Our hair is such a huge part of how we present ourselves that untangling it from our identity is almost impossible. Because it’s such a big part of who we are, we should do what we can to take care of it. Though we may hear a lot of advice, trusting all of it can lead to some pretty big missteps. We’re going to go over a few haircare mistakes you need to avoid to prevent these hair mistakes in the future.
Shampooing Too Often
No matter how high-quality your shampoo is, using it too often can do a lot of harm to your hair. Shampooing your hair too often can strip it of its natural oils, removing its ability to regulate oil production. This can leave your hair either an oily mess or looking completely dried out. Stick to washing your hair once every other day—or even every third day—and use dry shampoo as necessary on off days.
Not Focusing on Your Scalp
One of the biggest haircare mistakes to avoid is only focusing on the hair itself and not the skin underneath it. Your scalp is where your roots lie, and your roots determine how healthy your hair is. Regularly massaging your scalp can increase blood flow to the area, and there are plenty of leave-in scalp treatments that can improve your scalp health over time.
Always Using Hair Ties in the Same Way
If you’re using your standard hair tie in the same way every day, you’re harming your hair more than you know. Putting a hair tie in the exact same place every day will eventually start to wear down the hair underneath the tie. Try to use damage-free hair ties when you can. If you can’t find any like that, just make sure to adjust where your hair tie goes every day, and don’t leave it up for too long.
Blow-Drying Too Hot
Our blow dryers are our friends when it comes to styling, but they can be our enemies, too, if we’re not careful. Excessive amounts of heat, like the kind that comes from your blow dryer’s hottest setting, can be extremely harmful to your hair. Using the highest heat settings and holding the barrel too close to your head can actually burn your hair. Stick to the lowest heat setting whenever you can—It may take longer, but it’s worth the time.
Being Harsh on Tangles and Knots
It’s understandable to not want your hair to be a knotted, snarled mess, but resist the urge to yank tangles out with a brush or comb. You could damage hair around the tangle in addition to ripping hair directly out of your scalp! Take tangles and knots slowly, unraveling them a little at a time until they come loose.
What do you think?