Shampoo Your Hair

It's hard to believe, but there is a right and a wrong way to shampoo your hair. Shampooing your hair correctly can leave it feeling and looking healthy and shiny. Choosing the right shampoo for your hair type, being gentle in the washing process, and taking good care of your hair in between shampoos are all important parts of making sure your hair looks its best.

Steps

Selecting the Right Shampoo

  1. Select a moisturizing shampoo for coarse or kinky hair. If you have coarse or kinky hair, you'll want a shampoo that amps up the moisture in your hair. Shampoos with glycerin, panthenol, or shea butter are good for coarse or kinky hair because they infuse extra moisture into the hair.[1]
  2. Try a volumizing shampoo for fine and/or thin hair. If you have fine or thin hair, look for a shampoo that adds volume without weighing your hair down. You’ll also want to stick to “clear” shampoos – if you can’t see through the shampoo bottle, don't get it.[2]
    • Avoid shampoos with ingredients like sodium chloride or polyethylene glycol. Both chemical compounds are used as thickeners, but they can cause hair to become dry and brittle.[3]
  3. Choose a shampoo with silicone if you have curly or wavy hair. If you have curly or wavy hair, you’ll want a moisturizing shampoo, but you should also look for shampoo formulas that include silicone. This gives your curls the moisture they need to stay bouncy but also prevents them from absorbing too much moisture and getting frizzy.[2]
  4. Experiment with a gentle shampoo if you have normal hair. If you have "normal" - otherwise known as medium or well-balanced hair - you can use pretty much any type of shampoo that you like. Just make sure you’re choosing shampoos that don’t strip your hair - white tea shampoo is a good option.[2]
    • Avoid shampoos with ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, and sodium lauryl sulfate. They are all harsh detergents and will strip your hair of its natural moisture and dry it out.
  5. Use a volume-controlling shampoo if your hair is very thick. If you have thick hair, you'll want volume at the roots, but not at the ends, and you'll also want to make sure your hair has enough moisture.
    • Shampoos with avocado or macadamia nut oil will give your hair volume where necessary and moisturize it at the same time.[1]
  6. Pick a shampoo with keratin for dry or damaged hair. If your hair is dry, or it's been damaged in any way - from over-coloring, excessive use of heat, or overuse of hair products - look for a shampoo with keratin. Keratin acts as a sort of super-moisturizer that will help repair your hair.[1]
    • You should also avoid shampoos that have certain alcohols in them, as they can further dry out your hair. Avoid cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, and stearyl alcohol if you have dry or damaged hair.[4]
  7. Use vitamin-rich shampoo for colored hair. To maintain the vibrancy of your colored hair, look for shampoo that includes vitamins E and A. Shampoo for color-treated hair is also usually specially formulated and more gentle than regular shampoo.[5]
  8. Try shampoo with tea tree oil for oily hair. Oily hair is actually the result of your body compensating for a dry scalp by producing more oil. Tea tree oil helps to treat your dry scalp, which in turn stops your body from producing so much oil.[1]
  9. Choose your scent. The easiest part of choosing a shampoo is finding a scent you like. Try to be mindful of your work or school environment while you’re choosing, however. Some people have sensitivities to certain scents – if you or someone you work closely with has such a sensitivity, look for a fragrance-free option.[6]

Washing Your Hair

  1. Soak your hair. Before you shampoo your hair, make sure you fully soak it. Soaking your hair in hot water will help open up the cuticles and loosen the oil that’s already in your hair.[7]
    • You should rinse for at least a minute; this allows the water to start rinsing gunk out of your hair and makes it more receptive to the nutrients in your shampoo.[8]
    • Although you should soak your hair in hot water, you should turn the temperature down a bit once you’re ready to wash your hair. Washing your hair in hot water can cause damage to your hair.[9]
  2. Use the right amount of shampoo. If the amount of shampoo you use is bigger than a quarter, you’re using too much. Unless your hair is very thick or very, very long, a quarter-sized amount is enough. If your hair is very thick or long, you can double the amount you use, but you shouldn’t use a full handful of shampoo on your head no matter how long or thick your hair is.[7]
  3. Lather up. When you’re shampooing your hair, you should really only lather it at the roots and the nape of your neck and then work it through to the ends. In other words, don’t place more shampoo at the end of your hair and work it through from bottom to top.[10]
    • If your hair is longer than past your shoulders, condition your hair first – this keeps the ends of your hair healthy.[7]
  4. Don’t scrub your hair. While you’re lathering your hair, be gentle in your movements. Try to avoid circular motions – although these feel like the natural movement for washing your hair – and instead use an up-and-down motion with the tips of your fingers.[10]
  5. Rinse in cold water. Just like you use hot water when you first rinse your hair to help open the cuticles and prepare your hair for shampoo, you should do your final rinse in cold water. This seals the cuticles and keeps moisture in. It can also make your hair look healthy and shiny.[9]
  6. Condition from mid-hair to ends. If you condition your hair after you shampoo it, don’t use conditioner on your whole head – this can make it feel weighed down and greasy, especially at the roots. Instead, condition from about the middle of your hair to the ends.[7]
    • You should generally condition your hair every time you shampoo. If your hair is damaged from heat or over coloring, you might want to try a deep conditioning treatment once a week in addition to your regular conditioning.[11]
  7. Towel dry your hair. Once you’ve washed your hair, towel it dry to remove most of the moisture from it and then let it air dry. This is the best way to prevent damage to your hair.[10]

