Last night I paid a visit to stylist Sarah Garrity at Remedy Salon in Emeryville, CA, for a little shape-it-up trim. Seeing that I've got beauty on the mind, all the time, I asked the funky stylist for a few tips on washing, and here's what she had to say:
- Brush 'em, brush 'em, brush 'em — Brush your hair before shampooing. It might seem obvious, but do you actually do it? Sweeping a comb or brush through your hair before cleansing actually assists in removing tangles, stimulating the scalp, and loosening dirt and/or product buildup.
- Less is more — You probably don't need as much shampoo and conditioner as you think. A dime-sized amount should do the trick, plus by using less, you're being quite frugal/environmental in the long run.
- Cut back — Sarah recommends washing only three times a week as to not strip the natural oils from your hair. Of course, the frequency of which you shampoo will all depend on your hair texture and/or individual situation. For instance, I worked in a deli back in high school, and although delicious, the bits of ham and cheese loaf stuck in my hair started to stink and look unsightly without my daily Salon Selectives usage.
For the last two tips, read more.
- Rinse well and repeat — Often, Sarah finds that clients who complain about conditioner leaving their locks limp and lifeless are probably just not rinsing it out well enough.
- Blast off — Speaking of rinsing, give your hair (especially the ends) a blast of cool water as you are finishing up in the shower. This extra step will help seal your cuticle, making your hair look shinier. I'm chill with that.
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Yea my hairsylist told me awhile back to only shampoo MAX 3 times a week. i started following her instructions and voolia! My hair is SO much healthier and shiner and jsut plain nicer
1Yay! Good tips...I already do the cold water thing, and my hair is super dry so I only wash every other day anyway! And LOL at the Salon Selectives, Bella...I worked at Pizza Hut all through high school and ol' SS was a godsend
2I wish I could get away with only washing my hair 3 times a week. My hair gets ridiculously greasy after a day or two. Oh well.
3Yes I wish I could get away with washing my hair every other day but I work out (and sweat) a lot. Good tips about brushing hair before the shower and using a small amount of product.
4I can't get away with washing my hair only three days a week either. I shampoo every day -- otherwise my scalp gets gross and greasy.
5I do almost all of these (I have to use more shampoo and conditioner because of how long my hair is). The cold water thing and the brush-before-shampooing thing really help.
6"Bits of ham and cheese loaf stuck in your hair???" What *were* you doing down at that deli, my dear?
Wait ... actually, I don't want to know
7On none washing days you could use hair powders...
8if your hair is truly oily but you don't want to strip it's natural oils, I think it's the best alternative.
9I recently was close to running out of my shampoo, so one morning I had no choice but to use a small amount. I can't tell you how many compliments I got that day on my hair! People even thought I had gotten a hair cut, it felt so much smoother too. Lesson learned! I now use that same small amount every time...and so happy, my shampoo bottle will last twice as long!
10can't do the not washing the hair thing, as others have stated, my hair gets REALLY gross from one day of not washing.
11I think I do all these things, except only wash 3 times a week. I usually try to go every other day, but sometimes it just looks too greasy.
12But if you repeat,wouldn't you be using double the amount she recommends? ....
13Great tips. I have been trying to wash less, which is a bit hard after going to the gym, but some days after exercising it looks surprisingly ungreasy and smells find too. I will have to try the cold water blast.
14I usually rinse with COLD water. But I should start remembering to brush out my hair.
Oh! And I have found that when I use LESS conditioner, my hair usually turns better than when I use a lot. Maybe it's because there is less to rinse out.. who knows.
15As much as I'd love to, there isn't a chance I could only wash my hair 3 times a week. Not only do I have oily hair, but I gym (often every day) and I'm not one of those girls who don't sweat... Plus I have bangs and they get pretty sh*tty after a day and a half.
16I usually do wash it every day, but maybe I'll try cutting back some and see how my hair turns out.
