Top 10 mistakes in long hair care

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

The curls of the girls from the glossy cover look amazing, and your hair literally screams for help? Get ready for great change - fix these 10 mistakes!

Mistake 1: Washing your hair too often

If your hair gets dirty quickly, chances are you wash it every day. And this is wrong! Frequent washing removes pigment from colored and tinted hair, making it look dull and lifeless. And natural hair after such care has two problems - oily roots and dry ends.

What to do? Professionals advise washing long hair every other day or even every third day. And if the hair is coarse, washing 1-2 times a week will be sufficient. Use mild, alcohol-free, sodium lauryl sulfate and paraben-free shampoos for your routine. Products with these components cause dry hair and scalp.

If you cannot refuse daily washing of your hair, the following advice will come in handy - every second wash use not shampoo, but hair conditioner. You need to apply it to the roots, and then distribute it along the entire length of the strands. After applying the conditioner, massage the scalp, beat the product with your hands into a lather (as much as possible), leave for 2-3 minutes and rinse with warm water. A good conditioner will work like a beauty mask to cleanse, moisturize, and nourish long hair.

Mistake 2: Styling on wet hair

Regardless of what hairstyles you like and how you used to style your hair, it is definitely not worth doing it right after washing. When brushing, braiding or blow-drying, wet hair gets tangled, breaks off and may fall out. And this is a direct way to thinning the hair and deteriorating the appearance of the remaining hair.

What to do? When you get out of the shower, gently towel dry your hair without twisting or wringing it out. After that, apply a product to help detangle strands (spray or oil) and gently brush through the hair with a brush with widely spaced teeth (bristles). These combs are specially designed to detangle wet hair. The thickness of the "teeth" of the comb, as well as the order of their arrangement, depend on the structure of the hair. There are combs for thin and weak curls and for thick, hard, curly curls. When choosing a tool, consider the type of your hair!

While blow-drying your hair, use cold air mode. Set aside the comb for a while, part the hair with your fingers. But when the hair is barely damp and ready for styling, you can turn on the hot mode and, if necessary, use the comb.

Mistake 3: Aggressive procedures

Long hair, not less often than curls of medium length, is exposed to thermal devices, styling products with potentially hazardous substances, as well as frequent dyeing. Some salon procedures, which are positioned as harmless and even useful, but are actually stressful for the hair, also make their contribution. Among them - “gentle” perm, Bust Up, keratin hair straightening, carving, haircut with hot scissors (for split ends of porous strands).

What to do? An important step on the way to healthy, strong and beautiful hair, just like from the gloss cover, is its restoration. It is best to schedule it with a professional at a beauty salon. But you can also help your hair at home! Take a closer look at the fortifying lines ─ shampoos, balms and masks that restore the hair structure, nourish the follicles, and smooth the cuticle. In the list of ingredients of such lines, the active components are silk proteins, keratin, hydrolyzed elastin, plant extracts. Additionally, use a hair serum 1-2 times a week.

Important! Colin Ford, creative director of professional hair cosmetics brand Kerastase, advises girls and women to carefully plan their hair treatments. “After dyeing, wait 3-4 weeks for hair roots to be corrected and at least 6 weeks for subsequent highlights or color changes. If you have permed, you can repeat it no earlier than after 6 months. And all this time you need to use special care rulers to improve the condition of damaged strands."

Mistake 4: tight hairstyles and fishnet weaves

Loved by many long-haired beauties hairstyles "donut", "ponytail" and various openwork weaves are also included in the list of mistakes that worsen the condition of the strands. If you practice them often, while preferring tight styling, over time the hair becomes thinner, in the places where the strands are fixed with elastic bands and hairpins, they dry out, become brittle, and then fall out.

What to do? Use natural oils (such as argan or coconut) or silk for your hair before styling. These products facilitate the hairstyle process and additionally nourish the hair, giving it a beautiful glossy shine. Try to also reduce the strength of the weave. Choose soft elastic bands and give up metal accessories - hairpins, invisible hairpins, hairpins. Learn to make loose styling, relevant this season - French braids and other weaves. And do not comb your hair unless absolutely necessary! Even the correct bouffant, repeated day after day, damages the hair.

Mistake 5: using hairspray before styling

In some beauty salons, stylists practice spraying hair with hairspray before creating styling. Sometimes this is justified, since the hairstyle in this case will last longer, which is very important if you are going, for example, to shine at a celebration. But to do this every day, while using hot styling appliances - you can't!

Almost all hairsprays contain alcohol, which has antimicrobial properties and acts as a preservative. If such a product is sprayed onto the hair and then treated with the hot surface of the device or wrapped in curlers, this will dry out the curls and damage the hair structure.

