Shiny, healthy and strong hair doesn't like heat styling, and the majority of women we talked to said they mostly let their hair dry naturally. Again, these women may just be blessed with a naturally amazing hair texture and therefore don't need to tame it with a blow dryer or flat iron, or they might actually have great hair because they don't subject it to damaging heat. It's hard to judge, but most, like reader Leslie, claim to let their hair "air-dry overnight in a bun" as they sleep. Others say they limit blow dry time to once a week and mostly use the coolest setting on their hair dryer like reader Chrissy who says she only touches a hairdryer when it is "set to cool ONLY". Some, like reader Leylie, also dry their hair "a bit with a diffuser," so they don't have to walk out the door with "sopping wet hair."
Photo 6/8
Habit 5: Trim regularly
The easiest way to get rid of split ends is, of course, to just chop them off. Perhaps this is why women with perfect hair don't have any because most say they have their hair trimmed religiously -- every three months or even "every six weeks", like reader Leslie does. Those who can't make it to the hairdresser all the time take matters into their own hands and trim any split ends themselves, like reader Chrissy who says; "I just take Conair hair styling scissors and trim the ends myself."
Photo 7/8
Habit 6: Only color hair when necessary
The majority of women with perfect hair say they either don't dye their hair at all or they do it infrequently. Reader Aly has never dyed her red hair for "fear of damage." And reader Leslie, who is thankful that her mother never let her dye her hair as a teen, says she's continued to "steer clear of dye" even as an adult: "my hair has a softness -- unlike the fried texture a lot of my friends' hair." Perfect-haired Amanda says that refusing to over-processing her hair is her main rule of thumb: "I'm 27-years-old and only for the first time this summer have I ever done any color treatments." And for the women with fabulous hair that do occasionally color treat their strands -- mostly do it only to cover grays or to add subtle highlights.
Photo 8/8
Habit 7: Eat well and take vitamins
A healthy diet rich in vitamins and nutrients will give you gorgeous hair � or at least that�s what most of our perfect-hair contributors say. Eating well means, "a lot of organic foods and no red meat," says Aly. For reader Leslie, it means she "eats loads of veggies," and makes sure she is getting lot's of calcium, as she believes "calcium just makes everything stronger -- your hair, nails, etc." Readers Chrissy and Lindsay say it's all about the fish oils (omega 3 fatty acids) when it comes to keeping hair strong and shiny as it does "beautiful things for your hair and skin," says Chrissy. Most readers also say they take a daily multi-vitamin in order to keep their hair and bodies strong.
Perfection: "freedom from fault or defect" or "an exemplification of supreme excellence." However you define it (we pulled those from definition queen bee, Merriam-Webster), it's something most of us strive for in various facets of our lives. And though perfectly healthy hair that is strong and shiny is an attribute we can't completely control, it doesn't necessarily stop us from aiming for perfection in this area. Because while hair texture and type is a "no return policy" gift from good ol' ma and pa, women that do possess perfect hair, must follow certain routines and practice healthy hair habits, don't you think? Haven�t we all been taught since our first time at the piano or arithmetic that "practice makes perfect?"
With the idea in mind that women with perfect hair must practice good hair care habits in order to have perfect hair; we decided to ask them what it is they are doing (or not doing) in order to have such glorious, enviable, annoyingly great hair. We searched for women with strong, shiny and healthy hair, women with curly hair and straight hair, thick and fine, short and long, and asked them to share their hair care secrets. How did we find these real women with fabulous hair? They are readers, friends of ours and friends of yours (the ones you admitted to envying on Facebook and Twitter). Then, we got them to spill their routines and compiled the (often repeated) seven hair care habits they use to keep their strands so perfect.
