How to Keep Your Hair Healthy During Quarantine

Quarantine has kept many of us hunkered down at home and going out only for essential errands. One would think that the time we spend at home would be suitable for our hair. After all, we’re keeping away from pollution, ambient heat, and harmful UV rays – the known causes of hair becoming dry and damaged. But to many people’s surprise, their hair still dried out even though they’ve been staying at home all this time.

Here are some probable reasons why many are experiencing dry hair during quarantine:

• They’re outdoors longer than they think. Quarantine is making people want to go outside more than before COVID-19 struck. Since they can’t just go where they want to be, they hang out in the backyard, balcony, or by the pool instead. They don’t realize that they’re spending more time under the sun, as a result.

• They mess with their hair too much out of boredom. During the early days of quarantine, a lot of people entertained themselves by doing self-makeovers, playing dress-up, experimenting with new looks, and sharing their videos and photos with their friends online. They tried different hairstyles and used a lot of products on their hair. Many also dyed their hair with DIY hair coloring kits.

• A lot of people have been surviving on pasta, canned food, frozen meats, and other easy-to-prepare food when in quarantine. This is understandable for people who live in tiny apartments where cooking on a cooktop gas stove is forbidden, and the only way they can enjoy warm food is if it is microwaveable. They might not realize it, but the lack of nutrition is probably one of the reasons why their hair fees dry and dull.

Going by these causes, we can come up with the following tips on how to prevent hair from getting duller and drier with each day you spend in COVID-19 quarantine:

• Pamper your hair by using highly-moisturizing and nourishing shampoo for damaged hair. Avoid commercial brands that use too much sulfate and choose the ones with natural ingredients instead.

• Air-dry your hair or pat it dry with a towel instead of using a hairdryer every day.

• Wash your hair every other day or every two days. Since you’re staying at home, your hair and scalp shouldn’t get dirty and warrant a daily shampoo.

• Protect your hair from the sun even if you’re only walking around, gardening, or exercising in your backyard for a few minutes. Wear a wide-brimmed hat or a cap. Better yet, install an outdoor or lawn umbrella by the seating areas in your yard.

• Eat more fruits and vegetables! If cooking in your apartment is not allowed, plan healthy meals that you can assemble without having to cook anything. An example is a club sandwich sans bacon. And if you want to add bacon, you can heat it on the microwave or rice cooker, if you own one.

• Drink lots of water. It’s easy to forget to drink eight glasses a day when you’re not sweating or doing something exhausting. Use a health app on your smartphone and set a reminder on specific times of the day.

Follow these steps, and you will soon notice improvements in your hair.