How To Wash Your Hair: Tips and Tricks To A Healthy, Shiny Head Of Hair

How To Wash Your Hair

Wash your hair once or twice a week if it's dry and daily if it's oily. Oil your hair lightly and untangle it before washing, use minimal shampoo on your scalp, rinse thoroughly, and dry wet hair gently. Hold your head upside down while shampooing to increase circulation and volume. Beyond chemical-based shampoos, a world of plant-based ingredients can be explored. Homemade vinegar rinses are economical and offer great hair benefits.

Healthy hair is happy hair – soft, lustrous, and never out of style. The first step toward acquiring this enviable asset is washing hair correctly. Did you raise a skeptical eyebrow? Well, we’ll have you know that there’s more to washing than just, well…washing! Wrong washing techniques and products can damage your hair, lead to breakage and hair fall – and who needs that? Read on to find out how to wash hair the right way to keep your hair looking great and feeling good.

Your Hair Type Will Decide How Often You Need to Wash Your Hair

How often should you wash your hair? Which cleansers or hair products should you buy? The answer to these oft-repeated questions is: it depends on your hair. The amount of oil produced by the scalp varies from person to person. The frequency of washing and the cleansing products you use should be based on this factor.

Oily hair tends to get greasy and lanky quickly because of excessive sebum and can be washed every day. Select shampoos or natural cleansers formulated for oily hair. Stay away from oil-based hair products like pomades. Some experts even recommend not using conditioner on oily hair.
Dry hair needs less frequent washing – once or twice a week should work. This is typically also the case with chemically treated hair which tends to be drier. Dryness also sets in as you age. Go for a gentle, moisturizing cleanser and finish with a conditioner (or pre-condition with oil). Look out, however, for white flakes – a sign that you are not washing your hair often enough. Neglecting this can lead to the formation of dandruff and an unhealthy scalp.
Normal hair is characterized by a moderately oily scalp and is chemically untreated hair. This can be washed 2–3 times a week.1 2

7 Steps To Wash Your Hair Right

Easy does it is the most important rule while washing your hair. Strong hair cleansers and rough handling can wreak damage, leaving your tresses looking coarse, dull, and unmanageable. Follow these simple, practical techniques to wash hair the right way.

1. Untangle Hair: Before washing your hair, comb out tangles gently, starting at the ends and moving up to the roots. Use a wide-toothed comb or good quality brush. This way, you won’t have to comb out messy, knotted, and wet hair at the end of your hair wash, a complete no-no that stresses out hair.

2. Don’t Use Hot Water: Use lukewarm water to wet your hair. This helps to open up hair follicles and facilitates thorough cleansing. Very warm or hot water can scald the sensitive scalp. You can use cold water for the final rinse as it closes the hair shaft and keeps hair smooth after it dries.

3. Cleanse Gently: This is for the days that you will be cleansing your hair. That’s right, washing hair doesn’t necessarily involve shampooing every time (more on that later!). But when you do, take about a teaspoonful of shampoo or herbal cleanser in your palm, emulsify with water, and work it in gently with your fingertips along the scalp. Avoid harsh techniques like rubbing the scalp vigorously – you don’t want to tangle your hair and invite breakage!

Never apply shampoo over the length of the hair. This can dry out hair, leaving it looking dull and rough in texture. Stylists often recommend shampooing with your head hanging upside down to increase circulation and volume.

4. Rinse Thoroughly: Once you’re done shampooing, rinse the hair gently but thoroughly until the water runs clear of shampoo suds and hair feels squeaky clean. This is an important step and one that many women neglect. Take your time and get all the product out of your hair.

5. Condition Your Hair: Conditioners can’t make your hair healthy (that needs to happen from the inside) but they may offer a host of other benefits: they improve the appearance of damaged hair, reduce static electricity, strengthen hair, and provide some protection from the sun’s harsh UV rays. Apply conditioner after a shampoo and rinse. Some experts discourage conditioners for hair that is excessively greasy.

Apply conditioner along the length of your hair to the tips. If you have fine hair, apply conditioner only on the tips as using it down the length of your hair will make it look limp. Avoid conditioning the scalp – it produces its own oil (sebum) and conditioner can block the hair follicles, leading to greasy hair and dandruff. Rinse your hair once more until the water is clear. For brittle hair, use a weekly deep conditioning mask (try a combination of egg and olive oil, for instance).

6. Squeeze Out Water Gently: Finally, give your hair a gentle squeeze to remove excess water and blot it with a towel. Rubbing and twisting wet hair can lead to breakage. Just hang your head down, flipping hair over your head. Bunch a towel at the ends, hold taut and rub it gently from both sides.

