You would be absolutely amazed by the amount of people who do not know how to correctly wash their hair. It seems like common sense, but over the years, I have met plenty of professional hair stylists that still haven’t mastered the art. Unfortunately, this is a fundamental issue. If the professionals in charge of teaching you to properly care for your hair haven’t figured it out for themselves, how could they possibly teach you? Once I discovered the break down in the fundamentals, I started on a mission to make sure more people are better educated on the seemingly mundane topic. So, I’m breaking down the how and why of it for you today.

Anytime someone says to me “I have to wash my hair every day, if I skip a wash, it just gets to oily”, I immediately begin to ask them about their shampooing habits. Why? Because this is a huge tell that your hair is probably being shampooed incorrectly. Properly shampooing your hair will always begin with using the correct products for the job, your stylist should be able to instruct you on which products will best suit your needs and instruct you on your shampooing frequency.

I typically recommend clients shampoo their hair at a maximum of every other day, with some preferring to only shampoo once a week. Each person is different and will require a frequency that suits them individually. Sometimes a client’s job or a health condition will require daily shampooing, but it isn’t quite as often as some believe. Usually, daily washing becomes necessary as a result of improper technique, which I will break down below.

 

STEP ONE: BRUSH YOUR HAIR

This is an important step because it helps to loosen any products, oil, or general debris that has built up on the hair and scalp. You should thoroughly brush out your hair before getting it wet.

STEP TWO: WET YOUR HAIR  

Thoroughly wet your hair, your hair should be soaked all the way through to your scalp. Rinse thoroughly.

STEP THREE: EMULSIFY YOUR SHAMPOO BEFORE APPLYING

                This step is an important one, the amount of shampoo you will need will be determined by the quality of shampoo you are using. A salon quality shampoo is more concentrated than an over-the-counter shampoo and will require much less than a lower quality shampoo. Assuming you are using a salon quality shampoo, you will need to put a minimum of a dime size and a maximum of a quarter size amount of shampoo. I hear “I have too much hair for that” all the time, and that simply isn’t true if you are properly shampooing your hair.

Place shampoo in your wet hands and begin rubbing the shampoo between your hands until it has become visibly emulsified, THEN apply it to your scalp. Using the pads of your fingers, massage the shampoo throughout your entire scalp. The shampoo should lather more as you wash your scalp, if you feel you aren’t getting enough of a lather, quickly add a little more water to your hair and continue massaging, then work the shampoo down through to your ends.

STEP FOUR: RINSE AND REPEAT

                Thoroughly rinse your hair, your scalp should feel noticeably cleaner after rinsing. If it doesn’t feel thoroughly cleansed, repeat this process until you feel you have cleansed your scalp. If it feels complete after the first rinse, there is no need to repeat the process.

STEP FIVE: CONDITION

Some people opt to skip the conditioner for a variety of reasons, this is an unfortunate mistake. Shampoo will raise the PH levels in your hair, conditioner will normalize them again. That’s why unconditioned hair is harder to comb out and feels drier and more unmanageable. Apply your conditioner putting the most focus on your mid sections and ends.

 

I want to encourage you to shake up your shampoo routine and see if your results improve. If you aren’t caring for your hair with quality shampoo already, ask your stylist for some direction on picking out the best products for you.

 

 

About the author:

Cierra began her career in 2006 and is a third-generation licensed cosmetologist. She has received specialized training in blonding and balayage techniques, men’s haircuts, children’s haircuts, advanced cutting techniques, is a Pravana certified colorist, and is the founder of Rage & Mane Hair Company in Newport, Kentucky, where she currently specializes in blonding and color corrections.