If you’re like a lot of people, you may run into a local drug store, pick up a shampoo brand that you’re familiar with and not give much thought to

it. This one faux pas might be the reason why your hair is not as soft and manageable as you’d like it to be. To keep your locks in great condition,

href="http://www.refinery29.com/best-shampoos-hair-type#slide" target="_blank">read the label to see if the shampoo is for dry, oily, color-treated, or curly hair. That way, you can feel confident that the ingredients will actually nourish your hair. 

Something you can do to give your hair some extra sheen is to rinse it in cool water. When you shampoo your hair in warm water, that opens up your

hair’s cuticles so that they can get clean. Cool water is what seals them back up, leaving them less vulnerable to damage. Speaking of rinsing, something that removes excess residue

is apple cider vinegar. Run a cup of it over your hair right after washing/conditioning. Then, follow that up with a cool rinse.

There’s nothing wrong with using a blow dryer (or any heating tool) every once in a while. But if you’re doing it every day, split ends and frizziness are bound

to happen sooner or later. It really is best to let your hair air dry. In the warmer months, it’s pretty easy to do. During the cooler ones, wash your

hair at night, put it in braids and then run a dryer on the lowest setting in the morning. That will significantly reduce the risk of damage. Also, don’t forget

to put a silicone sealant on your hair before drying it. That will help to keep some moisture in your hair.

Does it seem like your hair can’t get enough moisture, no matter what you do? Don’t weigh it down with oil. Instead, put a light leave-in conditioner on it. You

can even make your own if you want!

Something else that will improve the quality of your hair over time is applying a hair mask to it no less than twice a month. The key is to focus

on the ends of your hair so that you can avoid them frizzing up or splitting. Just make sure you make one that also fits your hair type. 

Some women try and avoid getting their ends trimmed because they think it compromises their length. The reality is that trimming doesn’t help your hair to grow faster. That’s up

to genetics, for the most part. What it does do is help insure that the hair you have is healthy! How often do you need a trim? It kind of depends on how

fast your hair grows, but around every six weeks is good.

Healthy hair starts from the inside out. Eat right. Drink lots of water. And take a multi-vitamin. One that contains a daily supply of biotin in it. That will help

to supplement anything that your diet might be lacking so that your hair can be long, healthy and shiny!