Washing Your Hair - The Do's and Don'ts

Healthy hair starts with a clean, healthy scalp!
Hair products contain a range of fragrances, preservatives and chemical ingredients which can cause a buildup, or residue to form on your scalp which can lead to blocked follicles and inhibition of hair growth.

DO - Choose a Sulfate-Free Shampoo
Put simply, sulfates are what makes the suds from your shampoo. Sulfates allow grime and dead skin cells to be removed from your skin and scalp and washed away with water. The downside is that they can also strip natural oils from the scalp and hair. That can make hair dry and brittle. And if your scalp is sensitive, sulfates can cause irritation like redness, dryness, and itching. The three most commonly used sulfate compounds within the beauty industry are sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, and ammonium laureth sulfate. Sulfate-free shampoos are less harsh on hair and its even better if they’re also paraben free.

DON'T - Comb Your Hair While You Shampoo
Hair is weakest when it’s wet. Stretching and pulling of wet hair creates unnecessary stress on your strands. Your hair can stretch to 50% of its original length while wet. That means that if you’re battling with tangles, your hair is a lot more likely to break. If you need to brush your hair while it’s wet, use a wet brush, tangle teaser, or wide-tooth comb and always start at the bottom, working your way to the top.

DO - Shampoo Your Hair At Least Once A Week.
The health of your scalp determines the quality of your hair. A healthy scalp is clean, flake-free and not itchy. Washing your hair too often is drying and damaging as many shampoos contain harsh chemicals like sulphates that are used to create lathe. Overall, washing your hair too often will strip the hair of its natural oils and can dull hair colour. As a general rule, most experts recommend washing your hair every 3-4 days.

DON’T - Pile Hair on Top of Your Head While Shampooing
This causes more tangles, more friction, and more damage. Instead, emulsify the product in your hands before applying to the scalp. Work shampoo into your hair in a zig-zag motion to break up the dirt and oil, and then you can move towards your ends.

DO - Look For Ingredients Like Tea Tree Oil
These essencial oils help stimulate circulation, help maintain scalp health and prevent excessive oil build-up. Tea tree oil has proven antimicrobial properties making it an excellent cleaning agent. Studies have shown that tea tree oil effectively fights many types of bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Minor fungal infections are often responsible for itchiness and dandruff. As an antifungal agent, tea tree oil may help effectively manage these conditions. Tea tree oil may also help sooth inflammation caused by scratching and psoriasis.

DON'T - Get ‘Squeaky Clean’
If your hair feels so clean it almost feels squeaky, you have washed away all of the good, natural hair oils that are essential for overall hair health.

DO - Towel Dry Your Hair
Using a hair dryer to dry your hair too often can cause it to become dry and brittle. To keep your hair healthy, it’s better to use a towel to squeeze out the moisture, and then let your hair continue air drying. While drying your hair, gently squeeze out the water with an microfiber towel.

DON’T - Rough Up Your Hair While Drying
You could damage your hair or even make it more frizzy. The coarse texture and dryness of a cotton or towel can cause damage to the hair. Cotton towels can worsen split ends and cause small craters along the hair shaft, weakening the hair and creating frizz. Blot and squeeze your hair dry instead of roughly drying it by vigorously moving up and down the hair shaft.

DO - Try HairMax for Density
The right cleansers and conditioners make a world of difference in improving your hair and scalp. Blended with the unique biologically active NRG8-pLEX, HairMax STIMUL8 Shampoo and EXHILAR8 Conditioner is the first step in the for density Hair Care System, scientifically developed to energise and reactivate the hair.