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My hair … It’s a sore spot for me.

Mainly because I have dealt with a fair amount of hair loss over the last couple years, thanks to my autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s). I know many, many women who can commiserate.

I have always had super fine hair. I have been told by a number of stylists that I have a lot of hair, but it’s just so fine that it feels thin and has very little body. I keep my cut pretty short, so that I can take advantage of what little body I do have. When I have long hair, it looks even thinner.

I never really had any hair issues until January of 2012 and then all of a sudden, I started losing hair.

Not just the few strands that is normal to lose (50-150 strands per day is considered “normal”).

Maybe I was only losing the “normal” amount, but to me it felt like much more. When I’d shampoo, my hands would be covered. When I’d brush, my brush seemed fuller than normal. When I combed, there were way more hairs on there than I’d like to see.

At one point, I even considered sitting down and counting the number of hairs that I pulled out of my brush after brushing my hair. (My practitioner at the time told me to STOP!)

I quickly learned that hair loss is one of the most common symptoms of thyroid disease, so at least I had a good idea of what was causing it.

In the summer of 2012, I embarked on my health journey to help treat my Hashi’s and get a handle on all the stuff that was happening inside my body. You can read about my journey here (though I have been a slacker and haven’t posted recently, but I will be picking that up again soon!).

Things have definitely gotten better. And, my hair loss has slowed down. It actually seemed to have become cyclical, following the seasons.

BUT, even though the hair loss slowed down, I still always felt that I was losing more than I should be and it continued to be an obsessive focus for me.

Over the last few years, I have learned a lot about hair and there are 5 things that all play a role into keeping that head of hair healthy and happy. These are all 5 things that I have implemented into my lifestyle and they have made a big difference.

5 Tips for Perfectly Healthy Hair

5 Tips for Perfectly Healthy Hair (and a look into my own hair loss) // deliciousobsessions.com

1. Eat clean.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but what you put into your body directly affects your skin, hair, teeth, etc.

Keep your diet clean and eat lots of veggies, pastured/grass-fed meats, healthy fats, etc. I personally follow the paleo / primal style of eating, but find the style that works best for you and stick with it. Keep in mind that many styles of eating can be overly restrictive and not allow you full range of nutrients that you need.

Get a ton of kitchen-tested real food / paleo recipes the whole family will love here.

2. Add gelatin.

I love, love, love gelatin. It is good for our skin, hair, nails, and gut. Part of achieving and maintaining optimal health is to get your gut functioning properly. You can do this by eliminating food allergens, reducing stress, and supplementing with certain nutrients.

Read more about why gelatin is so awesome here.

Read more about gut health and the major role it plays here.

3. Check your mineral balances.

This is something I wish I had done years ago when I first started noticing the hair loss. Hindsight is always 20/20, right?

Mineral imbalance in the body can often lead to a variety of health conditions and symptoms — one of which is hair loss. I just recently got my mineral balances checked via a hair tissue test and I was amazed at what I discovered. Now, I am on a focused nutritional balancing program in order to help remedy some of the imbalances that I currently have.

Read more about hair mineral testing here.

4. Ditch the chemicals.

Did you know that the average women puts over 500 chemicals on their bodies every day (source)?

That is insane! No wonder we are all so sick!

Don’t forget that your skin is your largest organ — what you put on your skin goes directly into your body. When you think about the number of products we use every day from lotions to shampoos to hair dyes to makeup to makeup remover, it’s no wonder that we are exposed to so much junk.

Now is the time to put a stop to all of this for the sake of your health. There are so many natural skin care options, from commercial to homemade, that there really is no good reason why we should not make the switch.

Check out my homemade skin care recipes here.

Read my article about toxic skin care products here.

5. Stop washing your hair.

Yeah. I can picture your face now. heh heh.

No, I don’t mean never ever wash your hair again. BUT, I do mean wash your hair less.

I used to wash my hair every day. Not any more. Now I only wash my hair every 3-4 days and my hair has never looked better. It is soft, smooth, and healthy looking.

When I started cleaning up my environment as part of my healing journey, the first thing to go was my traditional shampoo and conditioner. I hopped on the no ‘poo wagon for a little while (read all about that here), but found that it didn’t work for me.

I then tried a variety of organic commercial products, but never could quite get the results I wanted. I am stoked that I have now have found a shampoo (and hair care routine) that suits my lifestyle and keeps me healthy.

Finally Finding Something that Worked!

Like I mentioned above, I no longer use any chemicals on my skin or hair. I only wash my hair every 3-4 days — and my hair looks great!

As I experimented with different products, I found that I liked some products better than others. I also discovered some new hair care techniques that have really made a difference. The products I am now using for my hair are from Morrocco Method International.

A few months ago, Morrocco Methods sent me a care package with a section of their hair care products. I was rather skeptical, as I had already tried a number of organic and natural products and really didn’t think these would make that big of a difference in my hair care routine. But, I was pleasantly surprised when I started using them and could see a noticeable difference in my hair and scalp health after a few weeks of regular use.

FTC DISCLOSURE: I was provided with samples of Morrocco Method products at no charge. I was under no obligation to post a review, nor did I receive any monetary compensation for this post. All views and opinions expressed are my own. This post contains affiliate links and/or ads. I am part of their affiliate program and when you make a purchase through any of these links, I earn a small commission on each sale. This has no effect on your sale price and is simply a cost of doing business for the company you are purchasing from. Read our full terms and conditions here.

I was excited when the package arrived, as I was ready to try some new products and see if I could finally find something that worked well for me. You can check out a snapshot of the care package below:

Even though I was looking forward to trying all of the products, I was most excited about the henna.

I am a henna addict.

