Treatments

Do you have any grey hairs that are peeking through your hairline? Your mane will inevitably start to change as you age. The once vibrant locks will lose their color. Another thing you will see happen is those gray hairs will turn wiry, dry, and brittle. Your entire head of hair will change over time. You will begin to see your mane switch from oily to dry and unmanageable. Another problem you will encounter is split ends.

What is a Split End?

When you have long locks, it’s easy for the hair to develop split ends, which means the hair is growing an extension or splitting off. These splits are caused by damaged hair that is dry and trying to compensate for the injury.

Did you know you can have more than one split on a hair shaft? The damaged hair can split in several directions, which is commonly seen when your tresses are longer. Regular trims can help with split ends, but it’s only cutting away the problem. Your hair needs nourishment to keep it in top shape.

Collagen is natural oil produced by your body that helps keep your hair and skin looking great. These oils nourish your system to ensure that you don’t have dryness. You run into problems when you dye your hair, use curling and flattening irons, and wash your locks too frequently.

All these things will cause the oils to be stripped from the hair and result in dry tresses. Now, you could do none of those things and still have split ends, so you should take preventative measures if you want longer hair and don’t want to deal with the unsightly dry issues.

Ten Preventative Ways to Stop Split Ends Naturally

Are you ready to do something about all those splitting hairs that are dry and unmanageable? Well, here are ten natural things that you can do that will help and not hurt your locks.

1. Wash Your Hair 1-2 Times Per Week

Are you washing your hair too much? When you’re younger, you may wash your hair every day to get the style you need and keep the oil issues at bay. However, as you age, you need those natural oils to nourish your long locks.

It’s appropriate to wash your hair once or twice each week. If you find that your hair gets too oily in between washes, you can consider using a dry shampoo. Stripping the oils in the hair is the most common reason why it will become dry and split.

2. Use Natural Hair Dye

While it’s easy to go to the drug store and pick up a box of hair dye or go to your local salon, you may want to try something new with your hair. Why not use a natural hair dye like henna?

It’s not nearly as damaging to your locks, and you can get vivid colors and almost the same results. Since henna is natural, it won’t cause issues like ammonia and peroxide, which are two common ingredients in hair dye.

3. Turn Down or Off the Heated Hair Styling Products

One of the most significant ways that your hair gets damaged is from excessive heat. Some curling irons can go up to 180 degrees or higher. All that heat and pressure put on the hair shaft is drying and damaging.

Even blow-drying your hair can cause problems. You can put unique products on your mane to protect it when you are using these devices. Additionally, you can find more natural ways to style your long locks.

For instance, your hair will dry nicely in the breeze outside or when you sit in front of a fan. Also, most hair dryers have a cold setting on them, which will help to minimize the damage.

4. Deep Condition Your Hair

Depending on the state of your hair, you should be deep conditioning at least once per week. Some people won’t need to do it as often, but these treatments are great for dry, brittle hair that needs to be restored.

Get a conditioner at your local drug store or try some all-natural coconut oil. Apply a generous amount to the hair trying to avoid the scalp area if there are oil issues. Now, please pay close attention to the ends of the hair where it’s prone to breakage.

Allow the condition to sit for about an hour, then gently wash it away. Your hair will be soft and manageable.

5. Get Regular Trims

It’s your prerogative if you want long or short hair. However, long hair comes with significant responsibilities, which include having it trimmed frequently. About every six weeks, you need to get approximately an inch of hair trimmed off.

If you see split ends further up than the one inch, you should cut above that area. The goal is to remove any splitting during these trims. It seems that once they start, they will continue to multiply all over your hair. Trimming removes the brittle ends and allows the health and vitality of your hair to remain.

6. Use a Silk Pillowcase

It sounds like such a simple request, but using a silk pillowcase can dramatically impact the oils in your hair. Did you know that cotton or wool pillowcases can cause damage to your hair?

It sounds crazy, but your head is rubbing up against that pillow for eight hours a night. If it’s silk, it won’t cause near the damage as the other varieties.

7. Don’t Towel Dry Your Hair

Speaking of materials rubbing against your hair, did you know that towels can be very damaging to your tresses? It sounds bizarre, but your cotton towel can cause damage and cause hair loss. Do you have an old t-shirt hanging around the house that you could use as a method to dry your hair?

The t-shirt is softer and won’t cause damage when vigorously rubbing your hair to remove water. It’s a simple trick that will work wonders.

