How To Properly Shampoo Your Hair Yes I know you have been shampooing and conditioning your hair for many many years and you are thinking to yourself "what is the point of what she is going to write?" Well there is importance and I would like you all to know that there is a proper way to shampoo and condition the hair and I will post it here. Yes I know it may take some time to get used to doing it properly but it will be worth it. Before I get to how to properly shampoo and condition the hair I wanted to make note of a few things. First of all I recommend getting a professional salon brand product, I personally recommend TIGI products, they include Bedhead and Catwalk products, so talk to your stylist who can recommend the correct shampoo and conditioner to use. I do altenate shanmpoo's I use Bedhead's Control Freak Shampoo and Conditioner or Catwalk's Oatmeal & Honey Shampoo and Conditioner. I also on the occassion use Bedhead's Moisture Maniac as a treatment for my hair, since my hair tends to lack moisture. Again it is very important that you talk to your stylist about the products that you should be using because your stylist can see your hair and knows your hair. Your stylist can give you the best advice in terms of which products to use, how and when to use them. No one but you and your stylist know your hair best! Final point before I get to the proper way to shampoo your hair...curly tops you do not need to wash your hair everyday! Every other day or every two days is fine...to much washing makes this hair type puffy and dry. Okay now on to business!
Okay no one says this better than one of the hair guru's Steve Tcherkezian, so I will use what he has written
Detangle hair: Make sure all tangles are removed from your hair BEFORE you wet it. When you hair is tangled and water hits it, the tangles become locked in. Brush it out (gently) before you get in the shower. First get a good detangling comb (they have very wide teeth). Comb your hair before you start to brush. Combing has to be done bottom up. Start to detangle your hair from the ends first and work up to the scalp. Go through some inches until all knots are combed out. If your hair is really messy today, separate it and comb each strand on its own. After you detangled your hair by this method, use a brush to go through the whole length, top down. Do not brush abruptly. This will help shedding or "old hair" being loosened in the follicle to make way for tangle free, shampoo.
FYI - Certain kind of styling materials can change the way you shampoo the hair. Styling materials used will harden up throughout the day. It should be thoroughly rinsed out before applying the shampoo, but never brush it out before wetting. Apply shampoo, gently lather and massage your entire scalp. Let it sit with lather for 1 minute. This will cleanse the build up of the styling material on your hair. For damaged hair apply conditioner before shampooing. If your hair is damaged, wet your hair thoroughly and apply conditioner to protect your hair before you shampoo. Apply treatment only on the ends. For the hair longer than shoulder line, apply conditioner and let it penetrate into the hair as you gently massage your hair. The amount of the conditioner is about the size of teaspoon for long hair.
Wetting: Wet your hair as though you are soaking your hair in water. First, thoroughly saturate scalp and hair using warm or cool water. Wet the hair as though you are soaking it in water for 3 minutes. Trap the water (at 100 F) in your hands and gently massage hair. Now dirt & oil will be rinsed out! Be careful not to use too hot of water- it will strip hair of essential oils and cause the cuticle to become damaged. When the hair is wet; finger-dry with a blow dryer nozzle facing down the hair shaft.
Wet your hair thoroughly in the shower. Some people say only cool water, some people say only warm. Single strand of hair is very fine. If you rinse your hair with hot water, it will cause the cuticle to peal. Also, essential oil will run out. If your hair is long, try to keep it straight while you wet it.
Shampooing: Shampoo your scalp! Only lather the ends. Shampoo scalp for 2 minutes! It is not necessary to lather too much- this can cause damage to the hair's cuticle. Keeping your scalp clean and healthy is vital. The primary objective of shampooing is to clean your scalp, not wrestle your hair, so concentrate on massaging gently and allow suds to be distributed throughout hair while rinsing. It's not necessary to do the "rinse and repeat" routine unless you have an oily scalp.
It is not necessary to lather up so much! Too much lathering can cause damage to the cuticle of the hair. Work it gently through your hair starting at the root area and moving down toward the ends. Remember, the cuticle layer (outer most layers) of your hair grows out in this direction.
Rinsing: Gently rinse your hair. Just as you wet your hair in the first step, trap the water and gently massage with it. Do not use strong water pressure to rinse hair. Now, squeeze the excess water from your hair. Apply a sufficient amount of treatment to where your hair is driest first. For most people, this means the ends. Massage the product into the hair.
Rinse thoroughly. Excess shampoo residue can cause hair to be dull and flat looking. Remember, you're always aiming the water away from your scalp toward the ends. Running your fingers gently.
Conditioner: After rinsing shampoo, apply some conditioner in one hand and rub palms together to evenly distribute. Apply conditioner from the middle of the hair shaft down to ends. Do not massage conditioner onto scalp unless scalp is dry. Comb through hair to distribute evenly. Leave conditioner on hair long enough to help smooth the cuticle - it only takes a few seconds. Rinse thoroughly. It's important to rinse shampoo and conditioner from your scalp. Stand under the shower and gently lift hair to permit the water to reach the scalp. Hair will be thoroughly rinsed when it feels consistently clean as you run your fingers from scalp to ends. It is important to remember: hair "Conditioner" is like a make-up or lipstick; it acts topically. Hair "Treatment" is like nutrients that we need to supply the hair.
Now is the time to comb your hair. It's easy to get a comb through hair with conditioner in it. Start at the ENDS, not at the root area. This helps remove knots and tangles quickly. Work your way up the shaft. Now, leave it on for a while. Combing your hair out should be much easier.
Treatment: Hair is always loosing protein through daily abuse. Treatments revitalize and replenish lost protein and nutrients in hair. It is now necessary to apply Treatment at least once a week.
Long hair tends to get very damaged easily. Any hair passed shoulder length can be considered damaged. Hair is a build up of dead cells, so it does not have the ability to heal and revitalize its own damaged areas. Natural oils from your scalp can only reach to your ear line. If you keep this in mind every time you shampoo your hair, it will make a lot of difference.
Towel drying: Towel blot excess moisture gently, rather than rubbing down with a towel. Gently blot the moisture at the ends to avoid friction between strands of hair that will cause cuticle damage. Wet hair is very fragile and prone to damage. As you dry the hair, the cuticle closes and the tensile strength returns. This will also reduce the time the hair in its weakened state; making the hair stronger and less prone to breakage.
Blow drying: Begin styling the hair when the scalp is completely dry and 80% of the hair is dry. Air-drying your hair after shampoo will cause more damage than blow drying! After towel drying your hair, apply a leave-in conditioner. Then blow-dry the nape first, leaving the area above the forehead second. The bottom part should be dried first, so that the top part does not absorb the moisture from the bottom. This offers body. Always choose to blow-dry TRd hair on low, and in a downward motion. Do not iron it unless you need to for an occasion or it's time for a root touch up and you need smooth the hair.
Copyright Steve Tcherkezian www.verticalsinhair.com 2005.
FYI- It is better to blow dry the hair rather than let the hair air dry, because when you blow-dry the hair you are removing the excess water rather than letting it stay in the hair. Excess water in the hair causes it to expand, putting stress on the hair and if there is too much stress put on the hair it can cause that hair to burst, what you see is a split end!
So now that you know the proper way to shampoo your hair I know next time you see your stylist you will be asking them for product recommendations!
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