I would henna my hair a couple times a month if I can afford it, just for the deep conditioning benefits. Henna makes my hair feel so amazingly soft and smooth — unlike anything else I’ve tried.

You can read my detailed post about henna here.

My Hair Care Routine

Now, I am far from being a girly girl.

I wear jeans and t-shirts daily. I don’t wear makeup and I spend pretty much zero time on my skin and hair. But, there are 4 things that I do take the time to do and they have made a big difference in my hair and scalp health:

1. I brush my hair with a quality boar bristle brush.

Did you know you may be brushing your hair the wrong way?

I had no clue until I got this new boar bristle brush from Morrocco Method (which feels amazing on my head) and watched the video below.

Now, regardless of whether you buy into the whole chi / body energy stuff, give this method a try. My hair started looking and feeling better when I began using this method of brushing. Now I am kind of addicted. 😉

 

2. I use henna instead of chemicals dyes.

I have already professed my love of henna above, so I won’t go into that here. I gave up chemical dyes many, many years ago. I have been henna-ing my hair for a number of years now and just love the way it makes my hair feel.

I am really picky about my henna brands (the average store brand doesn’t cut it), so I was excited to try Morrocco’s line of henna. They use super high-quality henna and test for contaminants (like heavy metals), so I know that the henna I am using is both pure and safe for my skin and hair.

I received two different kinds: Natural Red and Light Brown to test out.

I used the Light Brown first and loved it. I had never played with adding indigo to my red henna and I much prefer it now over the straight red. With the brown added, the color is darker and richer, plus it doesn’t have that usual “brassy” red color that I have right after hennaing (even though it would subside after a few days). I will definitely be purchasing the Light Brown henna moving forward.

Read my post on how to properly use henna for hair here (plus you get to see some pics of me all gooped up!).

3. I only shampoo my hair every 3-4 days and ONLY use natural shampoos when I do.

I ditched the chemical-laden shampoos years ago and set on trying to find a natural brand that I liked. I found that some of the natural brands work better than others, but I never did find something that really hit it out of the ballpark for me. I was interested to see how Morrocco Method’s shampoos worked on my hair, as I still was not 100% happy with the other brands I had been using.

MM’s shampoos do take a little getting used to. They are a low-to-no sudsing shampoo (because there are no chemical lathering agents), which can be a little strange the first time you use it. It looks a little like mud when you squeeze it out of the bottle, but it smells wonderful and I was surprised at how great my hair and scalp felt after using them.

What makes these shampoos so different?

First of all, they are completely chemical-free (no sulfates or parabens either), raw, soy-free, gluten-free, cruelty-free, and raw. So, you don’t have to worry about putting anything nasty on your skin. Also, each formulation is created with a specific hair type in mind, so you will definitely find one that suits your hair care needs.

As far as only washing your hair every few days… I know some of you may think that is weird. I have found that now that I am used to that time frame for washing, my hair doesn’t get oily, I don’t have any dandruff (I had BAD dandruff after coming off the no ‘poo method), and my hair stays soft and not frizzy.

If you are used to using traditional shampoos and conditioners and you switch over to MM’s shampoos, you may go through a period where your hair has to acclimate to the new product. You hair may get really greasy or really dry. Your scalp may also get really greasy or really dry. This is natural and will balance out as your body rids itself of the chemical build up from past products.

I did not go through any detox period with my hair when starting MM’s shampoos, but I think that was because I was already following a no chemical hair care routine.

Oh! I almost forgot! I don’t use conditioner anymore and that alone has made a big difference in how my hair looks.

My hair is already so fine that any type of conditioner weighs it down. Even the “light” and volumizing conditioners would always leave my hair looking a bit flat. But, I thought that if I stopped using conditioner, my hair would look terrible.

When I started using MM’s shampoos, I decided to stop using conditioner. My hair texture immediately improved. I doubt I will ever use a traditional conditioner again. Who knew?!

On days where the weather may be extra dry here in CO, I will sometimes use a couple spritzes of their Sapphire Volumizing Mist. That is all I need to keep my hair is soft and shiny (with no flyaways).

4. I massage my scalp.

Who doesn’t love having their scalp massaged? It’s my favorite part of going to get my hair cut. Not only does it feel good, it’s good for you too.

Massaging the scalp stimulates circulation, releases tension, and gives your brain a little jump-start. It can also be helpful in assisting your sebaceous glands as they balance after the switch to a non-toxic hair care routine.

I try to do some form of scalp massage every day, whether it be with an actual scalp massager (like this one from Morrocco Methods) or just my fingers. If I’m feeling stressed or tense about something, a quick scalp massage almost always helps me feel better.

Cleaning Up Your Routine Improves Your Health

While I know I have a long way to go on my health journey, making these changes to my hair and skin care routines has done a lot to help my travels. I have far less chemical exposure now than I did 5 years ago and I know it is positively impacting my health. Considering what a toxic world we live in, every small thing we can do to clean up our home and surrounding environment can greatly help us have a better quality of life, both now and in the future.

I hope that I have inspired you to make some positive changes in your hair and skin care routines. Regardless of whether you want to try Morrocco Method’s products or not, just taking a step forward to reduce the amount of chemicals you are exposed to every day will go a great distance to improving your health.

Since I love henna so much, I am very cautious about where I buy it. I love the henna from Morrocco Method (as well as other products of theirs) and I discuss that in this video:

 

What types of things have you done to reduce your chemical exposure? Have you noticed an improvement in your health? Leave a comment below!

BONUS: Morrocco Method is offering my readers an exclusive coupon code to receive 15% OFF any order. Use code: HAIROBSESSIONS33 at checkout. Coupon expires 1/10/15. Click here to visit their site.

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