Hair washing seems to be one of the most ordinary and banal hair care rituals in the world. We know so much about it that we don’t even think twice before doing it! Well, it turns out there are lots of hair washing myths and most of the women are doing things exactly wrong. If you’re one of those people who thinks you need to wash your hair with cold water and uses a handful of shampoo on a daily basis, this post is for you. Here are 8 hair washing misconceptions every woman should know about.
Water Temperature
It’s a fairly prevalent myth that you need to wash your hair with cold water for it to stay healthy and lustrous. That’s simply not true! While cold water might have some benefits in a long run, washing hair with lukewarm water is the best. Warm water opens up your hair cuticle and helps release the dirt, unlike cold water that simply doesn’t do that.
Frequency
How often should you wash your hair? Many people say you should wash your hair every day, but that’s just a misconception. If you wash your hair daily and suffer from excessive oiliness – it’s because you’re shampooing too much! Hair becomes dry, thus scalp starts creating more oil to compensate for it. Washing your hair once in roughly three-five days should be the norm for most individuals, but it actually varies on each person uniquely. First, stop shampooing your hair too often and let it get to its usual oil production, then see what your new hair washing routine will be like. You might wind up shampooing your hair once a week!
Suds
If you’re into natural hair care or appreciate utilizing high-grade salon shampoos, you know that having suds doesn’t equal cleanliness. In truth, suds appear due to a multitude of harmful sulfates like Ammonium Laureth Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate that come with all mass market shampoos and conditioners. They may provide an illusion of silky smooth hair, but these shampoos just create a coating layer instead of moisturizing your hair. Some of these make your hair lose its natural oils, causing breakage. Natural and organic shampoos aren’t sudsy at all – that’s why they look less cleaning, but that’s not true. They cleanse and moisturize hair just as good (or even better) than mass market shampoos.
Hair Scrubbing
Most of us think that scrubbing hair and scalp particularly hard is the greatest approach to have them cleansed, but that is yet another misconception you should know about. Scrubbing and scraping your scalp might feel good, but it has a severely detrimental effect on your hair. If you wash your hair aggressively, you will wind up tangling it and roughing up the hair cuticle, which can contribute to hair loss. What you need to do is rub your hair gently with side-to-side strokes for just a few minutes to avoid damage.
Hair Ends
Most people use an excessive amount of shampoo because they shampoo everything – scalp, ends, and maybe another round of scalp and ends. In truth, you merely need to wash your scalp as it is the spot that creates all the oils that make our hair look unclean. When you wash off the shampoo it automatically cleanses your hair ends as well. And if you wash your scalp twice there is simply no need to additionally shampoo your hair ends!
Shampoo Quantity
How much shampoo should you be using on your hair? The solution is pretty much the same for all folks, considering you don’t need to shampoo your complete length of hair, focusing on scalp largely. What you truly need is two dime-sized doses of shampoo (for back and front of your head) (for back and front of your head). I’m done now! Many people think they need to be using more shampoo for longer hair, but that’s a hair myth we’ve already disproved. This means you can invest in a more high-grade salon shampoo that will be more expensive, but will last you longer owing to cautious usage. It’s a win-win!
Conditioner
There’s a famous hair washing myth that suggests the longer you keep your conditioner on, the more benefits you gain. While this may be appropriate for hair masks, a hair conditioner is a product that is designed to be used fast – generally there is an instruction that indicates the amount of time you should keep it on your hair. As a general, it’s a 10-minute procedure, not more. This means you don’t need to be stuck in the shower for half an hour to go through your hair washing procedure.
Hair Drying
Drying your hair with a towel is actually among the worst things you can do to your hair. If you put your hair up in a turban, it will stretch the hairs on your temples, which commonly leads to hair loss in that area, and you definitely don’t want that to happen. Another thing you should never do is scrape your wet hair with a towel to get it dry. Wet hair is quite soft, therefore stroking it with a strong towel can harm it severely. If you still want to use a towel, better tap your hair softly with it, skipping all the twisting motions.