Washing your hair sounds like such a simple thing, but getting good results is harder than it might seem, especially if you have particularly long hair, or hair with "special needs."
I've had long hair off and on at various times in my life, and short hair a few times, too. I never thought much about how to clean my hair, with the exception of being kind of a hippie granola type who didn't believe in conditioner for a long time (I do now!) and being firmly against over-processing my hair. I also strongly prefer air-drying to blow-drying.
But, recently, I've read a couple articles with tips for washing your hair, and they really affect how my hair turns out: flat vs. volume, how fast it gets greasy, how easy it is to comb, etc. So, in case you're not the type of person who already knows these things from years of reading Seventeen and Glamour, here are the best tips I've gleaned:
1. If you have short or fine hair, you can wash your hair daily, but use a gentle shampoo and a detangler. If you have longer, curlier, or processed hair, wash it no more than every-other day. Running warm (but not hot) water through it daily is OK, but shampooing every day will dry your hair out, especially the ends.
2. Make sure you wet your hair THOROUGHLY before shampooing. If you apply shampoo to hair that's too dry, it will likely stick to your hair and not rinse out properly, leaving your hair looking greasy or limp.
3. Use less shampoo than you think you need to. A drop the size of a dime is good for short-to-medium hair, about the size of a nickel for longer hair. Add more WATER to make more suds, not more shampoo. This is true for your laundry, too: you usually don't need as much soap as they tell you or as much as they show in the commercials to get clean. Put the drop in your hand, add water, suds, and THEN apply to your hair, evenly, all over. DO NOT dump it straight onto your scalp if you want it to rinse clean.
4. Massage your scalp with your fingertips, NOT with your fingernails. Also, start at your hairline and massage toward the crown of your head, making sure you massage every area thoroughly. This "wakes up" your scalp and makes sure every area is cleaned thoroughly.
5. Rinse, rinse, rinse thoroughly! You may look dandruffy because your scalp is dry, but not rinsing thoroughly doesn't help the situation. Leaving shampoo residue in your hair will just make more dandruff stick around.
6. Use conditioner, but use it sparingly. If you have long hair, you may be able to get good results by just applying it to the lower half of your hair. Massaging large amounts into your scalp will make your hair look flat and limp. Rinse the conditioner out well, too. It's generally more oily than shampoo, and is more likely to leave residue than shampoo. Or, just use shampoo in the shower, let your hair dry, and apply a SMALL amount of regular conditioner just to the ends of your dry hair.
7. NEVER comb hair, especially long hair, when it's wet. It's more likely to break off or give you split ends. Blow-dry or air-dry first, then comb it. If you're prone to tangles, start by combing the tips first, then work your way up to the scalp. Don't just yank your comb through the tangles.
I'm not a super girly-girl, so this may be the one and only beauty tip post you ever see me make. Hope it was enlightening. Feel free to add your own tips in the comments if you have any good ones!
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