Even if you have a head of gorgeous hair, it’s possible that you still do things to it that are damaging. For example, you might shampoo your hair too much, use the wrong type of brush or even cut your hair too often. Keep reading to find out 5 bad habits that are likely harming your hair and tips for how to stop doing them!
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Make sure you’re not shampooing too much
If you’re shampooing your hair every day, you may be stripping it of its natural oils and causing it to become dry and brittle. Try shampooing every other day or every third day instead. When you do shampoo, make sure to use a gentle, sulfate-free formula.
Avoid heat styling as much as possible
If you want to keep your hair healthy, you should avoid heat styling as much as possible. Heat styling can damage your hair, making it dry and brittle. It can also cause split ends and breakage. If you must heat style your hair, use the lowest setting possible and protect your hair with a heat-protectant spray.
Give your hair time to dry
If you’re in a rush to get out the door, it’s tempting to just throw your hair up in a bun or clip and go. But giving your hair time to air dry is actually really important. Heat styling tools can be really damaging to your hair, so if you can let it air dry whenever possible, you’ll be doing your strands a huge favor. If you absolutely must use heat, make sure you’re using a heat protectant spray beforehand.
Be gentle with your locks
We’ve all been guilty of a few bad hair habits in our lifetime. From over-washing to heat styling, there are plenty of ways we unknowingly damage our locks. But it’s never too late to break these habits and start taking better care of your hair. Here are a few bad hair habits you should stop doing immediately:
- Be gentle with your locks: Over time, aggressive shampooing, brushing, and Towel drying can cause physical damage to the hair shaft, leading to split ends and breakage. Treat your strands with TLC by being gentle when cleansing and drying, and using a wide-tooth comb instead of a brush to detangle wet hair.
- Don’t skip conditioner: Conditioner is essential for keeping hair hydrated and healthy, yet many people still skip this step in their haircare routine. If you’re one of them, it’s time to start using conditioner regularly! Not only will it help prevent damage, but it will also leave your hair looking and feeling softer and smoother.
- Limit heat styling: We all love the look of sleek, straight hair or bouncy curls. But overdoing it with heat styling can seriously damage your strands. If you must use heat tools, be sure to use a heat protectant spray beforehand and keep the temperature on low or medium.
- Avoid tight hairstyles: ponytails, buns, and other tight hairstyles may look great,
Stop Using a Hairbrush Too Often
If you’ve ever wondered why your hair always looks frizzy and feels dry, it might be because you’re using a hairbrush too often. When you brush your hair, you’re actually damaging the cuticle, which is the protective layer around the shaft of your hair. This damage can lead to split ends, tangles, and frizz.
So how often should you be brushing your hair? It depends on your hair type, but generally speaking, you should only be brushing your hair a few times a week. If you have fine or thin hair, you can get away with brushing it every day. But if you have thick or curly hair, you should only brush it a few times a week to avoid damaging the cuticle.
If you find that your hair is tangled or frizzy after not brushing it for a few days, try using a wide-toothed comb instead of a brush. Combing your hair will help detangle it without damaging the cuticle like brushing can.