Are you washing your hair correctly?
Cleaning hair is extremely important part of hair care to maintain hygiene and to keep their scalp healthy from all the oil, grime and buildup. Similar to acne, blocked pores can cause inflammation to our scalp.
Here are 10 steps to cleaning your hair correctly:
What is your Hair Type?
The first step to any hair routine is to figure out the type of hair that you have. This can be done by gathering all of your hair in a ponytail. If the diameter of the ponytail is much smaller than a Rp 500 coin, that would mean that you have fine hair. But if your hair is about the same size and bigger, that means that you have medium to thick hair. After deciding the type of hair that you have, then it will be easier to find the types of products that are suitable for your hair.
Find the Best Hair Cleaning Routine
The frequency to wash your hair will greatly affect the condition of your hair and scalp. Colored hair should be cleaned less, as the more you shampoo, the more oxidation occurs. In effect, the color of your hair can change more quickly. Lengthening the duration of colored hair is possible by minimizing the frequency of your showers.
Brush Hair Before Starting
Hair loss is a common phenomenon when hair is cleaned. You can minimize this effect by brushing hair before getting into the shower. Hair tangles increases friction to the hair, which would result in breakage. Brushing hair can also stimulate the scalp for healthier blood circulation, making hair stronger, grow faster and minimizes the amount of hair that get caught in your shower drain.
Rinse Your Hair Thoroughly
Rinsing the hair is also something that needs to be done in order to have healthy hair. Preferably, use hot water to open the cuticles, which is good for removing any dirt or product trapped in the hair. It would also loosen the oils through the scalp and open the cuticle so it is able to absorb the oil in your conditioner.
Condition First
This may seem like an odd practice, but conditioning and lightly rinsing hair before shampooing will protect the fragile ends from drying even further. It will keep the ends of the hair healthy, fill in any holes in the cuticle with moisture, making it smoother and boosting shine.
Lather Up
Rather than lathering up the whole length of your hair, cleaning up the scalp will be much better for hair health. Start applying a coin-sized amount of shampoo to the palm of your hand. Keep in mind the length of the hair, as long hair would probably need more shampoo for a cleaner scalp. Lather your hair at the roots and work downwards. Every 20 seconds, gradually add water to your hands and work it into the hair. Use circular motions on your scalp while lifting the hair from time to time from the roots. Ideally, this should be done in a two minute duration. Smooth the lather over the ends in a straight stroking motion. You can clean the hair with lukewarm water until the hair starts to squeak.
Note: Hair closest to the scalp is the youngest and oiliest, which makes it fragile and break off easily if it’s not properly cleaned. Alternatively, do not scrub the fragile ends or use a back and forth motion like you’re washing a rag on a washboard.
Don’t Rinse and Repeat
Washing your hair twice may seem like the right thing to do, as it is instructed on the back of the shampoo bottle. Doing this may actually be counterproductive, as you will be stripping the hair. Unless it’s extremely dirty and the first batch of shampoo didn’t produce enough lather, it would be better to stick to one application of shampoo.
Condition and Moisturizing
Conditioning and putting moisture inside the hair would be the next step after stripping the excess oil. Before applying conditioner, squeeze some of the water out of the hair and add conditioner to the mid lengths of your hair to the ends. Opposite cleaning the hair with shampoo, conditioner shouldn’t be put at the roots of the hair. This is because the oil from the hair is already sufficient enough to moisturize the top parts of your hair. Then clip your hair up and finish showering, leaving the conditioner rinse out for the final step of your shower. Having the conditioner on longer will make it absorb better on the hair.
Finish with a cold water rinse
Finally, rinse the hair with cold water. Doing this will shut the cuticle tight, sealing the shingle-like outer layer, which will cause it to reflect the light and give off the most shine.
When you are encountering hair problem like dandruff or hair loss, you may use many treatments in order to have healthier hair. Properly cleaning hair is one of the primary things that you can do, as the treatments will be able to be absorbed better in the hair. Make sure that you clean hair according to hair type, as it can minimize friction and damage to the hair shafts.
Do you have any tips to clean the hair? Tell us in the comments down below!
