioning can restore moisture lost through shampooing, and other activities that may take away from the moisture in the hair.  Moisture can be lost if the air is too dry, blow drying hair can strip moisture, sleeping on certain fabrics can pull moisture from the hair, and certain styling practices do as well.   After shampooing, a leave in conditioner should be applied to the hair, and if at all possible a water based leave in conditioner can be added to the hair daily. At least once a month, a deep conditioner should be employed as well.

For those willing to step outside of the box, co-washing is a very beneficial way to ensure that the hair and scalp stay properly conditioned and moisturized.  It involves cleansing the hair and scalp without the use of shampoo, but rather with conditioner.  The idea behind this is to eliminate the use of sodium lauryl sulfate which is the drying/ cleansing ingredient found in shampoo. With co- washing the hair is left soft, supple, and clean! I was a skeptic too, but now I know never to knock it until you try it, it worked so well for me.  Using this method, hair still needs to be shampooed with "actual" shampoo at least once a month. 

Word to the wise:  make this the same once a month that you do your deep conditioning, that way the hair is still being exposed to a good source of moisture and conditioner.

After the shampoo, and conditioner, the hair is ready to be styled, but what next???

If you must utilize heat to dry your hair, then try combing the hair straight down and sitting under a hooded dryer for thirty minutes or so.  The heat will not be as intense as a hand held dyer, and the impact is not directly frying and stealing all of the moisture away either. If you can avoid it all together, forgo the drying process and let the hair dry naturally. You will find that hair "behaves" best under this circumstance. 

Before styling, the scalp should be properly oiled.  I recommend a light natural oil, like avacado, or  grape seed oil that will neither cake up to clog pores, nor will it create a residue or stench like many petroleum based greases. Section hair off and apply the oil with an applicator tip bottle if available to ensure an even distribution throughout. After moisturizing the scalp, pour a dime sized amount into the palm of your hand, and massage evenly into the hair. The hair is now ready to style.

Whoa! we have covered a lot of ground with a lot more to go, but no one ever said it was easy being beautiful! Now that we know how to keep keep our scalp happy, next time we will take on the quest to keeping our hair happy. Until then, hold on to your hair!