So you may be asking – why a post about washing your hair?
After all you’ve been doing it for years right? Surely you know how to wash your hair? …
Well at least 90% (hazard a guess) of the none hairdresser population do it wrong! Growing up you’re never really taught how to wash your hair correctly, and unless you decide to train in that field, you never will either.
I promise you that if you start following these simple steps you will notice a vast improvement in the condition feel and strength of your hair.
Stop over washing.
You only need to wash your hair 1-2 times weekly. Honestly! For most you will need to ‘train’ your hair to be able to do this so may take a little patience and perseverance. See ‘My hair is greasy’ if you’re someone who washes daily or every other day due to greasy hair. If you fall into the other % of over-washer’s it’ll be down to force of habit, over washing your hair is very drying and damaging, causing fragile and split ends.
Wash scalp, Condition hair.
Sounds simple? It really is, when you use your shampoo concentrate on cleansing your scalp, think about when you go to the hair salon, they don’t (shouldn’t) be pulling the length of your hair into the mix, the suds from the shampoo will clean the length as you rinse it through. So next time you’re armed with your shampoo in the shower give your scalp a lovely but vigorous massage to remove any dirt, debris, build up and products, then rinse well and repeat.
Condition mid-length to ends (ponytail area). Step 4 explains why and this will spread the conditioner through your hair but without putting it on your scalp, which can send you greasy.
Squeeze excess water out before you condition.
Conditioning your hair is very important, and a crucial part to washing your hair correctly, effecting your end result once dry (believe me!) so make sure you’re not watering your conditioner down, squeezing out the excess water means your hair benefits more from your conditioner.
Comb through your conditioner.
The main purpose of your conditioner is to smooth the top layer of each individual strand, creating shine and protection to each and every one! You will need a wide toothed comb, applying only to your mid-length to ends (ponytail area) and comb through, this will also spread the conditioner to your roots without effecting your scalp. You may also find after squeezing the water out that you don’t need to use as much.
Wrap & squeeze, do NOT ‘ruffle’.
You have now cleansed your hair, added moisture and flattened your cuticles, lets not ruin it now, wrap it in a towel or squeeze only. When you ruffle, you undo your flattening of the cuticles and you damage them, possibly snapping them. They are the protective layer to your hair and without them it is exposed and prone to snapping/breakage, look after it.
As you continue to wash your hair this way you should start to see slight changes in the feel and behavior of your hair like:
Less split ends
Shinier finish
Smoother
More manageable
less tangled
It does take time to get used too, and some may see results quicker than others. Paired with the correct shampoo and conditioner for your hair type you will be amazed by these simple yet imperative steps in your hair care routine.
Until next time: Happy hair day
<3