Common Mistakes in Washing Hair That Can Become a Dangerous Daily Routine
Hair-washing is an essential step in ensuring a healthy scalp. Notwithstanding, some common errors rob away these benefits, making the process a ticking time-bomb.
Spending those extra minutes in the bathroom each day scrubbing the hair may seem like an obvious way of keeping the hair healthy. Yet, those minutes might be what is keeping the hair from attaining its full glory.
Experts have proven that reaping the immense benefits of hair-washing requires the process to be done the right way. While there is no one-way-fits-all rulebook guiding hair-washing for all hair types, avoiding some of these mistakes could make all the difference.
A woman drying her hair with towel. | Photo: Shutterstock
OVERSHAMPOOING
Washing the hair with shampoo is necessary to keep the scalp clean, healthy, and grease-free. Yet, too much of it becomes a dangerous daily routine, as it strips away the natural moisturizing factors.
Experts advise people who wash their hair daily to skip the shampoo once in a while. Rinsing the hair under the spray for several minutes and lathering it up using a conditioner would be a good substitute.
Additionally, including hair-boosting supplements between washes would help freshen up the hair while boosting growth and volume. What is essential is making sure to prevent product build-up on the scalp.
Photo of shampoos in a shelf. | Photo: Pexel
USING THE WRONG WATER TEMPERATURE
The importance of using warm water to wash the hair can’t be overstressed, as in addition to opening up pores and deep-cleansing the hair, it helps promote healthy hair growth.
Successfully working the shampoo into a rich lather is the easiest sign that the greasiness has been eliminated.
Yet, using water a few temperatures higher than required would have the opposite effect. Too hot water encourages frizz by opening hair cuticles and allowing keratin proteins and color molecules to wear off.
A woman washing her hair under the shower. | Photo: Pexel
SCRUBBING THE SCALP
While massaging the scalp is important for cleansing the hair and promoting blood circulation, which promotes hair growth, there is a right way of doing it.
Rather than scrub the scalp aggressively while washing, professionals recommend subtle stroking or rubbing from the forehead to the nape and along the sides. This ensures wet hair is handled gently, hence preventing breakage.
It is also important to desist from combing the hair when wet, as wet hair tends to be weaker, breaks easily, and gives the same effect as scrubbing violently.
A woman about to get her hair washed. | Photo: Pexel
OVERLOOKING GREASINESS
As important as it is to avoid stripping the hair off its natural oils, grease-buildup is just as dangerous as product-build-up. In that light, thoroughly washing the hair is necessary.
Mostly, shampooing once during a washing session is not enough to do away with all the built-up grease clogging the scalp.
A woman's hair is being washed with shampoo. | Photo: Pexel
Hence, ensure to repeat the shampooing process after each rinse and massage thoroughly each time until the hair lathers easily. Successfully working the shampoo into a rich lather is the easiest sign that the greasiness has been eliminated.
While avoiding these common mistakes in the daily hair-washing routine, always remember that it is all about what works best for a given hair type.