Wash your hair like a pro
The Editor
Do you spend time cleansing and cleaning your hair or is it a quick application of any shampoo and go?
Once again Louise Hunter, owner of Rubies Hairdressing in Huddersfield, a state registered senior hairstylist for nearly 25 years, shares her expert tips and guidance.
Here is my advice to the one and only way to correctly shampoo and condition your hair like a professional.
The are so many benefits to doing this process properly, including healthy hair growth, reduced stress, and a much easier and better hair styling experience.
Let us start with the shampoo process, you must select a shampoo and conditioner that gives your hair the best start i.e. volume, colour protection, and hair health. If you are ever unsure you should speak to your stylist who will give you the exact subscription that your hair needs. I would always recommend a professional brand as the supermarket bought products contain a high amount of silicone that gives initial shine but can cause a build-up and have a negative effect on the health of your hair and ruin colour treatments too.
When shampooing your hair you only need to concentrate on massaging your scalp, this is the only thing that needs cleansing, dependent on massage firmness you can support blood flow to the head and scalp and this can help minimise stress and promote healthy hair growth in the future. You should only use between a 5 pence or 10 pence amount dependent on hair length, some products lather and some don’t - neither is right or wrong for it is personal presence. Once you have massaged the scalp for a couple of minutes you can rinse the hair, amazingly the water and shampoo carries all the dirt from your roots to the ends hence you don’t need to scrub, rub your hair as this can cause damage to your hair whilst in its most fragile wet state.
Professional stylists will always advise you to cleanse your hair twice as the first shampoo only removes all the build up since your last cleanse for example, wind, rain, exercise oil, free radicals and cigarette smoke. The second will then cleanse the scalp and hair so that it can be left for a few days. Some clients are lucky enough to get a whole seven days out of their styles and we advise them to cleanse three times and use a dry wash if needed.
Conditioner is a fantastic product but will never actually condition your hair. It will only add shine, give colour protection, and make your hair feel soft. Once you have cleansed your hair you should apply a 10 pence piece amount to only the mid-length and ends, conditioner doesn’t need to be applied to the roots as your natural oils look after this section, if you do apply to the roots you will find your hair goes really oily and needs cleansing more often.
Once your professional conditioner has been applied to the right area you need to give it a comb through as this helps to distribute the product and will help with styling later. You need to keep your conditioner on for at least for 3-5 minutes and rinse thoroughly afterwards.
Professional conditioners are very concentrated so you should only be using a small amount, if you have to use a lot it may not be benefiting your hair at all, a good way to gauge this is as follows: you should be buying two bottles of shampoo to only one bottle of conditioner.
Once you have completed your cleanse and condition you should only pat your hair to remove excess water and wear it in a loose towel as your hair can become extremely damaged and break, then style as desired, taking extra care until your hair is completely dry.
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