For some of us, the only time we think about hair hygiene is when the shampoo or conditioner bottle is running low. But you might be surprised to learn that maintaining healthy hair goes beyond washing. Check out our guide to good hair hygiene for a detailed breakdown of how you can keep your locks luscious and healthy.

Wash Your Hair the Right Way

Have you ever wondered why we even wash our hair to begin with? In basic terms, our scalp produces natural oils to help keep our hair moisturized and smooth. If left unwashed over time, these oils — along with sweat, dirt, and dead cells — can build up on the surface of the scalp and lead to problems like oily hair, dandruff, and more. 

Although washing your hair regularly is crucial, that doesn’t mean that you should wash your hair as much as possible. Overwashing can also cause problems of its own, as you can actually end up stripping away too much oil and leave the scalp overly dry. Additionally, if your hair is dyed or bleached, it is more prone to becoming damaged if you overwash. 

As a basic guideline for maintaining good hair hygiene, we recommend washing with shampoo and conditioner about three times per week. If you have oily hair, then you might want to wash it more frequently — even every other day — and consider using a dry shampoo on days you don’t wash. Those with chemically treated hair should wash less frequently. When you’re shampooing, be sure to massage across the surface of your scalp to help clean away dead skin and dirt, and always rinse thoroughly. And when applying conditioner, it’s important to distribute it along the entire length of your hair, so make sure to coat the tips well.

If you have an oily scalp it can help to apply the conditioner away from your roots and start from the bottom up. This is because hair tends to be the most dry and damaged at the tips since they are the furthest away from the scalp where oils are naturally produced.

Protect Your Hair with Proper Products

In addition to keeping your hair and scalp healthy through regular washing, there are also some basic steps you can take to help your follicles flourish between showers. If you are a huge fan of straightening, blow drying, or using other heated tools, then we strongly recommend using a heat protector to help keep your hair from becoming weakened or damaged. 

When it comes to products, most dermatologists think it’s a good idea to avoid anything that uses alcohol as an ingredient, since these products can dry your hair. As we covered in another post, it’s also a great idea to invest in a quality wooden hairbrush and choose one with broad tips, since they’re gentler on the scalp.

Share Your Favorite Hair Hygiene Products

Do you have a shampoo or conditioner that you swear by? Or maybe you know of a really effective heat protector? We’d love to hear from the KeyGlam fam out there — tell us your favorite products, tools, techniques, and tips for healthy hair.