Make Your Hair Glad It's Attached To You!

Even the busiest Mom has a right to feel good, and knowing the basics of hair care goes a long way to getting you there; then, on top of that, you can start the pampering!

Even the busiest Mom has a right to feel good, and knowing the basics of hair care goes a long way to getting you there; then, on top of that, you can start the pampering!

Start with the right bits and pieces!

1. Choose a shampoo that suits your hair as it is today!. What you're using might have suited you 5 years ago ... maybe even 6 months ago ... but does it still? Or are you using whatever left-overs you find from husband and kids? If your favourite shampoo doesn't always wash out as well as you'd like ... try mixing some baking soda with it. It helps remove the residue. It can also help shampoo remove the remains of sprays and gels and conditioners. (A blonde moment, as my not-blonde girlfriend would say ... what would the inventor of Baking powder have called it if s/he had known how many uses it would have?)

2. Chances are you should be using a conditioner (unless you have that type of super-fine hair that whimpers even at the sight of a conditioner). Why do you need it? For protection and repair. Protection against chemical and heat damage and harsh brushing; and repair from these same sins.

3. You need a wide tooth comb. This is the only piece of hair equipment that should touch your wet hair -- NEVER brush wet hair!

4. A good, POWERFUL blow dryer. Power means faster drying, and speed means less exposure to the heat. Speed also means morning survival for a busy Mom. In my case, it was the alternative to HOURS of wet hair (my 2 daughters and I are blessed with about 6 people's hair. If we ever discover who they are we'll give it back.)

Also, be aware ...

It may seem odd on the topic of hair care but your diet genuinely makes a big difference to the condition of your hair, and busy Moms often eat poorly. Fruit, veggies and nuts are good. Coconut is excellent.

You can keep it simple

Olive Oil makes a conditioner that puts an incredible shine in your hair (even after you've rinsed it out!).

Hand cream, rubbed on your hands first, can convert frizzy hair to smooth-ish hair.

And the claim has been made that a drop of vinegar in the rinse can help to maintain hair's pH balance. Personally I'd not want to do this last one except in an emergency, but ... Mom's have more time-emergencies and forgot-to-buy-it emergencies than most so ... be aware that some gelatin dissolved in warm water makes a functional hair gel, just keep it refrigerated. And hope the neighbourhood dogs have been fed when you go out!

Getting Fancy

You can make a variety of hot-oil hair treatments, to massage into your hair and scalp, before wrapping your hair in a hot towel for 15 minutes or so, then shampooing (you might need to repeat) and rinsing. You can wrap hair in Saran wrap and then a towel if you want a more intensive treatment, by the way.

The simplest of all is probably to just use Canola oil. Another simple oil treatment is to combine castor oil and soybean oil. For a deep conditioning, you can combine dried rosemary leaves with olive oil, warmed then strained. (The don't-you-wish version: Fresh Rosemary, simmered in almond or sunflower oil for a couple of hours; it sounds wonderful and feels wonderful but it takes more time than most Moms have.)

Again, it's how you do it that counts

Use the time-tricks we already talked about to get your self an extra 15 - 30 minutes at least once a week. Prepare the hair oil, wrap up, then sit down and enjoy a good book! (While you also soak in a hot bath?). Nice ...

When there's a problem

These tips come from diynet.com. For a dry scalp: 4 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar, 2 cups aloe vera gel and 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil. Blend at low speed. Apply to wet hair.

For oily hair: What they say is, massage finely grated carrots into wet hair for 15 minutes before rinsing. Now, they could of course just be having a huge giggle at your expense as they think of you doing this.

For dry hair: mash some avocado into your wet hair for 15 minutes before rinsing. (OK, they probably ARE having a giggle).

For normal hair: mash some cucumber ... I must stop poking fun. These tips actually DO work!