12 Hair Care Mistakes You Didn’t Know You Were Making
Wondering why your hair never quite seems to look as healthy as you’d like? It could be down to your hair care habits. While you may think that you’re doing everything right for your locks, getting just one aspect of hair care wrong could have long-reaching consequences.
Read on as Evalectric shares 12 hair care mistakes that could be standing in your way of achieving the mane of your dreams!
1) Washing Your Hair Too Often
Keeping your hair clean is a hair care basic. However, going overboard with this and washing your hair too often is a big mistake that many people make. Yes, this will enable you to prevent dirt and sebum from building up on your strands but don’t forget that sebum serves an important purpose too. Not only does it protect your locks from environmental damage, but it also moisturizes and lubricates your strands. Constantly cleaning this away before the sebum produced by your scalp is able to properly coat your strands will leave your hair rough, dry, and brittle in the long run.
Of course, over-washing can also be caused by using an overly harsh shampoo. Always opt for a gentle and hydrating formula, like the Evalectric Moisturizing Shampoo, and avoid using clarifying shampoos too often.
2) Applying Conditioner to Your Roots
Hopefully, you’re already using a conditioner each time you shampoo your hair. If not, this is another big mistake you’re making! A conditioner is essential for replenishing the moisture that’s lost during the shampooing process.
With that said, if you want to see full benefits from your conditioner, you’ll need to apply it in the right place. This is a product designed for the ends and mid-lengths of your hair, so keep it away from your roots. The heavy ingredients in a conditioner will only clog your hair follicles and contribute to scalp buildup. This then means that you’ll need to wash your hair more often, which takes things back to the previous mistake we discussed!
If you don’t yet have a go-to conditioner, check out Evalectric’s Moisturizing Conditioner. Infused with argan oil, this rich blend will leave your hair feeling softer and silkier.
3) Vigorously Towel-Drying Wet Hair
Did you know that you’re most likely to experience hair breakages when your hair is wet?
This is due to how wet hair is extremely fragile. This is when it’s most vulnerable to damage as strands will easily break. However, this is also when people tend to be the roughest with their hair. Vigorously rubbing a towel over wet strands can cause serious problems – this could be the reason why you’re struggling to achieve perfection with your mane.
Fortunately, there’s a simple solution. Instead of rubbing your hair dry, use a microfiber towel to blot away excess moisture. Then, once your hair is around 75% dry, use a blow dryer to finish the job. Yes, heat isn’t great for your hair, but neither is remaining wet for an extended period of time. In fact, research shows that heat from a blow dryer is actually the least damaging of the two options!
4) Heat-Styling Without a Heat Protectant
Speaking of using heat on your hair…
If you’re doing this without first applying a heat protectant, you’ll be causing severe damage to the inner core of your strands. Your hair will soon turn brittle, dry, frizzy, and dull, and this will all be difficult to reverse.
A heat protectant will form a coating over your strands, saving them from coming into direct contact with your heated styling tools. Any burning that takes place will affect the heat protectant layer, rather than your hair itself.
To further protect your mane, combine your heat protectant with a heated styling tool that offers an adjustable temperature. This way, you can turn the heat down, which will still efficiently style your strands while minimizing the appearance of heat damage.
5) Washing Your Hair With Hot Water
We’ve already mentioned how important sebum is when it comes to giving your locks natural protection. This is why you shouldn’t wash your hair too often.
However, when you do wash your hair, pay attention to your water temperature. Hot water melts sebum, both on your hair and your skin. The more your hair is exposed to hot water, the drier and more damaged it will be.
While lukewarm water may not feel quite as satisfying, it will go a long way in retaining your hair’s natural moisture and gloss.
6) Brushing Wet Hair
It’s not just vigorous towel-drying that damages wet hair. Brushing your hair while it’s wet can have the same effect. Not only will this lead to more breakages and split ends, but wet hair is also much more likely to snag and tangle.