8. Take Collagen Supplements

If you’ve tried many methods and nothing seems to be working, you should consider adding all-natural collagen supplements to your diet. Keratin is the protein that makes up your hair, and collagen has a great deal of keratin.

When what you’re doing on the outside doesn’t seem to be working, you need to nourish it from the inside out. Another thing you can do is to make sure you get plenty of water each day.

You should be drinking half your weight in ounces, so if you weigh 120 lbs., you need to be drinking at least 60 ounces of water each day.

While that may sound like a lot of water, remember that’s only about eight glasses spread over 24 hours. You will see a dramatic change in your hair, skin, and nails when you’re getting the proper hydration in your body.

9. Use a Detangling Spray

If you notice that your hair is often tangled after you wash it, don’t rip a comb through it, trying to blast through the knots. It would help if you used a detangling spray. It will nourish the hair shaft so that each knot comes apart with ease. The more you yank and tug on your hair, the more damage you will cause.

10. Switch to a Natural Shampoo

Another thing that can cause significant issues to your hair is the shampoo you use. Many shampoos have added ingredients that are made to dry the oils and offer little moisturization. You want to remove the dirt and excess oils, but you need to leave some behind for nourishment.

Thankfully, many natural shampoos and products can help you with your dry locks. Some of the most common are:

• Soap Nuts
• Aloe Vera Shampoo
• Castile Soap Shampoo
• Rhassoul Clay
• Eggs
• Shikakai
• Hibiscus Cleanser
• Fullers Earth Cleanser
• Rice Water
• Besan or Chickpea Flour

There are all sorts of holistic products online and in local stores; make sure you read your labels to ensure that you’re getting no additives that can be damaging. You will find that you can keep your hair clean and healthy using nature’s products, and they will do just as good if not better than overly manufactured ones.

Final Thought on Managing Your Split Ends

Have you ever seen a person with gorgeous hair that shined and had the perfect hue? Did you ever feel jealous and wish that hair was yours? You can have the hair of your dreams with a little work and the right products backing you.

Split ends are unsightly and can cause your hair to look lackluster and frizzy, especially if you keep it long. Thankfully, you can have the long hair you want, and the healthy shine you desire by switching your routine. Don’t you want to be the envy of everyone when they see your gorgeous locks?

Understanding Neck Pain: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

At any one time, 10 percent of the adult population is usually suffering from neck pain.

This condition usually occurs due to several reasons, including injury, degenerative disc disease, neck strain, and a herniated disc. If you’re experiencing the pain, there are ways you can prevent it from wrecking your life.

Simple changes in your lifestyle may be able to avoid the pain before it starts. It’s also important to know the signs that your pain is severe and it’s time to see a doctor or start therapy.

Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about understanding your neck pain.

How to Get Rid of Neck Pain

Apart from ibuprofen, there’s not really a magic pill that will get rid of your pain. The best way to get rid of your neck pain is to figure out what’s causing it and make some changes.

The most common cause of neck pain is bad posture. There are some things you might be doing every day that can be hurting your posture. Here are some simple changes and fixes to improve your posture and decrease your pain.

Fix Your Posture

Bad posture is one of the most significant factors that cause neck pain, and it’s likely caused by hunching over your computer or phone all day. Here are some other factors that can lead to bad posture and eventually neck pain that you might not even be aware of.

If you carry a heavy bag on one side of your body like a messenger bag, this is terrible for your alignment. This sends the alignment of your back out and causes one side of your body to overcompensate.

Being overweight is another cause of neck pain. Again, you are carrying extra weight to a different area of the body which messes up your posture. Carrying too much weight can pull your muscles in different directions which causes pain in areas like the neck.

If you’re always wearing high heels and tight clothes, this can really lead to bad posture, and this changes your center of gravity which screws up your position.

Be aware of how you walk. Often we walk a certain way because of habit. If you’re walking with slumped shoulders and your head down, you’re messing up your body’s alignment and posture which can lead to pain.

If you have past pain injuries, you might be carrying your body in an unnatural way to deal with that pain. This can lead to a habit of bad posture which is hurting your neck.

Watch Out for Text Neck

Text neck is what happens when you lean over your phone to text, leading to bad posture. Prevent this hunching over by bringing your phone’s screen up to your eye level; this will prevent your neck from tipping forward, but also make sure your screen isn’t too high.

Prevent yourself from placing your phone on a table or near your lap. If you’re using a tablet, make sure to prop it up, so it’s eye level, especially if you’re using it over a long period.

Don’t Slouch While Sitting

Be sure that when you’re sitting in a chair that you’re not slouching and your spine is up straight and fully supported. Your chair’s height is important, you should be able to rest your feet on the floor comfortably, and your knees should be level to your hips.

