Knowing how to wash hair properly is a game-changer – because what is it about salon-fresh hair that leaves it so swishy, bouncy and glorious? Even if you’re not booked in for a blow dry, the wash alone leaves hair both silkier and more voluminous, often for days after. How?
It’s a question I put to the stylist while I was at the backwash recently. “Is there a ‘right way’ to wash your hair, because whenever I do it myself at home, it never ends up with as much oomf or polish?” Her answer was interesting: “Most people who come to the basin have lovely, clean hair on top, then when you reach the mid-section of the crown and the bottom, it takes a bit longer to work through because it’s not been washed as thoroughly.” Huh.
Next, I put it to my mates: do they have a specific technique when it comes to hair washing? Most recreated the moves you’d see in a Herbal Essences advert, massaging their roots, but they admitted that they focused their attention on the top of their scalp and either gave the hair near the nape of their neck a quick once over, or missed it out entirely, same as me. None of us sectioned our hair out so that we could really give the hair nestled at the centre of our crown a thorough cleanse.
This oversight it turns out, could be the difference between achieving a a gravity-defying blow dry or not, since the oil and grime that disperses itself throughout our scalp (on the hair behind our ears, in the mid-sections and at the bottom) gets left behind, resulting in sad, wilty hair that feels weighed down.
“Putting a little bit of extra time and thought into how you wash your hair at home can leave you with that light, bouncy salon fresh feeling,” leading hair stylist, Hollie Rose Clarke, told me when I asked her if there was a solution. These are the easy tweaks she suggests to transform your usual hair wash into the formula for delicious swishy hair. Here’s how to wash hair properly at home…
Brush your hair first
“Before you even get in the shower, brush your hair. This will help loosen dirt, remove stray hairs and untangle knots,” says Hollie
Make sure the temperature is just right
“Next up, water temperature is important. Wet your hair with lukewarm water. Water that’s too hot will open the hair cuticle and this will allow keratin proteins, your expensive salon colour and natural moisturising factors to escape,” Hollie says. “It means hair loses not just colour, but strength, too.” So no more mega hot showers.
Double up on your shampoo
“Always, always wash your hair twice,” she says. “The first shampoo removes dirt, pollution and product residue. The second shampoo essentially adds shine and gloss,” similar to double cleansing your complexion. Double-shampooing is what is going to give you that salon-level luxurious shine.
Technique is everything
“You should use a hazelnut-sized blob of shampoo. The first shampoo will not lather as much as it’s busy removing all those nasties. The second shampoo will lather more,” says Hollie.