According to various studies and surveys, a woman’s beauty is strongly linked to beautiful hair. Women are aware of this and invest heavily in their hair. So, let’s find out what kind of return you can expect from investing in one solution or another.

To keep your hair looking beautiful, its structure must be intact and the amount of sebum must be maintained. Some of the sebum is produced by the hair itself, while some comes from the sebaceous glands in the skin. Hair colour depends on melanin, which is produced by the roots of the hair.

The shape of the hair and the angle of growth of the follicle determine how the hair looks. If the hair is cylindrical and grows perpendicular to the surface of the skin, it is straight; if it is elliptical and grows diagonally to the surface of the skin, it is wavy. Curly hair itself is almost flat and grows almost parallel to the surface of the skin.

Hair can be:

1. straight, wavy, curly (shape);
2. thin, medium, thick (fibre density);
3. soft, medium, rough (surface);
4. dry, normal, oily, damaged, coloured (hair condition);
5. dry, normal, oily, sensitive, flaky (scalp) conditions*.
*Classification by Aubrey Organics

Healthy hair is a reflection of a balanced diet, lifestyle and cosmetics. Frequent bleaching, straightening, blow-drying and excessive use of synthetic cosmetics take a lot of time and money to repair the damage. Like skin, hair is naturally acidic; therefore, frequent shampooing with a shampoo that is not good for the skin upsets the acid balance and can damage healthy hair. So, the first step in hair care would be the regular use of a mixture of plant extracts for HAIR STRENGTHENING. The mixture has a pH = 5.4 and is composed of aqueous concentrated extracts of birch and nettle bioactive substances, balanced in such a way as to nourish the hair with growth-promoting bioactive substances. The active ingredients of natural lemon balm essential oil soothe irritated skin.

The second step in hair care is to use a natural and pH-balanced conditioning shampoo and to rinse your hair as little as possible. Every 7-10 days would be ideal, but if your hair is prone to oiliness or you live and work in a polluted environment, you will need to use this shampoo more often.
Severely damaged hair that has been burnt by chemical combing or straightening can take more time and effort to repair. Additionally, once every few months, the roots can be nourished with extra virgin olive oil. It is known to strengthen hair follicles, thus promoting their natural shine. Castor oil has also been used since ancient times as a hair stiffener and shine treatment. Although castor oil is sticky, it rinses off surprisingly easily. Jojoba, peach kernel and sunflower seed oils are also excellent for most hair and scalp types, except very oily scalps. In this case, a hair tonic would be more suitable.

PREPARATION AND USE OF HAIR AND SCALP OILS
First, choose the essential oils that are most suitable for your hair and scalp, taking into account your favourite fragrance. Add up to 20 drops to a 50 ml bottle of base oil and shake well. Start with damp hair (otherwise it will be much harder to shampoo out the oil). Massage the scalp with the aromatic mixture and apply the oil to the hair, paying particular attention to the ends, which are prone to dryness and frizz. Cover your head with a towel and leave it for up to an hour before washing.

HAIR AND SCALP TONICS
If your hair is very oily or long and difficult to comb out after shampooing, it is a good idea to rinse it with a 50/50 mixture of distilled water and birch hydrolate, a tablespoon of cider vinegar or lemon juice.

List of references used:
1. G. Azguridienė “Cosmetics – what we do with it, and it with us”, Vilnius, UAB “Balto print” 2017
2. C.Wildwood “The Encyclopedia of Aromatherapy”, Healing Arts Press, Vermont, 1996