With lockdown closing hairdressers and salons, everyone is looking for ways to care for their hair at home. Though we might not like to admit it, most of us have neglected our hair during lockdown. From abandoning our hair washing routine to even spending less time and money on our hair care – it can actually have detrimental effects on your hair’s health.
Though our plans for our next haircut or visit to our favourite stylist has been put on hold, we all deserve some pampering now and again and this is the perfect time to get our hair summer-ready so we can come out of lockdown looking and feeling our best. So we’ve asked our Trichologist friends at Philip Kingsley, better known as hair and scalp experts, to share their best ways for looking after your hair during lockdown and keeping those spilt ends at bay until you can get back to the hairdressers.
1. Regular hair washing
Good scalp hygiene is essential to hair growth – after all, your scalp is your hair’s support system. Your scalp is skin and needs similar care to the skin on your face - and for scalp health, daily cleansing is best. However, if you heat-style your hair after every shampoo the good of cleansing will be outweighed by the damage of styling. Also, people with coarser and curlier hair often find they prefer how their hair looks and feels a few days after shampooing. And for those with very hard to manage hair, daily shampooing simply isn’t realistic. It really is a case of balance. In all instances, shampoo regularly and do not leave more than 3 days between shampoos. Once a week, use a targeted scalp mask to exfoliate away dead skin cells, like the Philip Kingsley Exfoliating Scalp Mask.
2. Give your hair some TLC
At Philip Kingsley, we love masks. We highly recommend using a hair mask (like our hero Elasticizer) at least once a week to keep your hair hydrated, supple and soft. We know masks can be difficult to fit in during normal life. But right now, if you’re working from home, there’s nothing to stop you from popping one on while you work away (bar a pesky conference call or two!). Try leaving your mask on for an hour before you shower in the morning, after you get home from your daily exercise, or while you’re cooking dinner (if you prefer to shower before bed).
Mask at least once a week. We recommend our Elasticizer, it contains moisturising Olive and Castor Oil, as well as Hydrolysed Elastin – a connective protein, protein are the building blocks of hair.
How to use our Elasticizer:
1. Dampen your hair in the sink, shower or with a spray bottle.
2. Work Elasticizer into your hair in sections, paying particular attention to your mid-lengths and ends (where hair is older and dryer).
3. Gently comb it through, starting at your ends and working up to ensure every strand is coated.
4. Pop on a shower cap and leave for at least an hour.
5. Shampoo twice and condition as usual.
3. Let your hair dry naturally
We totally understand the desire to face the world with a smooth, controlled ‘do’. But the truth is, heat styling can really dry out your hair, especially if you use a hair dryer and/or tongs every few days. With plans paused for a while, right now could be a great time to try letting your hair dry naturally. Not only will your hair appreciate the break, but you might appreciate the 15 minutes or so that you save in your day. If you’re nervous about how your locks are going to look, choose a day when you don’t have any Zoom calls scheduled, and see how it goes.
4. Let your hair down
Certain styles of up-dos can be very hard on your hair and scalp. Using elastic bands and uncovered metal pins can cut into your strands and splinter them. Tight hairdos such as braids and buns can pull on your scalp. This can cause headaches – and, over time, even a type of hair loss called traction alopecia. To break the pattern, why not wear your hair down during social distancing? Or if this gets in your way, try out a looser style using a scrunchie. Very 80s, we know, but much kinder on your strands!
5. Keep those split ends at bay
It may be a little while until we can get haircuts, so it’s important to look after your ends. Ensure you’re using a hair friendly hair brush. The best are those with rounded, plastic prongs as these are gentle on the hair cuticle. Avoid boar bristle brushes as these can tear away sections of the cuticle.
Also, apply a strengthening split end protective product to your hair a few times a week, like our newly launched
Bond Builder Split End Remedy. This contains next-generation bond building technology. It not only instantly seals up to 98% of split ends to stop them from breaking further up the hair shaft, but also strengthens the hair’s protein structure and internal bonds. This minimizes breakage and helps to prevent split ends from forming in the future.
6. Consider your diet
Hair health is closely linked to diet. Being non-essential tissue, your hair is the first part of you to suffer when your nutrition is lacking. This is because your body will always prioritize the needs of essential tissue, such as your heart and lungs – your hair being the last to receive the goodness from what you eat. Dust off your favourite recipe books, or turn to food blogs for healthy recipe inspiration so you can create nutritious, balanced meals at-home.
7. Hello sunshine
During lockdown, being cooped up indoors could potentially lead to Vitamin D deficiency – our main source of Vitamin D being sunlight. Vitamin D is essential to hair growth as every hair follicle contains a Vitamin D receptor – and low levels can, and often do, cause hair loss. Now we can go outside for unlimited amount of exercise and with warmer days ahead, it’s the perfect time to get some sun. If you can, try to get outside every day in the sun or you can also take a supplement containing Vitamin D. We suggest taking a supplement containing Vitamin D, like our
Tricho Complex – which also contains Vitamin C, Iron and Vitamin B12.
8. Don’t forget your scalp
Let’s not forget your scalp – a healthy scalp is key to healthy hair! Looking after your scalp is even more important at the moment as stress, which we are all feeling, can negatively impact your scalp and hair growth – especially if you already suffer from dandruff or other scalp conditions. If experiencing any flaking or itching we’d recommend our Flaky Itchy Scalp Shampoo which is 99% effective in clearing flaky scalps. You could also try one of our targeted scalp masks. Use:
- Philip Kingsley Exfoliating Scalp Mask if you shampoo less than every other day for clarifying. Formulated with the gentle exfoliant, Betaine Salicylate, and Zinc to soothe and control sebum (oil production)
- Philip Kingsley Flaky/Itchy Scalp Mask if you have dandruff or flaking. Formulated with anti-fungal Piroctone Olamine, exfoliants Salicylic and Lactic Acid, hydrating Hyaluronic Acid and anti-oxidant-rich green tea extract.
- Philip Kingsley Soothing Scalp Mask to calm irritation. Formulated with hydrating and calming Aloe Vera, cooling Menthol and moisturizing Olive Oil.
Stress management in itself is also essential. Why not try apps like Calm and Headspace to help de-stress.