Also might try the cold water. I think my hair is pretty healthy for the most part, though. And I definitely use way too much shampoo/conditioner... I cut 8 inches off my
hair a few weeks ago and I'm still having to remind myself there is so much less hair to wash! Must remember to use small amounts.
Good tips.
17The "cold water" technique can also be applied to the blow dryer... A blast of cool air at the end from that "cool" button really helps make it super shiny
18This is great. I didn't know about a lot of these tips but will definetely take them into consideration. Looks like I'll be needing to get a shower cap soon. Thanks for the tips!!!!!
19I have to wash every day or my hair looks nasty. I rinse with cold water, but I have to remember to brush it out beforehand. I'm usually half asleep when I walk into the shower, so the thought of brushing is usually the last thing on my mind.
20There is no way I could possibly brush my hair before I shampoo because it gets really tangled because I've got curly hair.I definitely need more shampoo than the average woman because my hair is really long and really thick. I do the rest of the stuff though even spacing my shampoos out more than that if I can get away with it.
21Even if you have greasy hair, your hair does adjust to less frequent washings. In fact, often times greasy hair happens because the scalp has to make up for the fact that you are washing away all the natural oils. Give it a shot. I never thought I'd be able to cut back to washing my hair every other to every third day. I'll admit -- the first 3 weeks were painful, and I wore a lot of hats and headbands. But then suddenly, my hair adjusted, and it has never been healthier! Also, when I go to the gym and sweat a lot, I'll rinse it out with water, I just won't shampoo it, so I'm still keeping the natural oils in my hair, but getting rid of the sweat along my hairline.
22My hair is delicate so my stylist recommended that I only wash the scalp and roots when I shampoo. The suds sliding down my hair when I rinsed was enough to gently clean the rest of my hair. That has made a HUGE difference in my hair's health.
23I really can't rinse off with cold water, I freeze to death.
24I have a greasy scalp, and depending on where I am geographically (I have noticed this and its the water most likely), the oiliness increases or decreases accordingly, but I wash every third day. Washing your hair with cold water or lukewarm is the best as hot water dries your scalp. Anyway my hair looks best on the second day after shampooing, especially if I wash overnight, the next day it has a natural bounce and volume (without the conditioner). I think there are products to take out the grease, but haven't used them..
And there are too few shampoos for oily hair. I use the lavender shampoo from L'oocitaine de Provence which is nice..and is people who do not want to shampoo daily. I also switch from two to three different shampoos regularly which helps.
What stylists say.. shampoo is for the hair, conditioner is for the scalp...
25oops.. and is for people who do not want to shampoo daily.
26I only wash once a week, and my hair has improved so much. I do rinse and condition every day, but Fridays are my shampooing days. I don't have bangs, and my hair looks great all week. I do have incredibly thick, wavy hair though.
27I am so glad I am not the only one who only washes my hair every other day or less! Don't get me wrong, I certainly shower at least once a day, but if I wash my hair too often, it just gets really dry, especially now that it is longer. If need be, I use a little dry shampoo near the scalp, but I usually don't even need that!
28nice tips
29I'm so glad you are loving these tips. The next time I go in for a cut in December, I'll have to get some more!
30I didnt hear all of these tips before..they're really great im gonna try all of them from now on =) i hope it'll be ok for me
thxx again..
31i went out and got spray powder shampoo by salon grafix... i'll let you guys know how it turns out if i try washing every other day or so! my hair gets really oily too.. though i just tried using AUSSIE's CLEAN AND MEND shampoo/conditioner and it's helping alot! it says it cleans your roots to help an oily scalp but moisturizes your ends so they aren't dry! and that helped this weekend so we'll see. thanks for the tips, bella!
32I have incredibly thick hair, so I can get away with washing it once a week. It keeps it from drying out, and since it doesn't get dandruff-y or oily, it saves me a lot of time: I only have to flat-iron once a week.
33Wonderful tips, I do all of these!
34What about if you swim alot like every morning except weekends?? Do the same tips applie?
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