7. Air Dry Instead Of Blow Drying: After a brief towel dry, allow your hair to air dry. If you have to use a dryer, let your hair dry naturally for a while and then use one on low or medium setting. But try and save the blow dry for special occasions.

Just Plain Water Wash Will Do On Most Days

In a society where we’re spoilt for choice with store shelves loaded with haircare products, it’s worth knowing that in many cultures, people don’t use shampoo or any other hair cleansers. Yes, plain water is all that’s used! Much like the “no-poo movement” around the world that are replacing shampoos with natural rinses. If your hair isn’t particularly greasy or smelly, settle for a plain water wash followed by air drying.

How to work it:

Massage the scalp with fingertips or gently but firmly brush down from scalp to tips to distribute the sebum (natural oils) along the length of your hair.
Rinse hair well under warm (not hot) water.
Switch to cold water for a final rinse.
Soak up excess water with a soft towel and allow to dry naturally.

It may take several weeks for your hair to get used to this method. It’s also likely that the results may not be so great if you have hard water.

You could also try another plain water technique with just one add-on. Simply mix a cup of warm water with a teaspoon of baking soda and stir until the soda is dissolved. Wet your hair with warm water and pour the mixture over your scalp. With your fingertips, massage and scrub your scalp, focusing more on the higher oil-producing areas, the crown and hairline. Rinse well. You may increase the quantity of the mixture at the same ratio depending on the thickness of your hair.

When life gets hectic and there’s no time to fit in a hair wash, spritz the roots of your hair with a homemade vinegar solution, combining 5 drops of apple cider vinegar with 5 ounces water in a spray bottle. This will act as a healthy tonic for hair and won’t leave any buildup, unlike dry shampoo.

Oil Your Hair

In Ayurveda, an oil massage for hair is an essential pre-hairwash technique. The days you apply a shampoo or cleanser (instead of a plain water rinse), pre-condition hair with a little vegetable-derived oil such as almond, coconut, or argan oil. Sesame oil, with its lineoic acid, is also highly recommended in ayurveda. Other oils to explore are coconut, bhringraj, amla, and a sesame-almond mixed oil.

This can be a relaxing, full-blown head massage, where you gently but thoroughly work your hair from scalp to tips with these oils. You can also simply apply oil to the length of your hair or just the ends, leaving it in either overnight or for about 15 minutes before you wash your hair. This fortifies your hair and is one way to skip using conditioner later.

Explore Plant-Based Cleansers For Your Hair

Instead of chemical-laden shampoos, opt for plant-based cleansers that can clean hair gently and effectively. Look out for ingredients like shea butter, chamomile, and witch hazel in your cleansers. Other hair-friendly, natural products to get in are avocado oil, aloe vera, and honey, all of which are loaded with nutrients and help moisturize and protect your scalp and hair.

You could also explore ayurveda recommended herbal powders like shikakai, reetha, and hibiscus. These won’t strip your hair of its natural oils and are 100 percent chemical-free. Soak the required quantity of powder in warm water to make a paste and leave overnight. Add a little water before starting your hair wash to get the right consistency. Massage the herbal paste into your scalp and gently along your hair before rinsing off.

Swap Your Store-Bought Conditioner With Natural Conditioners

A conditioner may be a good idea to lock in the moisture and keep hair frizz-free. But why not swap a synthetic one for a natural conditioner. Try any of these:

Gently dry your washed hair with a towel. Combine a pea-sized ball of pure coconut oil with an equal amount of aloe vera gel. Apply this along the length of your hair, making sure the hair tips are well coated. If required, you can reapply this natural conditioner to the tips until your next hair wash.

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) makes for an excellent home-made conditioner that will leave your hair smooth and free of tangles.
You will need:
Warm water – 1 cup
ACV: 1 tablespoonful for oily hair; 2 tablespoonfuls for dry hair

Mix the water and ACV and pour over scalp after cleansing and rinsing your hair. Work in the mixture across your scalp with fingertips, let it be for a minute or two, and rinse out with water. Will your hair smell of vinegar? While using the mixture, yes, but not after your hair is dry. If you’re still concerned, place a couple of cinnamon sticks in your bottle of ACV a few days before you wash your hair.

Washing hair with the care it deserves may seem like a lengthy process, but it’s well worth the time and effort – it makes the cleansing routine last longer and helps you cut down on frequent washes. Follow these tips and, soon, you’ll have others seeking advice on keeping hair healthy, shiny, and attractive

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