Are you getting it right on shampoo days?
It may sound like a silly question but there are a few top tips to consider in order to make sure you are getting the most out of your hair washing routine and avoid some common mistakes. There are some considerations worth taking in to account such as how oily your hair gets to how thick/long it is and so on. In this article we will reveal how to make the most out of your hair washing routine. It’s been a hot topic over recent years with many celebs declaring their hair washing habits, some A-list names admitting they don’t wash their hair for over a week. It got people talking and opinions were divided, but of course they would be, as everyone’s hair is completely different and there really is no universal rule of thumb. Theres a few things to take in to account but its really about finding out what works for you and your hair.
What you use is very important
When it comes to shampoo, its important to remember that it fundamentally is a detergent of sorts whose basic function is to ‘cleanse’ the scalp, to remove grease and dirt build up from the root area and keep the scalp healthy. As with any detergent, its important to use the right one, Or at least just not the wrong one! By this I mean any shampoo that could be doing more harm than good.
As shampoos are cleansers, many out there use different active ingredients for the purpose of cleansing hair. One of the most widely used ingredients out there is Sodium Lauryl Sulphates, (SLS)
SLS is a an easy to get hold of, cheap and effective ingredient however it does come with its downsides as Sulphates are so good at removing dirt and grease they don’t know when to stop and can strip the hair and scalp of its own natural oils, leaving hair dry and brittle and the scalp irritated over time.
As an ingredient used it is also a nightmare for those who colour their hair, with studies showing that sulphate heavy shampoos strip out the colour/dye from hair twice as fast as it should fade naturally, therefore not only affecting your hair colour but affecting your purse too, as you need to get the colour done much more often! We have written an entire blog post all about 'Sulphates' you can check it out here:
‘All you need to know about Sulhpate free shampoos'
Both our Heightened Shampoo and Daily Calma Shampoo are completely Sulphate free. We designed the formulas using a coconut derived cleanser that is not only much more gentle as an active cleanser but develops a rich creamy lather, which is a luxury many sulphate free shampoos out there are lacking. Having a lather is not integral to the cleaning process of hair however we as consumers have become accustomed to a foamy lather from shampoo, and tend to judge our shampoos performance based on a shampoos ability to develop one. Whilst its not integral for the cleansing process, experientially, a foamy lather is much more pleasurable, and one of the main complaints about most sulphate free shampoos is that they just don’t cut it when it comes to the lather!
Ensuring our shampoo developed a ‘good lather’ became an important factor for us in the development process of creating the Daily Calma shampoo, along with using high quality, plant based ingredients that would improve hair strength and shine whilst having a calming affect on the scalp. Within the blend you will find, Amino Acid Proteins, Orange Blossom Water, Aloe Vera and Chamomile working in harmony together to gently cleanse, calm the hair and scalp whilst improving strength and shine. We designed the Daily Calma Shampoo and conditioner to work with the hairs natural lipid layer, restoring moisture and balance whilst rebuilding the hair structure from the inside out. Ideal for dry damaged hair but also fro all hair types.
Hair washing as a talking point
This week we had a revelation for ourselves. Our founder, Laura realised she had for her entire life always used shampoo on ‘cleanse days’. We had been responding to some questions on Instagram around the topic of hair washing and wether or not people out there washed their hair with shampoo every time they got their hair wet! @sophiehellyer eco activist, surfer and blogger (Also features in our campaign) took to her Instagram stories to ask a series of questions to her fan base all about how often we should be washing or more specifically ‘shampooing’ .
It got us talking, and in my response to Sophie’s post Laura realised she may have been washing her hair wrong her whole life! I had made the comment to Sophie in response to her discussion topic that, as she is a surfer and therefore in Sea water most days, she doesn’t necessarily need to wash her hair with shampoo every day. However I would suggest she at least always rinse out the salt from the hair and scalp (as salt is drying) rinsing out the salt from hair and using a bit of conditioner may be all that is needed rather than using shampoo for the sake of it.
I made that comment because, as people don’t realise, you don’t always need to use shampoo on your hair and scalp even if you’ve done an activity that has meant your hair’s gotten wet, (or been to the gym/done a home workout, yoga or whatever) You could just do a rinse. This is particularly useful for those who do some sort of activity or exercise most days. It does depend of course on your hair type and how it responds to water. What is the benefit of not using shampoo every time or too often? Well because shampoo is a detergent, it can dry the hair and scalp out if it used too often and the side affect of shampooing hair too often is that the scalp becomes dry and irritated. This can then lead to the scalp overproducing oils in order to counteract the dryness which in turn means our hair can become more visibly greasy more quickly, then promoting a response in needing to wash the hair sooner, creating a cycle effect.
Some people’s hair is completely fine left for a week without washing however I hear you, some of you out there will be saying “I can’t go more than a day without washing” My aim for this blog is simply that people give some thought to their hair with a view of improving its health.
So, what can you do?
Why not experiment with your washing routine? I’m encouraging you to play around with your “wash days’. Right now is a great time to see if you can go a few days longer between washes or between ‘Shampoos’ at least. See how your hair reacts when just rinsed with water and a little bit of conditioner at the ends instead of using shampoo every time. It may be that you, like Laura, finds that your hair feels fine without the need to use shampoo every time and have a realisation that you may have been washing your hair wrong your whole life too! Whatever the outcome, its always good to bare in mind that there are options even in a simple act of washing your hair, and if nothing else, using less shampoo is not only potentially kinder to the hair and scalp, but much more economical too. With less shampoo bottles needing to be bought thus better environmentally and on your wallet/purse.
You may also benefit hugely from introducing a scalp treatment in to your hair washing routine. Our hero product is our En-Root Scalp OIl, designed to detoxify the scalp whilst rebalancing moisture levels. With over 11 essential oils blended together to deeply nourish the scalp whilst promoting healthy hair growth. Used regularly with scalp massage it will greatly improve the scalps health and hair condition. Scalp health is one of our main focuses as our scalp is the base from which we grow our hair, if the scalp isn't taken care of it won't produce the best hair it can. You can read more about our scalp treatment here.
Our guide to hair washing
Obviously the best thing to do for your self is to play around with what works best. Using this guide, see what makes your hair feel better and be more conscious in how you are looking after it. You never know, such an everyday task could become an opportunity to become more present, in drawing your attention away from the constant mind stream of 'thoughts' focus your attention on the process of cleansing the hair and scalp and bring about gratitude and an element of curiosity and appreciation.
I hope you've found this article useful. As always we are here to help you in any way we can.
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