How to Wash Your Hair Properly… 4 Ways You’re Doing It Wrong!
Have you ever wondered whether you’re washing your hair correctly or not? As a hairdresser of 10 years, it is a conversation that gets brought up a lot at Icon Salons. So here is my professional advice on the matter:
1. Double shampoo
It is SOOOOOO important to shampoo your hair at least twice every hair wash day! This is what I tell my students who are training in hairdressing: The first shampoo removes the dirt, oils, product, debris from the hair. The second shampoo actual cleans THE HAIR. So, if you’re a serial 1-time only shampooer, your hair won’t have the light, airy, clean feel that you will be getting from 2 shampoos.
It is also okay to do 3 or 4 shampoos if your hair is feeling extra yucky from the gym, dry shampoo, hairspray, or whatever it may be!
Bonus info: If you’re not sure which shampoo is best for you, a really great tool to use is… If the shampoo is clear and translucent, it is best for fine to medium hair types. If the shampoo is white and creamy, it is best for medium to thick hair types. What a funky way to decide if you’re shampoo is right for you?!
2. Only put conditioner on the mids and ends of your hair
Have you ever felt like your hair is oily, even though you just washed it yesterday? The main reason that this happens is because you are putting conditioner too close to your roots. Conditioner is full of essential ingredients for dry and damaged hair and is only designed to be used for the mids and ends of your hair which is where your hair needs the most love… We recommend to put a small amount of conditioner on the mids and ends of your hair, leave for 5 minutes, comb with a wide tooth comb, then rinse really well.
3. Blonde shampoo every 2nd or 3rd wash
This is for my blonde ladies… STOP USING PURPLE SHAMPOO EVERY WASH!!! Purple shampoo is very pigmented which is great to reduce yellow or brassy tones in blonde hair. However, it can have a not so great affect if used too often. When purple shampoo is used too often, it creates a build up on the hair that actually makes your blonde a really muddy, silver, dull colour. This makes your hairdressers job very difficult as we have to remove that tone when you come back in for a blonding service… So, we recommend using purple shampoo every 2nd or 3rd time you wash your hair. Because you are double shampooing now, we say, use a hydrating or colour safe shampoo first, then use your blonde shampoo second, leave it on for no longer than 5 minutes, then rinse and condition. PERFECT!
4. Don’t wash your hair more than 3 times per week!
Like I said earlier, if you feel like your hair is oily, even after washing it the day before, something is not right… Another reason for this is that you could be washing your hair too often! When we wash our hair, we do remove a certain amount of natural oils and conditioner helps to replenish those which is why your hair feels really rough after shampooing and smooth and shiny after conditioning. If you shampoo too often and you’re stripping your hair of its natural oils too often, our skin and hair starts to over produce oils to compensate for that. Washing your hair anywhere from 2-3 times per week is the perfect amount to make sure this doesn’t happen.
If you have any questions about your homecare hair routine, please reach out to us! We’d love to help you find the right products for your hair. We are a Hair Salon in Hervey Bay, so if you’re ever around, pop in and say hi.
Talk soon,
Bonnie x