Strength training tips - for your hair

MANILA, Philippines - Among the many things my mother used to nag me about when I was growing up, was to keep my hair out of my face. As most daughters are wont to do, I defiantly left my unruly mop unstyled. However, there are times when I have to listen. For one, the heat has been really unbearable. Also, for the past three months, I’ve been in a semi-committed relationship with my gym instructors. (I keep cheating on them with frozen desserts.) As a result, my go-to hair style on most mornings is a hasty ponytail. I’ve been a devoted user of Goody Slide-Proof Black Elastics since college — they’re the only hair ties that can keep my thick head of hair in place without snapping. But lately, I’ve begun to worry about how often I’ve been using them because those elastics are scary tight.

My concern stems from a piece of advice I probably read in a magazine when I was barely legal: Give your hair a break in between ponies in order to prevent your strands from weakening. Also, it would be a good idea to alternate high ponytails with mid-to-low ponytails because tying your hair around the same section every day could result in breakage. Like my mother’s advice, I’ve retained all this information, but with this heat, I consider it optional. If my hair had to take a fitness test, it would probably get mediocre marks. (That was a weird analogy, but you catch my drift.)

Through thick and thin

Over the years, I’ve retained a suprising amount of haircare advice from various sources: magazines, television shows, the Internet, experts, old wives’ tales, etc. From a single episode of Rissa Mananquil’s The Kikay Machine (that I probably watched 15 times when I was 14 and may have committed to memory) that was filmed at the Kerastase Institute, I learned that wet hair is very vulnerable. Therefore, it’s better to gently squeeze the moisture out of your hair with a towel after washing than to rub vigorously — the friction can be damaging. Also, you know how in movies, when women in locker rooms walk around with wet hair wrapped in a towel turban? Apparently that can cause damage too because you’re twisting your hair while it’s wet.

Since shampoo contains harmful detergents that are really too harsh for hair, the Kerastase expert that Rissa was interviewing also advised diluting shampoo with water before applying to your scalp (only put a little on hair itself if you used a styling product). In fact, given how harsh commercial shampoo is, it’s better if you don’t wash your hair every day. I’ve learned to shampoo every other day and condition on alternate days, while massaging my scalp with water to take out any oils that may have built up. YStyle editor Bea Ledesma prefers to spring $35 on dry shampoo by Bumble and Bumble — hey, different strokes for different strands. When conditioning, focus on the hair shaft because applying to your roots will only weigh your hair down. After, use a wide-toothed comb to detangle. (Personally, I prefer finger combing my hair after applying conditioner while the strands are still lubricated.)

Last, there is no product in the world that will repair split ends — it’s best to just cut your losses (literally) and get a trim. When I was a teenager, a trim every six months was a good rule of thumb. Now, I’ve learned that since long hair is technically old hair and thus, more fragile and more prone to splitting, you’ll need one every eight to 12 weeks. Ditto for medium-length hair, while short hair requires one every four to eight weeks if you want your hair style to stay in shape.

Don’t stress those tresses

Most of the haircare tips I’ve picked up have to do with the fragility of wet hair, but I why is wet hair so vulnerable? According to Allison Salvador, the brand manager over at L’Oreal Paris haircare, “Our hair is naturally composed of 12-percent water. But when it holds more water than it should, hair expands. This stretches the fiber to its limit, making it fragile and more prone to hair fall.” She also explained that when hair is wet, the cuticles, which comprise the outer layer of our hair, are raised, exposing the core to outside elements. The only way to close the cuticles is to dry hair completely in order to prevent the core being exposed to UV rays, pollution and humidity.

L’Oreal Professionnel expert Eddiemar Cabiltes chipped in, saying that you also should avoid using styling products and tools on wet hair because it isn’t strong enough to handle it. The exception, of course, would be a blow-dryer, but use it at the lowest heat setting. The best types of products to use on wet hair, he says, are organic hair oils, like L’Oreal Mythic Oil or organic varieties of Moroccan Argan oils, since wet hair absorbs it better.

Also, apparently I’ve been reaping more benefits than I thought by opting to massage my scalp on non-shampoo days, but Allison recommended taking it up a notch and massage my scalp even when I do shampoo. “A good scalp massage does wonders for your scalp’s blood circulation, making the roots healthy and able to produce healthy and strong hair, resistant to hair fall,” she said. Apparently, it’s a widespread practice in India for women to massage their scalp at night with oils (maybe that’s why Mindy Kaling has such thick, shiny hair).

Something tells me that maybe if I follow all of these tips to the letter, my hair might not rebel against me for putting up in a high ponytail almost everyday. Or not. Worst case scenario, I can just chop all my hair off and start again.