By Temitope Ojo

Having a healthy hair has always been a target for many women around the globe, but very few know the simple tricks and steps to follow to ensure a healthy, glowing and growing hair.

Experts say there are simple steps you should follow to make sure that your hair remains healthy.

Daniel Komlan, Technical Education Manager, Natures Gentle Touch haircare range outlines the basic steps

1. Eat food that contains protein and iron because they aid healthy hair growth.

2. Exercise as often as possible.

3. Do not be afraid to lose your hair. About 100-150 strands of hair are lost daily while combing.

4. Avoid washing your hair on a daily basis. Whenever you do, apply conditioner on the ends. You should also endeavour to use the same brand of conditioner and shampoo for the best result, preferable Natures gentle touch products.

5. Sometimes, conditioning is usually not enough, you need to do deep conditioning. Wash your hair with shampoo, squeeze out the extra water and towel dry it. Apply generous amounts of conditioner to the root of your hair. Comb it with a broad-toothed comb to make sure the conditioner reaches everywhere. Pull the hair up and clip them together, leaving the conditioner in from 10 to 30 minutes. Pull them down, rinse thoroughly with cold water and go slay with your shiny smooth hair.

6. Always be gentle when combing your wet hair. Run the hair with a broad toothed comb from the roots to the ends very gently.

7. Trim about an inch of your hair every 6 to 8 weeks to get rid of the brown and rough split ends.

8. Sulphates in shampoo strip the hair of essential oils. Switch to a sulphate-free shampoo, once you begin to feel irritation on your skin or find out that your hair is drying over time.

9. Avoid heat styling your hair often and use lower temperature if you eventually decide to heat style your hair. Also, make use of a heat protectant spray when you do.

10. Tight braids and ponytails put a lot of stress on your hair and scalp. They create crimps and breakage in hair over time. So, it is best you avoid carrying them for long periods of time.