Hair bear bunch

Now I learnt a lot about hair and hair care whilst working alongside professional hairdressers and the information below is based purely on what they taught me, so many apologies if I have gotten some facts and/or figures slightly wrong.

It is my understanding that hair is naturally self cleaning. It secrets an oil called Sebum that is readily absorbed by the strands of hair and forms a protective layer, however the oily layer also attracts other unwanted articles - such as dirt, styling products and soap flakes. Hence the need to wash your hair regularly, although the "regularly" bit is a fine balance between keeping your hair clean and keeping the oil balance just right. Every other day washing is perfect for most hair types.

Shampoo/conditioner.....which kinds do you use? The cheaper "pharmacy" type shampoos and conditioners are cheap because they contain cheap ingredients. But don't be fooled into thinking that the more expensive shampoos and conditioners are - the better they are. A good rule of thumb is to take a look into a reputable hairdressers and take a look at the products they use....if you do this in a couple of hairdressers, a few brand names should stand out. Remember - you will still have to determine whether or not a product is right for you! A talk with your hairdresser should be enough to determine if you have oily, dry, flaky, normal scalp/hair. Then factor in if you have coloured hair, itchy scalp etc.

All shampoo's clean your hair, (depending on how much stripping of the Sebum you can take!) but in essence - a shampoo's and conditioner's ability to make your hair all shiny and soft - like what you see in the adverts - is the silicone the manufacturers add. A cheap product will have cheap shoddy artificial silicone and the "salon" brands will have a better alternative of silicone. BUT - how you wash your hair is also tres tres important! (Here comes the dreaded list again).

1. Firstly, wash your hair once or twice or even thrice, rinsing in between. The last wash should lather up nicely with little exertion.
2. Towel dry your hair. Yep - I said towel dry. Or at least wring as much water as you can out of your hair. (This ensures that the conditioner penetrates the hair shaft as much as possible. If your hair is too wet- the expensive conditioner just runs off and doesn't do a blind thing!).
3. Comb through the conditioner and leave on for 2-5 minutes.
4. Rinse off, towel dry
5. If you need to dry your hair with a dryer (all heating tools damage the hair), then blast your hair with the dryer until about half dry, leave it for 5-10 minutes and then finish off drying your hair.

There are plenty of other tricks you can do with your hair. So if you want super duper glossy hair with lots of bounce for a special occasion, then do not wash your hair for about a week before hand. Yes you will look greasy for day 3-7, but the "shampoo detox" will kick some life back into it. If you suffer from loss of hair or thinning hair, then add a small amount of facial exfoliant to your shampoo and scrub your scalp. The thick layer of dead skin on your scalp prevents any new delicate hair from growing through. If you need to put your hair up into an "updo", then wash and dry your hair the night before - not the morning of. This ensures a certain amount of "dirt" to keep the style in place.

I am sure that I have left so many other things out - so if I remember - I will add to the post later on. Thanks for listening and reading.

Addendum
I was reminded about another hair tip yesterday. If you are of a light blond hair colouring and you would like to extend the life of your unwashed hair by another day, then a small amount of baby talcum powder rubbed into the greasy roots before sweeping it back in a ponytail will stop the enviable "shine". It will wash out easily enough, trust me.