Reading Time: 3 minutes Are You Doing Damage To Your Hair Each Time You Wash It?
This is a collaborative post about beauty by Ellie Jo.
Of all the parts of your body that need regular care, sometimes it can feel like your hair is the most sensitive and susceptible to change of all. Anyone who is prone to frizziness, split ends, dryness, and more can attest to that.
However, you might be creating more of a problem for yourself than you think by not paying more attention to how carefully you wash your hair. Here are a few hair washing mistakes worth avoiding.
Table of Contents
Using hot water
If you instinctively turn the water temperature up as soon as you step into the shower, then you might need to get out of that habit. As Hairguard shows about hot showers, not only can they damage your hair, but they can even lead to hair loss in the long-term.
Lukewarm water is significantly better for your hair and skin, so try to get used to showers that are a little cooler.
Using shampoo before conditioner
It’s easy to see the logic. You want your hair to be as clean as it can be so that your conditioner can be more effective. However, it may in fact be the case that going with conditioner first then applying shampoo after works better for your hair. At the very least, it can make it look like it has a lot more volume.
Going too hard on the products
We use all kinds of products to better style, wash, and change our hair. From shampoos using sulfates to harsh hair dyes, you should know that each product will take a toll on your hair.
Instead, opt for more natural options, whether naturally lightening your hair or using fresh ingredient shampoos that are gentler on your scalp.
Not drying with care
If you have particularly curly or frizziness-prone hair, then it’s usually better to let it air dry than to try drying it yourself. However, we have places to be and people to see, so if you’re in a hurry, make sure you’re not just using a blowdryer directly on your hair.
Diffusers spread out the hot air so that it’s not just super-heating on part of your head, drying your hair out and making it more prone to breakage.
Brushing out your tangles
If you have curly hair, then you’re likely going to have some tangles to deal with after you get out of the bathroom. However, trying to run through them with just a brush can end up tearing out a lot more than you actually untangle.
Instead, take the time to use a shine serum as shown at Byrdie and work out the knots with a comb after the serum has softened up the hair a little more for you.
It can be hard to divine the causes of issues with your hair if you’re not paying attention to how well you care for it. Hopefully, the tips above can help you considerably cut down on those hair hassles.
Rachel is an Austin blogger, educator, mom, wife, young breast cancer survivor writing about health, saving money, and living a happy life in Austin, Texas.
Rachel has written for HuffPost and Hometalk and has been featured on KXAN, Studio 512, Fox 7 Austin, and CBS Austin.