How to Start a Hair Care Routine

Taking care of your hair can be challenging, especially when you’re short on time, but healthy and stylish hair can make you more confident and attractive. You can easily create a hair care routine that includes maintaining hair health and using products that are beneficial to your hair. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about your hair every day, and many steps in the hair care process only need to be done 1-2 times per week.

Table of Contents

Create a hair care routine

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Know your hair type. Everyone’s hair is different and often needs different care. You should learn your hair type to choose the best possible hair care regimen. Leave the hair natural for a few days, do not use any products and observe the hair’s expression. You may find your hair has characteristics such as:

- Oil ball
- Dried
- Normal
- Ripple
- Straight
- Curly
- Thick
- Thin and smooth
Once you know your hair type, always take care of your hair in the right regimen for that hair type. Your hair may react differently to certain products than someone else’s.

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Wash your hair when needed. Many people assume that they have to wash their hair every day, but actually most hair types only need to be washed every other day or a few times a week. Depending on your hair type, you may be able to wash your hair when it’s dirty rather than just relying on routine. In general, people with fine, straight hair need more washing than people with thick, curly or wavy hair. ^{[1] X Research Source}

If you have dry hair, you should only wash it every 3 days.
If your hair gets oily easily, try washing it every other day, but if it’s already oily after just one day, you can wash it every other day. You can also use dry shampoo in between your regular shampoos to absorb the oil.
If your hair is normal (neither too dry nor too oily), you should wash your hair every other day or every 3 days.
There is no perfect formula for how often to wash your hair. Observe your hair and wash it when you feel it is dirty. Over-washing interferes with the distribution of natural oils to repair hair and can lead to damage.

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Avoid washing your hair with hot water. Hot water will strip the hair of the protective oils that act as a natural conditioner. By washing your hair with warm water, you will prevent your hair from losing its natural shine and from becoming dull. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Use a comb when your hair is wet. When you step out of the shower, you probably just want to brush your hair right away with a hairbrush, as that’s the fastest way to get rid of tangles. However, combing with a wide comb is the best way to detangle hair after washing. The hairbrush will get caught in the hair and pull the hair, causing breakage and damage, so you should use a comb and start at the tips and work your way up to the roots. ^{[3] X Trusted Source American Academy of Dermatpogy Go to Source}

Protect your hair more

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Avoid using hair dye. Hair dye contains many chemicals that can damage your hair, and if you dye it too often, it will be nearly impossible for your hair to repair the damaged parts. If possible, you should leave your hair natural, but if you need to dye it, don’t dye it too often and only choose a color that is 3 tones away from your natural hair color. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

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Protect hair from the sun. Amazingly, the sun can damage hair just as much as it damages skin. Excessive exposure to the sun can dry out hair, especially dyed hair, so every time you go outside for long periods of time, you should wear a hat to cover your hair or use a hairspray with sunscreen. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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Avoid wrapping your hair tightly. Tying your hair back in a ponytail or braid is always handy when you’re in a hurry, but be careful not to pull too hard to avoid breakage and hair damage. You can still wear these hairstyles, but at night, let your hair fall naturally and try to avoid tying it up every day. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

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Nourish your hair with natural remedies. There are many different hair care products you can buy to improve the quality of your hair, but some of the best products for hair are natural ingredients that you can find right in your kitchen:

Olive Oil: Warm olive oil will help moisturize dry hair. Apply olive oil to your hair and wait 45 minutes, then wash with shampoo and rinse.
Tea: Tea without added sweeteners can make hair shiny and enhance its natural color. You can rinse your hair with a tea that corresponds to your natural hair color (black tea for chestnut brown hair, chamomile tea for blonde hair) after rinsing the shampoo out in the shower. ^{[9] X Research Source}
Coconut Oil: Coconut oil acts as a natural conditioner. You can warm up coconut oil and apply it to your hair, leave it for 30 minutes, then wash it off with shampoo. ^{[10] X Research Source}
Honey: Honey is a natural moisturizer and works to strengthen hair follicles. Mix honey and shampoo in a 1:1 ratio and wash your hair. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Use hair care products

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Choose the right shampoo. On the market there are many shampoos for different hair types, the prices range from affordable to extremely expensive. While you shouldn’t use cheap shampoos, salon shampoos probably won’t do any more for your hair. You need to pay more attention to choosing the right shampoo for your hair type (shampoo for dry or oily hair). ^{[15] X Research Source}

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Use conditioner. It may seem superfluous to repeat this, but using a conditioner is an important step, as it helps to hydrate the hair and restore the hair’s natural oils. Avoid applying conditioner to the roots to prevent your hair from becoming greasy.

Choose the right conditioner for your hair type. If you have dry hair, you should use a moisturizing conditioner; If you have oily hair, you should use a mild conditioner.

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Apply heat protection serum to hair before styling tools. Sure, you can’t avoid using styling tools forever, but you can keep your hair as healthy as possible with heat. Before blow-drying, curling, or straightening your hair, you should always apply a heat-blocking serum or heat-protecting spray. This product has many different brands and is sold in supermarkets and cosmetic stores. ^{[16] X Research Source}

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Use an intensive conditioner. Besides the regular conditioner, you should also use an intensive conditioner at least once a week to restore some damage in the hair. Some popular branded hair masks are Neutrogena, Alterna Ten, Aussie, and Fekkai. ^{[17] X Research Source}

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Use a hair product. Thick, bouncy hair is always easy to style, but unfortunately not everyone is endowed with such hair. Volumizing products are a great solution, as they help you achieve the look you want even if you have thin hair. Flip your hair forward, spray a few times on the roots and the rest of the hair, then create volume with a hair dryer or fix your hair with your hands.

Expert advice

If you are looking for other ways to take care of your hair, try this effective hair care routine:

Start by detangling your hair. Let your hair down and untangle. This step helps prevent hair breakage when shampooing.
Wash your hair with a shampoo formulated for your hair type. Deep-cleansing shampoos are effective for almost any hair type, especially if you don’t want to wash your hair every day. You can also use a deep-cleansing shampoo if your hair has a lot of dandruff or hair product buildup. However, if you have dry hair, you need to wash it with a moisturizing shampoo.
Apply conditioner and wash off. Use an intensive conditioner instead of a regular conditioner if your hair needs more moisture. Choose a product that specializes in smoothing hair, such as a mask or conditioner with shea butter, honey, or avocado. To add extra hydration to your hair, you should let the conditioner soak deeply for 10-15 minutes under the steamer or 15-20 minutes under the dryer, then rinse.
Use hair products. If you’re going to blow dry or style your hair with heat, you should always use heat protectants and styling products. For example, if you have very thin hair, you can use a hairspray at the roots to make it look thicker.
Limit frequent shampooing. If your hair is very oily, you may need to wash it once a day, but if you can tolerate it, try washing it every other day. However, for most hair types, you can wash it weekly.

Steps

Create a hair care routine

Protect your hair more

Use hair care products

Expert advice

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