5 Common hair washing mistakes
Are you one of us? Someone who didn’t realise there were actually hair washing mistakes in the first place? I mean, you get in the shower, you shampoo your hair, you do it again and then you condition it right? Apparently not!
It may seem like an easy concept, heck, we have been washing our hair since birth, well mum washed mine till I was 15, but who are you to judge me?...
We can guarantee you, there are a few of us out there, who will have made a few mistakes and be left wide-eyed.
Let’s talk about it:
Rinsing in hot water – Best feeling ever right?!
Rinsing in hot water is a big no-no, and it could leave you bald!
NO ONE WANTS TO GO BALD ON PURPOSE!!!
If you're like us, then you probably love a steaming hot shower! What’s better than a hot shower on a cold winter's morning. But heck, washing your hair in warm or hot water can cause damage? Lead to hair loss, dandruff, irritated scalps and, in severe cases... Baldness! We are SHOOK.
How is this even possible? We consulted the experts and they told us ‘when you rinse your hair with hot water, it removes your natural oil (sebum) and moisture - leaving your scalp dehydrated and irritated and your hair frizzy and dry. In severe cases, when this is done continuously, it can cause your hair to become brittle and broken, leading to breakage and hair loss’.
Based on this, it’s recommended to wash your body in warm water, of course, but rinse your hair with cool water. A simple tip that will keep your scalp and hair healthy and happy. You can thank us later.
Conditioner to the roots – That sounds kind of rude…
If you have good ole greasy roots, the kind that you could squeeze out into the olive oil bottle and cook with, then listen up! This lil’ ole common mistake could be one y’all makin.
Like we mentioned, the scalp produces a natural oil called ‘sebum’, which naturally conditions your roots. Applying conditioner to your hairs roots takes away the sebum and clogs your follicles, leaving your hair flat, lifeless and greasy looking. And whilst we are all out there ironing our hair, ain’t no one want lifeless, greasy flat hair AT ALL.
So what can we do to avoid this? Again, upon consultation with our experts, it’s suggested that you apply conditioner at least 3 inches or if you’re Australian about 7.5cm away from the scalp and pay extra attention to the parts of your hair that are most damaged (typically the ends). And just like that, that’s the last time I condition to my scalp and offend my dear sebum.
Soaking before shampooing – your hair that is
You know those moments in time where you’re in a rush and quickly sweep your hair under the water ever so quickly before lathering up your favourite moisturizing or volumising shampoo? We sure have. HOW IS THIS ANOTHER MISTAKE?....
To reap all the benefits of shampoo, you need to wet every, damn, single strand of hair, which typically takes 1-2 minutes in the shower, that is if you were blessed with Eve’s beautiful thick luscious hair. Otherwise, for all of us skinny haired peeps, it might only take 30 secs. But watch out, that nasty fact remains, if your hair is not completely soaked before applying shampoo, your hair won't be getting the deepest clean possible. Meaning: you’ll need to wash it more often, and be getting rid of our friend sebum, yet again.
So if you're after a deep clean, soak your hair first and don't rush the process.
Scrub-a-dub-dubbing your scalp
What’s better than a head massage at the hairdressers? Well we can say many things, but nothing that can be written in this PG article. Let’s face it, the massage at the HD, it's soothing, relaxing and oh so enjoyable.
What we now know, after many investigating head massages later, is that there's a fine line between a head massage and a vigorous scalp scrub - the type where you're left red and raw. Ouch!
If you've experienced bad dandruff (you’d know this if you wore a black shirt and looked in the mirror), and hit a breaking point, you may have thought, "the more I scrub, the more it will go." It sounds logical at the time, but sadly it's not true, and vigorous scrubbing won't help. We’ve tried it. And instead got embarrassed – and that also wasn’t fun.
Giving yourself a heavy-handed scalp scrub can damage your follicles and leave your hair brittle and weak. Worse yet, if you are experiencing dandruff, it can even cause more flaking and leave your skin irritated.
So be gentle with your scalp. Treat it like you love it, gently rub in the shampoo and conditioner, and avoid damaging your hair and causing extra flaking. Let’s not overdo the application.
Changing up the program – swapping the S’poo in and out
Are you guilty of this? Cause we are! Seeing new shampoos on the shelves gets us giddy. The cute packaging, sweet, sweet smelling formulas, and of course, the over promising to restore your hair, (potentially from the mistakes we’ve spoken about earlier) and make it red carpet ready. It's hard to resist.
Now, beauty gurus and hairstylists the world over, have been preaching for years that constantly switching up shampoos and conditioners isn't beneficial. They state ‘we should only be purchasing hair products that are formulated for our hair’s specific needs’. All I hear is blah, blah, blah. Give me all the extra shampoos that will glamorize my luscious locks. In a Martha Stewart article, hairstylist Alicia Bailey, aka 'The Global Texture Specialist,' said, "Someone with colour-treated hair would not benefit from a shampoo that was not formulated for that hair condition. Colour-treated hair needs a gentle, sulfate-free shampoo to help preserve the colour and moisture within the hair."
Right, right, right, I’m listening now. It’s a Martha Stewart article!!! So in Alicia’s texturizing advice, we shall ensure our hair is being washed correctly, and only change shampoos and conditioners when our hairs specific needs change. It’s gonna take a quick minute to adjust. This advice also applies to hair products, let’s only change them out a maximum of 3 times a year.
So, choose wisely friends!
Don’t wanna wash today but wanna look fly?
The Inbetweeners. There’s a few of us out there. Not wanting to take the time to really ‘get my hair wet’ properly. And, having gorgeous hair the day before your standard hair washing night can be tricky. Your hair is no longer fresh, fabulous and full of life! Instead, it's dirty, oily and on its last legs. Well mine is anyway…
It’s something all our friends talk to us about, so we looked into it, and a slick ponytail and high bun is our best friend on these days. Buuuuuut, you may have a few frizzy strands out of place or some unruly baby hair that likes to stand to attention. These pesky little nuisance creating hairs need to be told what to do. And today, and more than likely on most days, we have the solution for you. It would be remiss of us to not talk about the reason we are all here on this website,
chilling with our sticky outy hairs wanting to slick them down. So whilst this, ‘Inbetweeners’ section isn’t a ‘Hair Washing Mistake’ per say, it’s a: ‘we can help you when you don’t wanna wash them locks’ conversation.
If you’ve been able to get your hands-on Wispy In Formation, you will know it’s a hair slicking, anti-flyaway finishing wand to help slick down your hair, tame your baby hairs and leave you looking fabulous. It’s what everyone wants (we keep saying this to ourselves, even when we sleep), that fresh and slicked back look.
To obtain this fresh look it’s simple, with a few simple swipes of the wand, your hair will be slicked into place, and baby hairs will be shown the door. Say goodbye to unwanted frizz, unruly baby hair and say hello to glamorous locks.
Our In Formation, styling wand, is suitable for all hair types and textures, we’re inclusive like that. It is lightweight but packs a punch plus it’s easy to use and non-greasy. So much so, it will feel like you haven't used the product at all, and you will look like you’ve just washed your locks and didn’t miss a beat!
For those of you who were not taking notes, remember:
- Rinse your lovely locks in cold water – then you won’t go bald
- Condition from the mid lengths - make sebum your friend
- Get fully wet – let the shampoo work for you
- Be gentle with your scalp – don’t make dandruff live with you
- Only change up when ya hair changes – save some cash, buy some Wispy
