A man’s hair is just as important as the clothes he wears for his look. While it may seem that men don’t have as much work to do when trying to do their hair for the day, they still have many considerations to make before they can leave the house. Additionally, because most men keep their hair short, it’s more noticeable when their hair is at a strange length, or there’s a strand out of place.
Many men don’t take proper care of their hair, which can lead to dulling, breakage, and even hair loss that affects their overall appearance and can impact their confidence. Luckily, there are many ways men can start taking care of their hair right now. If you’ve recently noticed your hair has lost its shine and looks dull, check out these simple tips.
1- Dry Your Hair Correctly
Many men step out of the shower and dry their hair by rubbing a towel on it. While it’s tempting and the fastest way to dry your hair, it could be damaging your hair. When your hair is wet, it’s more susceptible to breakage, which is why many females don’t brush their hair until it’s dry. Towels can cause the hair to get tangled or caught in the threads to pull strands until they break. While you might not feel this breakage occur, it can happen in any place of the strand that’s being pulled too thin.
Breakage can lead to damage that causes split ends and frizziness. Instead of drying your hair with a towel, you can pat it dry and shake out the rest of the moisture, then allow your hair to air dry. Additionally, try not to blow dry your hair often. If you are going to blow dry your hair, put your dryer on the lowest setting or use the air setting to help your hair dry quickly without damaging it.
2- Don’t Overheat Your Scalp or Strands
We just talked about using a blow dryer, but there are other ways you can damage your hair with heat. Most people prefer to take hot showers, but hot showers can strip your hair from its natural oils and contribute to breakage, damage, and even dry scalp which can lead to itching. Instead, you can shower in warm water to keep your hair’s natural oils in place and prevent drying out your scalp, resulting in shiny hair with less breakage and damage after a shower.
3- Stop Wearing Hats
Okay, so you don’t have to stop wearing hats forever, but wearing hats can damage your hair. Tight hats can pull too hard on the roots of your hair and pull it out or cause strand breakage that results in dry, frizzy hair. If you must wear hats, consider wearing loose-fitting hats or hats that allow your scalp to breathe.
4- Consider Products
If you like to style your hair a certain way, you can use products to help keep every strand in place. However, it’s best not to overdo it with products, including gels, waxes, and hair spray. Using too much hair product can make your hair look heavy, and it can also affect your scalp health. Ultimately, everything you put in your hair ends up on your scalp, and if you’re using heavy products, you’re not allowing the skin on your head to breathe.
5- Avoid Sun Exposure
Everyone loves spending time outdoors in the sun, but too much sun exposure can wreak havoc on your hair and scalp. Harmful UV rays are damaging to skin and hair. Additionally, the sun can lighten your hair, so if you prefer to keep your hair dark and don’t want any natural highlights, you should cover your head up when you’re outside. While we just told you not to wear a hat, there are times when wearing a hat can improve your hair health, such as by keeping your scalp and hair out of the sun to avoid harmful rays.
6- Trim Hair Regularly
Trimming your hair regularly is the best way to keep it healthy because it gets rid of split ends. Most men should trim their hair every six to eight weeks, but depending on how fast your hair grows and your preferred hairstyle, you might have to trim your hair more often. Of course, you should have your hair trimmed by a professional to ensure you’re getting the style you want. While it might be tempting to save a few bucks by trimming your hair at home, you don’t want to trim your hair incorrectly and accidentally give yourself the wrong style.
7- Condition Your Hair
Many men don’t condition their hair and stick to shampooing. However, every time you shampoo your hair, you should condition it as well because shampoo can cause your hair to become dry and brittle. Using a conditioner can help you minimize split ends and get rid of tangles without stripping your hair of its natural oils. In fact, it can also replace the oils you lost when shampooing.
8- Eat Healthily
Eating a balanced diet full of nutrients can improve your hair health drastically because your hair requires vitamins and minerals just like the rest of your body. Taking care of your health means providing it with essential nutrients, such as vitamins and protein, that can help it grow and maintain its shine. A lack of protein can make your hair look thin or dull because protein is the building block of healthy hair.
9- Drink More Water
When people have dry skin, they put lotion on. However, you can’t put lotion on your head without getting it in your hair. If you notice your scalp is dry, it’s time to think about what could be making your skin dry instead of trying to solve the problem with creams and lotions. Instead, your body might be dehydrated and take nutrients from your skin. Drinking more water can help you stay hydrated while improving the appearance of your skin and scalp for healthier hair.
10- Don’t Forget Your Beard
Your beard is hair, too, so it’s important to treat it similarly to the hair on your head. There are many beard products on the market to help you get the beautiful, healthy beard you’ve always wanted. Ultimately, you should also be taking care of the skin on your face where your beard grows to ensure your facial hair can be just as healthy and strong as the hair on your head.
Julia Olivas
Julia Olivas graduated from San Francisco State University with her B.A. in Communication Studies. She is a contributing writer at 365businesstips.com where she loves sharing her passion for digital marketing and content creation. Outside of writing, she loves cooking, reading, making art, and her pup Ruby.
