Summer Ready Hair Tips for Healthy, Natural, Youthful Hair

There ARE 100,000 reasons to take it easy. What are we taking it easy on? Our pulled, brushed, scrunched, and often stressed hair. Why? Because the average person has about 100,000 hair follicles, and our hair needs our help, that's why. Let's do this!

Hair does not define who we are. You're great no matter what! No hair days or bad hair days... we won't let it burst the happy bubble. Whether you have a little, a lot, or don't really want to mess with it, it doesn't matter at all. However, if there is a cap of hair on our heads, our hair and our scalp sometimes need a little nudge and nourishment.

Summer's heat is coming, and we want to be proactive about conditioning and saving our strands before the damage begins. Vitamins, proteins, healthy butters, and strengthening elements in our plant oil blends can put the kabash on the summer-strand-stripping.

We can take action on our own hair. We have a care routine for our faces, and our hair and scalp needs it as well. Hair comes in many colors and textures, but it's all made of the same elements. Keratin, the hair's protein, is the most abundant, and is also found in our skin, teeth, and nails. Hair also has oils, but often we need to replenish and feed not only with oils, but also with protein. True sources of these elements feed it the right way. Too much or the wrong protein can lead to breakage, but the right blend of oils and nutrients can give it bounce and vitality. 

Hair needs nourishment, protein, vitamins, and a healthy dose of tender loving care. It's been said that many men and women spend more time on their hair than on their faces. 

Yes, it's a tweak on a popular rap song, and the 'glitch' we're talking about here is a bad hair day. Frizz, flyaways, damaged ends, dull strands ~ there's a recipe to fix it, and it's not only on the outside. 

What we eat has much to do with not only our skin, (you've heard us preach about this before), but is also affects our hair. 

Our forks can fix our frizz and flyaways just as it can help our skin. Here are some vitamins known to help strengthen and stimulate hair growth. The sources we can get from foods include Vitamins A, B, C D, Biotin, Zinc, Selenium, Iron, Protein and Omega 3s.  

Our Natural Shine Serum is a bevy of Omegas, Vitamins A, B, C and K, and is much healthier for our hair and scalp than synthetic silicones. We also add coconut to our serum as well as in our Nutri-Pomade & Mask, which is one of the few natural proteins that can feed the hair follicle. These are two ways to externally fix a bad hair day, all the while treating it with care and love. 

Being deficient in nutrients and vitamins may not only show up in our hair, but in our mood. The best source of health always comes from real foods, but taking a multi-vitamin may be necessary to supplement eating habits. Your hair may thank you for it, too!

As with all of our face, body, and yes, even our hair treatments... because we use no fillers or things just to stretch out the product, a little goes a long way. 

Robbing the strands of moisture is a big side effect when we constantly turn up the heat ~ we're talking blow dryers, irons, and even the heat of the sun. 

There are ways to beat the summer heat and get healthy, flowing hair. Allowing the hair to have a 'breather' every now and then is beneficial. Adding heat to the strands damages hair by creating temporary changes to the hydrogen bonds that hold the hair together. What happens next is the cuticle is rough, rather than smooth, and the result is that the hair looks dull.

The climate and pollution can cause hair to become brittle. Over-brushing is another culprit. If hair is thick and curly, a gentle finger comb may be all that is needed. We're fans of this Italian handmade wooden comb which we have available in our Hair Care Essential Kit and on its own. Stimulating the scalp and increasing circulation can give the follicles a boost and may help them grow. 

Allow the hair to air dry and see what happens. Doing this may be a surprise with what happens! But... we can always add a little Nutri-Pomade & Mask, or a tiny bit of Natural Shine Serum to tame anything that needs it. 

Here is an image of some of our products helping in a magazine photo shoot, along with all of the necessary grooming hardware. We spy our Natural Sea Spray, Fresh Body Oil, and Lip Gloss with Olive & Avocado.:) 

Choose your shampoo carefully and thoughtfully. Check EWG.org's Skin Deep database for the clean and healthy brands that avoid harsh chemicals. 

