THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO BUILDING A HAIR CARE ROUTINE
Haircare is an integral part of your day-to-day life because it improves your personality and maintains hygiene. Healthy hair allows you to showcase your personality, stylishness, fashion, and beauty. However, haircare is not easy and requires careful planning and preparation. Simply put, you need a hair care routine to protect your hair from dryness, frizz, greasiness, oiliness, split ends, itchy, flaky, and dandruff scalp, and lack of volume. Today’s article will give you a few practical tips to build a haircare routine – based on Dana Reeves Carter‘s experience and insights. Read on!
Define Haircare Goals Defining haircare goals is the first step to building a sophisticated and result-oriented routine. Once you have identified a specific hair problem, it is time to set some goals. The purpose is to create a specific routine and select suitable products that help you achieve the desired results. For example, you may set the following goals based on your hair problems: ●
I want smoothness and shine
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I want to improve my hair’s body, texture, and volume
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I am looking to tackle dandruff and hydrate my hair
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I want to maintain my hair’s curl or wave definition
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I want to overcome split ends and strengthen my hair
Cleanse Your Hair Although defining goals is the first step in your haircare routine, you will describe them once only. So, technically, the first step of your routine is cleansing your hair. Depending on how dry your scalp and hair are, you may cleanse your hair daily or at least three times a week. Washing your hair is an excellent way to remove dirt, dust, dandruff, pollutants, allergens, bacteria, and excessive sebum oil. Dana Reeves Carter recommends using a cleanser with natural ingredients to leave your scalp and hair clean and remove dead skin cells. Look for plant-based ingredients when choosing or buying a hair cleanser. These include: ●
Jojoba, argan, or geranium oil
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Aloe
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Chamomile
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Organic green tea
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Organic honey
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Coconut oil
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Olive
Use a Conditioner Applying conditioner to your hair is the second integral step of your haircare routine. Conditioning your hair is an effective and reliable way to detangle your stands, seal the cuticles, and hydrate the scalp. Not only does a conditioner with natural/vegan/plant-based ingredients replenishes the moisture levels, but it also restores and balances sebum oil. Conditioning your hair will remove tangles and knots caused by shampoo or massage products.
Detangle Your Hair to Eliminate Knots You can use different methods to detangle your hair, such as using a brush or wide-tooth comb, applying a detangler spray, or using your fingers. However, these methods are daunting and time-consuming. Dana Reeves Carter recommends using a leave-in conditioner to smoothen your hair and streamline the detangling process. Look for a conditioner with natural ingredients to smooth your locks. Next, you can use a wide-tooth comb or brush to eliminate the knots. Dana Reeves Carter says one can use hair serum or oil before brushing to detangle the knots to quicken the process.
Remember, detangling starts in the bathroom/shower because once you have applied the conditioner, you can comb through your hair lengths to eliminate hard-to-detangle knots. Similarly, Dana Reeves Carter recommends combing or brushing through your hair’s lower portion and gently moving up to the roots. That way, you can easily and quickly detangle your hair without damaging it.
Prep Your Hair Before Using Styling Tools Styling tools can give your hair a unique appearance. However, not prepping your hair before using heated tools, such as a curling device, straightener, or blow dryer, can take a massive toll on your hair. So, prepping your hair is essential to protecting it from damage or breakages. According to Dana Reeves Carter, use a straightener, curling iron, or other styling tools on dry hair only. Likewise, apply a heat protectant to your hair and let it dry for 5-10 minutes. Once you have prepped your hair, you can use the heated tools to style your hair the way you want.
Prevent Dryness Using a Moisturizer Styling tools can dry your hair by removing moisture. Lack of moisture can make your hair appear frizzy and dull. Therefore, apply a moisturizer to your hair to retain optimal hydration levels, control frizz, and prevent dryness. Dana Reeves Carter recommends applying 3-5 drops of oil to your thick hair. However, if you have medium/average hair thickness, use no more than 2-3 drops of oil. Otherwise, your hair will appear greasy and oily. If you have thin/fine hair, Dana Reeves Carter advises applying 1-2 drops of oil. You can use almond, olive, sunflower, jojoba, or coconut oil based on your needs and preferences.
Final Words All men and women want to improve their hair’s health and appearance, allowing them to express socially desirable features of their personalities and stand out from the crowd. Even if you follow the haircare routine above but do not stick it to for a prolonged period, you won’t get benefits. Therefore, Dana Reeves Carter says, “the number one rule to fully benefit from your haircare routine is to stick to it.” Until Next Time!