Yes To Healthy, Shiny Hair
Just like our skin, hair looks better when it glows. Shiny hair is healthy hair; smooth and nourished hair strands reflect light, creating natural highlights and make the face look more radiant. As a girl with coloured blonde hair, shiny hair is something that doesn’t come naturally to me but recently I’ve been putting a few hair tricks to the test.
To make hair shine, the teeny tiny scales on the cuticle should lie flat, allowing light to bounce back off them. This is usually the norm with straight hair, but with these tips, you can add lustre to locks of any texture.
Skip the No Shampoo trend!
Despite the numerous articles floating around the internet that tell you to skip the shampoo part of your wash, simply by choosing the right products for your texture (whether fine, frizzy, course etc) to avoid weighing the hair down. When you choose the right products, you can tell within the first wash whether your hair likes them or not. I recently switched to Yes To – a brand which I’ve previously loved when it comes to skincare, and their Yes To Blueberries range for frizzy hair gives my hair shine without weighing it down.
Look for Natural Oils
Oil does not, I repeat NOT lead to greasy hair. Just like our skin, our hair needs oil for nourishment too. Products infused with silicones or natural oils that nourish the hair follicle will give hair the nutrients that it needs, leading to a smooth and shiny feel and finish. Yes To Blueberries two main ingredients are Blueberries and Kale Leaf extract, both of which soothe hair, and also within the formula there’s shea butter and soybean oil which smooth without adding extra weight.
A Cool Blast Keeps it Glossy!
This is one hair myth which actually works. I try to keep my shower as cool as possible (I can’t stand cold showers but I try to keep it just ‘warm’ and not ‘hot) as heat splinters the hair cuticle, which leaves an uneven and non-shiny surface. Finishing your shower with a cool rinse, even for just a few seconds will seal the cuticles, and the same goes when it comes to your blow dry. A cool shot will finish off your style with shine.
Is your Conditioner actually Conditioning?
… Or coating your hair? Give your hair a natural shine by checking the ingredients in your conditioner. The blueberries in the Yes To range that I’m currently using are rich in antioxidants which keep hair healthy, and Kale Leaf gives hair the nutrients that it needs for strong and nourished strands.
Iron It!
Brush It!
It’s an age old secret, and another one that truly works. To get shiny hair, brush it every day, every night. It helps to distribute the hair’s natural oils through it’s length, which boosts shine. Using a brush with natural bristles is more gentle on the hair which means less breakage too.
Eat your Greens (and Nuts & Seeds)
Of course the products we put on our hair are all well and good, but the best thing you can do is start from within, with the right diet. Naturally healthy and glowing locks can be achieved by balancing your hair routine with a diet including walnuts, almonds, flaxseeds, chiaseeds, spinach, lentils and avocados. All of these ingredients contain vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids; just what your hair needs to grow thick, strong and shiny.
Yes To Blueberries
When it comes to keeping my hair naturally healthy, the Yes To Blueberries Smooth & Shine Shampoo & Conditioner, at £4.99 each, is exactly what my hair needs. The antioxidant rich fruit extract ingredients provide my hair with nourishment for shine and a healthy feel, without the need for chemicals. As I switch my skincare to being more natural, it seems only fitting that my haircare follow suit, and Yes To products are all 95% natural or more, and cruelty free, as well as being formulated without Parabens, SLS and silicones.
Thank you to Yes To for collaborating with me to create this post.
What are your top tips for shiny hair?
xox
