1. Don't wash your hair every day
I already knew this from other blogs, magazines, etc, but it's always nice to hear it re-iterated. It was nice to know I was at least doing one thing right! Anyways, you're not supposed to shampoo your hair every single day. This will dry it out because you are washing away the natural oils your hair needs. You can even go a couple days without shampooing it. I usually like to wet/condition my hair on days that I'm not shampooing so that it's easier to style, but there are also lots of times where my hair doesn't touch water for a couple days. I've been keeping to this for awhile and my hair is a lot more hydrated than it use to be.
2. Only shampoo your roots
This is something I didn't know until the stylist told me this. I use to lather up all my hair real good because I wanted my hair to be super clean. WRONG. Put a small amount of shampoo in your hands and apply to your scalp only. Clean your roots and let the shampoo run down the rest of your hair when you're washing it out. If you thoroughly shampoo every inch of hair, you'll dry it out faster than a cheetah can run. Okay maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but you know what I mean... You'll end up having to do those silly and expensive deep condition treatments to get your hair back to a good hydrated state. Ain't no body got time and money for that!
3. Condition your ends more than your scalp
Don't load your scalp with condition. Start by applying it to your ends and work your way up. If you pack on too much conditioner, you'll have a problem with volume.
4. Leave your conditioner in
Leave your conditioner in for a few minutes. Go about your other shower business while your conditioner is sitting in your hair. Your hair will be so much softer if you do this and will stay hydrated longer!
5. Use heat protection
Thank goodness I already knew this one, too, but I don't think I was using it right before. Of course apply it to your hair before you blow dry it. But also reapply to your dry hair before you straighten it or curl it. That's the part I was missing. Not only does my hair look nicer after I style it, but it doesn't break as much. It just generally looks healthier.
There you have it. Pretty simple right? No extra steps required. It's all a matter of how you use the products you have and when you use them!
If so, please let me in on the secret!
Happy Monday!