Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Is that really what we should be doing to clean and restore our hair? I mean - it’s what we were told on the back of the Pantene bottle when we were 13 and really starting to own our personal care. But - is that old school? Like the tight roll, is it how we should really be going about it?
Our hair washing routines are so often so totally habitual that we often forget to check in to make sure that what we are doing day in and day out is serving us at max ROI levels.
May Sanchez, Ginger stylist, is here to answer one of the most basic - but most important - questions when it comes to your hair care routine:
How should I wash my hair?
1. First and foremost, the main thing to remember about your wash and rinse routine is that it is YOUR wash and rinse routine, so it may look different from someone else's routine, and you may not have success with the same products that they use, or they may not like something, but you might love it!
2. With Kevin Murphy products, aside from the Young.Again Wash and Rinse line, you can sort of mix and match to find your perfect combination. During a product knowledge class, I remember being told, "Wash for the hair you have, condition for the hair you want." So for example, my hair strands run on the finer side, and tend not to get a lot of volume, but I also have had a decent amount of blonding done, so it's a bit dryer. I might use Hydrate.Me wash to give my hair some extra moisture, but then use Angel.Rinse for conditioner, since it is for finer hair, and won't weigh my hair down. I also like to use Plumping.Rinse sometimes, because it is a clay conditioner that helps hair to have more volume.
3. Unless you are washing your hair very frequently, when you do have your wash days, don't be afraid to shampoo twice. Generally, the first wash will not lather very much. Really make sure to massage your scalp with the pads of your fingers to break up product buildup, sweat, oil, etc. Then rinse, and shampoo again. The wash should lather much more the second time around.
4. Going back to frequency, I think we've all heard that you shouldn't wash your hair everyday, and the reasoning is that it can lead to overstripping your hair of its natural oils, leading to dryness, among other things. If you are washing every day, I would try to start washing every other day, and to help with your hair feeling clean on your non-wash days, use a dry shampoo like Fresh.Hair to soak up any oil and give your some extra volume and texture. Hopefully, after a couple weeks of washing every other day, you can extend it to every third day!
5. Finally, after my hair is washed and before my other styling products, I like to put in a leave-in conditioner or treatment for hydration and protection, whether I'm going to be air-drying, and especially if I'm going to be blow-drying. For finer hair, Staying.Alive is a lightweight spray that will give moisture and strength without being too heavy, Un.Tangled is a great detangler while providing more moisture, and I also like Young.Again oil for hair that needs extra smoothing and shine.