Hair Health Starts Inside: Expert Advice from Crystal Leisner, Meraki Hair & Body
When it comes to starting the New Year refreshed, most people think about diet, exercise, and a little decluttering, but your hair also deserves its moment of renewal. At Meraki Hair & Body (merakihairandbody.com), stylist and owner Crystal Leisner believes that truly gorgeous hair is rooted in overall wellness, from what’s on your plate to the products you apply daily.
“Real hair health starts on the inside. Your internal health and diet, and blood are what feed your hair growth,” Crystal said. “Vitamins, minerals, stress, surgeries and your diet, all of these things play out and show in the hair. We can’t make the hair healthier on the outside than it originally grew on the inside.”
The basics? Hydration, healthy fats, and protein are key. “Drink your water, eat your protein, have an avocado, eat some salmon. Go get sushi! Omegas are amazing for healthy hair and scalp. Proteins are great for hair, building strength and healthy fats for moisture retention,” Crystal encouraged.
The Personal Approach: Assessing Individual Needs
No two heads of hair are alike—and Crystal’s method hinges on understanding every client’s unique story. “When I have a new client in my chair and we are talking about hair health, first we start with the physical appearance. How does the hair look? Then we move to how does the hair feel?” she said. “Then we move to the questions of what are you using at home? What is your daily morning routine? What/how did your hair used to be? What do you want it to be, in a perfect world?”
This individualized process involves taking a holistic hair history, considering lifestyle factors, and being realistic about what can and can’t change. “We’re going to go through data collection,” she explained, “and then we talk about lifestyle, what are the things that we can’t change? What are the things that maybe we can change?”
Crystal’s philosophy focuses on precision: “If we change five things all at once, we’re not going to know what is actually helping and what is hurting or maybe just unnecessary. So, sometimes it’s a little bit slower of an approach, but it’s usually much more precise or calculated.”
Bridging Internal and External Wellness
Although Crystal won’t prescribe miracle products or suggest one-size-fits-all vitamins, “everybody is different, so I can’t point to one product or supplement I swear by,” she firmly advocates for a balanced approach. “If we can identify what’s causing the problem or what’s missing, then we can supplement what will help. And if we can address it through food or diet, even better,” she said.
For those living busy, modern lives, Crystal is a realist: “There are certain things that we can’t change, certain medications or lifestyles that are just not going to change, and I am very real about those things. I’m not going to tell you, ‘You don’t have a choice, you have to change those,’ but I might say, ‘You don’t have a choice, this is what your hair is going to do as a reaction to something else that we cannot change.’ So, let’s make the best of it.” Then, they get to work in the salon.
Salon Solutions: Personalized Care for Every Client
At each appointment, Crystal starts by consulting on your hair’s appearance, texture, and history, before diving into personalized care. She creates custom plans that may include regular trims, targeted treatments like deep conditioners and shine glazes, and recommends professional home-care hero products such as leave-in conditioners and heat protectant.
For color clients, Crystal favors gentle techniques and products tailored to hair type, always factoring in the reality of each client’s lifestyle and goals. Her personalized, step-by-step approach ensures every treatment aligns with your unique needs and overall well-being. “Hair health is number one, we can’t color what we don’t have.”
External Habits That Really Matter
When it comes to keeping hair healthy between salon visits, Crystal is outspoken about leave-in conditioner and heat protection. “The most important thing that I think absolutely everybody can and should need and use, especially here in the desert, but truthfully everywhere, is a leave-in conditioner. This does so much more than just detangle. It is putting that moisture back into your hair. It is protecting it from environmental factors. It is like the lotion that you put on your hands or skin. It is the glass of water that you drink,” she emphasized.
As people shampoo less and style more, Crystal warns that “moisture is not being put back in.” Even on days between washes, “You can reapply a leave-in conditioner or a dry conditioner or something that is putting moisture back into the hair. Oils are not necessarily giving you moisture…they are softening and sitting on the outside of the cuticle.”
She’s also firm on the science side: “You cannot just leave your rinse out conditioner in your hair, they are formulated differently. You need both. Leave-in conditioner should be your first product before anything else.”
Heat protection is just as critical: “Heat is pulling moisture out of the hair, frying and drying it out and possibly pulling out your hair color. A heat protectant is literally working to essentially preserve your hair. It’s also going to preserve your color. Every time you add another layer of heat, you need to add another layer of heat protectant.”
The Secret: Little Steps and Lots of Patience
For those eager for a quick fix, Crystal playfully confirms, “Leave-in conditioner (UNITE 7 Seconds Detangler), internal gut health, eat a vegetable, a protein, and drink water. Get regular haircuts to keep ends strong. Smoothing, conditioning, and shine treatments can help, it’s like topcoat for the hair.”
Ultimately, Crystal says, “Healthy Hair is a journey. It comes from many factors. The answers aren’t always obvious, and we often need to piece them together and learn by trial and error. However, together we can find the best solutions and styles for you.”
Real hair health starts on the inside. Your internal health and diet feed your hair growth.
Leave-in conditioner does so much more than detangle. It adds moisture, protects from environmental factors, and acts like lotion for your hair—essential for healthy hair care.