Did you know that there are things that you are doing day to day that are going to be damaging your hairdo? Most people don’t realise they are damaging their hair on a daily basis. They think they are styling it, brushing it, and putting it in that new trendy updo and it looks fantastic. They’re not considering the products they are using could be a problem. They are not considering that the heat that they may be using could be a problem. They are not even giving it a second thought when they drag a hairbrush through wet and tangled hair.
The chances are that right now you have your hair care routine down. You wash, you condition with Ethique Haircare, you brush, dry, you style – all of these things are pretty straightforward as part of a haircare routine. You might even think your hair is in pretty good shape. But then you start to notice split ends. And then you start to notice the dry strands. And then all of a sudden you’re dealing with a very dry, very straw-like frizz ball and you wonder what’s gone wrong. You need to be able to look after your hair, but the only way that you can do that is if you understand exactly where you’re going wrong. Let’s take a look at some of the things that are damaging your hair on a daily basis.
- You are over using the dry shampoo. One of the lifesavers in anybody’s arsenal for their hair when they are in a hurry is a bottle of dry shampoo. The problem is that many people are using it as a regular solution where it should only be used a couple of times a week. Using too much dry shampoo on your scalp and hair can cause damage to your scalp and it can be an irritant overtime. Try to reduce the amount you are using it, and your hair and your scalp well thank you.
- They are over using the heat. When you blow dry, and then add curlers or straighteners, you are applying damage to your hair quite obviously. There’s nothing wrong with using a blow dryer or a straightener to get your hair looking the way you want it to look, but you should make sure that you’re using the right heat protection products, too.
- You’re drying it wrong. Yes, there is a way to dry your hair incorrectly. If you are rubbing your head with a towel, it’s no kinder than blow drying it. You don’t want to scrunch the water out of your hair by vigorously rubbing it. Instead you want to squeeze and blot your head gently with a towel to minimise friction and minimise frizz. If you’re still finding your hair puffed up at the end of the dry cycle, you need to switch over to a cotton T-shirt or a microfibre towel instead.
- It’s not just your skin that needs sunscreen. When you are sitting in the sun for too long, the exposure to the UVA and UVB rays can cause a lot of damage to the structure of the hair. Did you notice it being brittle and dry and prone to breakage after you’ve been to the beach for a few days? You can buy sprays that are sunscreen for your hair, and this will protect the skin on your scalp and your hair from damage.
- You love a tight ponytail. Some of the damage caused to your hair is coming from tight ponytails and top knots stuck to your scalp. Pulling your hair right back is not only going to lead to traction alopecia where your hairline starts to recede, it will give you a headache after some time. Having a tight ponytail and having it all slicked back against your head is probably not a great idea to do this every single day.
- You are washing it too much. How often you should wash your hair is a contentious debate. One thing is for sure though, too much washing can be as bad for your hair as not washing it at all. You are going to strip out the natural oils that your scalp needs and bring on sensitivity and breakage when you wash it too often. Once your hair is wet, don’t go ahead and brush it to get those tangles out because that is going to weaken the hair and make it rip. Work the knots with a wide tooth comb when it’s wet, and when it’s dry use a brush.