How and how often should I wash my hair?

A question that many of our clients ask is: "How often should I wash my hair?". There is no easy answer to that question and it turns out the answer to that question is based mostly on personal preference, your individual hair condition and the products you use.

Dermatologists and stylists agree that there's little reason to shampoo every day. "Hair is a fiber," says Paradi Mirmirani, MD, a Vallejo, Calif., dermatologist and specialist in hair research. If you wash your hair too frequently with the wrong shampoo you might do real damage to it, just like wrong washing can do damage to other fibers like cotton, silk or wool.
A little known beauty tip is that a head of hair that is properly shampooed and conditioned with the right products only needs to be shampooed every few days. The rule of thumb we suggest is to only shampoo and condition your hair as you feel it needs it and to use the right products.
Most women resort to generic shampoo brands for the inexpensive cost, bright packaging, and commercials that promise fabulous hair. The commercials on television and ads in magazines don't show the damage to hair from frequent usage of generic brands, however. For a couple dollars more, sometimes even the same price, informed shoppers can get beautiful, healthy hair from a professional grade shampoo. Please ask us on your next visit for an individual consultation!

Once you have the right products for you and feel it's time to shampoo and condition, here are some tips for proper hair maintenance:

• Begin rinsing your hair thoroughly with warm water. Don't use hot water as it can not only dry out your hair, but it can irritate your scalp and fade your color faster as well. 
• After the rinsing start to gently massage the shampoo into your scalp and throughout your hair. Don’t feel the need to rub very hard as a gentle massage technique is effective and soothing.
• Rinse out the shampoo with warm water again.
• Apply the conditioner to your hair. Avoid putting too much conditioner directly on the scalp as this keeps your hair from looking overly greasy or feeling heavy.
• Rinse out the conditioner after 2 to 3 minutes with warm water again.
• Towel dry your hair and brush it gently with a wide toothed comb. Your hair is weakest when it’s wet, so a wide toothed comb will help keep your hair from breaking.