Striking a balance with haircare can be tougher than you think. We want our colour to look great, our hair to be styled or straightened under heat but we don’t always give our hair the nourishment it needs. Think how forgiving our hair is – it just keeps growing for us.  It starts out healthy, but as we subject it to our fashion whims, it can take a bit of a beating. So lets cover how a basic hair routine can deliver advanced results spending NO EXTRA TIME ON IT on a daily basis.

Shampoo

How often should you wash?

Most of our clients tell us that they have oily roots and dry ends. The secret to controlling oil, besides using a good quality shampoo and conditioner, is to work out how often you should wash your hair. That could mean you’re either underwashing or overwashing your hair.

Depending on how many styling products you use, as well as what hair type you have, you may not need to wash your hair everyday.  Washing every second to third day will allow your scalp to produce its natural oils that will in turn moisturize and balance the skin of your scalp and moisturize your hair.

One reason for an oily scalp can actually be over-washing! Washing too much can actually make your sebum glands over stimulate to compensate for the constant removal of surface oils. If you decide to try and cut back on the amount of times you wash your hair, you may have an oily few weeks whilst your hair adjusts to the new washing regime, but once you are over that hurdle you should find that your scalp and oil production is more under control.

How many times should you lather up your shampoo?

Most hairdressers recommend that you shampoo your hair twice when you do wash it, and follow with one application of conditioner. The reason to do two applications of shampoo is that the first application will help remove any styling products, pollution and surface oils, whilst the second application will allow you to build up a good lather to actually cleanse the hair and scalp. Following with conditioner will seal down the hair cuticle and provide the ends with moisture.

Use a shampoo that is suitable for your hair and scalp type

Using a shampoo that is suitable for your hair type is essential to having great looking hair. For example if you have an oily scalp, use a refreshing anti-bacterial shampoo with plant extracts that have proven balancing properties. At Lily Jackson Hair & Makeup we have a variety of hair care ranges specifically selected by our experienced hairdressers who demand high performing products. When you come to us you can rest assured that you are getting the right advice and the right products for your needs.

Here are a few great examples of shampoos that help specific hair problems…

The KMS Add Volume range contains Eucalyptus and Cinnamon extracts to assist with oil production and to add fullness and volume to fine and oily hair. KMS Hair Stay Clarifying Shampoo with pomegranate and pepper (which have anti-inflammatory & antioxidant properties) cleanses hair without over-drying, so is a good option for oily hair, eliminating chlorine and styling product.

Original & Mineral Hydrate & Conquer Shampoo & Conditioner

Original & Mineral have Original Detox Shampoo and Conditioner that can be used every now and then when your hair starts to look lack lustre and you experience oil or product build-up. The Cucumber and Grapefruit in this range will refresh, clarify and assist with oil control. Original & Mineral also make Fine Intellect Shampoo and Conditioner – this range is great for fine hair that needs to fight the frizz containing Jojoba Seed Oils and Soy Protein. In their range you will also find Maintain the Mane; maintenance haircare for normal hair, and Hydrate & Conquer for adding that extra does of moisture for normal to dry hair types.

Selection of KMS Haircare Products

Conditioner

Some people say “oh no I have oily hair, I don’t need conditioner”. But this indicates a misunderstanding about the purpose of conditioner.  When you think about it, the oil from our sebum glands is unlikely to reach the ends of our hair given that we wash our hair with some frequency.  If your hair gets oilier after using a shampoo and conditioner, then that’s a clear indication that the products you are using are not right for you.

Conditioner is designed to smooth down the hair cuticle, locking in moisture, preventing frizz and dryness and protecting from the elements. It will give the hair softness and add shine. It is important for all hair types because all hair needs this kind of care. Without conditioner your hair can look dull and lack lustre, tangle easily, it can be frizzy, will not hold colour well, and become increasingly damaged if you are heat styling on a regular basis.  Read this story about a client who has thinning hair and how his scalp health changed dramatically once he started using a conditioner prescribed by yours truly.

There are many light-weight options for oily scalp and oily hair types, the trick is to only apply a small amount of conditioner and concentrate on the mid-lengths and ends, your hairs natural oils will work from the scalp to the mid lengths. So don’t be deterred from conditioner if you do have fine hair and/or oily hair.

 HOT TIP:

A great trick for people with hair that benefits from more conditioning rather than less is to wash hair as soon as you get in the shower, condition and pin hair up or put a disposable showercap over your conditioned hair and wash the rest of your body.  When you’re done, wash the conditioner out. The heat and steam will open the hair cuticle and you’re giving the conditioner the time to travel deeper into the hair cuticle.

Whether to use a regular conditioner or a treatment conditioner

Your hairdresser will notice if your hair is in top condition or needs some TLC. So if your hairdresser recommends a product, contrary to popular opinion, it’s not because they “just want to make money”.

At Lily Jackson Hair & Makeup, our clients entrust us with making their hair look great.  We recommend professional products because we know that continued use keeps hair healthy and looking great.  That is not the same as supermarket brand products.  So just like you trust your doctor, you can trust us to make recommendations that will improve hair health over time, even if it does cost a bit more.

Generally all hair benefits from a treatment conditioner.  The biggest issue with treatments is the belief that they take a long time or are too difficult to implement on a regular basis. This is not true; most treatments are now designed to work in a small amount of time, most doing their job within 5-10 minutes. Also, treatments only need to be used every 2^nd to 3^rd time you wash your hair.

Goldwell Colorglow IQ Product Range

Your choice of treatment will depend on the condition and processes you put your hair through and is best recommended by your hairdresser. If you are only washing once or twice a week and have very dry or full blonde or blonde highlights you may find you benefit much more from using an intensive treatment masque for moisture like KMS Moist Repair Therapy Treatment or Goldwell Colorglow IQ Treatment Masques.

If you do not have any major concerns with your hair, then a regular-use conditioner is probably right for you, just make sure it suits your hair type, whether that be…

• curly (go for curl control and moisture formulas)
• fine (go for volume formulas)
• oily (go for oil control, clarifying, or balancing formulas)
• sensitive scalp (go for soothing, calming, fragrance free formulas)
• irritated/dandruff scalp (go for clarifying and anti-dandruff formulas)
• coloured (go for colour care or toned formulas)
• heat styled (go for heat protection and styling focused formulas)

For at home care of your hair we recommend washing not too much and not too little, using tailor made haircare including shampoo, conditioner and an intensive conditioning treatment. Consult a professional to get the right product advice to get you on track to healthy fabulous hair!

Let us know your hair concerns and we will cover it here on our blog. Next in this series we will talk about some other good basics to incorporate into your hair care routine to keep your hair looking and feeling healthy.