How To Wash Your Hair

Washing your hair might seem simple enough, but most of the "experts" out there are dead wrong about how you should wash your hair. For most of my life I washed my hair incorrectly too, until I discovered unbiased beauty blogs and found out how to wash your hair properly.

Most hairdressers and shampoo/conditioner manufacturers have an ulterior motive when giving you hair advice - they want you to use more product so that they can sell more.

The first thing to do when it comes to washing your hair is to learn how often you should wash it. Most experts say you should wash it 4-5 times a week, but most men and women are too busy to do this. What I've discovered is that washing it less frequently works well for most hair - infrequent washing allows your hair to get slightly oily and prevents it from getting too coarse.

In addition, when you wash your hair, it is at its weakest and most vulnerable. It is much easier to pull out hair or get split ends when your hair is wet. Washing less frequently can contribute to better hair health, fewer split ends and less hair fall. You may have to experiment to find out how often you should wash your hair for optimum results, but for most people this is 1-3 times per week. Also, keep in mind that because your hair is weaker when it is wet, you'll want to treat it more gently when washing it.

Before washing your hair, comb or brush it out. This will prevent tangles when you are actually washing.

The first step is soak your hair completely. This usually means standing under the shower while water runs down your hair. Allow your hair to fall naturally - don't try to pile it all on top of your head since this leads to tangles and breakage.

Next, take a small amount of shampoo and rub it between your fingertips. Apply this to your whole scalp evenly. Massage your scalp for a few seconds, then rinse it all out. Make sure there is no shampoo residue left. Most people don't need to apply shampoo directly to their hair strands - the soapy water running down is enough to clean your strands. Excess shampoo leads to dry and brittle hair.

If you wish, you can now apply conditioner. However, this is unnecessary for most people if you haven't applied shampoo to the strands.

Next, you'll want to dry your hair carefully - do not rub excessively. Using a towel wrap to soak out the water is a good idea. If you have frizzy hair, apply anti-frizz serum, or apply thermal conditioner if you'll be blow-drying your hair. If you're interested in how to get straight hair, then you'll probably apply some heat treatment such as hot hair ironing, so a thermal treatment is a good idea.