It seems a bit silly to be reading this as an adult. But it turns out, that many of us are making grave mistakes that could be causing problems like an itchy scalp or even hair loss in some cases. Do you shampoo your entire head, including the tips of your hair? Are you giving it a warm rinse? And do you give yourself a good scrub with your nails? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’re doing it wrong.
Shampoo shouldn’t sit in a globule on one area of your hair. You’re wasting more shampoo than necessary when you don’t spread it evenly through your strands. Drop a small amount on your palm first and then rub it. This guarantees even coverage and less money spent on the product.
Do you soap your dry body and then rinse it off? If you start with a dry palate, then you’re working harder than you should get the shampoo off. Water strips off excess oil, allowing for a deeper penetration from your shampoo. Without a drenched foundation, you won’t be able to clean your scalp efficiently. Fully drench your hair before shampoo, so your cuticles are open and ready for a good cleaning.
If you use hot water then your hair cuticles don’t close properly after conditioning and you’re left with hair that is more susceptible to breakage and hair loss. Rinse your conditioner out with cold water, snapping your cuticles shut and sealing in all of that clean, fresh moisture.
Do we hope you know how much bacteria is under our nails? It’s a cesspool of disgust. This nail scraping has to stop! Even after rinsing your hands multiple times, you can’t kill every germ. We love a good scalp massage but be aware of how aggressive you are when you’re giving it a “good scrub”. Nails could be irritating and infect your scalp with those germs. This tug and pull motion may also cause hair loss. If you need a good massage then use your fingertips and not the nails.
You may be saving water with a quick shower, but we hope that you’re taking enough time to thoroughly rinse. If you aren’t using a sufficient amount of water, you could be leaving a lot of buildup and gunk. This residue can cause dandruff. Men are at a higher risk of developing dandruff. Take enough time to rinse your roots and use a sulfate-free shampoo to reduce the wear and tear.
You do not need to wash your hair every single day! Your scalp is supposed to have some natural oils. Stripping those will dry out your scalp. If you’re feeling foul, only wash it a few times a week, not more than 3 times. Try to substitute for a conditioner wash when you can. You can train your hair, at first it may feel pretty weird skipping out on shampoo every day. Eventually, your hair will look and feel healthier once the natural oil starts to rebuild and rejuvenates your scalp.
It’s important to moisturize your scalp. This doesn’t mean neglecting the ends of your hair which is prone to breakage and split ends. Start with the ends and condition your way up so your tips have more time to soak up the moisture they need.
