One of the most important things you can do for your hair is use the correct, quality shampoo and conditioner suitable for your personal scalp and hair condition. This will help with any problems you may be experiencing, such as oily scalp, dry hair, frizz and problems with style/colour retention.
Cheap end or supermarket shampoos and conditioners may have the same ingredients of salon quality products, but a much lower quantity. These products are usually diluted with artificial softeners, which will make your hair feel great, but leave a wax like coating on the hair. This can impact results in salon, especially with lightening as it creates a chemical reaction. This can also impact your styles and can be the reason why your hair feels limp and does not hold curl. “These products are usually diluted with artificial softeners, which will make your hair feel great, but leave a wax like coating on the hair. This can impact results in salon, especially with lightening as it creates a chemical reaction.” The reason why salon quality shampoos and conditioners are more expensive is because they have a much higher concentration of vitamins, minerals and oils to make your hair healthy from the inside out, opposed to supermarket products which generally only coat the outer layer with a waxy soft coating. Because the ingredients in salon quality shampoos and conditioners are so concentrated you need less product per wash meaning the product will ultimately last you longer.
If you have an oily scalp: · Use a volumising, cleansing or balancing shampoo. · If you are using a shampoo specifically targeting oily scalp it is important to not dry your hair out too much so you can even it out with a moisturising or hydrating conditioner, concentrating it on your ends. · Always shampoo twice. First shampoo removes any product, dirt, dust; the second shampoo will cleanse your scalp. You could also try doing a cleansing shampoo with the second shampoo being a normal one (moisturising, colour) Recommended products: O&M - Original Detox, O&M - Fine intellect, Eleven - Deep Clean shampoo If you have a dry itchy scalp: · Use a moisturising, hydrating shampoo and conditioner. · It is important to still shampoo twice to remove build up of flaky scalp. · If your hair is extremely dry you may need to look into medicated shampoo that contains tea tree oil or visit your doctor. Scalp dryness could also be psoriasis which usually requires further medical assistance. Recommended Products: O&M - Original Detox, O&M- Hydrate and Conquer, Goldwell- Duelsenses Scalp Specialist Deep Cleanse If you have Curly hair: · Hydrating, moisturising shampoos are great for curls. Curly hair shampoo is generally a little more moisturising and more effective at reducing frizz, however may be too heavy if you have fine curly hair. . Remember curly hair is naturally a lot dryer and requires lots of love to encourage curl. I would recommend using a hair mask/treatment once a fortnight to encourage curl. Recommended Products: O&M - Hydrate and Conquer, O&M - Maintain the Mane, Keune- Care Curl Control, Goldwell- DualSenses Curly Twist. Hair mask I recommend: O&M - Seven Day Miracle If you have fine hair: · Volumising shampoo will help hold style and help your hair be less limp. · Usually fine hair will require a proper blow-dry with a round brush to assist your shampoo and conditioner in giving you the best results. Recommended Product: O&M - Fine Intellect If your hair is blonde or damaged and weak: · Blondes, using a toning shampoo will help maintain your tone in-between appointments and keep golden tones away. Be careful not to overuse! I would only use a blonde shampoo once a week depending on how cool you like your hair. Or you could do 1x blonde shampoo and 1x repair shampoo every wash. Recommended Products: O&M - Conquer Blonde, Eleven - Keep My Colour Blonde, Muvo - Ultra Blonde and Kerastase - Blonde Absolu · Strengthening or repair shampoo contains extra protein specifically for over processed, blonde and brittle hair. Be careful not to overuse protein, as your hair can only absorb so much before it can have an adverse effect. I would recommend using a repair shampoo and a blonde conditioner. Recommended Products: O&M - Hydrate and Conquer, Olaplex - No.4 and No. 5. I also recommend using mask once a week such as O&M - The Power Base If you have no hair or scalp concerns: · Maintenance shampoo will keep your hair healthy, keep your scalped cleansed and give you longevity of your colour. · Smoothing shampoo will assist you in blow-drying Some of my favourite brands are O&M, Goldwell, Evo, Kerastase, Nak, Bedhead TIGI and Olaplex.
Selecting the right shampoo and conditioner for your hair will help you minimise how frequently you wash your hair, which in turn will create healthier hair and help your styles and colours last longer. Always remember you can mix your shampoos and conditioners. You can use a curly shampoo and a colour conditioner, or a volumising shampoo with a repair conditioner and remember to love your hair, use a hair mask once a week or fortnight and use styling products for protection for optimal results. Taylah Martin