A gentle brushing to pull the natural oils through the strands can be helpful in adding natural luster. Every-other-day washing, or even more, can save much time while saving your style. Our Lavender Powder Dry Shampoo doesn't add anything additional to the hair and scalp. Rather it soaks up excess oil and impurities that can weigh the hair shaft down. Save time, soak up any excess heaviness or oil at the scalp, and don't add anything artificial to the strands. Who wants to walk around with synthetics on their head all day? Not us! 

Waking up with a bed head? We can help. Or "I need a little freshening up" to my style ~ then just a mist or two of our Natural Sea Spray will hydrate with a gentle mist. Tousle and wave fingers through the hair as desired and allow to dry. No need to soak hair or add massive amounts of spray... just a mist, a shake, and away you go. Its natural, fresh aroma is clean and not heavy.

Additionally, here's a tip about our mister on the Natural Sea Spray ~ we do not include any slipping agents or ingredients to add slip to the spray. Occasionally the mister will stick down after use. Simply pull it up to activate it for your next mist. We'd rather add our natural elbow grease to the mister when needed than something synthetic. 

Save time and save your style. Seriously. 

Use a light touch when handling your hair. Damaged hair is brittle and breaks easily. Healthy hair stretches and bounces back. When shampooing, gently massage with your fingers and work through the hair. No coming the hair when it's wet! Add your conditioner, rinse with warm water and remove excess water with a towel. When rinsing, some say a cool boost of water will close the cuticles and add shine. Try it ~ it's summer! 

Less is more when it comes to washing hair. Just like with our skin, over stripping the scalp of its natural oils may encourage the scalp to secrete more oils. Use gentle and natural shampoos and conditioners when you need them ~ see EWG.org for a healthy list. In between regular shampoos our Lavender Powder Dry Shampoo absorbs any heaviness or excess oils on the scalp, and doesn't leave anything synthetic or heavy on the strands. If you wake up with a bad hair day, just a little mist, and we mean little mist, of our Natural Sea Spray can get the pillow waves out and add a little beachy separation and volume where you need it. 

Put down the blow dryer and see how your hair dries naturally. If you're a regular blow drying person, then it may take some getting used to but see how your hair reacts to being 'au naturale.' Touching up the ends with our Nutri-Pomade & Mask or a tiny bit of our Natural Shine Serum can calm and add manageability while nourishing the ends. Finish with just a spritz of our Natural Sea Spray to add some separation and volume. These are natural options for you if you just have to mess with it. :)

A wide toothed comb is gentler on the strands than a brush. Our wooden comb that we love from Widu takes the cake. Sustainably sourced wood, handmade in Italy, and meant to last ~ I've personally had mine for years ~ it's all you need. The teeth are also wonderful to gently massage and stimulate the scalp. If the hair is snarled a bit, start at the ends and gently work your way to the scalp. 

Try to limit the hair drying treatments and work in more nourishing and fortifying treatments. Masking and fortifying the strands with our Nutri-Pomade & Mask or Natural Shine Serum can add extra conditioning after you've rinsed your regular hair conditioner down the drain.

Deep condition hair weekly, but adding just a small amount daily is like taking a multi-vitamin every day to target the hair. Applying our Natural Shine Serum as a finishing oil on wet or dry hair will add moisture and a bit of natural shine without weighing it down. Start small, because too much is just too much. 

If you already know about Qet Botanicals, then you already know that we don't formulate makeup or traditional shampoos or conditioners. We're all about healthy skin, hair and bodies, and our focus is on those products that we carry around on our bodies all day, rather than what gets washed down the drain. It's all about healing and revealing, rather than covering it up! 

We recommend researching EWG.org Skin Deep's database to find healthy selections for traditional shampoos and conditions. They also have a Skin Deep phone app so when you're at your nearest health food store, you can scan and look up products right there on the spot. We were fortunate enough to have some of our products included in the swag bags that they shared when they launched their app. Fun! 

