There are several schools of thought regarding how to take care of your hair. There are often conflicting arguments about how often you should wash your hair, how often you should brush it, or how you can work to maintain basic healthy, shiny hair. Personally, I wash and blow-dry my hair every single day and I don't feel guilty about a daily coif wash, either.
Hair care often feels like a matter of preference. However, there are several other steps in our routines that can and should be adjusted.
Ricky Pennisi, salon owner and founder of the RI CI haircare line, which focuses on curly and wavy strands, shared with me eight ways that most of us are damaging our hair, both during and immediately after our showers.
He literally pulled back the curtain on common mistakes we're making and that are in turn stressing our tresses.
The good news is that these eight habits are super easy to break, amend, and rectify. All you have to do is use you chose the right shampoo, slather your conditioner on the right place on your head, ditch the towel burrito, and stop brushing super soaked hair, among other things!
Ready to make a change to how you treat your hair as part of your shower routine? Let's go!
1. Pick The Right Shampoo
Go with water-based and sulfate-free shampoos that cleanse but don't strip hair of oils and moisture.
OGX Nourishing Coconut Milk Shampoo, $5.79, Amazon
2. Condition Roots, Not Your Crown
You know that saying, "Heavy is the head the wears the crown?" Yeah, well, applying conditioner above the crown line is a no-no! It will produce oil and make hair greasy and, well, heavy! Rather, slather your roots, which need the TLC and moisture, according to Pennisi.
OGX Nourishing Coconut Milk Conditioner, $5.60, Amazon
3. Don't Brush Wet Hair
Brushing wet hair can cause damage. Instead, apply your conditioner and then use a wide-tooth comb while in the shower. It'll remove knots easily.
Conair Detangling Comb, $2.39, Amazon
4. Don't Skip Weekly Treatments
You damage your hair daily with heat tools and products. Combat that damage with a weekly, at home treatment, such as a mask or a rich oil.
Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask, $17, Amazon
5. Nix The Towel Burrito
I tend to keep my hair wrapped in a towel, post-shower, while I put my makeup on. It helps remove excess moisture. Who doesn't do this, right? Well, Pennisi recommends skipping that step and squeezing the excess moisture out with a dry towel and patting, as opposed to rubbing, since the latter causes knots.
Microfiber Towel, $7.99, Amazon
6. Don't Use Heat Tools On Super Wet Hair
Curling irons and straighteners need to be kept away from super wet, delicate hair. Make sure hair is dry before you use either of these tools or you are asking for damage.
7. Don't Ignore Split Ends
Split ends need to be trimmed. That's the only solution, so see your stylist for a snip if you have an abundance of split ends. To avoid split ends, don't over wash, don't use too much heat, and don't towel dry too rigorously. Being gentle is key!
8. Avoid Steam Showers
These can strip hair of natural oils or accelerate the fade out for color-treated hair.
Those are eight habits you can easily change to keep hair in tip-top shape, especially between visits to your colorist or stylist. You can learn more about Pennisi by checking out the custom RI CI haircare line.
Images: Bianca Consunji/Bustle, Giphy (8)
