A Beginner's Guide on How to Choose the Right Hair Care Routine for Your Hair

Summary

Although washing the hair is an essential hair care tip, doing it daily or often is not recommended. Dermatologists say that out of every 100 women who wash their hair more often, 50 of them will experience some hair loss. This is an alarming number in terms of hair care. While conditioning daily is a good thing, you need to know the exact method for maximum results.

Taking proper care of your hair would ensure that they stay healthy and do not break easily. Everyone loves smooth and shiny hair, while very few know how to maintain them.

Hair is an essential body part that helps beautify your looks. Taking care of something that enhances your beauty should not be ignored. Amidst the busy schedule, it is natural to forget to take care of your hair. Again, taking care of your hair can be highly confusing since hundreds of options are available. Having a proper hair care routine is essential to maintain the health of your hair and keep it nourished, lush, frizz-free, and strong. The appropriate routine also is the one that does not take much of your time.

Most hair experts advise you to determine your hair type before choosing a particular hair care routine. Doing the analysis beforehand would enable you to select the proper hair care routine to get the best results and keep your hair strong and healthy. On the other hand, treating the hair with harsh chemicals can be detrimental to its health and quickly destroy it.

Here is a detailed guide on choosing the proper hair care routine for your hair to keep it nourished, strong, and healthy. All the information listed here is expert tested and safe for your hair.

Importance of Hair Care Routine

As you maintain a proper skincare routine to look beautiful, maintaining a good hair care routine is equally important to keep your hair healthy. Moreover, it keeps your hair nourished, soft, infection and disease-free, relieves the hair of grease and dirt, and maintains the overall health of the hair. Before washing your hair multiple times, it is essential to determine your hair texture and scalp health.

Hair issues are regular, given all the dust and dirt it accumulates. Dermatologists say that analysing the hair details is important before treating the hair issue. This helps you treat the problem more effectively and get a positive result. Hair loss is also a growing issue due to the hair care routine followed by many. Hence hair loss treatment is also necessary, and above all, the analysis is essential.

How to Determine Your Hair Type?

Hair type is an essential factor in selecting the proper hair care routine. Determining the hair type is not a challenging task. By looking into the mirror and feeling your hair with your hands, you can determine your hair type. Usually, there are four hair types. They are explained below:

Straight Hair

Straight hair is difficult to curl naturally and is straight from the roots to the tip. Usually, straight hair is exceptionally soft, silky, and brittle. Women that have straight hair tend to have oily scalps. The oil spreads evenly, keeping the hair pulled down linearly.

Wavy Hair

Wavy hair is the most common hair type where it falls between straight and curly hair. The best way to determine wavy hair is by seeing that eventually, the hair progresses to be curly down the tips. Due to its rough texture, wavy hairs can hold hairstyles well. Hence if you want to chain your hairstyle to straight or curly, this hair is the most convenient one.

Curly Hair

Curly hair has distinct curls from roots to tips. Curly hair is quite difficult to manage, as it is usually dry and frizzy compared to other hair types like straight and wavy. Curly hair can be further categorised into:

• Type 3A (loose curls)
• Type 3B (medium curls)
• Type 3C (tight curls)

Coily Hair

This hair type is the most unmanageable and is known as “African American” hair. You can notice this hair type with very tight and distinct curls. This hair type is fragile and can break quite easily without proper care. The coily hair type categories are

• Type 4A (soft)
• Type 4B (wiry)
• Type 4C (extremely wiry)

Factors Affecting Hair Care Routine

Washing your hair on a daily basis is not a good idea. It might seem to clear the hair, but it also strips your hair’s essential oils and hydration, making it dry and frizzy. While you can condition your hair daily, shampooing daily is never recommended. If you fall under any of the below-mentioned categories, you can consider washing your hair multiple times.

Greasy or Oily Hair

Extremely greasy or oily hair is tough to tame. Since it attracts unnecessary dirt and pollution, it becomes heavy. This blocks the pores in the hair follicles, which results in unwanted conditions like dandruff and unhealthy hair. Factors like your age, hormonal behaviour, and daily lifestyle determine the oil content in your scalp. In this scenario, you might have to wash your hair daily if you face any of these issues.

Hair Type

Determining your hair type will help you decide if you need to shampoo daily or not. Usually, straight hair is quite greasy, and you need to wash it regularly. On the other hand, wavy or curly hair does not require much washing.

