Showering is a daily activity that most people engage in. It is a quick, efficient, and rejuvenating way to get clean. If you are looking for tips on how to shower properly there are certain steps you can follow so that you will become and stay healthy. As most women grow older they use the same style of shampoo as they have always used.
There’s no reason to get worked up about your hair-washing schedule, but it could be making your hair unhealthy. For instance, you may think that the products you are using are causing split ends, so you go and buy new ones without realizing that the problem is actually caused by something else entirely.
Ways To Take A Shower And Keep Your Hair Healthy
If you make a few simple changes to your hair-washing/drying routine, you will quickly notice a positive difference in your tresses. Here are some great shower tips for keeping your hair healthy and strong.
1. Shampooing Tips
Steam your hair before shampooing it
Your hair follicles are filled with oil, dirt, and bacteria. To cleanse your skin of these harmful substances, try a hot towel treatment. Soak a towel in hot water and wring out the excess water. Wrap this towel around your head and leave it on for 20 minutes before jumping into the shower.
Massage steamed hair before shampoo
After you’ve finished steaming your hair, massage your scalp with your fingers for a few minutes. That way you’ll be loosening up dirt and buildup as well as rooting out the weak strands of hair that might be ready to fall out at any moment.
Use cool or lukewarm water
People say you shouldn’t use heat styling tools on your hair too frequently because it could damage it. The same goes for hot water. If you wash your hair with hot water, it can strip off natural oils and open up the cuticles on your hair, causing all the moisture to escape.
Alternatively, you can wash it with lukewarm water to close the cuticle of your hair and prevent further moisture loss. The latter tip is especially helpful if you have naturally frizzy hair.
Use paraben and SLS free shampoo
In the last five years or so, some hair care companies have been making shampoos that are free of sulfates and parabens. Parabens are added to products as preservatives, but sulfates help to produce a lather. Both chemicals have been linked to skin irritation and allergic reactions.
Recent studies have shown that parabens can be carcinogenic, and an animal study showed an association between sulfates and severe eye damage. So, it’s best to use shampoos that are SLS-free and paraben-free.
Apply shampoo only on the scalp
Shampoo’s purpose is to cleanse and remove dirt, dead skin cells, and product buildup from your scalp. Don’t use shampoo on the lengths of your hair as it will strip your hair of moisture, leaving it looking dry and dull. Take a quarter-sized amount of shampoo and massage it into your roots and scalp until it lathers up.
Gently massage while shampooing
Shampooing is a simple process that anyone can do. To shampoo, you must first wet your hair and scalp. Then apply a suitable amount of shampoo and work it into a lather. Rinse it off thoroughly, and repeat the process until your hair feels clean.
What to do with hair after the shower
The massage will also help improve your circulation and may cause your hair to grow thicker and faster.
Don’t wash your hair daily
Using shampoos with chemicals every day can make your hair dry and brittle. It is best to wash your hair no more than twice or thrice a week to maintain its health and optimum moisture level.
Do not stretch shampooing time
When you wet your hair, it may only take 15 minutes for it to get damaged. So shampooing and conditioning your hair as soon as you get out of the shower can help you keep damage and breakage to a minimum.
2. Conditioning Tips
Condition your hair with oil before shower
Stop frizzy hair after showering by conditioning and moisturizing your hair the natural way—massage some coconut, almond, or olive oil onto your hair and scalp an hour before you wash it. This oil will penetrate your hair shaft and nourish it from within to give you softer, shinier, and frizz-free hair.
Towel dry before conditioning
This step is tedious, but it’ll help you have less frizzy hair after you shower. After shampooing your hair, wrap a towel around your head to soak up all the excess water. Then apply conditioner to the towel-dried hair. The conditioner will get absorbed into your hair much more easily and prevent frizz.
Don’t use too much conditioner
Be careful not to use too much conditioner, or else your hair will look greasy and be hard to keep straight after you shower.
Do not apply conditioner on the scalp
As you already know, most people tell you not to apply conditioner to your hair. Applying conditioner to your scalp, however, is even worse than applying it directly to your hair: if you don’t wash this off, the conditioner will seep into the pores of your scalp and form a buildup that will clog them. This will cause reduced hair growth and increased hair fall.
Don’t leave the conditioner in for too long
If you think that you need to leave the conditioner on your hair longer to moisturize it more, then you’re dead wrong. Conditioners work instantaneously when the wet hair cuticle is swollen and open, so there’s no way that the conditioner can penetrate any further than it already has when you first apply it. In fact, leaving the conditioner on for too long can actually make your hair greasy.
