How to Build a Healthy Hair Care Routine

A good hair care routine is less about the number of products and more about a few habits repeated consistently. The right routine depends on your hair type, how oily your scalp gets and how you style your hair. Here is how to put one together.

Step 1: Decide how often to wash

There is no single correct frequency. Dermatologists suggest washing according to how much oil your scalp produces. An oily scalp may need washing daily. Dry, thick, curly or chemically treated hair is often washed less often. Tightly coiled hair is commonly washed once a week or every other week to avoid dryness. Flakes can be a sign that you are not shampooing often enough.

Step 2: Wash the scalp, condition the lengths

Massage shampoo into the scalp rather than piling it onto the lengths, which can leave hair dull and coarse. The lather that rinses through is enough to clean the rest. Follow with conditioner, concentrating on the ends. A pairing such as Gentle Daily Shampoo and Nourishing Conditioner covers both steps.

Step 3: Dry and detangle with care

Wet hair stretches and breaks more easily than dry hair.

• Blot with a towel instead of rubbing.
• Let hair air-dry partly before using a dryer.
• Detangle from the ends upward with a wide-tooth comb or a flexible brush.
• If your hair is tightly curled or textured, it is often easier to comb while damp.

Step 4: Style with less stress

Heat, tension and chemicals are the main sources of avoidable damage.

• Use the lowest heat setting that works and keep tools moving.
• Alternate tight styles with looser ones to rest the hairline.
• Space out coloring, perming or relaxing treatments.

Step 5: Add a weekly extra if needed

Hair that feels rough or looks dull may benefit from a weekly conditioning mask. An oily scalp with product build-up may benefit from an occasional clarifying wash. These are extras, not requirements.

Adjusting your routine

Hair changes with seasons, age, hormones and styling habits. Review your routine when you notice a change: more oil, more dryness, new frizz or breakage. Adjust one thing at a time, such as washing frequency or conditioner weight, and give it a few weeks.

Signs to seek advice

A routine cannot fix a medical problem. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist about sudden shedding, bald patches, or a scalp that is painful, very itchy or scaly.

The bottom line

Wash to suit your scalp, condition every time, be gentle when hair is wet and go easy on heat. Everything else is fine-tuning. Our hair care department groups products by type so you can find what each step needs.

Sources

1. American Academy of Dermatology. Tips for healthy hair.
2. American Academy of Dermatology. Black hair: Tips for everyday care.
3. MedlinePlus. Hair problems.