Here are 5 dos and don’ts of your ‘get ready’ routine from start to finish. The don’ts are all fairly common ones, but with a few simple changes I think you will find your hair reaping the benefits.
Shampoo & Conditioner Routine
Don’t just plop the shampoo & conditioner down on your hair, and then immediately wash it out. By doing this, you are actually misusing the product and not getting the full benefits of what they could be doing for your hair.
Do scrub your shampoo in. Shampoo is meant to clean both your hair and scalp, but the scalp is often neglected in the whole process. Use your fingers to suds that shampoo up and stimulate your scalp. By doing so, you will most likely find that you don’t need to shampoo as often, after giving your head a proper scrub.
Do treat yourself to a conditioning massage. Before you apply your conditioner, wring your hair out as the water often acts as a barrier between the product and your hair. And then spend a few extra seconds and really massage it into your hair so it can work its moisturizing magic. I often leave it in while I shave my legs.
Towel Drying
Don’t shake your hair about with the towel. By roughing your hair up like that, you are sending your poor cuticles into a frizzle frazzle frenzy….perhaps too much Dr.Seuss lately. There are better ways to go about your pre-dry that will leave your hair less damaged.
Do squeeze the moisture out with the towel. Move the towel in a downward motion moving down the hair shaft. What this does is flattens your hair cuticle and makes smooth and happy hair.
Wet Hair
Don’t use a brush on your wet hair. The bristles can be quite harsh on your wet hair and cause breakage. Your hair’s elasticity is pretty vulnerable when wet so you need to be gentler.
Do invest in a wide tooth comb. A wide tooth comb will detangle your hair in a far gentler way, and you will actually find it easier to brush through your knotted wet hair with one. If your hair gets extra tangled, invest in a leave in conditioner.
Blowdrying
Don’t blowdry against the direction of the cuticle, as it will create unwanted frizz. Also, it is not always necessary to blowdry on the highest heat and fastest speed. Those settings put your hair at a higher risk for damage.
Do blowdry in a downward motion along the hair shaft to smooth and seal in the cuticle. Also, do a pre-blowdry using your fingers only before starting the use of a brush for your style (see above). For the curly haired individuals, use a diffuser on low speed and don’t touch your hair, just let it fall into the diffuser. The use of a heat protector is quite useful to guard your hair as well.
Flat Iron/Curl Iron
Don’t rush and use your hot tools on damp/wet hair, and taking hair sections in big chunks. I know that it sometimes takes a lot of time to do the full process, but by jumping the gun on using a hot tool on your damp hair, you can cause damage to both your hair and your flat iron/curl iron…or crimper if you are still going there. As stated before, your hair is far more vulnerable when wet. That sizzling sound is not a positive one.
Do wait until hair is fully dry before using the flat iron/curling iron. Also, you are going to find the best results from taking small sections of hair at a time. It may seem time consuming to do this but you will only have to go over a section once as opposed to working on the same chunk for a few times. Once again, a heat protector spray will benefit your hair here.
Hope some of these helped you! Let me know if you see some changes in your hair from switching to some Dos.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed, never throw out anyone. - Audrey Hepburn
themanesqueeze 