My daughter has long hair and loves concocting a whole host of different hairstyles, but is it possible that she is doing a disservice to her hair and potentially damaging it?   Our US guest writer is Meredith -heres her take on it….

Having a wonderful hairstyle may be the best way of making a personal statement. Given that there are hundreds of new hairstyles that emerge every week, you may be a loss to choose what suits you perfectly. Any member of the hair clippers club will tell you that the style that you use for your hair must complement your features. However, beware of certain hairstyles which if put together incorrectly  may damage your hair. Here are a few hairstyles that might ruin your natural hair

  1. Slicked Back

Slicked Back is one of the most common hairstyles that many women like to wear to formal and informal events. Its popular as it makes your face prominent. you can  see all the features of your face. But for you to use this style successfully, you need to use a range of chemicals to make the hair look exceptionally beautiful. Many people fail to realize that using chemicals and special combs to make your hair flow back flawlessly may harm it over time. the constant combing and straightening associated with this style can to the breaking of your hair strands. The best advice is don’t make using it a habit.

  1. Messy Bun

A Messy Bun may be one of the sexiest styles that you can adopt. But be aware that the process of making the bun may damage your hair. The excessive twisting that is involved in the process may cause your hair strands to break at the edges, thus compromising the overall quality of your hair. Again don’t   use it repeatedly for a long time.

  1. Ballerina Updo

Ballerina Updo is one of the most common hairstyles that people like to use when they are attending formal events. One interesting fact about this style is that it looks good on specific faces and body shapes.  This style can cause your hair to stretch upwards. Therefore, again if you use it repeatedly, you may lose the quality of your hair over time. The strands of the hair that usually gets tucked in when you wear this style can lose their lustre if it remains in that state for a long time.

  1. Iron-Flat Style

The rule of thumb when managing your natural hair is that you should avoid using hot tools on it too often. the problem of using very hot tools on your hair is that it weakens the strands very fast. the hot comb or any other tool that you may apply on your hair destroys the ability of your hair to remain healthy for a long time. besides, your hair needs to retain a small amount of oil for it to appear shiny and healthy. When you use a hot tool or over-dry it, you can destroy the natural oils that keep your hair in good condition.

  1. A Pony Tail

Pony tails are great but worn too often  you can have constant headaches because of the way you end up stretching your hair. Another reason for not using this style on a regular basis is that it may lead to hair damage because of the need to stretch the hair and tying it using a rubber band or any other hair band. Its fine to use it on selected occasions to reduce the risk of damaging your hair.

T for the sake of the health of your hair, avoid using these styles regularly and don’t forget you can’t beat brushing the hair daily and applying hair oil.  Try the organic scented hair oil from Tabitha James Kraan