What to do? The first thing to remember is that before creating hot styling, always apply thermal protection to the curls. And second, just as important, spray your hair with hairspray after finishing your hairstyle. If you do this from a distance of 10-15 centimeters, the styling will be stable.

Mistake 6: Thinking split hair ends need to be treated

A common problem for girls and women with long hair is dry split ends. Many manufacturers of cosmetics undertake to eliminate it ─ to cure, moisturize and “solder” damaged strands. But the result is still the same - the ends continue to be cut and break off. And all because there is not a single means in the world that can "glue" the split ends. Even if it is written in large print on the product label!

What to do? You need to part with split ends without regret, even if you have been growing the length for a very long time. The section tends to rise upward, while capturing new "heights" and leading to hair loss. All this affects the density and appearance of the hair. Therefore, be sure to trim your hair once every three months. And to prevent the section, use prophylactic agents. A good effect is given by products with beeswax in the composition, serums with argan oil and fillers with keratin.

Mistake 7: Uncontrolled use of hair supplements

There are many preparations on the beauty market today that promise healthier hair, adding density, strength and vitality to it. But not all of them are safe for health and even more useful. There are additives, the name of which already suggests that there is a "dummy" in front of you ─ for example, dietary supplements for hair density. Not everyone knows that hair density is genetically determined and cannot be influenced.

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Other additives look quite convincing, and you can only figure out whether they can improve the condition of the strands after a careful study of the list of ingredients.

What to do? If you are concerned about the health of your hair, seek the help of a trichologist. The specialist will diagnose, identify the causes of existing problems and, if necessary, prescribe treatment and diet. A balanced diet that includes leafy vegetables, grains, fatty fish, legumes and poultry will give a more pronounced effect than taking even good dietary supplements. As for supplements and vitamins, they should be taken on the advice of a doctor to address a specific problem.

Mistake 8: Using professional cosmetics

Professional hair cosmetics have a number of advantages over "conventional" products: it is created according to innovative developments, is more concentrated, and it contains an impressive list of active ingredients. But just like dietary supplements, it can only be used as directed by a doctor. The main danger here is choosing the wrong drug.

According to trichologists, women often turn to them after unsuccessful experiments with professional means. So, for example, trying to get rid of dandruff, they use medicinal formulations and get even worse results. Why it happens? And the thing is that only a specialist can make a correct diagnosis! Women often confuse seborrhea with symptoms of a sensitive scalp, and given the fact that professional formulations are targeted, the result is predictable. What is useful in one case ─ harmful in another!

What to do? For healthy, strong and silky hair, entrust the choice of cosmetics to a specialist. Especially if you prefer professional hair products. In addition, once a week, arrange your hair with a SPA therapy ─ use a hair scrub. It activates blood circulation and gently cleanses the scalp, which will have a beneficial effect on the condition of the hair.

Mistake 9: using dry shampoos often

Dry shampoos are a real lifesaver for owners of long hair. After all, they can transform the hairstyle in an instant, adding volume at the roots and perfect external water. But at the same time, many drugs contain substances that will not please long curls. Among them are alcohol, aromatic additives and excipients. Acting in combination, they give a cleansing effect, but at the same time they can dry out the curls. In addition, if dry shampoos are used frequently, the scalp is not thoroughly cleansed, which can subsequently lead to dandruff and other hair problems.

What to do? Use dry shampoo only when absolutely necessary. Professionals recommend using it no more than twice a week. And after going out with a flawless styling created with dry shampoo, be sure to rinse your hair with good shampoo and warm water.

Mistake 10: Ignore the hat during the cold season

A fashionable hat or snood scarf in the cold season can add coquetry, charm and charm to a woman's image. The choice of hats in stores is so great that it will be easy to find a suitable option. But, nevertheless, some girls refuse to wear a headdress, explaining their decision by the fact that it "spoils" the hairstyle.

Meanwhile, the piercing cold and hard frost provoke spasms of the vessels of the scalp, which impairs the nutrition of the hair. As a result, they lose their shine and elasticity, and begin to break and fall out. The situation is aggravated by temperature differences that occur if you enter a heated room from the street.

What to do? If you want to preserve the health and beauty of long hair, take a closer look at hats, berets and warm scarves in the store. The chosen headdress will not only prevent damage to hair follicles, malnutrition of blood vessels and other troubles, but also preserve home styling. Of course, if the dress is chosen correctly.

And finally, advice - in public transport and in a warm room, it is better to take off your hat so that the scalp "breathes". But it is on her that the health of long hair largely depends.

Always be beautiful!