21 Mar Hair; love and care series
First up how many of us are actually washing our hair correctly?
Believe it or not; as basic as this regime is for hair care, there is a correct and incorrect approach to washing your hair.
Your stylist or hairdresser will at some stage suggest or recommend a shampoo and conditioner for you. Since the professional product is always more expensive than the supermarket or drug-store bought product, it is imperative that value for your dollar is maximized through correct knowledge pertaining to the washing and conditioning of your hair.
The debatable question is ‘How often should I shampoo my hair’?
The short answer is generally once a week, if need be twice a week. However, if you are sporty, swim regularly, or go to the gym/exercise daily, then you may feel like you need to wash it more often. We need to feel it is clean in order to feel fresh. I advise my clients who swim daily to maybe try and rinse their hair thoroughly with water and work a little leave-in-conditioner through the mid-lengths and ends. For the sporty or gym clients maybe a dry shampoo application in between a once or twice weekly regular shampoo rinse and conditioner routine, or if they simply must wash maybe a single light shampoo in the shower applying a leave-in-conditioner lightly to the mid-lengths and ends.
Be sure to thoroughly wet your hair through before applying your shampoo. If you have thick hair you may need to allow time for the water to penetrate through the bulk for good saturation. Warm water is more advisable to hot water. The warm water will open the cuticle or outside of the hair allowing for the removal of dirt or product trapped in the hair and it also allows for the absorption of your conditioner. When actually shampooing, you only need to focus on shampooing at the scalp, particularly the nape area. So, the best way to lather is from roots to ends as it is the scalp region that is inevitably the oiliest or dirtiest. Take care not to use more shampoo than you actually need. A professionally suggested shampoo will probably be concentrated and so again less is more. On average a dollop about the size of a ten cent piece or less according to your hair length and thickness should suffice. If your hair is particularly thick or long then you may require a little more. Rule of thumb for how many shampoo applications needed is simple. If you find your hair lathers well with the first wash then chances are you need not reapply a second shampoo, as to avoid over cleaning or stripping the hair. If your shampoo does not lather up much then reapply and rinse a second time. When washing your hair take care not to be too rough with your locks. Friction can permanently damage your hair cuticle leading to breakage and frizz issues. Start shampooing your hair at the roots, using vertical strokes with medium pressure to increase blood flow to the scalp and increase hair growth. Circular motions could encourage tangle problems particularly with fine or longer locks. Once you have washed the scalp, smooth the lather down the mid-lengths and ends of your hair in a straight stroking motion. Do not scrub the fragile ends of your hair or work the shampoo through in a back and forward motion as if washing a rag. Once you have thoroughly rinsed out your shampoo then gently squeeze the water out of your hair. Please note gently squeeze, do not wring the water from your hair, then apply your conditioner working from scalp through to ends. If you tend to have a greasy scalp problem avoid putting the conditioner to the roots of your hair and apply to your mid-lengths and ends only. Allow a few minutes to soak into your hair and then rinse out using tepid water or cool to cold water if you can bare it in order to close the cuticle layer of your hair so that it will lie flat and be less inclined to frizz whilst giving off a natural shine.
One last note, take care not to rub up your hair with your towel. Rather, gently squeeze the water from your hair and pat dry with the towel.
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