Dust and Pollution

If you work outdoors or are indulged in heavy tasks outside, the chances are that you need to wash your hair regularly. Since you work out, your hair attracts dirt and pollution, making it heavy and greasy. Hence, you need to wash your hair regularly.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle is a major factor behind the health of your hair. If you go out regularly, travel, or exercise, you have to wash your hair regularly since you sweat a lot, creating unhealthy hair and foul odour. Your food habits also determine the health of your hair. If you eat oily food regularly, your scalp will turn oily. On the flip side, if you eat food that nourishes your scalp and hair, along with drinking loads of water, the need for regular washing is eliminated.

Hair Care Routine As Per Your Hair Type

Here is a list of hair care tips for specific hair types:

Straight Hair

Straight hair is not easy to manage, as grease makes it difficult to control. Here are some tips:

Washing Tips

• Use sulphate-free shampoo that controls over-drying of the hair since certain oils and moisture are required to keep the hair healthy.
• Shampooing your hair every three days is highly recommended to keep it healthy.

Care Tips

• Avoid using leave-in conditioners and use light conditioners to keep the hair light.
• Try to use jojoba or coconut oil conditioners that are light by default.
• Avoid conditioning your roots which can make them feel even greasier.
• Apply some volumizing spray when your hair is damp to prevent them from flattening too much.

Wavy Hair

If you take proper care of wavy hair, it is the best hair type and can be experimented with. Here are some tips through which you can try different hairstyles.

Washing Tips

• Alternatively, you can wash wavy hair every four days due to the low grease content.
• Always use a sulphate-free shampoo to keep your hair healthy.

Care Tips

• Applying essential oils before washing your hair can keep it hydrated.
• Conditioning is mandatory every time you wash your hair.
• Oil and condition your hair shafts properly to prevent dryness and frizziness.
• Applying a leave-in conditioner is a great idea to enhance the waves and make them bouncy. Make sure to do it while your hair is damp.

Curly Hair

Although curly hair is quite fun to show off, maintaining it is a pure hassle. The chances of the hair getting tangled and dry are high, so here are some tips:

Washing Tips

• Wash your hair with a sulphate-free shampoo and avoid shampooing the shafts. The roots should be your primary focus, and excess washing of the shaft can make your hair even more dry and frizzy.
• Wash your hair no more than once a week to prevent over-drying.
• Condition your hair every 3-4 days to regain the shine and bounce.

Care Tips

• Use conditioner and essential oils to keep your hair nourished and hydrated. Dry hair can be tough to tame.
• Try to deep-condition your hair, which means conditioning the roots.
• Detangle your hair when it is damp to prevent hair loss and the hair from breaking. This can also help with hair regrowth.
• Use a curl-defining cream to enhance your style.
• Use a diffuser-attachment tool to remove the frizziness and define your curls.

Coily Hair

As mentioned earlier, this is the most challenging hair type, and it is extremely dry. Here are some tips for managing this hair type:

Washing Tips

• Avoid using a harsh shampoo that can strip all the hydration from your hair.
• Focus on the roots and avoid shampooing the tips, making them dry.
• Wash your hair with a shampoo and conditioner every 2 to 3 days a week.

Care Tips

• Apart from standard conditioning, deep condition your hair once in a while to hold the moisture.
• Use a moisturising spray to lock the coils.
• Oil your hair in advance before washing.

General Hair Care Routine for Every Hair Type

Here are some general hair care tips that suit every hair type:

• Consider oiling your hair once a week to keep it hydrated and lush.
• Trimming your hair prevents rough hair and split ends. It also keeps the hair healthy and soft. Trim it every 2-3 months.
• Keep your hair open at times and avoid tying the locks always. This prevents dirt and pollution from accumulating in the hair.
• Avoid using hot water. Either use cold or lukewarm water to keep things light.
• The sun can damage your hair. Hence always wear a cap or hat when you go out in the sun.
• Avoid too much heat or harsh chemicals on your hair.

Conclusion

Hair loss and damage is a growing issue, and only a few products on the market can prevent it. Maintaining a proper hair care routine is essential regardless of your hair type. Apart from keeping it healthy and nourished, it also provides natural hair loss solutions.

Follow all the possible and safe hair care regimes for your hair type to prevent it from getting damaged. Since hair holds a significant part in beautifying a human, taking care of it is crucial.