Hair washing is an essential part of a hair care regimen. It is something that most of us have done for ages and it may look easy enough. When it comes to washing our hair, there’s a lot more to it than lather, rinse, and repeat.
In our quest to be as effective as possible, we’ve adopted a slew of bad habits that seems to be normal but could be damaging to our hair in the long term.
Most of us do at least one of these common hair washing mistakes on a regular basis, whether it’s scratching our scalp with our nails or putting conditioner at the roots. All of your little hair-washing mistakes can result in hair dryness, breakage, or even scalp infections.
In this article, we will discuss seven common hair washing mistakes that can damage your beautiful strands.
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7 Common Hair Washing Mistakes That Can Damage Your Hair
Washing your hair can make or break the health of your hair. This is a list of eight common hair-washing mistakes that you should avoid at all costs if you want healthy hair.
1. Washing Your Hair Too Often or Not Washing Enough
Hair washing is an important step in maintaining the health and appearance of your hair. However, washing your hair too frequently can strip it of its natural oils, leaving it dry and frizzy.
This is because excessive shampooing dries out our scalp, leading it to overcompensate and create even more oil.
On the other hand, not washing your hair enough can also cause it to become greasy and oily, which can lead to hair loss, dandruff, and an itchy scalp.
So the best option, when it comes to washing your hair, it’s all about striking a balance and figuring out what works best for you.
People with oily hair will need to wash their hair more frequently, perhaps two to three times a week, as opposed to those with drier hair, who will only need to wash their hair only once or twice a week.
2. Using Too Much Shampoo
Most of us believe that if a shampoo does not generate a lot of lather, it is not doing its function. But did you realize that the lather may not be helping you in removing the filth build-up?
Using too much shampoo might hinder the shampoo from doing its deep cleaning effect, resulting in dryness and hair loss. Furthermore, you do not need to use shampoo all over your length. Your shampoo’s main purpose is to clean your scalp, not your strands.
It is recommended that you just use a quarter amount of shampoo on your first wash to thoroughly clean your scalp. If you use a lot of hair products, a second cleaning with the same or a lesser amount of shampoo will help in the better removal of the film and buildup.
Also, don’t apply shampoo directly to your scalp. First, squeeze it into your palm, and massage your hands together lightly, then you apply it to your roots
3. Applying Conditioner on the Scalp
Conditioner is typically used as the second stage in the hair-washing process. Remember not to put conditioner on your scalp, which is another common hair washing mistakes that people do.
The basic aim of a conditioner is to restore moisture in your hair, although our scalp’s natural oils already do that for us.
That means our scalps naturally develop enough sebum daily, and adding extra conditioner on top of that increases the risk of blocked follicles, which slows hair growth and increases the sebum production rate.
Therefore, you should simply apply conditioner to the ends and the midsection of your hair. These areas are more likely to be drier and will require an extra dose of hydration.
4. Using Excessive Hot or Cold Water To Rinse Hair
Let’s talk about the temperature at which you should wash your hair. This is another common hair washing mistake that many people make.
Hot water should be avoided at all costs. It causes stress to your hair, resulting in dry, brittle, and frizzy hair. Furthermore, hot water induces hair loss since the heat weakens your hair, causing it to fall.
When you wash your hair with cold water, your closed hair cuticles may retain additional moisture. This may cause your hair to get weighed down and flat.
As a result, the safest bet is to use lukewarm water instead. It’s warm enough to remove any build-up, and it’s also exactly the correct temperature to open up your hair cuticle, allowing for a complete wash from your shampoo.
Lastly, finish the regimen by washing your hair with cold water, which will help close the cuticles and seal in the moisture and hydration from your conditioner.
5. Not Brushing the Hair Before Shampooing
Whether you have naturally thick or fine hair, it is important to brush it out before taking the shower. If you don’t brush your hair before shampooing it, you’ll have more shedding and breakage.
Also, wet hair is the weakest, and is most prone to tangling. All of the movement your hair experiences when you wash it will only result in more knots and damage. For curly hair, it can be a lot harder to detangle.
If you like to comb your hair in the shower, first apply conditioner, detangle strands with your fingers, and then brush with a wide-toothed comb.
6. Vigorously Rubbing Your Hair With a Cotton Towel
We’ve got in the habit of frantically towel-drying our hair as soon as we come out of the shower. That being stated, this is another common hair-washing mistake that you must avoid.
The towel you usually use to dry your body is not the best towel to dry your hair. Rubbing your hair with a cotton towel will ruffle up the cuticles of your hair follicle, resulting in extra frizz and damage.
Furthermore, wet hair is already more fragile, and the roughness of the movement will just lead it to break off.
Instead, you can gently squeeze out extra water using a microfibre towel or an old t-shirt, avoiding any forceful rubbing. This will result in far less friction, resulting in less breakage and fuzz.
7. Scrubbing Your Scalp Hard With Nails
If you find yourself scratching your scalp with your nails, stop! You may believe you are exfoliating your scalp by scrubbing it with your fingernails and dislodging dried particles, but this really harms your scalp more than you realize.
It can result in flaking and irritation, as well as sores and scabs. This, in turn, causes more itching, and you get locked in a never-ending loop.
As your scalp skin contains more hair follicles and oil glands than any other region of your body, it is far more sensitive and prone to skin problems. So the thing you should remember is to treat your scalp with care.
You can use your fingertips instead of your nail to spread the shampoo evenly. Plus a gentle massage can also significantly improve the blood circulation in your scalp, allowing it to absorb more nutrients and oxygen. This in turn improves hair growth.
Wrapping Up: Common Hair Washing Mistakes to Avoid
These are some of the most common hair washing mistakes that everyone does. Correcting these errors may turn heads and give you that “just-left-the-salon” feel.
It doesn’t take much work to keep your hair healthy and vibrant; simply making tweaks to your everyday hair care routine may do wonders for your locks.
Let us know in the comments if you’ve made any of the above-mentioned common hair washing mistakes.