Most gals love products, and we're no different. However, we found it necessary to just have the four finishing treatments that we offer because they can be used in so many different ways and on different hair conditions. 

Here is an overview of why we love our four Qet hair products and how we use them. We love them all, and they're in no particular order. 

Our Lavender Powder Dry Shampoo ~ we prefer to use our eco-friendly brush to apply it only where needed, but a pinch in the fingertips can work just fine. Our dry shampoo been touted by a makeup artist as being one of the best ~ it leaves nothing synthetic on the scalp or locks. It's a blend of 100% clean botanical-based powders of roots and lavender, with oils of rosemary to benefit the scalp and absorb impurities on the scalp. It's a time saver. 

Natural Sea Spray ~ many sea sprays can be drying to the hair surface, and many contain alcohols and drying agents. Our sea spray is made from the purest of salts to benefit the scalp with its minerals, and we've added conditioning oils to add an element of moisture. It gives hair a bit of natural volume with a clean, freshened herbal fragrance from the natural botanicals. Lavender, rosemary, carrot, and red raspberry oils will stop the elements from taking away what nature (or your stylist) gave you. Just a couple of quick mists on finished hair will give you a bit of a fix, and you can still weave your fingers or comb through it.

Natural Shine Serum ~ no silicones or synthetics here! It's a common practice to use silicones on hair, but being synthetic and sometimes moisture-robbing, we avoid all of that and prefer to use botanical oils to get the job done. Protein, Vitamins A, B and C feed the locks and give it a boost. Coconut, broccoli seed oil, lavender, raspberry, carrot ~ all benefit the scalp and strand. Our serum can naturally improve your hair’s shine and luster without adding harmful chemicals to your follicles or scalp. You can use this serum as a pre-wash conditioner and post-grooming product to help reduce the protein loss for both damaged and healthy hair. The ends of your hair will benefit before blow-drying, straightening, or receiving a color treatment from this light layer of protection. Only one pump (yes, we've recently included a pump!) is usually needed for your entire head of hair when applied to dry or distressed ends. It will also benefit healthy and dry scalps.

Nutri-Pomade & Mask with Shea & Coconut ~ awarded as a best pomade in 2015 and again in 2018, men and women alike, beards and moustaches, and even eyebrows and cuticles have all come to love this pomade. It is in a solid form and once melted between fingertips and applied to ends, the happy grooming begins. Many pomades are just grooming products, this just happens to be a nutrient-dense mask as well. Naturally occurring penetrating proteins deep condition and restore vitality to help strengthen and prevent breaking. It will not affect color or hair treatments and feels light and touchable. Because it's thicker than our hair serum, all hair conditions can enjoy it. Thick, coarse, or curly hair can really benefit from regular use. It protects hair before straightening or using styling tools. It’s very concentrated, so just a little here and there to tame fly-aways or dry ends will work wonders - giving you another good hair day. It also works beautifully as a weekly hydration mask for your hair and scalp. Keeping your scalp healthy is essential for any new growth of hair. This is a nourishing treatment for your often-forgotten scalp.

New to our hair treatments? Well, you know we love our face and body starter kits, and we happen to have two of them for hair. 

Our Hair Care Suite is a sampling of our four hair finishing products in trial and travel sizes. Our Hair Care Essential Set includes a full sized Natural Shine Serum, a half-ounce sample of our Nutri-Pomade & Mask, and the Italian-made wooden comb that we love so much. Options ~ we love 'em! 

If you're a friend of ours, then you already know that Qet Botanicals has not only earned the safest ranking in the EWG.org Skin Deep database, but many of our products are part of their EWG Verified program. Attention to not only safe ingredients, but also manufacturing practices and percentages of actives comes into play. It's the next step in clean and natural beauty... because, unfortunately, clean and natural beauty is not what it used to be. 

We get asked often about our favorite shampoos and conditioners. Many pick and choose their way through dozens of brands to find their favorites, and we're no different. We're always happy to have our Nutri-Pomade and Natural Shine Serum on hand for any serious hair blunders.

