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Problems with Dry Hair? Moisturize it the Natural Way

Use natural remedies that will provide your hair with a healthy, shiny look

By Alexandra Lupu, Health News Editor

30th of June 2006, 12:32 GMT

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Most of us have hair problems especially because it gets greasy and laden with dandruff almost immediately after it is washed. The first rule for having a beautiful-looking hair that does not need so frequent washing is to try washing it twice or three times a week and not daily. It is not as hard as it seems, because what we don't
know is that the more we wash our hair, the more rapidly it will grow oily.

The oily substance that leads to greasy hair is called sebum and is produced by the sebaceous glands in the hair follicles traced in the scalp. We should not think that frequent wash of our hair will remove the sebum, because this is wrong: biologically, sebum has the role of protecting our hair from getting too dry or dehydrated and it also gives the hair's natural shine. When sebum is removed from the hair by washing, the sebaceous glands will produce an excessive amount of sebum in order to make up for the previous loss. That is how our hair is depleted of natural shine and moisture.

Hair care should be done mainly on natural basis, as the cosmetic products mostly over-load it with chemical moisturizers that lead to a greasy hair. Nevertheless, we should be aware of the type of hair we have and use adequate natural remedies for dry, greasy, frizzy hair etc.

Dry hair is usually the hair that has not a sufficient amount of natural moisturizer and oil. This can be caused by over-exposure to the sun without protecting the hair, by excessive washing - especially with harsh chemical substances, excessive use of styling products and hot styling methods (blow drier, heat iron), excessive dying of the hair etc.

The solution rests in natural moisturizers, such as natural oils, and nutritious remedies. The jojoba oil is much recommended for regaining the shine and brightness of your hair, as the molecular structure of this oil is almost similar to the one of sebum, the natural hair moisturizer. It can be used as an overnight as well as a daily treatment for the hair.

Other types of natural oils that provide moisture for your hair are: olive, ylang-ylang, almond, avocado, rosemary essential oil, wheat germ oil, emu oil, shea oil and herbal oils such as: nettle oil, plantain oil, burdock oil etc. These are very efficient, as they provide a wide range of nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins vital for the hair and scalp. You can also mix one of these oils with honey and then apply it as a mask for the hair.

You can prepare a very efficient natural tonic for the hair by simply mixing 2 egg yolks and beat the paste until it is foamy. Then massage the entire scalp and hair with it and, when done, rinse it off with warm water. The egg is a very nutritious product, as it is a source of 11 essential nutrients, vitamin A and D. Mayonnaise is also beneficial for dry hair.

Applying tomatoes slices, tomato juice or tomato paste to your hair will enhance the natural PH of the hair due to the vitamin C in these vegetables.

Bananas, coffee and chamomile tea will also help your hair shine the natural way.

Besides these natural remedies, be sure to have a balanced diet, rich in fruits and vegetables that supply our organism with all the nutrients it needs and also try herbal teas that do wonders for our health. And do not forget that hair belongs to the body, just like any other organ, therefore what works for the metabolic system will surely work for our hair, too!
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User opinions:


Comment #1 by: Tokar on 30 Jun 2006, 14:38 GMT reply to this comment

Moist soft hair, rich in sebum, but with a noticable STINK
or
Dry hard hair, lacking in sebum, but with noticable CLEAN smell

You choose...

I choose the second option.

Comment #1.1 by: Melissa on 11 Apr 2008, 00:36 GMT

Oh, sure but when all that clean hair falls out i hope you enjoy smelling your clean scalp


Comment #2 by: ashley on 20 Oct 2008, 23:51 GMT reply to this comment

Your hair wont smell bad if you wash every other day, or even every three days. You can always just rinse your hair out (no shampoo) and just condition and then wash every third day. your hair will smell good and stay shiny. Or try a dry shampoo or baby powder to absorb oil. Then brush your hair, and then use some sort or leave in conditioner to get you through the days you don't wash your hair.

Remember no one walks around trying to smell your hair. lol =)


Comment #3 by: omi on 23 Jan 2009, 08:46 GMT reply to this comment

when using eggs/ mayo should i massage my scalp to or just the starnds??

Comment #3.1 by: jo on 04 Feb 2009, 08:05 GMT

Just the hair, particularly the ends. It would be much difficult to remove the mayo smell if you rub it onto your scalp. On the other hand, your hair will stink anyways so no problem massaging it onto scalp.


Comment #4 by: Bridget on 04 Mar 2009, 09:52 GMT reply to this comment

but what if you run like everyday? and you need to wash your hair everyday.
what do we do?


Comment #5 by: Megan on 27 May 2009, 01:10 GMT reply to this comment

If you run everyday it would probly be a good idea to wash your hair every other day to get the grim out. If this makes it dry, skip to every two days but condition your hair every day to give it that glow.


Comment #6 by: Becky on 29 May 2009, 22:24 GMT reply to this comment

You could always use baking soda to wash your hair (does a VERY good job on my hair) which is not supposed to strip your hair of of excess oil but just the visible oil.


