Some of the worst things you do to your hair every day might be things you believe are helping your hair. We women are so hard on ourselves, especially when it comes to our appearance. In an effort to maintain perfect hair all the time, we often end up doing more damage than good. Our hair really doesn’t need as much attention as we think it does. Consider stopping some of the worst things you do to your hair and start giving it some much needed TLC instead!
Constantly brushing is one of the worst things you do to your hair of all. That old myth that you need to brush your hair at least one hundred times a day really isn’t true at all. A couple times is plenty! Brushing is actually a form of tugging and pulling on your hair, which loosens hair from the scalp and slowly tears hair strands little by little.
It’s important to use a special detangling comb for wet hair, which is more susceptible to damage than dry hair. You can purchase these combs at any drugstore for around $6-$7, such as those by Goody brand. Unlike brushes, detangling combs are made to gently work out tangles without harming your hair in the process.
It’s important to use cotton-lined hairbands instead of using rubber bands or hairbands made of harsh plastic. Luckily, most hairbands are now lined in cotton, which is gentle on your hair and doesn’t cause it to break as easily.
Most women with oily hair think that conditioner will either make it worse, or just believe they don’t need it. This is not the case ladies! We all need to be conditioning our hair to prevent it from damage and breakage. If you have oily hair, simply buy a conditioner made for oily hair and apply it only to the bottom half of your hair instead of to the scalp.
When you wash your hair, be sure you scrub your scalp. There’s a reason your hairdresser does this - it stimulates hair growth and keeps your hair follicles healthy. Scrubbing also removes dead skin from the scalp, which helps prevent yeast overgrowth that leads to dandruff.
Since your hair is more prone to damage when it’s wet than when it’s dry, be sure you style it with appliances after it’s completely dry. Using appliances on your hair while it’s wet (other than a hair dryer of course) will cause it to break more easily. If you don’t have time to dry it, just pin it up on top of your hair with a soft cotton hair band and some bobby pins.
Make it a goal to let your hair dry naturally at least twice a week if you can. If this means washing your hair at night before bed instead of in the morning before work, so be it. Your hair needs a break from the dryer, appliances, gels, creams, and sprays at least twice a week.
These tips are all easy to incorporate and can give you healthier hair in no time. I’m sure we’ve all made at least one or more of these mistakes every now and then. Which ones do you think you could change this week?