“This doesn’t work for me”, “I know my hair”, “trust me, I’ve tried that”. How many times have you said these things to a friend giving you good hair advice, and how many times have you found yourself thinking one of these sentences when reading a blog? Perhaps you’ll have this type of attitude even reading this blog here, but trust the process and be open to change. One (or more) of these habits may be causing more damage than good to your tresses.
1. Washing Your Hair Every Day
This one hits too close to home. I have struggled with greasy hair since forever, and I thought I had no choice but to wash my hair every day. Every time I would see a point like this in a thread about growing healthy, gorgeous hair, I would scoff and skip it. The truth is, there are ways you can buy yourself some time and give your oily scalp a break! Dry shampoo and a slicked-back ponytail will give you two extra days without having to wash your hair. If your hair isn’t long and thick enough to give you the ponytail of your dreams, you can always resort to clip in ponytail hair extensions.
2. Not Washing Your Hair Enough
Similarly, if you have a full week of work from home bliss and think that not washing your hair for the entire time is going to be beneficial for you, know that the truth couldn’t be farther from this. Not washing your hair enough will promote sebum and product build-up, something that is likely to make your scalp struggle and your hair follicles gasp for air. All together, an irritated scalp and a sebum excess can lead to hair loss, dandruff and other unpleasant experiences.
3. Hot Showers
I know, I know: there’s nothing better than a hot shower after a day out in the cold. Whilst this can be regenerating for your spirit, it can cause serious harm to your skin and hair. If you’re not too keen on giving up a steamy shower, at least spare your hair from this harsh treatment and stick to lukewarm water for your shampoo time.
4. Brushing Your Hair When Wet
When applying conditioner or a good hair mask, sometimes it’s tempting to brush your hair in order to achieve a more even spread of the product and get that silky feeling straight away. However, this practice is an absolute killer for your hair! If needed, always use a detangling brush or a wide-toothed comb to gently detangle your tresses. Leave your regular hair brush, rat-tail comb and anything with boar bristles for when your hair is completely dry.
5. Rough-Drying With A Bath Towel
This is a very common mistake, as most of us grew up seeing regular bath towels used on hair as a completely normal process. Whilst this may have been true in the past as we didn’t know any better, nowadays there are much kinder options to dry our hair without causing any damage to it and its fragile cuticles. If you can, use a microfiber towel for your hair! Alternatively, you could wrap your tresses in a cotton t-shirt. This method works wonders for naturally curly people, being the favourite tool for hair plopping, an air-drying method developed by (and for) curly haired individuals.
6. Using A Blow-Dryer Too Often
Heat damage can cause a lot of drama in your hair, and not the glamorous type. If you’re always on the go, it’s easy to fall in the trap and resort to your blow-dryer every time you wash your hair. If you can, try some alternative techniques such as heatless blow-dries and air-drying. Even if you struggle with frizzy hair, you can learn how to air-dry your tresses like a pro. Find out more about this technique by reading our "how to air dry" dedicated blog.
7. Sleeping With Clip In Hair Extensions On
We all had our time of shenanigans where we ended up crashing on our friend’s couch, having to cab it back home still wrapped in last night’s outfit. This is not an excuse to get your hair all matted up and broken! No matter how tired you are, you should always take the time to take your clip in hair extensions off, give your hair a good brush, and (possibly) plait it or tuck it in your favourite protective hairstyle. You wouldn’t sleep with your contact lenses or your high heels on after a long day - why would your hair have to undergo a different type of treatment?
8. Not Using Heat Protectant
Heat shield or heat protectant spray is a staple in any hair care regimen worthy of the name. Why would you let your tresses burn like a steak? And I’m not just talking about your natural hair: temporary or permanent, your remy hair extensions need to be carefully styled with the help of this product too, to live a long and happy life (and to provide you with the glamorous hairstyles they’ve been designed for)! If you need to stock up, get your Cliphair heat protectant spray now.
9. Using Conditioner On The Roots
I love a good conditioner, and I personally am a fan of the reverse washing method every now and then, when my hair feels a little too dry for my liking. This doesn’t make applying conditioner to your roots okay, though! A rich product such as conditioner or hair masks can be “blocking” for your scalp, resulting in a “clogging” effect that will leave your scalp feeling greasy and potentially getting irritated. This could lead to dandruff, itchy scalp and oily hair. If you’re wearing tape in hair extensions, this is even more important - as the conditioning agents of the product could damage the adhesive tape of your Remy hair extensions, making them fall off before their time is due.
10. Styling Your Hair Too Tightly
I know, I know: tight buns and slicked-back ponytails are all the rage now. I can’t blame anyone for this, they are very cool indeed. And I’m not saying you should never try them, just make sure that you please, please don’t resort to this type of hairstyle too often and that you don’t wear them for too long. Traction alopecia is real! If spotted on time, this process is reversible and with some TLC and patience, traction alopecia can soon enough become a nightmarish memory. However, if overlooked for too long, its effects can, unfortunately, become permanent.
11. Leaving Your Hair Down All The Time
Long hair is gorgeous, but in order to maintain it this long, healthy and gorgeous there’s a lot of investment involved. One of the things that you’ll have to make peace with is learning to tuck your strands in a protective hairstyle more often than not! Leaving your hair down all the time can expose it to a lot of stress: wind, pollution, zippers and whatnot - sounds like a nightmare, right? Right. Cute plaits, braids, buns and ponytails can be a game changer.
12. Not Wearing A Hat
Headscarves and hats are a great accessory to shelter your hair in winter and to protect your scalp all-year around. Rain, sun rays and wind do all count as damaging factors, but don’t fret: a few cool accessories can be the solution. A silk headscarf will channel your inner Gucci model, but there are countless other pieces such as hats, berets, caps and beanies that you can use to protect your hair and look fabulous whilst at it.
13. Using Regular Pillowcases
Silk or satin pillowcases (and, why not? Even coordinated bedsheets) not only feel heavenly on your hair and skin: the smooth texture prevents hair breakage caused by friction (something that can happen with cotton pillowcases, which are rougher in texture). What's more? Ah, yes, sleeping on a silk pillowcase can also help prevent wrinkles and the build-up of dust mites, fungus, mould, and a whole lot of other common allergens.
14. Choosing The Wrong Hair Colour
Bleaching your hair is already damaging as it is, but if you have naturally dark hair you should probably try and make peace with it rather than wanting to go platinum at all costs. Once your hair is reduced to a straw-like texture and you have to pay extra care to dry, brittle tresses and split ends you may find yourself wondering if it was worth it. Not to mention that you’ll have to commit to regular touch up on your very much visible dark roots. Instead, you can opt for highlights or a balayage closer to your natural hair colour; you can also achieve this type of look with human hair extensions.
15. Using The Wrong Hair Tie
Regular hair ties can do more damage than good, especially if used often - especially if you’re using those with a little metal bond! When tying your hair up, try to stick to soft, non-damaging hair ties and silk scrunchies. Not only are the latter extremely trendy right now, but they are very gentle on your hair and won’t cause any trouble!
16. Conclusion:
How many of these practices have you mentally ticked off on your list? I get it, changing a habit or investing in new products can be difficult to some, but the results will be totally worth it. Make sure you are mindful of any step you are including in your hair care and styling routine, and you’ll see the results over time.
