How To Improve Your Hair Care Routine

Caring for your hair is an important part of your overall beauty routine. Since everyone’s hair is different, it’s important to find the best way to care for it. There are many different types of hair care products that can be used to moisturize, strengthen, and add shine to your hair.  If you don’t know where to start, keep reading for some guidelines on how to get the best results for your hair.

Consider Your Hair Type

The first thing to think about is your hair type. Your curl pattern, texture, density, and porosity all determine how you should care for your hair. Curly hair tends to be drier and will need extra moisture and sealing. On the other hand, fine or thinning hair will benefit from volumizing products that add body while fine straight hair does best with lightweight smoothing products that don’t weigh it down. As explained by Infi Beaut, the main key to healthy hair is making sure that your styling routine and regimen match your hair type. Therefore,  knowing exactly what kind of hair you have will make it much easier to come up with an effective regimen.

Avoid Over-Shampooing

While it’s important to wash your hair regularly, over-washing will strip the natural oils and dry out your scalp. This can lead to irritation, flakes, and even more severe issues like psoriasis or dermatitis if you have a condition that causes these symptoms. It’s best to lather shampoo into your roots and rinse thoroughly before conditioning with mild cleansers that moisturize without stripping away too much of the natural oils in your hair. To reduce oiliness on days when you don’t need to wash your hair, try using baby powder or cornstarch in between washes instead of relying on dry shampoos that only add buildup onto your scalp and make the hair appear dull.

Wash Your Hair Less Often

Even if you don’t shampoo every day, your hair still needs to be washed weekly with a gentle cleanser. If you can go even longer than that without washing it, however, there are several benefits. First, your scalp will produce less oil which reduces the potential for product buildup and dandruff or flakes after repeated washes. Second, not washing often enough leads to extra volume since the oils act as natural conditioners. The best way to avoid over-washing is by using a leave-in conditioner or cream that replaces the oil at your roots and prevents it from building up throughout the week.

Treat Dandruff And Flaking Scalps

If your scalp is oily then you probably aren’t using products that treat dandruff or flakes. These issues are usually caused by an overproduction of oil on the scalp which leaves white residue behind on your clothes and pillows during the day.  If this sounds like you, look for shampoos and conditioners that contain salicylic acid and sulfur and use them every time you wash your hair to treat the root cause of these problems instead of just temporarily coating them in conditioner after washing. Another way to get rid of dandruff is by using a clarifying shampoo that removes product build-up from the scalp and leaves your hair looking healthier.

Protect Hair From Heat Damage

Whether you use flat irons, curling wands, or blow dryers, heat damage can cause split ends and breakage if not properly treated or prevented with heat-protecting products. Overuse of hot tools on fine or thinning hair can lead to extreme breakage which results in an extremely frizzy appearance instead of smooth locks. To protect yourself against this problem, look for lightweight serums that mattify your roots but keep your ends silky without weighing them down. If you’re planning to dye your hair at home then choose a heat-activated dye that protects against heat damage as well.

Get Your Hair Trimmed Regularly

Hair needs to be trimmed on a regular basis for more than just aesthetic reasons. Unkempt locks can become brittle and dry out over time which speeds up the process of hair loss if you have an underlying condition like alopecia. Split ends aren’t just unsightly, they also split your strands and lead to more breakage and frizziness as they grow out longer and longer instead of remaining healthy at their original length. To avoid these issues altogether, schedule regular appointments every six weeks or every three months for a new “do”. This will not only give you a chance to get rid of split ends but also let your stylist clean up the base and edges of your style for a healthier overall appearance.

Keep Your Hair Color Looking New

No one wants to spend hours at the salon for a new dye job only to have their color fade away after just one shampoo. There are things you can do at home to make your color last much longer like using deep conditioning treatments or masks once or twice per week. You can also keep your tresses healthier in the meantime by drinking more water, eating healthy, and avoiding harsh shampoos which strip away too much of your natural oils. If you need help keeping your hue then look into semi-permanent dyes that change tone every time you wash them or use heat during styling for a two-in-one solution along with toning down brassiness hair dryers, curling wands, and flat irons.

Put On A Hair Mask Once Or Twice A Week

If you have a condition like alopecia or weak strands then it’s best to treat them with deep conditioning treatments every time you shower instead of relying on a weekly mask. Hair loss can be caused by a number of reasons from genetics to stress to the illness so find the right formula for your specific problem and use it after shampooing or before coloring your locks. It may seem tedious but it will make all the difference in the health of your hair over time if you stick with it every day or two depending on how bad your thinning areas are. In fact, there are even daily masks meant for those experiencing extreme dryness that need to be used every day for the best results.

As you can see, there are a lot of things that you can do to improve your hair care routine and make it healthier for all types of hair from thin to coarse, and anything in between. The above tips are easy to follow and will keep your strands looking healthy, shiny, and sleek no matter what kind of hair you have.