to make your strands of 'dead cells' come alive.

Hair. Just strands of "dead" protein. I use the quotation marks because I refuse to acknowledge they are dead cells! Just like your body - which is alive, right? - it reflects how well you take care of it. We dye it, we perm it, we use all sorts of heat tools on it, we blow dry it, we tease it, we hairspray it until it is rightfully labeled dead. 

I write this post to urge all of you to give the TLC it rightfully deserves because imagine if we were all bald. 

Dang it, some of these celebrities still look gorgeous without hair. But for the most part, you can see that a huge part of their beauty comes from how their hair. Some people that I personally know have given their hair to http://www.locksoflove.org/ and went bald for the cause. Yes,  I'm talking about women here. These women are so amazing cause I personally can never voluntarily go bald. Cut a lot of my hair for the cause, yes. Just not bald, please. 

I have recently learnt that I have COMBINATION HAIR. Which is pretty much the worst of both worlds - Oily scalp and dry ends. But I find comfort knowing it is pretty common for people with long hair. So now, I will share 8 simple rules of caring for combination hair, without breaking your bank!

1. Only condition your ends

For the past month or so, I've stopped conditioning my hair right after I shampoo it. What I do now is only shampoo, and after I get out of the shower, I take a quarter-size drop of conditioner(less if you have short hair) and apply it all over my hair from the ear-down, while using my finger to kinda comb through it. I do not wash it out after, which is why I use so little of it. I find this method not only helped with my oily scalp, it's helped my hair looking more luscious and voluminous. If you are one to comb your hair in the shower, STOP! IN THE NAME OF LOVE! it will only make your hair more brittle and prone to breakage. If anything, use a wide tooth comb when it is towel-dried on your knots if you really have to. 

2. A dose of natural oils

It seems counter-intuitive, but to combat oily skin, you moisturize. With that theory in mind, you can trust that this will work. If you have extremely bad split ends and dry ends, you will have to do this over night. If your ends are not that bad, you can maybe do this 30-mins to an hour prior to washing your hair. Use any natural oil (castor oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil, almond oil, kukui nut oil...) sephora consultants rave about the Josie Maran Argan Oil but if you don't have the budget for it, the aforementioned natural oils really do work wonders. I either use evoo or coconut oil because I use them for cooking as well. I do this about once a week and have seen a drastic change for stronger and shinier hair. Haven't found any split ends lately either!

3. Clarify your scalp

You may or may not have heard of the dangers of Sulfate ingredients in shampoos. If you have not, educate yourself by clicking *here*. After reading that, you might wanna avoid sulfate products completely. However, sulfates are excellent cleansing agents. They allow the water to adhere to dirt and grime so that they can be removed from hair and scalp. The clean feeling that you experience after washing hair is because of the work of sulfates. In my opinion, switching your shampoos up, will lessen the harmful effects or if not negate it. Use a sulfate-free shampoo as a go-to, but a clarifying shampoo(which will most probably have sulfates in it) once a week or when you've had that intense work out, beach time, or mud-slide party. 

BUYER BEWARE: L'oreal came out with a line claiming it is sulfate free. But if you look at the ingredients, it still lists "Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate and Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate." Kinda misleading, so yeah, just pay attention to the ingredients and look up reviews before you purchase anything. 

4. Play it cool

You already know that the less you use heat tools, the better it will be for you hair. I used to blow dry my hair on the daily and it became an addiction. When I don't blow-dry it, it becomes all nappy and frizzy. I felt that blow-drying it gave it more shine and body. I had to endure a good few months restraining myself from going for the blow-dryer but it's finally paid off. Sun also damages your hair so  if you love tanning and going under the sun, wear a hat, or spray on sunscreen. Not the aerosol kind, but the spritz kind. Like this:

I don't know how many of you have experienced it, but burnt scalp is not fun dude... Mine hurt for a week and my scalp peeled so I looked like I had a serious case of dandruff. But I learned... Heat, in any form, even while washing your hair, will cause your scalp to produce more sebum. So if you're trying to avoid having oily scalp, wash your hair with luke warm or cool water. This is definitely something you wanna try ASAP!

5. Hydration and nutrition

Is it a surprise that a diet high in oily food and grease will result in a scalp filled with sebum?  Cause and consequence, my friends!  Drinking more water, eating more fruits and veggies, and consuming fewer alcoholic beverages can all reduce the amount of sebum your scalp produces, helping to solve half of your combination hair problem.  What's more, the extra water you drink will help to heal that dry hair at the same time. Just a little FYI, antioxidents, vitamins B2, B6, C, E, Beta Carotene and Biotin is essential for luscious locks. And in every case, hydrate! Not with coffee, soda or even juice. With H2O!!! 

6. Protective hairstyles

Hats, scarves, turbans, turbands, bandanas... they are all great accessories you can also use to safeguard your hair against too much sun and wind exposure. Go on Pinterest and YouTube. You will find so many braids, buns, low chignons, twists, and curls without using any heat or chemicals. try them and you will love them!! :)

7. Trims

Your dead ends will not go away unless you cut them all off. Old must go so new will come. Cutting your ends will not magically make your hair from your roots grow faster, but you prevent split ends from splitting further and becoming more brittle so in a way, it does help with your hair growing longer. If you have severely damaged ends, it really is the best to cut if off. Give yourself a fresh start. 

8.  Treatments

Professional or DIY, use 'oily hair' treatments so that it doesn't look dull, flat and greasy quick. Most treatments, even for oily hair will still moisturize, smoothen and make your hair shinier. Eggs, honey, lemon, lime, oils, vinegar, and ripe bananas are ingredients you can trust to make a good DIY hair mask. Please stay away from Mayonnaise. I forgot where I've heard this as an excellent home remedy but it is NOT! It is absolutely the most horrible thing you can do to your hair and yourself!

So there you go. All these methods are really tried and tested by Moi. These before/after pictures are 6 months apart. 

It's still a work in progress but I'm happy with how it is right now. No more split ends and less fall outs. Smoother, shiner locks with less greasy scalp. All I want my readers to know is this - Don't lose sight of that ideal hair - it is totally within your grasp! Remove the dryness, fight off the oily scalp, tackle them both with a combination of good nutrition, the right products and a change of grooming.  Oily and dry are not a winning combination.  But with consistent care, you will have lively, healthy hair.   Good luck ;)