My hair care routine is one of things that I take the most pride in. This is one area that I feel is so important in taking care of yourself. In addition, there are so many misconceptions about maintaining your hair, and specifically washing your hair, that many girls are misled by. Through my own routine, I am going to share some of these errors that you might be doing yourself!
Stop washing your hair
Now obviously I do not mean this in literally never ever washing your hair. However many girls are washing your hair much more than it needs to be. I used to wash my hair religiously every other day, no matter what. Shampooing your hair every day strips it of its natural oils and therefore leaves your hair extremely damaged. Now I know what you’re saying, “my hair gets so greasy after one day I have to wash it”. This may be true but the reason for it is because you’re continuing to wash it everyday so the oils are overproducing. Instead, you should learn to train your hair; first go one day without washing it, and then two, and then three. You’re hair will learn and no longer produce as much oil. Believe it or not, I now only wash my hair once a week (and no my hair is not a huge grease ball, I promise!). Although washing it once a week might not be possible for everyone depending on the thickness and type of hair your have, you should definitely go as long as possible without washing.
Shampoo roots, condition ends
A good rule of thumb to follow when washing your hair is to only shampoo from the ears up and to only condition from the ears down. Your roots, scalp, and hairline are the only parts of your hair that need to be shampooed considering those are the only parts of your hair that produce oils. Shampooing your ends will only damage them rather than “clean them”. Similarly with conditioner, your ends are where the most damage is caused from heat and other products that you use on your hair. Focus most of your conditioner on your ends and only use whatever is left sparingly through your roots. Too much conditioner on your roots will make your hair dirtier more quickly.
Deep condition/hair masks
You should use a deep conditioner or hair mask once a week or once every other week. These masks will really rejuvenate and help to protect your hair in a way that regular conditioner doesn’t. My favorite is the Macadamia Deep Repair Masque in which I use once every two weeks.
Controlling humidity
One small trick I’ve found when controlling your frizz is to blast your hair with cold water right before you get out. This locks in and controls your frizz better than if the hot water was the last thing that it was in contact with.
Dry shampoo and heat protectant
I could not finish this hair care post without mentioning my favorite and most used product: dry shampoo. Once I hit my fourth day or so, I use dry shampoo to soak up any oils that are visible around my hairline. This product is super helpful in allowing me to wash my hair the amount that I do. My favorite by far is Batiste in the original and clean scent. Another product that I can’t preach about enough is a good heat protectant. I put heat on my hair almost everyday (straightener or curler) and as a result my ends are pretty damaged. To control this and create the least amount of damage I use a heat protectant each time I apply heat (again, mainly on the ends).