Hair is one of those parts of your beauty routine that can be incredibly difficult to fix. After all, everyone's hair is different, and applying a hair mask to your head at night may not work for you like it did for some blogger. This is why hair care is not universal.
ContentHair care: don't forget to wash your scalp Don't try to exercise your hair Hair care: don't overuse scalp scrubs Don't use products with silicones Hair care: don't expose your hair to excessive heat Don't forget about scalp care products < p>But there are still some basic principles on how to care for your hair at home. Want to know about them? Helen Reavie, a certified trichologist and famous hairdresser at The Every Girl, spoke about them. WomanEL shares her warnings about what mistakes to avoid:
Hair care: don’t forget to wash your scalp
The most common mistake people make with their hair? Washing your hair when you should wash your scalp. The expert explained that the buildup is actually on the scalp: hair strands don't require deep cleansing on wash day. Instead, you should cleanse your scalp to prevent oiliness and promote healthy hair growth.
Don't try to train your hair
Hair training is when you try to “train” your hair to produce less oil, meaning you wash it less often. This is one of the viral hair tricks, but Reavie says it's a huge myth. “Oil production is actually determined by factors such as age, hormones, silicone buildup, etc. If you struggle with excess sebum production and oily hair, hair training can make the condition significantly worse! You can't train your scalp to produce less oil by washing it less.”
Hair care: do not overuse scalp scrubs
On the opposite side of the hair care spectrum are scalp scrubs. Just as we know that over-exfoliating can harm your skin, it can also harm your scalp. Physical exfoliators can create micro-tears in the scalp, increasing the likelihood of irritation and infection. You might think that removing dead skin from your scalp will promote hair growth. But according to Reavey, this actually increases the risk of scalp inflammation or infection.
Rivi recommends adding a weekly scalp treatment, such as a detox oil or chemical exfoliator, to your routine. According to her, these products remove impurities, excess oil and dead skin cells from the scalp, leaving the scalp balanced and clean.
Do not use products with silicones
Every once in a while, the internet gets excited about eliminating a certain chemical or product from your daily routine, and then, a few months later, everyone forgets about it. But we must not forget about silicones. Although they are used to retain moisture, they often accumulate on the scalp and hair follicles, causing oiliness, irritation, inflammation and more. Just check your hair products for silicone.
Hair care: do not expose your hair to excessive heat
Using heat on hair that is already damaged worsens existing problems by stripping the scalp of moisture, weakening the hair's protein bonds, and increasing damage to the hair strands. Damaged hair no longer lacks the necessary resilience to withstand external stressors, and the use of excess heat leads to increased breakage, split ends, frizz, breakage and more.
If you want to improve the health of your hair, you should apply heat to your hair as little as possible. If you're struggling with damage and dryness, Rivi recommends using a conditioner, leave-in conditioner, and hair oil to repair dryness, split ends, and smooth out frizz.
Don’t forget about care products scalp
Reavi's last advice for those who dream of healthy hair. Add scalp care to your weekly routine (as long as it's not a scalp scrub). Once a week, before showering, use a gentle product to break down oil and remove product buildup from the scalp. Rivi recommends also trying a gua sha scalp treatment to help the product penetrate the scalp better. In all likelihood, once you start giving your scalp the attention it deserves, your hair will begin to reap the benefits.
We've talked in detail about how to take care of your scalp. Remember, this is the key to healthy hair!