You want to make sure that your monitor is eye level when you sit up straight. If you sit for an extended period, make sure your walk around regularly. If you experience any pain or discomfort, that’s your body telling you it can’t deal, so make an adjustment.

Try The Soldier Sleeping Position

This exercise can help your pain. Just lie down with your head and neck resting on a pillow. Then push your head backward like you’re making a double chin, while you gently press your head back into the pillow.

Do this for 5 seconds for 10 to 15 times. It might feel like your throat is being blocked, but that’s actually completely normal. This exercise might also help you get better sleep.

Try a Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) Stretch

To do this stretch, sit in a chair or stand up straight and rotate your head to the right as you look up at the ceiling. When you do this, your chin should point up at a 45-degree angle.

Then place your left palm very lightly on the top of your head above your right ear. Next, ever so gently pull your head towards your left shoulder.

While doing this make sure you keep your chin pointing upward and try to hold this for 20 to 30 seconds. Try to do this exercise daily to stop any tension that built up during the day.

When To See A Doctor For Your Neck Pain

Be aware, there are some factors and symptoms of neck pain, which is your body telling you it’s time to see a doctor. Make sure you do your research to find the best neck pain specialist. Here are the symptoms you should not ignore.

Neck or Back Pain That Keeps You Up At Night

If your pain is keeping you up at night or getting worst when you try to sleep, while this is not life-threatening, it might be time to see a doctor.

It’s best to get this checked out, especially if you also have a fever. Back or neck pain and a fever could be a sign that you have an infection like meningitis.

The longer you wait to remedy an infection, the worse your infection can get.

You Have Had Cancer

If you have had cancer and are experiencing first-time neck or back pain, this could be a sign that something is wrong with your colon, rectum or ovary.

The American Cancer Society says that growing cancer can put pressure on organs, nerves or blood vessels that can lead to neck or back pain. Another issue is you might not even feel this pain until your tumor is large and cancer has already spread.

So if you have a history of cancer and are experiencing neck or back pain, see a professional as soon as you can.

You are Over 50

The more we age, the more likely we are to have neck or back pain. If you are over 50 years old and have back pain and have recently gained weight, see your doctor for a plan and treatment.

You Are Having Bowel or Bladder Problems, Or Your Legs Keep Getting Weaker

If you noticed that you are having a hard time controlling your blatter and your legs have gotten weaker, see a doctor as soon as possible. This could be a sign of cauda equina syndrome, which a serious condition that needs emergency back surgery.

You Have Had a Fall, Accident or Other Trauma

If you’ve been injured in a fall or accident and you have neck pain after, see a doctor immediately. Even if you can walk fine, new spine pain could be related to the impact.

Keep in mind if you live with osteoporosis, and have recently fallen, you have a higher chance of spine injury.

Pain Radiates Down One Leg or Arm

If you notice pain, numbness, weakness or electrical sensations down one leg, this is called sciatica. Sciatica symptoms can be from tight muscles due to pressure on a spinal nerve root called radiculopathy.

If you have sciatica, your doctor will find out by trying to elicit your symptoms by testing your dermatomes. Dermatomes are part of your skin that is served by spinal nerve roots. This test can help point out the precise spinal nerve root or roots that are irritated.

Bending or Flexing Your Low Back Makes Your Symptoms Worse

If bending or flexing makes your symptoms worse, you might be experiencing a disc problem, like bulging, herniated or degenerative disc disease. You should see a doctor as soon as possible to figure out what the next steps are.

Spinal Stenosis Symptoms

If you feel cramping, weakness, pain and or tingling in your legs, especially when you walk, you might have spinal stenosis. These symptoms are classified as neurogenic claudication, which is serious. You should see your doctor immediately to find out what’s wrong.

Your Pain Persists

If your pain has lasted for more than three weeks, then it could be chronic, and you should immediately seek medical attention.

Chronic pain can be caused by an injury and follows it’s own set of rules. But if you catch it sooner, you might be able to find treatments to help manage the pain and get on with your normal life. The sooner your pain is assessed, the sooner you can start feeling better with treatment.

Feel Better Today

Now that you know what’s causing your neck pain, start making changes today. These changes can be in the form of fixing your posture, wearing looser clothing, or doing exercises that can help your pain go away.

If your pain doesn’t go away in three weeks or if you have a history of cancer or have recently been in an accident, be sure to seek medical attention immediately. For more articles on health, check out our blog.