Basic Hair Care Tips for Newbies and Others
I don't claim to be an expert on hair but I have picked up a few things about it over the past couple years from this site and a few others across the net. So here's my tips I hope they help you
1. Be gentle always with your hair the longer it gets the gentler you have to be with it to maintain its good health because the ends normally get weaker the longer they are around. So in the words of many long hair experts, treat your hair like old lace.
2. Stay in good health and you help your hair stay in good health. A good diet some daily exercise, lots of rest and drinking water are a good start.
3. Try to learn your hair type so you can find products that suit it.
4. If you use any kind of styling product regularly then a weekly or biweekly clarifying may be in order. ( I've find a teaspoon of baking soda mixed with a regular shampoo is a great gentle clarifier.)
5. A wide toothed comb with no rough seams and a boar bristle brush are usually good tools to begin caring for your hair with. (There are exceptions to this though certain hair types do better with no brushing and combing only and some hair types like mine like only finger combing so your mileage may vary with this tip.) On another note the purpose of using a boar bristle is the bristles gentler on your hair. Also they clean the hair strands as well as spreads your natural oil that your scalp produces called sebum.
6. Don't use hot water on your hair try to use cool or lukewarm water even warm water is better than hot. A cold rinse is said to be beneficial for your hair smoothing down the cuticles and making your hair easier to comb. You need only rinse long enough for your entire head of hair to be penetrated with the water to get the effect. Experiment and see if the cold rinse helps or not.
7. What works on someone else's hair won't necessarily work on yours. Everybody has a very individual head of hair. Unfortunately there is no pat product or routine that works for everyone. Trial and error and paying attention to what your hair needs is the only sure way to find a routine that works for you. And it takes a lot of experimentation sometimes to so don't get discouraged!
8. Looking at your hair's condition is also a good way to find out what it needs. Are certain areas of your hair dryer than others? More prone to splitting? More moisture and better conditioning could be the answer. Or perhaps daily misting with distilled water. (Misting is a term referring to having a spray bottle that you fill with a mixture of water, oils ect. of your choice then spray your hair with it as needed.)
9. If you have hard water and even if you don't, distilled water can be a nice treat for your hair. If you try a final rinse with it or perhaps just misting occasionally I think you will find your hair to be softer and more moisturized.
10. Damp up do’s can be very beneficial to your hair. A damp bun with your ends tucked inside to soak up the moisture is a very good thing for your hair. Even damp braiding can be good for you hair and (a plus for those of us with not very defined waves) it gives you beautiful waves. Also a damp up do feels great during summer a nice cool bun or braid on the back of your neck is a definite plus.
11. Conditioner is a useful and necessary hair care item. Depending on your hair type and condition you will want to use more or less of it. But in every case enough conditioning is good too much can be bad. If your hair is shiny moisturized you probably have found your routine. And that's great. If your hair is always weighed down brittle very tangly. Then I would suggest a look at your products and perhaps a clarifying treatment.
In conditioner there are some elements that may coat your hair any ingredient ending in -cone (cone is short for silicone) and also I think that Emulsifying wax is a coating agent. Look for these on your conditioner and shampoo ingredient list. If there are a lot of cones in your conditioner or emulsifying wax then that could be causing the problem try to find a conditioner with no cones or wax. If your hair behaves better after switching it may not like cones in large doses or at all. Another possibility is that you are over conditioning. Over conditioning symptoms are usually brittle hair and tangly hair. If that's happening cut down on your conditioning or try a lighter conditioner.
12. Shampoo look for shampoo's that have Sodium Laureth Sulfate or Sodium Myreth Sulfate listed on the ingredients list. These are two gentle cleansing agents. Watch out for these cleansing agents though, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate these are harsh cleansing agents. With natural shampoos I would suggest watching out for Olefin sulfonate which is also said to be harsh on the hair. You may also wish to try a natural shampoo with no sulfates which are usually available at your local health food store. If your hair doesn't like cones watch out for shampoos with multiple cones listed.
13. Ingredients I have already listed quite a bit about shampoo ingredients and also about the two coating agents in conditioner that I know about. Here are some things to look for in conditioner.
Sorbitol and Panthenol these are called humectants they hold moisture in your hair.
Soy protein and Wheat protein these proteins and others help strengthen your hair shaft.
Aloe Vera gel and amino acids, and Shea butter these are moisturizers generally beneficial for the hair.
Oils are considered to be beneficial as well especially Jojoba oil.
14. Don't disarrange your hair during showering by piling it up on your head or rubbing the length all together to spread the shampoo. A quarter sized amount of shampoo is all you need rub in between your hands gently massage your scalp with it then smooth the rest of it over your crown. Then just rinse your hair (if you have delicate ends you may wish to cover them with conditioner or simply hold the length out of the way while you rinse). You can leave your hair falling naturally down your back during washing or bring it in front of your shoulders. I don't recommend washing it hanging in front of your face like a curtain. If you have thick hair parting it in the middle and washing both sections apart from each other makes for less tangles. You don't need to wash your hair twice usually. Try washing it only once and see what happens.
15. When you put your hair up in a towel don't toss it forward in front of your face then wrap a towel around it. Try this instead grab your hair with one hand in a ponytail at the nape then bring the length up over your head and let it rest on the crown of your head while you grab the towel. Remember to keep holding onto the ponytail. Wrap the towel and then you're done. Or do it this way grab your hair and gently lays it over your head from the side tilt your head to keep it this way then wrap a towel around it and wallah!
16. When you're trying to get the excess water out of your hair doesn’t start rubbing it with your towel. Just simply scrunch your hair with your hands or gently (very gently! it's not a towel) twist it and wring it. When you take it down please don't start towel drying unless you have no damage or rough rubbing method just let your hair air dry if possible. If it's necessary to blow dry only do it so the hair is no longer wet then stop.
Talk about dedication!!
