Hair Washing 101

You might think you know how to wash your hair, but there are actually some subtle nuances that would suit you to adhere to! People often wash and condition their hair without thinking twice, but there are some certain techniques that will get your hair to it's cleanest, healthiest, most luscious-looking accessory on your entire body!

First, wet your hair thoroughly. Shampoo is a soap, and soap only removes the dirt from your hair with lots of suds that come from water. Most people prefer warm to hot water, and that's fine. Water temperature is not as important as other shampoo-ing factors. Once your hair is thoroughly saturated (approximately 3-4 minutes of working the water through your hair), squeeze a nickel to quarter sized amount of shampoo into your palm. Don't use any more than this, otherwise your hair will be overly sudsy.

Make sure you completely rinse all the suds from your hair before applying the conditioner. Once you're ready for conditioner, take your hair and gather it in your hand into a pony tail directly behind your neck. You should only be applying conditioner to the hair below your neck...any higher, and the conditioner will weigh down your hair and make it flat. Apply the conditioner only to this portion of your hair and let sit for approximately 2 minutes. Once this time is up, thoroughly rinse. Leaving conditioner in for too long or not rinsing enough will also weigh it down.

How often you wash your hair is certainly a matter of preference, but know that certain types of hair require different washing intervals. Typically, thinner or finer hair needs to be washed everyday, as it has a propensity to get dirty quicker. Thicker hair, curly hair or specialized hair types might require less washing, as many people spend hours styling or straightening their hair after it's dry, and doing that daily would be very time-consuming.

Finally, if you have specially-textured, chemically treated or colored hair, you might require additional steps to assure you're washing and conditioning correctly. Ask your stylist and/or colorist of he or she has any special recommendations in correctly cleaning your hair!