How to Wash Your Hair — The Right Way

1. Start with a rinse.
Just like your laundry needs a rinse cycle before you add detergent, hair should be thoroughly wet before you add your shampoo. “Hot water will open the cuticle, which is good for removing any dirt or product trapped in the hair,” says White. Another bonus: “When your hair is rinsed in warm water, it loosens the oils through the scalp and opens the cuticle so it is able to absorb the oil” in your conditioner, says Saviano.

2. If you have long hair, condition first.
Yes, really! “If you have hair beneath the shoulders, protect fragile ends from drying out and further damage by running a small amount of conditioner through them and lightly rinsing, before any shampooing. This will not only keep ends healthy, it will fill any holes in the cuticle with moisture, making it smoother and boosting shine,” says White.

3. Lather up — but only at the scalp.
“You only need to shampoo the hair at the scalp, particularly at the nape,” Saviano says.
White agrees. “The best way to lather up is from roots to ends. The hair closest to the scalp is the youngest and will inevitably be the oiliest, while the end of the hair is the oldest and usually driest, most fragile part of the hair.”

Don’t use more shampoo than you need; both Saviano and White say that a quarter-sized amount of shampoo is enough. If your hair is particularly long or thick, go ahead and double that.

4. Be gentle!
Friction can permanently damage your hair’s cuticle, leading to breakage and frizz. Think about washing your hair like you hand wash your delicates — very carefully.

“Start your lather at the roots,” says White. “Increase blood flow to the scalp and stimulate hair growth by using vertical strokes with medium pressure.” Don’t use circular motions, which can tangle your hair.

Next, “Smooth the lather over the ends in a straight stroking motion,” White advises. “Do not scrub the fragile ends or use a back and forth motion like you’re washing a rag on a washboard.”

5. Don’t rinse and repeat.
Despite what the instructions on the back of your shampoo bottle may say, there’s no need to wash your hair twice. “Avoid stripping the hair by doing one shampoo only, which is usually sufficient,” says White. “Unless the hair is extremely dirty and the first shampoo didn’t produce a lather,” in which case, go ahead and lather up one more time.

6. Add conditioner from the mid-lengths to the tips.
After you’ve rinsed out your shampoo, “squeeze some of the water out of the hair before you put in the conditioner,” says Saviano. “Then clip your hair up and finish showering, leaving the conditioner rinse out for the final step of your shower.” The longer the conditioner stays on your hair, the better it absorbs. Don’t put conditioner at the roots of your hair; the natural oil from your scalp is more concentrated there.

7. Finish with a cold water rinse.
“Cold water will shut the cuticle tight, sealing the shingle-like outer layer, which will cause it to reflect the most light and give off the most shine,” says White.

More Hair Washing Tips

Use a shampoo and conditioner that’s made for your hair type. If your hair is dry, choose moisturizing products. If you color your hair, opt for color-safe formulas. “Volumizing” shampoos tend to leave hair drier, so they’re best for fine hair types that would be weighed down by more moisturizing products.

How often you wash your hair depends on your hair type, too. If you have oily or fine hair, you may need to shampoo daily. Normal or dry hair can lather up closer to three times a week.

Filter your water. White recommends using a shower filter, such as the T3 Source Showerhead, since it “removes rust and minerals from water that can dull color, and deposit on blondes making them dark and muddy.” (We’ve tried it, and it also made our hair super soft.)

Find The Best Shampoo For Your Hair Type

by Shannon Farrell

If you’ve ever suffered from weighed down strands or fought with coarse curls on a daily basis, you know that your hair has individual needs. And like our hair, not all shampoos are created equal. So before you move onto the details — the serums, sprays and leave-in conditioners — first start at the base. Finding the best shampoo for your hair type, whether it be frizz-prone or color-treated, is essential to having healthy, manageable strands every day.

