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Look around any large store and you’ll see perhaps close to 100 different types of shampoos. Some for frizzy hair, some with scents, some for women and some for men, some for dandruff, some for greasy hair, some for colored hair, some with a conditioner and some without – the list goes on and on and on…. Why Learn How To Wash Your Hair? First of all, if you use the wrong type of shampoo then it can actually lead to hair loss. Let’s not forget that the large companies that produce shampoos are in it for the money and they buy your brand loyalty using creative marketing and fulfilling your short term needs. Frankly, they don’t really care about your long term hair health. Secondly, many people don’t know how to properly wash their hair with water and dry it. Do it wrong and you could easily damage your hair as many people do every day.
The Science
As you know, the hair follicle is nutrified by the blood carried to it, delivered at the dermal papilla. If you don’t wash your hair daily with shampoo then it will get clogged with sebum and the dirt that collects with it.
By washing your hair and massaging the scalp at the same time, you can rid the hair of old sebum and dirt and encourage the hair follicles to produce new sebum. You will also help to remove the dead skin from the surface of your scalp (unlike skin anywhere else on the body, it doesn’t come into contact with anything and so does not shed as easily as anywhere else). If you don’t wash your hair then your pores will become more and more clogged. The more clogged they are then the less nutrition they receive. The follicles become malnutritioned quickly, the hair becomes thinner and eventually you have helped the follicle die off.
The Shampoo
Avoid 2 in 1 combination shampoo and conditioners wherever possible. Conditioners are only really needed for better care of longer hair. For most men, a shampoo is sufficient. However, you do need to take greater care with what you put into your hair. I recommend a castile soap based shampoo. Castile soap, unlike other soaps, is wholly derived from non-animal constituents and has a very neutral pH (measure of acidity/alkalinity) and is great for the scalp. You can buy castile shampoos or shampoos containing castile soap or you can simply make your own. For example, add 10 drops of essential rosemary oil to a cup of distilled water and 3/4 cup of liquid castile soap – put them all in ashampoo bottle and shake and leave for 2 days to mix, then bottle it.
How To Wash Your Hair Properly
It’s amazing to see how many people don’t even know how to wash their hair properly. Wet the hair first then apply enough shampoo and rub it in with the fingertips. Massage the scalp deeply and get the shampoo into every nook and cranny until your entire scalp and all of your hairs are covered in shampoo. If the lather is not easily falling off your head then you are not using enough shampoo – use too much rather than not enough. Finally rinse off the shampoo but with water than is only slightly warm, or neither very warm nor cold.
Drying Your Hair
Hair is at its weakest and breaks most easily when it is wet. So when leaving the shower you should pat your hair dry but do not rub the dowel vigorously into your scalp. Be gentle, not firm. Then allow any remaining moisture to dry naturally. Don’t brush it until it is dry. If you must sculpt it then you can use a wide toothed comb. Also don’t use a hair dryer. Again, this can only damage your hair.
The chances are that you probably already know how to wash your hair. However, you must wash it daily, use the right shampoo and dry it properly or else you could actually be promoting your own hair loss. Follow this routine and you can ensure yourself a healthy scalp without clogged pores. The 2 week preparation routine (olive oil) that was mentioned earlier cleans the hair even more but for ongoing hair maintenance, correct washing of the hair is all that is needed to rid the scalp of dirt, dead cells and old sebum.
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