If you need to detangle your locks before your hair dries, use a wide-toothed comb instead. Start at the ends of your hair and gradually work your way up. This will help to prevent tension and breakages at the roots.
7) Tying Your Hair Up Tightly on a Daily Basis
Is your go-to hairstyle a tight ponytail or bun? With these being such easy styles to pull your locks into on a busy morning, they’re regulars for many. However, the tension that they create can cause problems, especially when it’s a regular occurrence.
The more ‘pulling’ your hair experiences, the weaker your hair shafts will be. This results in breakages, thinning, and a lack of shine. Excessive tension can also damage hair follicles, interfering with growth. If that weren’t enough, they can alter your hair’s natural texture as well.
By all means, go with a tight hairstyle every once in a while. However, make sure that you’re regularly switching things up to give your hair a break. If you don’t have time to experiment with a new look, try looser variations of your favorite tight hairstyles.
8) Allowing the Sun to Damage Your Hair
It’s no secret that failing to protect your skin from the sun is one of the biggest skincare mistakes that a person could make, but did you know that the same applies to your hair too? Each time the sun’s UV rays come into contact with your locks, they penetrate the hair shaft. This strips away sebum while also damaging the proteins that give your strands their strength and resiliency.
How can you protect your hair from the sun? It’s simple – wear a hat. A wide-brimmed hat will shield your strands from UV rays, saving them from damage.
9) Not Exfoliating Your Scalp
While a lot of focus is placed on hair care, it’s important to remember that your hair grows from your scalp. This means that the correct scalp care will have a huge impact on how healthy your hair looks and feels.
Fortunately, scalp care isn’t too difficult. A large amount of this lies in keeping your scalp clean. However, scalp exfoliation is also something that you should be doing. This will clear any blockages from your hair follicles, promoting growth. It will also help to keep any oiliness under control while removing any dry flakes.
A scalp scrub is the best way to exfoliate your scalp. Apply one to your damp scalp while you’re in the shower, before you use your shampoo.
10) Leaving it Too Long Between Trims
Experts recommend having your hair trimmed every 6-8 weeks. While setting aside an hour for a trim every couple of months may not seem like a big deal, it’s easy for life to get in the way, meaning that several months may go by before you realize that you’re long overdue a trim.
If you can relate, this is a hair care mistake that you need to stop making. Why? Because regular trims are crucial when it comes to keeping your locks healthy. Not only do they remove split ends, preventing that damage from traveling up your hair shaft, but they’ll also leave your hair looking fuller and healthier. You’ll find that your hair is easier to maintain and style after a trim, and can often also be more responsive to styling tools and products.
11) Sleeping With Wet Hair
While it’s true that sleeping with wet hair can give you some serious bedhead the next morning, this isn’t the only problem that this habit causes. As you now know, your hair is extremely fragile when it’s wet. Roughly towel-drying it isn’t advised, so tossing and turning on it for several hours would definitely not be recommended!
Breakages aside, wet hair and a damp pillowcase also provide the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. This leads to dandruff, scalp infections, and more.
12) Swimming With Dry Hair
One big hair care mistake that people often make in the summer months is jumping into a swimming pool with dry hair. This then means that your hair will quickly absorb all of the chlorinated water around it, and chlorine is definitely more foe than friend to your locks. It causes dryness, tangles, brittle strands, split ends, and a whole host of other problems.
While a swimming cap provides the best protection against chlorine, wetting your hair before you swim can be helpful too. This way, your strands will already be saturated, meaning that they won’t absorb quite as much of that chlorinated water.
Of course, rinsing your hair immediately after swimming will also go a long way in preventing chlorine from building up on your strands. If you suspect that a buildup is occurring, a clarifying shampoo should get rid of that for you.
Summary
Making even just one small hair care mistake could have a big impact on your hair’s appearance and feel, making it important to get things right. If you’ve been making any of the mistakes we’ve talked about above, implement the necessary changes so that your mane can once again thrive.
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