Comment #7 by: zina on 08 Jun 2009, 16:04 GMT reply to this comment

for dry hair and damaged hair try soaing olive oil for a couple hours or keep it overnight and then the next day put egges the yolk part in the hair for a couple hours and then rinse it with the white part of the eggs and then shamppo and conditions as ussuall. Do this 2 times a month and your hair will be hearthy like never before.


Comment #8 by: PilotInspektor on 18 Jun 2009, 06:59 GMT reply to this comment

How do you wash your hair with baking soda? I'd like to try it out. Thanks.


Comment #9 by: Satish on 05 Jul 2009, 08:59 GMT reply to this comment

I am using jojowa oil and its has dramatically helped in health of my dry hair.


Comment #10 by: Bing on 16 Jul 2009, 16:51 GMT reply to this comment

I have tried various things. I tried olive shampoo, olive conditioners and after shower I use olive hair cream, I applied mayo and eggs as well but still my hair is dry. So could anyone suggest me some better things please?
Thanks


Comment #11 by: katie on 23 Jul 2009, 17:58 GMT reply to this comment

I think that this is discusting about the mayo and eggs in your hair ewwwww but i wash my hair every other day and the day i dont wash it i put baby powder on my brush and brush through my hair. It gets out all of the oil that got in my hair that day and my hair stays soft by not shampooing it every day! hope this helps.


Comment #12 by: anuj on 27 Jul 2009, 16:16 GMT reply to this comment

my hairs are very dry and are falling at a very high rate...can anyone suggest me ...i am very worried ..plz help me.


Comment #13 by: yep on 03 Aug 2009, 00:57 GMT reply to this comment

if you have thin hair that has a tendency to get oily wash it EVERYother day, not two or three days. if your hair has a tendency to retain a bad smell or feel, then you should be washing it often. but the point of the artice is to say that giving your hair a rest from the shampoo, even for a mere day helps to restore the natural ph of your hair which the detergents and chemicals of shampoo take away. when your hair is lower then the natural ph it becomes dry, and without shine, body, and luster. it wont feel or look good. it all depends on your hairtype, you be the judge. girls with curly, typicallly dry hair even go so far as to wash their hair once a week. my sister does this. when she gets in the shower other days she does wet it, because water also has some natural cleansing properties. she comes out, puts a little bit of product in it and leaves it to dry naturally. because of her hair type and the time and effort she puts into her hair, it is not dirty, oily, greasy, or laden with dandruff. it always feels and smells nice. its all about finding the routine that can fir your specific hair needs and schedule.


Comment #14 by: Olga on 10 Aug 2009, 13:33 GMT reply to this comment

Burdock oil (bur oil). Massage into hair roots, wash with it, moisten with it, do whatever you can or want with it, but do your best, it will help. Try to find the purest extracts, like the Russian bur oil for hair. I've heard that some German manufacturers add something else - you don't need any chemical rubbish.
And for God's sake don't wash your hair with ordinary and/or salon shampoos! Find certified natural cleansers with no alcohols except for cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, lauryl alcohol, myristyl alcohol and behenyl alcohol that are "fatty" alcohols. No lauryl sulphate, or other foamy stuff. Until you find chemical-free remedies don't wash you hair then, just rinse it.
Don't be afraid to make your hair uber greasy with oil, it easily washes off with egg yolk. Just break an egg carefully to not damage the yolk and let the white drain off; break/mix the yolk in a cup and bring it to the shower and wash with it like with a shampoo; the oil won't stay. But keep massaged-into-roots oil in your hair for a long time, like overnight. Or at least for an hour wrapped in a warm towel (warmth opens up pores in the scalp).
A girlfriend of mine grew hair on damaged, bald spots by using bur oil. Another woman didn't benefit the slightest from it, but onion juice helped her big time (never used onion juice, but can imagine the smell!).


Comment #15 by: Mike on 02 Sep 2009, 05:42 GMT reply to this comment

When all of you are saying not to wash your hair every day, are you actually saying not to shower/bathe in any way? or just not use shampoo conditioner?


Comment #16 by: Sunny on 10 Sep 2009, 18:29 GMT reply to this comment

You must be joking Mike... They are referring to using shampoo and/or conditioner on your hair. In my opinion you should take a bath every day. But, yet again in some countries this is not a custom.


Comment #17 by: leslie on 11 Sep 2009, 19:13 GMT reply to this comment

the manyonaise and egg thing works pretty good for twice a month!
shampoo it every other day or even more days in between if your hair is super dry
use some kind of mousturizing conditioner...i really like the paul mitchell products! stocked full of them at home.
straightening your hair, no matter how much you think you need it, only fries your hair and you could choose other hair styles, and maybe only straighten your hair once or twice a week.
scrunching my hair is what i chose for my other hairstyle.
and when you do straighten your hair use a heat protector for god sakes!
but still shower everyday!


Comment #18 by: Lauren on 16 Oct 2009, 20:29 GMT reply to this comment

I LOVE using moisturizers like eucurin in my hair my hair is THICK and DRY so after i straighten it i rum eucurin in it!! It thins it and makes it look healthy and makes it shine but not looking greasy or oily!!

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