Normal Hair
“It’s always a good idea to target your hair’s specific needs, but products that are ‘for all hair types’ can be great for someone who has normal, healthy hair,” Clear Scalp & Hair Beauty Therapy celebrity stylist Jen Atkin told us. Your main concern is finding a formula that nourishes, smooths and detangles, like Oribe Signature Shampoo ($34, Oribe.com), which cleans hair with non-stripping coconut-, corn- and oat-derived cleansers. Aveeno Pure Renewal Shampoo ($6.49, aveeno.com) is a sulfate-free formula with seaweed extract to balance strands’ moisture level without stripping hair of its natural oils. Also try L’Oréal Professionnel Mythic Oil Nourishing Shampoo ($27, lpsalons.com), which contains argan and cottonseed oils to nourish hair.

Color-Treated Hair
Most shampoos contain detergents whose sole purpose is to remove dirt and oil from strands, but they also strip color molecules from the hair cuticle. For color-treated strands, you want gentler alcohol- and sulfate-free formulas.Pureology Hydrate For Dry Colour-Treated Hair ($27, pureology.com) is packed with soy, oat and wheat proteins that smooth the cuticle, giving hair a vibrant shine, and has a purple tint to counteract brassy tones. The brand’s new line, Reviving Red, is designed specifically for red or copper color-treated hair that fades at a faster rate than any other hue. Other shampoos to try: Pantene Color Preserve Shine Shampoo ($4.99,panetene.com) and Rene Furterer Radiance Enhancing Shampoo ($23, renefurtererusa.com).

Curly Hair
For naturally curly haired gals, you want a shampoo that tames curls by restoring bounciness and eliminating frizz. Use a nourishing shampoo, such as Fekkai Perfectly Luscious Advanced Curls Shampoo ($25,fekkai.com), that sustains the hair’s natural oils so strands don’t dry out. Other favorites are DevaCurl Low-Poo($18.95, mydevacurl.com), a low-foaming, sulfate-free cleanser, of course, the curl expert, Ouidad’s Clear & Gentle Essential Daily Shampoo ($14, Ouidad.com).

Frizz-Prone Hair
No matter the cause for frizz — be it dry, coarse curls, heat damage or exposure to humidity — the key is to moisturize and smooth. The new Tresemmé Keratin Smooth Shampoo ($5.79, tresemme.com) is infused with keratin proteins for smooth, shiny strands. Moroccanoil Moisture Repair Shampoo ($21.80,moroccanoilproducts.com) is also packed with keratin proteins, as well as argan oil to restore hair’s moisture and manageability. Bumble and bumble Bb Straight Shampoo ($29, bumbleandbumble.com) has a heat-activated formula that helps loosen the hair’s natural curves as you blow dry after washing.

Dry Hair
A main sympton of dry, brittle hair is damage. To target dryness and damage, you want a moisturizing shampoo that also cleanses and restores health. Living Proof Restore Shampoo ($28, livingproof.com) contains a moisture-controlling molecule, OFPMA, for hydrated, bouncy strands. Others to try: Redken All Soft Shampoo(TK, redken.com), which is rich in argan oil to soften coarse hair, and Aveda Dry Remedy Moisturizing Shampoo ($24, aveda.com).

Fine
If you have fine, thin strands, it’s all about creating body without weighing hair down. Jen recommends Clear Scalp & Hair Beauty Therapy Volumizing Root Boost Nourishing Shampoo. “It has a lightweight formula that allows for all day volume and body,” she explains. Keranique Volumizing Shampoo creates body as well as stimulating micro-circulation around the hair follicle to help nourish the hair. Nexxus’ new Hydra-Light Weightless Moisture Shampoo is specifically formulated for fine, yet dry strands, providing light hydration with deep sea minerals and antioxidants. Also, invest in a good dry shampoo. “Dry shampoo can give great volume to hair that has the tendency to fall flat or for people with finer hair,” Jen advises. “It’s also great for damaged hair because it absorbs oil at the scalp and can buy you a little more time before having to heat style your hair again.”