Our hair is one of the most important ways in which we express ourselves and naturally it’s a big part of our self-image. Whether you’re a young or old, male or female, you likely want to take care of your hair the best way you can.
While there is an entire industry surrounding hair care products the truth behind good hair care isn’t found in one magical bottle of shampoo. Taking care of your hair is actually quite easy if you remember to follow this simple advice.
Don’t wash your hair everyday
Contrary to popular belief, using shampoo on a daily basis isn’t actually a healthy practise for your hair. While you might enjoy having clean-feeling hair every morning, its overall strength will be worse for washing it too often.
Our hair produces natural oils that protect and condition the hair and using a shampoo too often will strip these natural oils away. This makes the hair over-produce this oil and makes people feel they need to shampoo even more often.
This goes double for those with dyed hair as over-washing can cause it to lose its sheen and depth of colour. It’s best to use a shampoo that’s designed for dyed hair 2 to 3 times a week.
When you wash, do it properly
When it comes time to shampoo the hair many people use more than they really need to. In order to save on shampoo buying and also help you hair, use a small dollop no bigger than a 20 cent coin.
Understandably, if your hair is longer you’ll want to use more shampoo but make sure not to overdo it.
When applying the shampoo, rub it into your scalp and not on the ends of your hair. The shampoo will apply itself to all of your hair when you rinse so it does not need to be scrubbed into your delicate ends.
Make sure to massage the shampoo into the scalp as this motion not only improves blood circulation but helps to detoxify the area. You should also try to wash in cold or lukewarm water as steaming hot water will dry out the hair and promote breakage.
Brush and comb appropriately
It’s important to brush your hair to keep it untangled but it should always be done gently. The hair should be brushed in the morning and before bed for roughly a minute.
Be careful not to brush your hair while it is wet as the hair is much weaker when soaked with water. Instead, use a wide tooth comb and work from the ends of the hair up to the scalp.
Make sure to keep your brushes and combs clean as they can breed bacteria if allowed to clog up with hair, oil or products. Wash them with baking soda and use a toothbrush to clean hard to reach places between the bristles.
