Most women desire beautiful, healthy, shiny hair, but few are aware of the right way to acquire it. It is this ignorance of people that the television commercials and ad magazines take undue advantage of to lure people with their glossy and catchy ads about synthetic hair care products. In reality these synthetic hair care products do not offer much advantage. Rather, some of them are bad for hair and may even cause irritation or burning sensations to the scalp.

The key to healthy and beautiful hair lies in the use of natural hair care products. They are quite efficient for improving most types of hair provided they are applied in accordance with the specific hair care requirement.

Many a product that is extracted from plants, or includes other beneficial natural elements, has been used for treating hair problems successfully for years. Other than promoting healthy hair growth these natural hair care products also impart a sweet, natural fragrance to the hair unlike that offered by their synthetic counterparts. Unlike synthetic products they are usually devoid of any side-effects.

Natural hair care products alone cannot promote healthy hair growth. Hair roots are alive and like any other organs of the body they need nutrition to maintain their normal functioning. The natural vitamins for hair growth which are most essential includes those in the vitamin B group. Apart from these, vitamins including vitamin E and C are also helpful for hair growth. Vitamins are among the purest ingredients that can help ensure healthy hair growth on the scalp.

Besides the natural vitamins for hair growth there are several other hair loss factors that need to be considered if you want to maintain a healthy hair growth.

Among other natural hair care products, the product which needs special mention is natural hair color. Natural dyes are generally safe to use and usually do not have any adverse reactions, although some people can be allergic to some natural dyes containing henna. The natural hair colors can help you to have healthy hair by their conditioning effect; moreover these natural dyes are devoid of poisonous chemical elements like bleach or ammonia.

In addition to these herbal based natural hair care products available in the market, there are plenty of herbal and nutritional diet supplements available on the market to take care of you hair.

Find out about some natural hair care tips and be informed about the active ingredients to take care of your hair and maintain hair health – gently and naturally. But first you need to find the out the issues or causes of natural hair care.

Brush your hair regularly before going to bed each night.

Wash your hair with a mild shampoo. Use very little but enough to cover hair completely with lather. Use a conditioner to keep hair manageable.

Avoid brushing wet hair. This will cause the hair to stretch and finally break. Finger-dry, or use a wide-toothed comb instead of a brush to gently remove the knots.

Restrict blow-drying your hair. The process of blow-drying is harsh on hair as it robs it of moisture.

Avoid dyes. Use mehandi (henna) instead as a conditioner and colouring agent.

Take a calcium supplement or drink two glasses of milk a day.

Always hold hair dryer away from your hair. Direct air from the hair dryer down hair shaft and not directly into the roots and keep it moving.

After a perm, never brush your hair. Instead comb hair gently.

Trim your hair once in 7 weeks to avoid split ends.

Avoid pulling back your hair tightly.

Never use a rubber band on your hair as it can pull and damage hair considerably.

Never go out in the sun without having your head covered.

Stimulate circulation by massaging your head with oil to which some vitamin E has been added. This will make hair soft and silky.

Never wash your hair with very hot or very cold water.

Learn to relax. Hair loss can happen because of stress. Eat foods that are rich in vitamin B, C and E.

Add iron and minerals in the natural form in your diet.

If your hair is oily, cut down on fried food and fat. Drink plenty of water.

It is important to wash your hair, shampooing removes dirt, dead skin cells, hair oils, any hair products you may put into your hair.
When shampooing, rinse your hair out before applying any shampoo to remove any dust, dirt, and any other foreign items, then apply the shampoo onto your scalp and massage it gently with your finger tips and work your way outwards. After you are done make sure that you thouroughly rinse out your hair to remove any shampoo residue that may be left. Shampoo residue may dry your scalp/hair and or attract dirt. It is recommended that you only lather once to avoid drying your hair out, if you have oily hair, lathering again may stimulate your oil glands to create even more oil than normal.

You should wash your hair as often as you feel necessary to keep it clean, but a general rule is for oily hair you should wash it every day or every other day and for dry hair only wash it 2-3 times a week.

Try rotating the shampoo and conditioner periodically, your hair responds differently to different products.

Use a conditioner after shampooing, it'll moisturize your hair, give it extra protection, add shine, reduce static, and makes it easier to untangle.

Use a leave in conditioner, it'll hydrate and protect your hair. A leave in conditioner on your hair is the equivalent of moisturizer on your face.

When conditioning your hair, try to spread conditioner evenly through out your hair and leave it in for a couple of minutes before rinsing out your hair.

Put the conditioner in at about an inch away from the scalp, the roots of your hair contain the most oils and usually don't need the extra conditioning.

Be gentle when shampooing and conditioning, don't use excessive force rubbing your hair, remember hair is most vunerable when wet.

The following are some basic hair care tips that you can use to improve the health and look of your hair.

General
A healthy lifestyle will mean healthier hair for you. Excessive stress, smoking, not exercising and not eating nutritiously are not healthy for your hair.

Get enough sleep.

Hair Products (Gel, mouse, hair spary...)
Avoid using hair styling products with alcohol which dries out hair.

Avoid puting hair styling products directly on your scalp, if you put it on your scalp you'll clog the pores on your head.

Swimming
Before entering a pool, wet your hair so your hair will soak up the initial water instead of the chlorinated water.

When swimming where a cap to protect your hair from chlorinated water, if you choose not to wear a cap make sure you shampoo and condition your hair right after you are done swimming.

Drying
Hot air can be damaging to your hair so when using a hair dryer use the cool setting.

Don't leave the blowdryer in one spot for more than a few seconds, keep it moving and at a good distance away from your hair.

To speed up the drying process, pat your hair dry with a towell and let the remaining moisture in your hair dry naturally.

Gently use your fingers or a pick to untangle any knots while your hair is drying.