Don't forget, you can also read my parenting adventures at The Little Pip.

First Aid for Hair

I don't know about you, but often I feel my hair is is need of some love. Over-styling with too many blow-dries or straightening or if you've bleached it; likewise if you swim a lot or spend a lot of time 
in the sun, or simply don't eat a hair-healthy diet, you'll find that it can become dry, brittle, dull, tangled, limp and in every other way unsatisfactory. So is it too much to ask, to give your hair the love it deserves?

Mine was like this recently until I had more than 8 inches chopped off. I'm also told the following can assist:

• Eat a hair-friendly diet. Junk food, alcohol and caffeine don't do your hair or skin any favours, even though they taste appealing when you're tired.
• Don't just eat healthy and nutritional food - use it on your hair too. Make an avocado and olive oil conditioning mask by mixing the two together and applying it to your hair and scalp and then put on a shower cap for half an hour. Rinse out and shampoo as normal and you'll find your hair wonderfully soft and shiny.
• Eat a handful of walnuts every day - they'll provide you with protein, omega 3 fatty acids, Vitamin E and biotin, all of which contribute significantly to the condition of your hair.
• Don't like avocado? Use an apple cider vinegar to rinse your hair. Apple cider vinegar is a traditional hair tonic and is reputed to reduce tangles, slow hair loss, cure an itchy scalp, minimise split ends and generally condition hair. 
• Eat enough protein. Protein is the basic building block of hair and if your diet's short of it, it's your hair that will suffer. The best source of protein is eggs and other good sources are poultry and fish. It's tougher to eat adequate protein if you're vegetarian or vegan but nuts, legumes and grains all contain it.
• Make sure you also eat oily fish, which is packed with good oils - the omega 3 fatty acids. Not only do these condition your hair from the inside, they're also helpful if you suffer from a dry and itchy scalp. Which fish are oily? Salmon, herring, mackerel and anchovies are the obvious ones, so try and eat them at least a couple of times a week. 
• Who doesn't love honey? But did you realise this natural sweet stuff has wonderful hair-nurturing properties too? Mix it with olive oil or yogurt and use it as a conditioning mask for your hair - best left on for up to an hour. Once your rinse it off, shampoo like normal. It's great for dry hair and split ends.
• Iron: a healthy scalp needs a healthy blood supply, so check whether there's enough iron in your diet. You'll get this super mineral from red meat or leafy green vegetables and your body's better able to absorb it if you eat Vitamin C rich foods at the same time.

Post in conjunction with NiceHair. NiceHair is a hair loss prevention specialist website featuring tips, tricks and advice on hair loss prevention, interviews, healthy eating, delicious recipes as well as beauty tips, product reviews and lists some of the most effective topical hair loss treatments. For more information please visit nicehair.org and get in touch.