When it comes to buying products for washing hair, people spend a lot of money on professional products.
What they may not realize is that it is not what you wash your hair with, it is actually how you wash it. You can spend hundreds of dollars on haircare products. But, if you do not use the proper technique for washing hair, the expensive products won’t make a difference.
Start with Conditioner?
If you have hair that goes past your shoulders, yes, you should start with a little bit of conditioner. Putting a small amount of conditioner in your ends and then rinsing it out protects them from drying out while shampooing. The conditioner will fill any holes in the cuticle with moisture, preventing drying. This gives the ends a smoother, shinier look.
Rinse Before You Wash
Before you wash your hair, it is important to rinse it thoroughly. The hot water will open the cuticle, allowing any hair product or dirt that is trapped in the hair to come out. When those cuticles are open, they will be able to absorb the oils in the conditioner better as well. The warm water will also loosen the oils through the scalp.
Lather Up Properly
Lathering the shampoo is necessary to get your hair clean. The best way to lather is at the scalp, particularly at the nape. The hair at the scalp is the newest hair, and contains most of the hair’s oils. It is not necessary to lather the ends because that is old hair, and is the most fragile, dry part of your hair. When lathering, it is important to be very gentle. If you are too rough, the friction that you are creating can cause the hair to break and be frizzy.
Do Not Repeat
Almost every bottle of shampoo has directions, which tell the user to wash, rinse, and repeat. This is not a good idea. The shampoo company may want you to use twice as much shampoo, so that they can sell twice as much. In reality, shampooing twice is bad for your hair. Washing hair twice can strip the hair causing damage.
Proper Conditioning Techniques
Once you have rinsed out the shampoo, it is time to condition. There is a particular way that you should do that to make sure that it has its greatest effect on the hair. Before you condition, you should squeeze out the excess water in your hair. When you apply the conditioner, you should condition from the middle of the hair to the ends, paying extra attention to the ends. You should leave the conditioner on as long as possible before rinsing it out.
Final Rinse
When rinsing your hair the final time, you should rinse with cold water if possible. The cold water will close the cuticle, giving your hair more shine.
Washing hair properly is very important for healthy, shiny hair.