Beauty Note: This is the Right Way to Wash Your Hair
A few years ago I wrote a post that went viral on how often I shampoo my hair. It turns out that many people wash their hair far too often, and your tresses can actually benefit from going several days between shampoos. Along with shampooing too often, there are other hair care mistakes you can make in the shower. For something that seems so simple, a lot of people don’t know the proper way to wash and condition their hair. I used to make some of these mistakes myself before I started working with my team of top beauty pros, so I thought I’d share my knowledge below…
The first thing to know is that shampoo is for cleaning your scalp—not strands of hair. Technically you are not washing your hair at all; you’re washing your head! You want to focus the product on the roots and really work it in. The more you massage in the shampoo, the cleaner your scalp will be and the more time you can go in between washes. Try not to apply shampoo to your actual tresses. It can cause tangles and make your hair dull and brittle. Bonus: Your bottle of shampoo will also last longer if you are using just enough for your scalp (which is all that is necessary).
With the conditioners, it’s the opposite—you are meant to apply them just to the bottom two-thirds of your hair and not to your scalp. I like to let my conditioner sit for two minutes to really penetrate my strands before rinsing it out, but then I rinse it very thoroughly. Conditioners are packed with ingredients that are intended to attach to the strand and improve the appearance of your hair. But if you do not rinse them out well you will find unwanted product buildup over time. To combat this I like to use a clarifying shampoo once a month to help strip some of the residue left by conditioners.
Of course everyone’s hair texture is different, and you have to figure out what works well for your mane in particular. But these are a few general guidelines that apply for many different hair types and textures. I hope you found them helpful…
What other hair care topics would you like me to cover?
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XO Lauren
Photo: @LaurenConrad via Instagram
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