Is Your Hair Really Clean?

This is a question that I don't think many people really ask themselves. I certainly didn't until recently, and I truly believe it's something that should be considered more.
Like I said, I'd never really question the way I was washing my hair as I had been doing it for many years! However, in the last couple months, my hair has been in the best condition it's been in for so long and it's just through changing my hair washing routine. I simply wasn't washing my hair properly.

Before, I was shampooing twice before conditioning ALL of my hair. Now I know there are going to be people reading this shaking their heads in disappointment at what they just read but I believed that this was a thorough clean. Oh, but how wrong I was. I just didn't understand why my hair was getting greasy quickly and wouldn't dry properly, and sometimes straight after washing and drying my hair my mum would ask me if I'd washed my hair at all recently, it was quite embarrassing. But since doing some reading and switching things up a bit, my hair has never gone back to that state, and so I thought I would share these few tips with you that have really helped me in case you are experiencing a similar situation.


1. Don't use too much shampoo
Basically, the more shampoo you use in one wash, the more chemical build-up that sits in your scalp, because shampoo actually washes out all the nasty stuff except for itself. That's why my hair was only getting more and more greasy when using MORE shampoo in order to get rid of that grease; it's a vicious cycle! I recommend using 1 medium swirl, rubbing it between your palms and focusing on the roots or you hair, then taking it down to the ends. I also decided to change the brand of shampoo I had been using as I, to be honest, would tend to just use whatever shampoo my mum bought for me. I found this colour protecting shampoo by John Frieda and I will never look back! I have natural red hair that over the years has begun to darken and I thought it was just all done naturally. However, I think the awful and thoughtless shampooing routine I had before played a massive role in this, so I gave this shampoo a go and I never seen such quick and noticeable results! It's not just for coloured hair (like I said, I'm a natural born redhead) and not only has this made my hair softer and shiner, but it has managed to find and bring out the red that had been covered by nasty chemicals once again. (Plus, it smells incredible!) Highly recommend, for all hair colours!

2. Only condition the ends of your hair
When it comes to conditioner, you want to completely avoid the scalp. Before, I was taking a medium sized squirt and rubbing it through the ends of my hair, then whatever I had left on my hands I would run through the roots two or three times. BIG MISTAKE. The nutrients from the conditioner end up weighing the whole of you hair down, leaving it oily, heavy and having no volume, and even sometimes looking almost wet. I have always relied on TRESemme to conditioner my hair and it's fluffy, shiny, voluminous results will keep me using it for a long time.

3. Use Argan oil before you shower
Apart from using less shampoo and less conditioner, there has also been a small addition to my hair washing routine. I have had this bottle of argan oil for a while but have never found a real use for it until now. Argan oil is incredible! My hairdresser recommended argan oil shampoos and conditioners to me a couple of years ago the first time my hair was not in it's best condition. It really helped, and to be honest, I don't actually know why I stopped using them. I remembered this when I found my little bottle of argan oil a few weeks ago and decided to try and incorporate it back into my regular hair washing routine. I now add a few drops to the roots of my hair and massage it in 5 mintues before I intend to wash it, and during those 5 minutes my hair is put up into a towel in order to allow the oil to penetrate the roots of the hair. Once 5 minutes is up, I just remove the towel and hop straight into the shower to shampoo and condition my hair as usual. This tip has left my hair feeling very silky and soft but not heavy which is what you may expect as the oil can feel a bit thick in your hair, even whilst you are washing it, but trust me, it's an actual miracle!

4. Don't wash you hair every night
Now this is actually something that I have always stuck by but since improving my hair washing routine, this step has become much more beneficial. I have friends who would wash their hair everyday because "they have to otherwise it's greasy by the next day". Now I know that everyone's hair type is different, but no one should have to wash their hair every single day, and the only reason that they have to is because of starting to do this in the first place. If you don't wash your hair everyday then you should never have to! Like I said, some people have thick hair and some people have fine hair. If you have thicker hair, the less you should need to wash it. But even with fine hair, just allowing one day off from washing it will make the world of difference.


So these are just a few things I have learnt about keeping my hair in the best condition possible and I hope they help some of you guys too and leave a comment with some of your hair care tips and tricks!