To find a healthy shampoo and conditioner, choose your shampoo carefully and thoughtfully and check EWG.org's Skin Deep database for the clean and healthy brands that avoid harsh chemicals.

Here is a list of 5 common and harmful chemicals to avoid in hair products. 

1. Synthetic Colors ~ avoid the letters F (food color) and D&C (drug and cosmetic colors). Synthetic colors are suspected to cause cancer in human and are have been linked to ADHD in children. 
2. Fragrance ~ this could be hundreds of chemicals that don't need to be listed separately. According to EWG, fragrances have been associated with alternating the hormones, dermatitis, allergies, and causing respiratory stress.
3. Phthalates ~ they've been linked to an increased risk in breast cancer, breast development in teens, and reproductive birth defects. This chemical is added to hundreds of different types of products to increase the softness and flexibility of plastics, as well as help a fragrance linger on the surface.
4. Sodium Laurel / Laureth Sulfate (SLS) ~ it now comes in many different names, and this ingredient can be found in industrial cleaners and detergents, as well as in engines. Very damaging to hair, and a long list of health issues when exposed to it. 
5. Isopropryl Alcohol ~ Many hair gels, volumizers, hair sprays, and root lifters use it to hold the hair. When not used in hair products, it's used in antifreeze, wood finishes, shellac, and detergents to dissolve oils. Not only is this a damaging agent for hair, inhaling the alcohol, even when hidden in a 'fragrance,' it can cause depression, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, and may require a trip to the hospital. 

Let's switch gears and list what hair loves! It loves to breathe, relax, not be brushed when it's wet, not bound up too much, not overly combed, and not overheated. 

Here are several organic ingredients that hair loves that we've also included in our hair finishing products:

• coconut oil ~ promotes scalp health, prevents hair breakage, stimulates hair growth by penetrating the follicles.
• broccoli seed oil ~ highly moisturizing, adds natural shine, non-greasy, Vitamins A, B, and C may help to prevent hair loss, fight free radicals, and help to add health and thickness to strands.
• shea butter ~ adds natural fat and vitamins for hair, is a good source of moisture, naturally anti-inflammatory and nourishing for the strands and scalp. 
• rosemary oil ~ helps to stimulate hair growth, can help prevent dandruff, and some think it can slow down natural color loss of hair. 
• carrot seed oil ~ a natural source of Vitamins A, E and beta-carotene, can help stimulate the growth of new cells, adds natural shine and can help strengthen the strand. 

Need a healthy hint and gift idea for Father's Day, or for that grad in the house? Here are the favorites that are made by women and loved by women, but they’re not just for women. In fact, they're often found on 'his' side of the sink. :) 

Here we go ~ 

• For short and long hair, beards and moustaches ~ A 2018 and 2015 Earth Day Beauty Award winner, our Nutri-Pomade & Mask adds nourishment and protects against the elements.
• Forest Fresh Dry Deodorant Putty ~ no synthetics, no stink, no problem.
• Lip Balm with Green Tea & Vitamins ~ keep ‘em soft and keep ‘em kissable, day and night. And it won’t melt in your pocket.
• Espresso Mint Body Polish ~ no more rough elbows. Cleanse and soften all in one exhilarating step.
• Ultra Garden Serum for Body ~ A 2016 Earth Day Award Winner and a big fave of men and women. Before sun, after sun, after showering ~ concentrated with all-day hydration.

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." ~ Hippocrates.

Our food is our medicine, for our skin as well as for our hair.

Healthy skin starts from our forks and continues with our daily routines. Hair can benefit just like our skin can. Bad hair day? Then make it a great food day and see how your mood and your hair can feel and look better in no time.

Give yourself a break, let go a little bit, and let the wind blow through your hair or on your scalp. Our clothes, our makeup, and our hair do not define us, but... our smile just might. Keep smiling and keep making these healthy choices. Every little bit matters.  

xx

~ Lisa