Deep condition every two weeks
It’s important to deep condition your hair every two weeks, especially if you have curly or kinky hair; this type of hair tends to dry out quickly.
3. Drying Tips
Microfiber towel/Cotton t-shirt
Terrycloth towels are harder on your hair than microfiber or cotton t-shirts. Terrycloth towels will make your hair frizzy, brittle, and weak. Washcloths are made with multiple strands of cotton which suck out moisture from your hair. There is also a rough texture which can cause breakage to your hair if used too often.
Don’t aggressively rub your hair while drying it
There are many ways to dry your hair after showering. You can rub it vigorously with a towel or coil it up in a towel “hat.” Both of these methods will cause damage to your hair as they create knots and frizzes. The best way to dry hair after you wash it is to gently pat it with a clean cotton t-shirt or a microfiber towel.
Avoid using a blow dryer
Here’s a trick for drying your hair with a cotton t-shirt or a microfiber towel—gently pat, do not rub, to remove excess water. Let it air dry the rest of the way. so it’s best that you avoid blow-drying your hair as much as possible. But let’s say you have a fancy event and don’t have time to let your hair air-dry. Then it’s better to use the dryer in a low-heat setting.
4. Detangling Tips
Detangle when there’s conditioner in your hair
One trick to help keep your hair from going everywhere is to detangle your hair in the shower when you’ve applied conditioner to it. Run a wide-toothed comb through the lower half of your hair to remove all knots and tangles easily.
Detangle your hair when it’s semi-dry
If you are experiencing a lot of hair loss when you brush your hair, it is probably because you are brushing it right after stepping out of the shower. Hair is the most fragile when wet. So, if you want the best results, wet your hair only until it’s just damp enough to untangle easily.
Things To Keep In Mind
I’m sure everybody wants to make sure they’re taking good care of their hair, right? That’s why it’s probably important to hear what I have to say on the matter! That is, keep these things in mind as you’re taking a shower and keeping your hair healthy.
1. Apply a leave-in conditioner after drying your hair
If you’re plagued by frizzy hair after a shower, here’s an easy trick to keep it under control: apply a bit of leave-in conditioner or smoothening serum after your hair has dried partially. And if you have particularly dry hair, make sure you use a product that is alcohol-free as alcohol dries out your hair even more.
2. Limit using hair care products
It’s best to avoid using a wide variety of hair products on your hair, since they can build up on your hair and scalp and clog your pores.
3. Keep showers short
To avoid damaging your hair, get out of the shower immediately. If you must stay in longer, wrap your wet hair in a towel or use a blow-dryer to quickly dry it.
If you learn to shampoo, condition, dry, and detangle your hair correctly, you will notice a substantial improvement in the health of your hair. Although such changes may not seem to offer immediate benefits, they really are essential to achieving a healthy head of hair.
Some of these showering tips may seem obvious, but little things make a big difference when it comes to hair care. For example, washing your hair with lukewarm water and limiting the number of hair products you use. Don’t blindly take our word for it! Scroll back up and check out the science on each tip to really know how effective they are.
FAQ’S
1. Can you comb your hair while in the shower?
Here’s a tip for taking a shower and protecting your hair at the same time: use a wide-toothed comb to separate out tangles, starting at the bottom of your hair and working your way up. Not only will this reduce breakage and damage, but it’ll also make your hair easier to style after you step out of the shower.
2. Is it bad to comb my hair in the shower?
It’s easy to accidentally cause damage to your hair while washing it in the shower. It’s best to use a wide-tooth comb and to separate the sections of your hair before you start combing through them.
3. Should I wet my hair in the shower every day?
Yes, you can wet your hair every day if it is natural, and it’s even recommended to do so. However, what we don’t mean by wetting hair is washing it. By wetting your hair, we simply mean you should rinse your hair either in the shower or with a water spritzer.
4. How do I protect my hair in the shower?
To avoid frizz, make sure your hair is dry before you straighten it. I towel-dry my hair, then use a wide-toothed comb to pull it straight. If you have curly hair and want it straight, though, you don’t want to brush it out.
5. Can I shower without washing my hair?
If you’re looking for a less labor-intensive method, you may want to give this quick and easy tip a try. Simply secure your hair in a towel or shower cap, and then wash it using warm water only. (No shampoo or conditioner is necessary because there will be no soap involved.) If you feel that it needs a little extra help, consider wetting it in the shower but not applying cleansers.