Taking Care of Your Hair Between Washes

  1. Use protective products if you use heat. If you have to use heat to dry your hair - either because you’re looking for a specific style or because you are in a hurry - use protective products on your hair first. This prevents the heat from a blow-dryer or straightener from damaging your hair.[10]
    • Good protective products include thermal setting mist, heat seal spray, or gels designed to control heat and humidity.[12]
  2. Give your hair a break. How long you can go between washes varies from person to person, depending on your hair type and how comfortable you are with letting your hair get a bit greasy. But you should generally give your hair every other day off from shampooing.[13]
    • If you want to avoid shampooing but want to refresh your hair, rinse with water. This will still remove grime and oil without running the risk of stripping it from over-washing.[14]
  3. Use dry shampoo. If your hair is looking a little greasy, but you want to put off shampooing it for another day, try dry shampoo. Dry shampoo soaks up the grease and oil in your hair to make it look fresher longer.
    • Start by spraying your hair line around your face (be careful not to spray yourself in the eye).
    • Then divide your hair into 2 to 4 sections, using your index finger to create sections backward and forward from your ear.
    • In each section, divide your hair into 1 to 2 inch (2.5 - 5 cm) sections parallel to your part. Spray your roots in each of these sections.
    • Blend the spray into your hair by using your finger tips to work the spray from your roots to your ends. Otherwise it will look like you have gray/white roots. Then brush out your hair.[15]

Tips

  • To lose less hair in the shower, replace your brush with a wide-toothed comb, and comb it gently before you get into the shower.
  • Leave the conditioner in for about 30 seconds to 1 minute before washing. This will make your hair extra soft.
  • After massaging in the shampoo, leave shampoo to sit for one to five minutes, massage again, and rinse. This gives the shampoo a chance to break down dirt and oil, which can allow you to use less shampoo and/or even avoid a second shampoo.

Warnings

  • Never brush wet hair. Use a wide tooth comb if you must comb your hair while it's wet. Wet hair will stretch and break easily. Never use a brush on wet hair.
  • If you are allergic to a shampoo, try to get a more basic shampoo that has fewer ingredients, and see if your allergy reaction diminishes. See a dermatologist if the problem persists.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 http://www.folica.com/hair-101/buying-guides/shampoo-guide/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://pantene.com/en-us/brandexperience/shampoo-101-choosing-the-right-shampoo
  3. ↑ http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/616834-shampoo-ingredients-you-want-to-avoid/
  4. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/ingredients-dry-hair#1
  5. ↑ http://www.instyle.com/hair/protect-your-hair-color
  6. ↑ http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/07/being-scent-free/
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 http://stylecaster.com/beauty/how-to-wash-your-hair/?dm2sc=1
  8. ↑ http://stylecaster.com/beauty/how-to-wash-your-hair/?dm2sc=1
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/hair/tips/a19894/mistakes-washing-your-hair/
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 http://www.teenvogue.com/story/washing-your-hair-wrong
  11. ↑ https://www.beautylish.com/a/vcywy/over-conditioning-your-hair
  12. ↑ http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/p_top_heat_styling/p76532/page8
  13. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/how-often-wash-hair#1
  14. ↑ http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/beauty-style/8-hair-washing-mistakes-you-may-be-making
  15. ↑ http://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/news/a15672/how-to-apply-dry-shampoo/
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