Eat Fish and Nuts for Healthy Hair

The same nutritious foods that are good for your body promote stronger, healthier hair. Load up on salmon and nuts! Their protein and omega-3 fats help create a healthier scalp. Leafy vegetables, beans, and carrots are also good for your tresses. Beware of fad diets aimed at quick weight loss. They can starve your body of important nutrients, which can lead to brittle hair or hair loss.

Protect Shine With Lukewarm Water

Hot water can strip the protective oils that act as a natural conditioner. And your hair’s natural shine can disappear. This doesn’t mean you have to suffer through cold showers to avoid dull hair. Instead, use lukewarm water to wash your hair. Pamper the scalp by massaging it while you shampoo.

Mend Split Ends With Protein

If you often style your hair with hot tools — or you color, bleach, or perm a lot — you can damage hair’s protective outer layer. The result is “split ends.” Thankfully, there are hair products to help mend the damage. Look for conditioners with protein. They sink into the hair shaft and repair split ends. The fix only lasts until the next shampoo, so you’ll need to use them regularly.

Don’t Treat Dandruff With Oils

Dandruff is not a type of dry skin at all — despite the white flakes that float down to your shoulders. A minor skin disorder of the scalp is to blame. Rubbing oil into the scalp can just make it worse. Shampoos with medicine are the best fix — from a drugstore or a dermatologist. Leave the shampoo on for 5 minutes to soak into your scalp. Be sure to rinse thoroughly.

Skip High-Powered Blow Dryers

You might expect a powerful blow dryer to slice a few precious minutes off your styling routine. But in a comparison of blow dryers, Consumer Reports found they all dried hair in about the same amount of time. Some are much noisier than others, though. The group found the more expensive dryers were the quietest, and the noisiest were as loud as a lawn mower.