GirlsGuideTo | 6 Tips to Wash Your Hair Like a Pro

I confess: I’m a hair product junkie. My bathroom shelves are loaded with products to protect, straighten, volumize, and curl my hair. You name it, I either have it or have tried it. It's that bad. However, none of these products make my hair feel as great as when my hair stylist perfectly washes my hair. You know that feeling. When your hair is squeaky clean and so soft? And your scalp feels amazing after her magical fingers massage the stress away? And just how does the salon shampoo smell a thousand times better than any you've ever tried?!? I wish I coud hire my stylist to wash and style my hair every morning. Seriously, I've asked her. But alas, I'm no celeb and my pockets aren't that deep, and I'm guessing yours aren't either. So what's a girl to do? Here are six tips to ensure you’ll feel like a hair model every time you wash.

1. Brush Your Hair Before You Shampoo
Brushing your hair before you shower might seem pointless, but makes a huge difference in the effect of your shampoo and conditioner. Brushing will detangle your hair and loosen some of the product build-up to allow your hair to really soak up the beneficial ingredients of your shampoo and conditioner.

2. Use Warm then Cold Water
Using warm water at first opens up the cuticle of your hair allowing the products to really soak in and efficiently clean your hair. Then, when rinsing, it’s best to use cold or cool water because it will close the cuticle and lock in shine. Not to mention, that blast of cold water will give you some extra pep in the morning! Bonus!

3. Stick to Your Scalp...
...when it comes to your shampoo. Generally, all the oil and build up will be at the root close to your scalp, which is why your stylist really gives you a good massage. In fact, shampooing the ends of your hair can dry out your already fragile strands. Spend most of your shampooing time at the roots and then gently run the suds through the ends right before rinsing.

4. Wring Hair Before Applying Conditioner
Having too much water in your hair when applying conditioner makes the product useless. If the conditioner is too watered down, it won’t work nearly as well. Just by simply wringing your hair before applying conditioner makes a huge difference.

4. Only Condition the Ends
For the majority of us, our scalps produce enough oil to keep our roots naturally moisturized. So, just like you only need shampoo at the root, you only need to apply conditioner from the middle of your hair down to the ends.

5. Leave in Conditioner for at Least 2 Minutes
Conditioner works best when it’s given time to soak in. Two minutes at minimum is needed for your hair to soak up all the benefits, but longer is even better. Try this routine so you don't lose any precious morning minute: shampoo, rinse (and wring hair), condition, wash body, then rinse it all!

Do you have any special tips for shampooing your hair? Let us know in the comments!

Comments

Posted by Lucie Middling on April 4, 2013 at 8:37 AM

0

Always have more than one brand of shampoo & conditioner! Swapping them around keeps your hair looking lovely, and it doesn't adapt to the one brand. I've found that when you use the same shampoo/conditioner over and over, your hair starts to lose the benefits of the shampoo/conditioner in the first place. When swapping - it keeps the benefits rolling in.