Shampoo alone doesn’t cut it
Let’s be honest—most of us women don’t do a great job taking care of our hair and we could afford to do a (much) better job. Sure, we shampoo it regularly to keep it clean, and some of us even use conditioner on a semi-regular basis.
But then we tend to either leave it alone (pull it back from our faces without even bothering to brush it) or go overboard with styling and coloring, stressing our poor hair out to its limits.
However, it’s important to take good care of our hair to keep it clean, strong, and healthy, and to prevent hair damage and even hair loss. Taking better care of your hair should be a regular part of your beauty regime, and it doesn’t have to be expensive, complicated, or overly time-consuming. Here are a few steps for you to follow to help you start taking better care of your hair.
Shampoo and Conditioner
- Invest in a high-quality shampoo and conditioner that only require you to use a small amount. Cheap brands won’t do your hair any favors.
- Use shampoo and conditioner specifically geared toward your type of hair, whether it’s dry, damaged, oily, color-treated, permed, frizzy, flat, or even “normal.”
- Buy separate bottles of shampoo and conditioners—two-in-ones aren’t good for your hair; besides, shampoo and conditioner have very different jobs and their tasks should be handled separately, no matter how “convenient” you think a two-in-one might be.
- Wash and rinse your hair in cold water. This might defeat the purpose of your warm, relaxing shower, but it really will help your hair. How? Cooler water closes the hair cuticle, which protects your hair and keeps it smooth and shiny. If you can’t stand an entirely cold shower, wash your body and hair in warm water and then rinse in cooler water.
- Wash your hair when you need to. For some people it’s daily, for others twice a week, for others twice a day.
Brushing - Brushing your hair is a no-brainer, right? Wrong. In fact, most women get it wrong. Follow these hair-brushing tips and you’ll be sure to get it right.
- Always start brushing at the ends and slowly work your way up.
- Use a wide-toothed comb to “brush” your hair.
- Never, ever brush your hair when it’s wet. You will stretch it and risk damaging it, causing split ends and even breaking it.
Styling - Go easy on the styling. While some women seem to never bother with any kind of hair styling whatsoever, too many others go in the opposite direction and damage their hair using blow dryers, flat irons, and curling irons on a daily basis. Here are some hair-care tips in the styling department:
- Use a heat protectant to protect your hair from heat.
- Use the lowest setting possible on your dryers and irons to maintain the look you want.
Chemicals - It’s best to avoid perms and coloring treatments because of the harsh chemicals that can damage your hair. Bleaching is particularly damaging. If you want to color your hair, choose a darker shade and go see your hairdresser instead of using an at-home box kit.
Cutting - Yes, part of total hair care involves regular haircuts. Haircuts aren’t just for makeovers and trying funky new looks. No matter how long or short you keep your hair, and no matter how little or much you love change, all women require regular haircuts and trims for maintenance, to keep hair looking fresh, and to prevent split ends.
Talk to your hairdresser - You should be seeing your hairdresser regularly for cuts and hair maintenance, so make sure to ask him/her about the best way/s to style your hair and about which professional products to use and which ones to avoid.
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