Hair Care 101

Hair, an essential piece of our looks!

 

It has the power to make or break our day. Waking up with unruly hair, and just like that, the day is ruined! 

 

We put our hair through a lot – from styling, blow-drying, dyeing, to all sorts of chemical treatments. These, after a while, take a toll on our hair, causing it to break, lose its natural shine and cause hair fall. 

 

This blog is here to help you tend to your hair properly so that you can experience the least amount of bad hair days. 

 

Before we start, a piece of advice, appropriate daily care will give you better results than once a while pricey hair salon treatments. 

 

If you are ready to find out the correct way to treat your hair, then keep on reading.

 

First and Foremost, the question that plagues everyone once in their life,

 

how often should I wash my hair?

 

If you search this question on the internet, there are an innumerable amount of results available ranging from washing every day to once a week. The commonality that you will find is that they all mention one key thing – whatever works for you the best. The truth is there is no one perfect way. It depends on what suits your hair and its type. It relies on how fast your scalp gets greasy and dirty, especially if you work out every day. 

 

One thing to make note is, daily washing can considerably dry out your hair, though if you do daily wash, then change your shampoo to one that is less clarifying and more moisturizing, this way you can clean your hair while not eliminating the moisture. 

 

Another thing that tends to dry out hair is washing it with hot water. We know how amazing hot water baths feel, but high temperatures will strip the hair of its essential oils, leaving it vulnerable. Wash with lukewarm water or cold water.  

 

How to shampoo & condition?

 

Follow this – Shampoo the scalp & Condition the length.

 

Simply put, shampoos are for cleansing. The most of dirt, oil and dead cells are concentrated on the scalp. Therefore, use shampoo on the scalp and not on the length of your hair. Shampooing the length of your hair will dry them out. 

The length will get cleaned when you wash off the shampoo with water. 

 

Unlike shampoo, conditioner, as the name suggests, is for conditioning or moisturizing. Its job is to replenish the hair’s moisture back after cleansing. As mentioned above, you should only apply it to the length of the hair, applying it to the scalp can cause it to be and feel oily after wash. 

You should always condition your hair after shampooing. 

 

Before moving on to the next step, we failed to mention one crucial step – i.e. Hair Oil. 

The one product if not applied daily will make us bald by the time we are 30 (as told by our mothers). 

 

Recently the traction toward hair oil seems to be increasing again, because many professionals swear by it and that applying it has a lot of benefits. But like all things good, too much of it can lead to harm. 

Also, if you already have an oily scalp, we don’t recommend that you directly oil your scalp but start away from it and apply it to length. While oils help moisturize and protect the hair, they can also leave an unwanted residue that weighs the hair down, so it is best to do it once or twice a week. Let the oil sit overnight and then wash it off the next day. 

If you have ever applied hair oil before, you might know that just skin products, different hair oil, suits different people. 

Most people swear by coconut oil. It has its benefits, but, we have had stories that say coconut makes their hair ever greasier.

The moral of these stories is, like clothes, you have to try and see which one fits you the best. 

 

What people do not realize is they do not follow all these tips to the tea. However, when it comes to styling, they make some common and often grievous mistakes. 

 

The one that causes the most damage is not using a heat-protective spray on the hair before using hot tools like blow dryers, straighteners or curling irons. The high temperature of these tools can cause moisture loss from the hair and damage the protein in the hair, over time cause split ends, rough texture of the hair and hair that break very easily. 

Remember to apply heat-protectants, your hair will thank you for it. 

It is also nice to let your hair air dry when you get the chance. 

 

Did you know friction causes hair damage?

Two fabrics that rub against the hair in the wrong way are cotton and linen. They are absorbent too. Implying that if you have applied any overnight hair treatments, they will get absorbed by the pillowcase. 

Solution – sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase. 

Even, instead of using your regular towel, use a cotton t-shirt to dry off.

 

how to tie your hair?

If you tie your hair too tightly for long periods, not only can it lead to a headache, but it is going to cause strain in your hair leading to breakage. Use gentle scrunchies, and simply just don’t tie it too tightly. 

 

Congratulations on reading to the end of it! The writer of this article hopes it was helpful and that these tips and tricks will contribute to maintaining a head of thick, luscious hair.