Tips to treat your tresses

Just like how radiant skin makes you look younger, healthier and more beautiful, the same effect can be achieved when your hair looks shinier.

However, factors like poor diet, bad habits and inadequate care can take its toll, leading to dry, damaged and dull tresses.

Here are six easy ways to get shinier and healthier hair.

SWITCH YOUR SHAMPOOS

If you have been sticking to the same shampoo every day and your hair is starting to look dull, it is clearly a sign that your routine is not working.

Impurities are probably building up on your hair and scalp, which can strip hair of its natural lustre and cause it to look duller.

To give your locks a detox, use a deep-cleansing shampoo once a week. This helps to eliminate dirt, grime and product residue that have been accumulating, so your hair looks revived again.

GET THE RIGHT STYLING TOOLS

Frequent heat styling can cause heat damage to your hair, which makes it dry, dull and prone to breakage. To minimise this, it is essential you buy the right styling tools.

Choose hairdryers that have powerful motors for shorter styling time. This means your hair will be exposed to heat for a shorter time as it will dry faster.

In addition, look for curling tongs or straightening tools that have a temperature control setting. This prevents the tools from over-heating and helps reduce the damage.

PROTECT YOUR HAIR

If you cannot avoid using heated styling tools frequently, make sure you do as much prep work as you can to keep your tresses strong and healthy, such as using a heat protection product.

USE A HAIR MASK REGULARLY

Your hair can only be shiny when it reflects light well. And it can only do so when hair cuticles lie flat smoothly along the entire length.

However, damaged and dry hair means that the cuticles are often lifted. To address this, use a deeply conditioning hair mask at least once a week.

LOAD UP ON HEALTHY FOODS

Naturally, your diet plays a part in how healthy and strong your hair is. Since hair is made primarily of keratin (a type of protein), it is essential to ensure a healthy intake of protein to keep hair resilient and supple.

Fatty acids are also vital in maintaining a healthy scalp, which in turn helps to keep hair growth healthy.

Among the most important foods to include in your diet are eggs. Beyond being a great source of protein, egg yolks also contain high levels of L-cysteine, an amino acid that is largely responsible for healthy and resilient hair.

Other foods to load up on include berries (which are a rich source of vitamin C) and spinach (packed with iron), of which both are essential in maintaining healthy hair growth.

USE THE RIGHT BRUSHES

Forget the old wives' tale of brushing your hair 100 times every day for healthy, shiny hair. In fact, excessive brushing with unsuitable tools can harm your locks instead.

For example, avoid combing/brushing your hair when it is wet as this is when hair is at its weakest.

If you really have to detangle, spritz on a detangling product and run your fingers through your hands or use a wide-toothed comb to minimise breakage.

When styling, opt for a brush with natural bristles. Not only are they more flexible and less likely to snap hair fibres, they also distribute any natural oils on the scalp evenly along the lengths of the hair for added shine.