Caring for your hair is a unique journey for each of us. With many diverse hair types, hair care routines are as individual as we are. Some of us may lavish time, effort, and resources on our hair, while others may adopt a more low-maintenance approach. The key is to find a routine that works best for you and your hair.
And then there are those who want to improve their hair but aren't sure what to do or are unaware of hair care mistakes they're unintentionally making. But when it comes to hair, it can be easy to pick up habits or get into routines that you might not realise are doing more harm than good.
The following tips are not just hair care mistakes to avoid, but they are also some of the most commonly committed actions that damage hair across the world. You're not alone in this journey, and many others have made these mistakes before. The good news is that with the right knowledge, you can avoid these pitfalls and improve the health of your hair.
Brushing When Wet
Brushing your hair when it's wet can increase breakage and cause more damage than you realise. While the occasional wet brush might not do any damage on its own over time, regularly brushing your hair when it's wet can lead to broken strands, brittle hair, and split ends, to name a few.
Instead, you want to brush your hair prior to washing, ensuring it's tangle-free before it gets wet. Then, once it's ready to be dried and styled, you don't need to brush it; instead, you can get right to styling it.
If you prefer to brush when wet, use a wide-toothed comb designed for wet hair to reduce stress on the strands and limit damage and breakage.
Incorrect Washing Schedules
Washing your hair too little or too much can impact the health and quality of your hair. While in many cases, washing your hair every day is something you absolutely should not do, if your hair gets oily in less than 24 hours, then you might not have a choice but to wash it frequently.
However, if your hair can go a few days between washings, then wash it as it gets greasy or looks and feels dirty. If it doesn't need washing every day or even every other day, don't wash it that frequently. But don't leave it too long so you have too much buildup on your hair, especially for dry shampoo lovers, as this buildup won't be doing you any favours.
Using The Wrong Products
The hair care industry is vast, and there are so many different types of shampoos, conditioners, masks, cleansers, scrubs, styling products, and more that can impact your hair care routine. The wrong products, however, can be more damaging than not washing your hair or even brushing it when wet—eek!
Each ingredient in shampoos and conditioners serves a specific purpose, tailored to different hair types. By understanding your hair type and its unique needs, you can make informed choices about the products you use. This knowledge empowers you to take control of your hair care routine and improve the health of your hair.
You're Neglecting Your Scalp
Your scalp should be included in your hair care routine. If you're not paying attention to your scalp's needs, you will likely experience a buildup that is impacting its health, vibrancy, and growth, too.
As you use products, touch your head, or your scalp accumulates buildup from the environment, this doesn't always go away when you wash your hair, especially if you don't need to wash it frequently. Not all shampoos clean the scalp, either, and many people are guilty of washing the roots but skipping over the scalp.
For healthy hair and a healthy head, you need to pay more than lip service to your scalp. This means giving it a massage as you wash your hair, using scalp cleansing products on a regular basis, and ensuring that you exfoliate and remove product buildup and dead cells from your scalp for improved health and a less itchy scalp.
Not Using Hair Masks
One of the main reasons people tend to skip hair masks is that they don't think they're suitable for their hair or they don't understand how best to use them. If you don't know if you should use a hair mask before or after a shower, then it's about time you found out.
Most hair masks are designed to be used after shampooing but before or instead of conditioning, depending on the specific masks. You might not need to use hair masks as frequently as you think, but neglecting to use them entirely won't be doing you favours. Whether it's a clarifying mask for oily hair, a nourishing one for dry hair, a moisture mask for frizzy hair, or a hair mask for any other reason, taking the time to add this to your overall hair care routine will be a great idea for those wanting to improve their hair.
Wearing Tight Hairstyles
Wearing your hair too tight can cause breakage on the strands and at the roots, so put extra dress on your scalp. While you shouldn't avoid tight hairstyles, they can look amazing after all; you should aim for a few relaxed hair days in between to help reduce stress, let your hair breathe, and give your head a break, too.
Too Much Heat
Too much heat isn't good for hair. Whether you wash with really hot water all the time or use too much heat to style your hair, or worse, without heat protection, you can unintentionally damage your hair.
Hot water isn't good for hair or the scalp, and experts recommend using warm water, finishing off with a cold blast, if you want to seal the follicles and smoothen strands.
Over-styling using heat can also damage your hair and scalp; try to have a day where you don't use any styling products or use those that don't use heat to avoid excessive damage.
Also, learn how best to use heat protection products for full effects. You don't always need heat protection spray on the roots, but you most definitely need it on the rest of your hair, including the ends. Heat protection products can prevent your hair from becoming frazzled and breaking, which can cause split ends if you neglect to use heat protection on them prior to styling.
Sleeping in Wet Hair
If you've been guilty of hitting the sack right after washing, then you're committing another hair care sin. Sleeping in wet hair, especially wet hair that is tied up, increases breakage; remember, wet hair is more susceptible to breakage than dry hair, and you're increasing the risk of dandruff, not to mention potentially damp-smelling hair, which isn't great, is it?
At the very least, dry your scalp before going to sleep and towel dry the hair if you don't want to use a hairdryer to dry it, and most definitely don't tie it up when sleeping with wet hair.
Brushing Wrong
Can you brush your hair wrong? You absolutely can. Brushing hair from root to tip is again a hair care sin. You should brush your hair in sections starting from the ends up, especially tangled hair.
Take small sections from the mid-section to the ends and brush out. Once you have cleared tangles from the ends, move up in blocks towards the scalp and brush the roots last and then through to the tip once tangles have been tackled.hair masks before or after a shower
No comments