You are in the shower, going through the motions. You grab your shampoo, pour a large blob, smack it on your hair, and mush everything around. There isn’t enough suds so we grab some more from the bottle and start creating a mess on top of our heads. We take the ends of our hair, bring them to the top, and wring them around like a washing machine. After doing that, which takes about 30 seconds, we wash out the shampoo and call it a day. Maybe we rinse and repeat, but usually not. Then we take enough conditioner to soften the hair of a large animal, slather it all over, and let it sit. After we have done everything else, three minutes or so later, we wash it all the way out. So much so that you can’t really feel that it was there. Does this sound accurate? If this sounds like you, don’t worry, you aren’t alone. Most people have washed their hair this way as long as they can remember. A lot of people also tend to have problems with dry scalp, oily scalp, dry ends, and a whole host of other problems. Good news is that it is an easy fix! Read on for the correct steps to washing your hair.
How to correctly shampoo your hair.
- Rinse your hair extremely well with warm to hot water. You want to rinse your hair for 30 seconds to a minute, making sure it is thoroughly saturated and the build up is broken up.
- Take a quarter size amount of shampoo and apply to the top back of your scalp. Gently rub it around with your finger tips and start to create suds. If you feel like there is not enough suds, hit it with the water again.
- Bring the suds all around the scalp and the roots of the hair. Allow the suds to sit at the roots for a full minute. You need the shampoo to sit on the hair to work properly and break down all the oil and build up.
- Start to pull the shampoo down the hair through the ends, do not bring the ends up to the roots. You do not want to do any harsh manipulations like rubbing the hair together or squishing around.
- Remember, your goal is to clean the scalp and roots of the hair mainly. Pulling the suds through the ends should be enough to cleanse them.
- If you feel like you need to wash again, that is ok! As long as you are correctly washing, a repeat won’t be damaging to the hair.
- Make sure all the suds are rinsed completely and move on to the conditioner!
How to correctly condition your hair.
- After rinsing your shampoo, try to squeeze out as much water from the middle to ends of your hair.
- The hair length and thickness will determine how much conditioner you will need.
- You only want to apply your conditioner from the middle of your hair and down, this should start around your ears. Your scalp naturally produces oil that will condition your scalp.
- If you want, you can comb the conditioner through your hair with a wide tooth comb. We like this one: WET Brush detangler
- It isn’t about how long the conditioner stays in that gives it the benefit. Conditioner is a thick molecule and if the hair is soaked in water then it will be less effective.
- The most important thing about conditioner is that you leave your hair slightly filmy when rinsing. If you leave some on the mid-lengths to ends, that allows it to absorb into the hair when drying. This is going to provide the best benefits you can get from your conditioner.
Extra tips!
- It is always best to start with less product and add more as needed.
- If you still don’t have sufficient suds, make sure your hair is wet enough. If you need more shampoo then you can add it, or repeat your wash.
- It is important to leave your shampoo in for a sufficient amount of time. You want it to be able to work and do it’s job.
- If you do not feel like your hair is in optimal shape, it is important to analyze the ingredients in your products. Stay away from harsh sulfates, parabens, drying alcohols, and sodium chloride.
- Ask your stylist to prescribe your products to your hair type. Curly hair and straight hair require different ingredients for optimal performance. You may think you have a certain hair type, when in reality it could be different.
- A clarifying shampoo once a week is always recommended to cleanse the hair of any buildup, external or internal, that could be not allowing your products to work to their maximum potential.
If you have any questions, please reach out. We can do a virtual analysis of your hair type and products to ensure you are using the correct products.
We would love to hear from you! Are you already washing correctly? If you need to switch up how you wash, let us know the results after trying.
