It seems simple enough. Jump in the shower, drop a dollop of shampoo in the palm and slap it on the head. Lather up top to bottom of the hair and then rinse. Are we then done with hair washing? Well, not so fast.
There is part art and part science to hair washing and many of us are making ugly mistakes that cause limp hair, greasy hair, or hair that appears frizzy or just plain dull.
Dry and damaged hair is also a common cause of washing snafus. There are even cases where hair washing causes hair to fall out, and nobody needs that mistake on top of their head. Now we recommend you a hair weave extensions for you guys, amazing quality for sure.
So, what are we doing to our locks to cause all of these issues with one of our most defining features? The list is long, but the mistakes basically follow a few key practices that can be easily remedied.
1. Brush the Hair Before Washing:
It is common knowledge that we need to gently comb out the hair after washing but who knew to give the locks a good brush before we wash? By doing this we break up any product build-up at the scalp and along the hair shafts. Additionally, when have tape clip-in extension, these need to be removed and brushing our natural hair loosens any residual tape left from the extensions. Then, when scrubbing the scalp and allowing the water and lathered shampoo run through the hair, that product residue completely heads down the drain.
2. Using Shampoos That Cause Damage:
The consideration of what shampoo to use can be overwhelming to say the least. From basic models that have small price tags to sophisticated models that need a loan to afford, it is easy to become flabbergasted at what is going to clean the scalp and the hair without damaging those strands.
Shampoos are chemical cleaning products that combine a surfactant ( a detergent) and other surfactants (such as coconut oil) and other forms of sulfates. These products, along with some water, mix together to make a soapy liquid concoction that cleans the scalp and hair. If only it were that simple to find a bottle of detergent/coconut oil/water on the store shelf. The challenge is that companies that make shampoos add other by-products to provide certain desired effects. These desired effects are created by adding chemicals to the shampoo. There are chemicals to add volume, add moisture, add a wonderful smell, control dandruff, and change the way our “normal” hair appears, feels or smells. It is these added products that cause the damage. Luckily, there are numerous shampoo products on the shelves that do not have the added chemicals, and if we are industrious, there are many resources available where we can learn to make our own shampoo from natural ingredients.
3. Washing the entire length of hair versus just the scalp:
Where is the dirt, dead skin, grime, product build-up, and other bacterias found in our hair? Well, nowhere. Those disgusting things are not in our hair, they sit on our scalp. If we think about the rest of the body, it is the skin that needs a good scrub, so it stands to reason the same concept sits on our heads. Therefore, when we wash the “hair” we need to slap that dollop of shampoo in the palm and focus on the scalp. Using fingertips, massage the shampoo all over the head and as water and suds flow down the hair, all of those ugly items wash down the drain.
4. Wadding the Hair on Top of the Head for the Big Scrub:
This technique was popular in the olden days, and commercials often showed a girl with a huge lather of shampoo within a huge wad of hair on top of her head. While the scalp and hair are cleaned, damage occurs because the hair is weakened by being tangled. And if there are human hair bundles weaved into the hair, this technique is particularly damaging as breakage will occur.
5. Stop Choking the Hair:
After finally brushing the hair before washing, finding the right shampoo that isn’t a chemical science project, and then gently washing the scalp while only allowing the hair to get some of the dousings of shampoo, we then hop out of the shower and promptly choke the hair with a towel. Tackling the hair with a towel and giving it a serious tousle does two things: it does get out excess water; however, it also causes breakage and weakens the hair shaft. Since most of us cannot shake the excess water off like a dog, gently squeeze the water from the hair. Then using a soft towel, blot the hair from top to bottom.
There are many ways we abuse our heads of hair, but with some minor adjustments, we can create a flaxen mane that we are happy to flip, run fingers through, and create a whole new look.