Facts About Hair

It's the perennial question of the hair it is a fact that cutting back is a good thing - and washing every day is a mistake, no matter how much you might crave clean-feeling locks.Your hair's natural oils are designed to condition and protect your tresses, so when you shampoo daily, it strips these vital oils away.It creates a vicious cycle of over-production of oils and a need to shampoo very often. Ideally, to keep your hair healthy, you only need to wash two to three times a week, max.

Don't overwash coloured hair

This is especially true for coloured hair, which can lose its sheen quickly with too much washing.The biggest mistake people make is over-washing coloured hair.Buy a good-quality shampoo– and wash it every few days using styling products in between to keep it looking fresh.Don't shampoo daily. Simply rinse and condition the hair every other day as shampoo can wash out the colour.

Take into account your hair type and lifestyle choices

Of course, how often you need to wash your locks also depends on the type of hair you have.You may not be able to imagine not washing your hair after a workout ,you can can always rinse out sweat without shampooing.A water-only rinse will remove salt and sweat without stripping hair oils.

Invest in some good dry shampoo

And finally if you're aiming to scale back the amount of times you wash your hair per week, remember dry shampoo is your friend.Use dry shampoo instead of washing your hair every day. It will help reduce the oil build up in your hair and gives amazing texture You can also leave dry shampoo in (instead of brushing it out) to give volume.As opposed to washing your hair every day, dry shampoo will help to refresh your hair at the roots and the tips whilst helping you to retain all the essential moisture your hair needs.Avoid hot showers and shampoo your scalp, not your ends.

Amount of Shampoo

Come shampoo time, many of us reach for a large dollop of the good stuff to scrunch into our hair; but there's a technique to good hair washing and overdoing things on the product front will do more harm than good.Healthy, beautiful, shiny hair starts in the shower so make sure to use the right shampoo and conditioner for your hair type and level of damage. The volume of shampoo you should use depends on the length and thickness of your hair, but a blob the size of a small 1 rupee coin is a good start.Longer hair needs a 2 rupee coin.

Aim for the scalp not the ends

It's not just how much shampoo you use, but where you apply it that counts.Use shampoo on the scalp only - not on the ends of your hair. The shampoo will rinse down in the shower, but you don’t want to scrub the ends.

Massage your scalp to encourage circulation

Giving your head an invigorating massage as you shampoo is a good way to encourage blood circulation and helps to detoxify the scalp.Having strong, healthy hair is the best way to make any hair look expensive. A lot of it is about properly shampooing and conditioning and taking care of your scalp - massage it well while washing to get circulation going.

Avoid hot water

Cool off in the shower. Blasting your scalp with extremely hot water will dry out your hair and create tangles that could result in breakage.Towel-dry your hair before applying conditioner.

What conditioner you use and how you use it is

 If anything, more important than the shampoo stage. Make sure you invest in a few good quality conditioners and leave-in treatments or hair masks, especially if you have coloured hair.

Good conditioner is also crucial when it comes to thick, curly hair.

For curly, highly textured hair, always deep condition .No two minute conditioners here. Deep conditioning involves a conditioner that will add moisture and strength (protein) back to hair. I believe it’s important to use leave-in conditioners and also not to shampoo it so often. Rinse it if you want to but don’t necessarily shampoo it.

Gently towel-dry the hair before applying conditioner

Make sure you towel-dry hair after shampooing and before you apply conditioner: excess water in your hair means the conditioner won't be able to penetrate the hair shaft and deliver the necessary moisture to keep hair looking healthy and shiny.If you're short on time, at least squeeze out excess water - hair that’s saturated with water doesn’t have room to absorb anything else.

Avoid the roots and concentrate on the ends

Try not to put the conditioner on the roots, because that can cause your scalp to get greasy faster.It's also a good idea to think ahead and anticipate situations where your hair might dry out.While you exercise, you perspire, which means that your hair gets damp with sweat that can actually make it dry.Before you hit the gym (especially during the summer, but this works year-round too) wet your hair and add in some conditioner from the mid-lengths to the ends. Rinse out the conditioner post-workout and you’ll be left with shiny, hydrated hair.Avoiding too much sun helps too.Brush your hair twice a day, from the bottom up

Comb wet hair, don't brush it

When your hair is soaking wet, it is weaker, fragile and more susceptible to breakage.Try not to rough-dry hair with a towel, and instead gently press the water out. Also, do not brush your hair while it is wet. Use a wide-tooth comb, working from the ends of your hair on up.

Brush from the bottom up

Brushing from the roots causes damage – always brush from the bottom and work up

Use different brushes for blow-dying and styling

At home, you should have a round brush for blow-drying, for styling and a tail comb to move hair around a little

Keep your brushes clean

Filthy hair brushes that are covered in hair, oil and product build-up are breeding grounds for bacteria. Clean them at least once a month with a mixture of baking soda and lukewarm water. A toothbrush will help you to get into all those tiny bristles.