We do it regularly; some of us do it daily. We do it so often that we just don’t realize it anymore; it is one of the hundreds actions that we do reflexively, as a natural need to look good, to feel good. I’m talking about washing our hair, every day, two or three times a week. Let us see if you know how to shampoo your hair and if you have any clue about shampoos and their job in your hair care.

Is this trivial thing so trivial after all?

There are different hair types. Some persons have greasy hair, which means that their sebaceous glands are hyperactive, producing a great sebum quantity that gives the hair a greasy appearance.

Other hair type is the dry one with split ends, due to a low activity of the sebaceous glands; another cause may be the excessive use of chemical products (shampoo, conditioner, hair color etc.).

Some people have normal hair, nor greasy, neither dry. Both people with greasy hair and dry one may have the same problem: dandruff. It appears due to a sebaceous glands disorder which produces more skin cells than needed.

Once you know for sure what hair type you have, the next step is to buy the adequate hair care products: shampoo, conditioner and mask (which must be applied once a week). Always use a shampoo which is specially created for you hair type. You can add in your shampoo a bit of essential oil which acts therapeutically and nourishes the hair at the same time.

Before starting to shampoo your hair, wet your hair and scalp by using cold or warm water; hot water will only attack the scalp and damage the hair. Pour shampoo in your palm and mixed it well with your fingers. With the balls of your fingers apply the small quantity of shampoo on your scalp and start massaging gently. Do not forget that the first main target when shampooing is the scalp.

Only after cleaning it you may start distributing shampoo on the entire hair length; massage gently for 1-2 minutes so that the shampoo should cover and clean all the hair. This massage is great for the blood circulation of the scalp. If you have long hair do not insist on the hair ends; they will be cleaned while washing out your hair. Do not rub your hair energetically! You are not having a fight with it; you just have to clean it patiently. If the shampoo you use produces too much foam, this means that it contains too much detergent, which is not a good thing for your hair. Wash out well your hair so that it would remain perfectly clean. Of course, after shampooing, you have to apply conditioner, which is a must do action.

How often do we have to wash our hair? This is a relative issue because, once again, it depends on the hair type. Moreover, in case of normal hair the washing frequency is related to whether the hair is straight or curly. If you have normal straight hair you can wash your hair daily in order to achieve a radiant look. On the other hand, curly hair becomes too fluffy if it is washed every day, so you can wash it twice a week.

There is a hair myth which says that shampoos have to be switched occasionally because they loose their efficiency over the time. This is a completely foolish idea as shampoos and hair care products remain as efficient as they were from the start. However, once at the time, you may give your hair a break by skipping conditioner or other hair care products. It is very important that it should feel more naturally from time to time. Remember that hair is one of those tiny details which really count. Give it its rightful attention.