Hair Accessories And Alternatives That Protect Your Hair

When it comes to managing your hair, there are countless pieces of advice online. While many of these tips and tricks can produce pretty results, they also can wreak havoc on the structure of your hair by causing breakage or drying out your strands. The following will explore some of the accessories and alternatives that can help you seek out the look you want without sacrificing your hair’s health.

Elastics, Ponytail Holders, And Scrunchies

When it comes to tying back strands of hair, most elastics get the job done but are tough on your strands. When seeking out scrunchies, look for materials that are known to be gentle on hair like silk. When seeking elastics and ponytail holders, look for spiral hair ties, which result in less crimping because their shape results in less contact with hair and, therefore, less breakage. None of these alternatives are more expensive than what you’re already using, but they will help keep your strands intact.

Swap Out Pillowcases

You might not think that your pillowcase is a hair accessory, but it is. Your hair spends a fair amount of time against your pillowcase and is affected by the texture of it, just like it’s affected by the products you use and the clips and elastics you tie in. Seek out materials that are gentle on your hair, like silk and certain bamboo materials. As a bonus, both silk and bamboo are highly sustainable materials, so not only will your hair be feeling the care, but your environment will too.

Wide Toothed Comb

If your hair is long enough to get tangled, you’re probably brushing it a little bit (or a lot, depending on how unruly it is). Traditional brushes tend to be hard on hair resulting in tears and breaks. Using a wide-toothed comb can help protect your tresses. Take the time to brush at the ends of your hair first and work slowly up towards the roots instead of trying to break every tangle at once.

An Old T-Shirt

An old t-shirt might not seem like a hair accessory, but once you try this tip, you won’t think of it as anything less. Instead of using a rough towel to dry your hair, use an old t-shirt. The fibers are worn soft and do far less damage than a towel. Many people also find this to be a step towards sleeker hair as a percentage of frizz tends to be caused by rough towel-drying.

Don’t Style Your Hair While Wet

There are many accessories that aren’t harmful to your hair per se, but when your hair is wet and more prone to breakage, they can be. The solution to this isn’t to ditch the accessory but to do your styling on dry hair only. This goes for combing and brushing as well.

The above tips should help you take better care of your hair without sacrificing the styles you love. Most of these accessory switches are fast and easy, and comparatively priced. In some cases, they’re even less expensive (beach towel versus the old t-shirt you were going to throw away, for example). Once you begin incorporating these switches, you should be able to see fewer split ends and broken strands.

Until Next Time~

Marie Papachatzis
I Am THE Makeup Junkie
IG: iamthemakeupjunkie
@iammakeupjunkie