It seems simple enough, just slather on that shampoo and conditioner and you are good to go! For some that might work just fine but for others, they spend years wondering why they can’t have “great hair” like everyone else. So today we are sharing a few hair wash day tips. Hopefully, you will have better hair days ahead!
I used to shampoo my hair every single day. Blow dry, tease, and flat iron it every single day. It wasn’t good for my hair, but I thought it was what I should be doing. That’s until I educated myself and found products that worked well for me. Our hair changes with age so sometimes we need to reevaluate to see if we need to change what products we are using. What used to work might not be what is best for our current hair needs. I did a blog post a while back, 3 Ways Aging Affects Our Hair. You can read that here.
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Brush your hair before shampooing.
To help with hair breakage always gently brush or comb your hair before washing your hair. We want to get all the knots and tangles out before getting into the shower.
Our hair is most fragile when it is wet. Wet hair can easily snap and break. Brushing before will help avoid snapping the hair while shampooing and conditioning your hair.
When brushing or combing your hair always start from the bottom and work your way up to prevent breakage. You can always hold your brush vertically to brush instead of horizontally to help with breakage also.
Use warm water to shampoo & cool water to rinse the conditioner.
We all love a hot shower, at least I know that I do! But hot water will dry out both our skin and hair. So, try turning down the temperature a bit. We do need warm water to shampoo our hair. The warm water opens the pores on our scalp and the cuticle on our hair strands. This allows the shampoo to do its thing!
All those rumors that you have heard about using cool/cold water to rinse your conditioner are true for multiple reasons. The cold water helps the pores to close and the hair cuticle to lay back down. This helps to seal the conditioner. The result? Shiny, frizz-free, and softer hair!
Emulsify the product in your hands before using it.
When I was a hairstylist I had more clients than I could count with complaints of oily hair in the crown of their heads. A lot of people take their shampoo and slop on a huge portion and put it right on the top of their heads. Then they start moving it around. Having that much shampoo in one spot takes a lot of time to rinse out so most people do not thoroughly rinse.
I highly recommend you emulsify all your products before applying. What is emulsifying? Rubbing it in between your hands so that you can evenly apply it. The products that I use must be emulsified so the ingredients activate properly. After emulsifying then apply your shampoo to your scalp and root area, and conditioner to mid-shaft and ends.
Always shampoo twice
I heard a saying recently on this topic that helped make the concept make more sense. We sweep our floors before mopping. Why do we do this? To pick up all the dirt and build-up on the floor. What a mess if we don’t, right?
So why wouldn’t we do this for our hair? Most people don’t like to shampoo twice because it seems like too much work but the results from doing it are well worth it!
The first shampoo helps to break up the oils and build-up that you have on your scalp. The second shampoo will cleanse your scalp. If you aren’t doing two shampoos, I highly recommend that you give it a try to see if it makes a difference in your results.
Focus shampoo on the scalp & conditioner mid-shaft to the ends.
Focusing on your scalp is the most important part when shampooing. A healthy scalp is a secret to healthy hair. If you have been around here for a while you will hear me mention this a lot! We did a blog post, The Secret to a Healthy Scalp that you might want to read. You can read that here.
Cleansing the scalp helps to remove all the oil, dirt, and build-up. You want to avoid using your nails and use the pads of your fingers to massage your scalp. We want to avoid any scalp irritation. And always make sure you rinse the shampoo out thoroughly. This is a common mistake. My favorite thing to use on my scalp to promote a healthy scalp is Scalp Purifying Scrub. You can find it here.
When conditioning and using a masque focus on the mid-shaft of the hair all the way to the ends. Use a wide tooth comb to distribute the product evenly throughout the hair. If possible, I recommend leaving your conditioner or masque on for 3-5 minutes. And of course, rinse it out with cool/cold water to seal in the moisture and hydration.
Wrap hair in a microfiber towel.
After you are finished shampooing and conditioning gently squeeze out the excess water and wrap your hair in a microfiber towel to absorb the water. Try to avoid rubbing your hair to “towel dry it”. This only leads to hair breakage.
Microfiber towels are great for absorbing water, so they cut your drying time down. They also help to eliminate frizz.
Did you ever think there were so many steps to washing your hair?! There doesn’t have to be but if you want great results then it pays to take the time. Please share your thoughts below in the comments or if you have any tips to share with us that you learned along the way!
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