Most people take hair washing as a simple routine ritual. It never comes to their mind that this could go wrong. But there is a good possibility that you are doing it the wrong way, causing damage to your scalp & hair bit by bit. So it’s important to know how to manage your hair while washing when it is wet and fragile.
Read on if you want to find out the dos and don’ts of hair washing & the right way to shampoo and Condition.
Hair Wash Dos & Don’ts
Correct Way To Shampoo Your Hair
- Detangle your hair before you wash. Detangling your hair is essential, but it can be time-consuming if your hair is longer, thicker, or your curls are tighter. The easiest approach is to detangle using your fingers first, then a broad-tooth comb. And never pull your hair while detangling.
- Rinse your hair with water before shampooing. Shampoo lathers and spreads better on damp hair. If you rinse your hair thoroughly before washing, you’ll require less shampoo to wash your hair. Please use warm water to help open the hair cuticles and ensure that shampoo enters deeper and gets rid of dust, debris, and oil. Opened cuticles will also absorb the nutrients and moisturizing effects of the conditioner more effectively.
- Mix with Water: Before applying shampoo, mix it with some water and lather it on your palm. Using the shampoo directly on your scalp could be harmful because the cleansing agent and moisture will get a chance to penetrate the scalp first, leading to an oily scalp.
Mixing with water will also ensure that the shampoo gets distributed more evenly throughout your scalp. Also, you use much less shampoo than if you applied it directly.
- Don’t focus mainly on your hair. While washing hair, the scalp needs the most attention since, in general, the roots are often the oiliest part of the hair. Also, as the ends of the hair are comparatively older and drier, they are likely to get more dehydrated after being washed with shampoo.
- Don’t Do Abrasive Washing: Don’t scrub with nails. Instead, handle your hair and scalp with care. Lather from the roots to the hair ends, then gently massage using your fingers and palms. Avoid scrubbing your scalp with nails because that can cause abrasions and attract infections.
When the hair is wet, it’s at its most vulnerable state; therefore, don’t use circular or back & forth action to wash your hair & scalp because it can lead to tangles, breakage, and weaken the follicles.
Correct Way To Condition Your Hair
- After shampooing, rinse your hair thoroughly. Although shampoo eliminates grime & dirt from your hair, it can clog your hair follicles if you do not wash it off properly. In addition, you need to check a few parts to see whether the shampoo is rinsed off thoroughly, particularly at the hairline, neckline, and back of the ears, because these parts tend to be overlooked. Also, the remaining shampoo residues can eventually cause irritation and itching to your scalp, which can cause another problem.
- Don’t Apply Conditioner On Your Scalp: If you apply a conditioner onto your scalp, it will make the roots oilier than they should be. Actually, the hair ends are the driest, so they need the most hydration. Instead, apply extra conditioner from the mid until the ends of your hair and allow it to be on for a longer period. Then, please continue your shower while enabling the conditioner to work its magic.
- Wash Off Conditioner With Cool Water: Remember to rinse off the conditioner under cool running water to help close the cuticles and retain moisture. That will ensure your hair doesn’t absorb more moisture from the environment and turn frizzy.
- Don’t rub your hair with a towel to dry it. Wet hair is slightly more brittle. So be extra careful not to pull or tug on damp hair, or you might lose some strands.
- Don’t use too much heat. If you use heat when the hair is still damp, first apply a heat protectant product and avoid overheating your hair because it can harm the hair in the long term.
- Let your hair air dry. Then, gently pat your hair to dry with an old t-shirt instead of a towel to reduce frizz. This is a better option than using a blow dryer.
- Shampooing Twice: Some people shampoo twice before conditioning their hair. However, this can strip off too much natural oil from your hair, damaging hair and adversely affecting its growth. Don’t wash your hair twice unless your hair is extremely oily or you have applied oil to your hair beforehand and feel that the oil is not washing off.