Because life is too short to have dull, dry, brittle...in fact, anything but gorgeous, lustrous hair.

Hair can be of all shapes, colours, and sizes – long, short, black, red, orange, yellow, curly, straight, frizzy, smooth…and sometimes, there can be no hair too. But when it comes to the shine factor, there is only one way to have hair, erm, if you have hair – lustrous. No exceptions, because only hair that is healthy shines, or so they certainly say.

Here are the top 5 tips for healthy and lustrous hair:

1. Feed your hair –

No, I don’t mean that doughnut. For the love of God, put that down right now! I mean, eat for your hair – eat foods that nourish your hair from within. Eat more:

a. Protein: Chicken, turkey, fish, dairy products, legumes, and nuts.

b. Iron: Red meat, chicken, fish, lentils, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables.

c. Vitamins A, E, and C: Blueberries, broccoli, guava, kiwi fruits, oranges, papaya, strawberries, pumpkin, carrots, sweet potatoes, and nuts.

d. Biotin: Whole grains, liver, egg yolks, soy flour, walnuts, and yeast.

e. Omega-3: Oily fish such as salmon, herring, sardines, trout, and mackerel; and plant sources like avocado, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.

f. Zinc and selenium: Fortified cereals, oysters, beef, eggs, etc.

2. Befriend your hair –

Learn to read between the strands (I knew you wouldn’t mind a little play on words). Know your hair and scalp; observe how your hair reacts to different kinds of shampoos, conditioners, masks, etc. What might work for your friend’s hair might not necessarily work for you. But, as a general rule of thumb, try and not torture your hair too much with chemical products and treatments; wash and condition regularly, and treat your hair mildly to avoid split ends, dryness, or frizz.

3. Oil massage –

Oil massage (champi) is a true blessing for your hair. Oil massages help condition the scalp, stimulate the hair follicles, replenish and rejuvenate dry and damaged hair, and boost resilience, over time. The best oils for massaging your scalp are coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, argan oil, pomegranate seed oil, and jojoba oil.

4. Cold water showers –

While a hot shower can be very relaxing for your body, it actually strains your hair by draining it of moisture, making them dry and brittle. Take those hot showers, but give your hair a final cold water rinse to close the open follicles, and seal in moisture and nourishment.

5. No more heat, please! –

Heat treatments like blow-drying, straightening, and curling damage the hair cuticles, sometimes even irreparably, when used over a period of time. Additionally, they can cause breakage, hair fall, and discolouration of the hair. Heat styling involves exposing your hair to temperatures up to 250 degrees Celsius. Ouch! So, my advice to you is to expose your hair to the lowest possible heat for the lowest possible time. Always use a heat-protection serum or cream before styling, and choose one without alcohol or high-protein content, as they will only dry out your hair further.

You spend so much time and money on your skin – covering it when you go out in the sun, treating the tiniest of spots, fighting every little wrinkle, and lathering it with creams, packs, masks, and whatnot. Wouldn’t it be nice to have flawless hair to go with that flawless skin?