It is something that many people do everyday, but are we actually washing our hair properly, and with the right product for your hair and scalp?
Do you ever get an itch at the base of your scalp, even straight after washing your hair?
Does your hair need washing everyday yet appear greasy within 24 hours of shampooing it?
The first common myth about shampooing hair is that if your hair is long you need lots of shampoo to clean the ends. In fact the only part of your hair that will be dirty is your scalp which produces oil or sebum, this is the only part that really needs cleaning (unless you have been rolling around in sand dunes or have applied lots of products to make the ends dirty too) therefore you use shampoo on your head only. Rather then using too much shampoo by applying more to your ends, try rinsing and shampooing again, don’t expect loads of bubbles from most professional shampoos on the first wash. A shampoo molecule is designed to pick up dirt and oil, once it is full it will not bubble. A second shampoo will lather much better but again only apply to the scalp.
Once you have applied your shampoo, give it a good rub, circular motions are a great way to lift of dead skin cells and oil, make sure you massage all areas of your scalp. When rinsing make sure you rinse the back of your head first, this helps the hydrophilic heads of the shampoo molecule which pick up the oil and dirt ready to be washed away when you are rinsing, remove the dirt. When you rinse the top first each shampoo molecule will essentially drop the dirt it is carrying to pick up more, leaving the back of your head still dirty, this is what produces the itch in the back of the head straight after shampooing! Its a simple tip that really works!!
The dirt sits in the middle of the shampoo molecule in this diagram.
So what about the ends? I hear you say!! The ends of the hair generally only need to be refreshed, this is perfect with conditioners or treatments, as the second shampooing process will pick up any remaining dirt on its way out of the hair and down the plughole!
If your hair is quickly turning greasy it can mean a number of things; if you have over washed you hair for a long time, the sebaceous glands are over producing oil as it is a protective barrier for the scalp. To reduce the amount of sebum produced you need to re-train your scalp processes by simply not washing it as often, try to break the cycle. It could also be a protein deficiency in your hair, meaning that the moisture/protein balance is slightly out of sync. To help with this you can use a protein based shampoo and conditioner, most stylists will know which of their shampoos have the highest protein level. If this doesn’t work you could try using Alterna Bamboo Luminous Shine Shampoo, this contains Indian Gooseberry which acts like an astringent or a toner to help seal the cuticle to make it reflect back light, it also has a similar effect on the scalp. if your ends are dry you will need to use a moisturising conditioner as the matching conditioner does not deliver enough moisture for coloured or bleached hair. This is also a great shampoo for greasy teenage hair!! Buy Bamboo Shine here
One last point if you have greasy roots, never use conditioner on your root area, you will only be adding additional grease to the problem! Keep Shampoo on your head and conditioner on your mid lengths to ends!
If you need any other product advice, call the salon on01704565315 and speak to one of our highly trained product specialists.
I hope this helps.
OliviaC x
OliviaC Hairdressing 