Washing your hair is probably one of the things in your life that you do automatically without even thinking about it, like brushing your teeth, but, maybe you should give it a little thought. A lot of people take their hair for granted but it is an important part of your appearance and deserves a little consideration. Here are a few factors you should think about and a few questions you should ask yourself:
How often should I wash my hair? This depends primarily on your type of hair - oily or dry, fine or coarse, and so on.
Unless you are living in a big city with lots of smoke and dust around you probably won't find it necessary to wash your hair every day, particularly if it's dry or curly, or very fine. Washing too frequently in these circumstances could leave your hair weakened and fragile, and more susceptible to split ends. If you have normal hair you can wash it up to five times per week, but even this may not be really necessary, especially if you have long hair that makes it time consuming. Oily hair can be washed daily, or you can skip some days if you use baby powder to soak up the oils.
Do I need to use conditioner? This again probably depends on the condition of your hair, particularly how much natural oil it has. If you are in the habit of shampooing every day and your hair still looks nice and shiny, then you probably don't need conditioner at every wash.
If however, your hair tends to be rather coarse and dry anyway, and looks even more so after washing, then it is a good idea to use conditioner. The important thing is to consider the natural tendency of your hair towards oiliness. If you have the type of scalp where your hair looks naturally shiny and oily only a couple of days after washing, then you don't want too much conditioner that might make it appear even greasier.
What shampoo should I use? If your hair is healthy and a totally natural colour then any good make of nutritive or protein shampoo will be fine. Shampoos will tend to gradually wash out the colour from tinted hair, so in these circumstances you would do better to use a shampoo specifically designed for either blonde or brunette hair. This way you can extend the time between your hair colouring sessions.
It seems that many ladies prefer using natural shampoos these days, and you can get these with chamomile for blonde hair, and henna or fennel for brunette shades. If your hair is very fine or damaged, then consider a nutritive shampoo labelled as "substantive protein". Shampoo tends to be slightly acidic, as this helps to restore a smooth cuticle to the hair and aids shine.
There are shampoos formulated especially for excessively oily hair, e.g. lemon containing types. Also modern technology offers special shampoos for very dry hair with "depth-enhancing moisturisers" and all manner of wonders.
It may be useful to try alternating the type of shampoo that you use. Use one type say, once or twice a week, and then the other once or twice a week. Also try changing brands of shampoo every so often as you may find one suit you better than another, and there is always something new on the market. Treat your hair kindly to maximise its health and shine. It is worth it to maintain this vital asset.
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