The ongoing lock down has brought many things to a standstill but hair care need not be one of them. Most of us are understandably craving to go out again, but this is the time we can spend our time and focus on caring for our much loved but oft neglected tresses that probably have some leftover damage from the time we actually went out regularly. Here are a few tips to ensure your hair is not neglected during this period.

• Maintain Usual Hair Care Routine: All of us follow a daily or weekly hair routine that suits us. First and foremost, ensure that routine is not missed. It is quite tempting to delay or miss a hair wash day, given that we have nowhere to be at present. But keeping up with this routine, if not indulging in it more, is the first step to maintain healthy hair. This tip, in fact, goes for all our daily activities like timely eating, sleeping, exercise, etc.
• Natural Hair Drying: Now that we are not in a hurry to leave the house and be somewhere right after taking a shower or washing our hair, avoid using hair dryers. Constant exposure to the heat from the hair dryer damages hair to the very core and makes it dull, dry, and easily breakable. This would be a good time to give our hair a break. Use a soft towel and then let them dry out naturally.
• Organic Hair Treatments: Most of us like to pamper our hair with a good trim or relaxing massage at the spa at least once a month. Even though the current conditions won’t let us avail that luxury, there are DIY alternatives that are equally satisfying. Hair oils made with easily available ingredients such as coconut oil, fenugreek seeds (methi), sugar, honey, onion, etc not only fight hair problems like hairfall but also make your hair super soft and shiny!
• Maintain A Healthy Diet: ‘You are what you eat’ is a saying that works on so many levels. The most fool-proof way to ensure that our hair remains healthy is by eating healthy. While external treatments do act as add-ons to hair care, our hair quality will continue to thrive depending on what we eat on a daily basis. Now that we have time, we can focus on what we are eating. Try to increase the intake of Vitamin B and zinc-rich foods like eggs, berries, spinach, fenugreek, nuts, etc, that are good for our hair.
• Take your supplements: Important vitamins like Vitamin D and omega 3 fatty acids are difficult to incorporate, especially in predominantly vegetarian diets. Speak to your doctor about a good hair supplement to aid your tresses in their revive and repair journey.

Be kind to your hair and let it recover its natural health and beauty to cheer you up in these difficult times.

About the author- Dr. Aparna Santhanam (MD, DNB) is a multi-faceted professional in various diverse fields .She is a well-known dermatologist, hair and wellness expert, a strategic consultant, best-selling writer who also works in the field of social development. Apart from consulting in her own private practice,She is a consultant at PD Hinduja hospital in Mumbai . She was instrumental in establishing medical systems and creating various new services at the Kaya Skin clinics, India’s largest chain of cosmetic Dermatology clinics.

She is also the reputed author of 3 bestselling books, Skin deep, Let’s talk Hair and Jelly Belly. She can be followed on both Instagram and Facebook.