Healthy hair is a vanity shared by both Men and Women. Let us look at some simple thing we can do everyday to care for our tresses.

• Cleanse– As with skin care, choose your shampoo with care. A pH balanced, sulphate free shampoo can be used to cleanse your hair and scalp two- three times a week. Use mild shampoos even if your scalp tends to get oily, using an aggressive shampoo can make problems worse as the scalp secretes more oil when it tends to get dry. Use anti dandruff shampoos in moderation, they can cause dry hair and hair fall.

• Dry– Pat dry your hair with a towel, try not to rub the scalp or hair vigorously. If you are using a hair dryer, make sure it is at low heat, and do stop before drying the hair all the way. Do use heat protecting spray before styling with a dryer.

• Colour – Choose hair colours which are low in PPD and are ammonia free. You can use vegetable based dyes, however, they do not cover greys very effectively. Try to avoid or minimalize bleaching hair (as in highlights)

• Cut – Do indulge in a hair trim at least once in three months, this removes the splits in the hair ends and ensures good growth of the hair length.

• Hair styles – Hair styles which put unnecessary pull on the scalp can cause baldness over the area. Use loose braids and loose ponytails instead.

• Styling products – Styling products tend to accumulate on the hair shafts, and cause dandruff. Do wash regularly, and avoid overuse of styling products if possible.

• Food – Pay attention to what you eat. Hair is made up of protein, so make sure you get your share every day. Include a diet rich in proteins, after all proteins are the building blocks of hair. Add portions of dal, lentils, soya, yoghurt, mushrooms, egg whites, fish and other lean meats in your diet. Add generous portions of green leafy vegetables and foods containing omega fatty acids like walnuts, fish and sunflower seeds.

• Water – Hydrate your hair by taking 8-10 glasses of water every day.

• Sleep – A disturbed sleep pattern can cause both premature greying of hair and hair loss, pay attention to your sleeping habits, and ensure 8 hours of shut eye every night.

• Stress – Stress is bad for your tresses, so do take off time for meditation and exercise to distress.

• Quit smoking – Smoking is harmful for the growth of hair, and can cause premature greying of hair and balding. Kick the habit.

• Consult a dermatologist– If you have tried all the above and your hair fall persists, you can consult Dr. Rasya Dixit and get to the root of the problem.