As a hairdresser, I always say, “Our hair is like a piece of silk, and we need to look after it.“ Here are some of my easy tips to make sure that you’re giving your hair the love that it deserves, leaving it looking fabulous in between every salon visit.
1. Choose the Right Shampoo
When choosing a shampoo, pick one that suits your scalp. For example, if you have an oily scalp, choose a shampoo for oily hair. And if you have dry hair, pick a shampoo for dry hair. I prefer the Kerastase range, which includes a shampoo for oily scalp and dry ends that I absolutely love as a lot of people have that combination.
2. Concentrate Your Shampoo on the Right Area
When shampooing, the shampoo should be concentrated on your scalp. When you rinse off the shampoo, that’s enough to clean the rest of your hair. Washing the length of your hair and the ends can strip moisture and cause your hair to become dull and dry, so focus on your scalp – you’ll also end up using less product by doing that.
3. Use Conditioner Correctly
I’m sure everyone knows that we should use conditioner, but where should it go? Conditioner should be applied to the mid-length and ends of your hair – unless your scalp is very dry. In general, most people have a normal or oily scalp, so if you apply the conditioner on the scalp, it will make it heavy and it will become oilier. I always start by applying most of the conditioner near the ends of my hair, then work my way up to the mid-length. And when there is very little left on my hands, I go around to the front.
4. Detox Your Scalp
Just like your skin, your scalp also needs regular detoxing and exfoliating as you can have a build-up of products and dandruff. It also works as a general feel-good maintenance programme. I recommend the mariadowling Hair & Scalp Clay as it detoxifies the hair and conditions it at the same time, leaving your hair looking fabulous, clean, and shiny.
5. Treat Yourself
I get asked all the time about deep-conditioning treatments and if everyone needs to do it, and the answer is always a ‘yes’. We all need hair treatments as most of us have colour-treated hair, use styling tools like styling wands and irons, or simply have weak hair. Everyone has a hair concern.
It’s recommended to have an in-salon treatment as professional treatments can be more intense and specifically tailored to meet your hair’s requirements. It’s important to continue with follow-up treatments at home, depending on how often you shampoo. I generally recommend once a week to maintain the results.
6. Take a Cool Rinse
We all love a hot shower, especially in wintertime, but this can strip your hair of essential oils and leave it looking dry. I recommend having your last rinse with cool or cold water as it will close the hair cuticles and give your hair extra shine.
7. Towel-Dry Differently
After you’ve washed your hair, it seems obvious to get a towel and harshly rub your hair to remove excess water before styling – but that’s where you’re wrong. After you finish washing your hair, squeeze a lot of the excess water out with your hands, then get a towel or an old cotton T-shirt (it can even be a softer fabric) and gently pat the hair until it’s dry enough to style.
8. Reverse Comb Your Hair
Wet hair breaks more easily, so it’s better to use a wide-tooth comb rather than a brush after your shower. Be sure to comb your hair starting from the ends, then gradually work your way back up to your roots. Wet hair can be quite fragile, so be gentle.
9. Protect Your Hair When Styling
Today, we can achieve salon-looking hair at home by ourselves with the help of heated tools like irons and styling wands. But again, if you don’t protect your hair, you’ll quickly have problems like split ends. Hot tip: all styling tools must be used on dry hair (except the new Dyson curling tool, which can be used on damp hair). Be sure to apply a heat protector before blow-drying or heat-styling – this is one of the most important things to do before styling your hair.
10. Use Styling Tools Correctly
When styling, keep your tools on a low temperature setting. If you want to practise a new styling technique, try it first with the iron turned off as it always takes a few tries to figure it out – it’s not always as easy as it seems on YouTube!