So many people take pride in their hair, and it’s a lot of fun to play around with it, trying out different looks, lengths, styles, and even colors. With shampoo, conditioner, dye, wax, gel, spray, and more, we can put a whole lot of products into our hair and use all kinds of tools on it too, exposing it to many different risks and elements in the process.
This is why it’s so important to take the time to treat your hair right, however you can. Many of the world’s leading stylists have learned all kinds of tips and tricks over the years, as well as identifying many common mistakes that so many people make in their daily haircare routines, and they’re ready to share their wisdom with the world. Here are 75 ways you can be kinder to your locks and help them look and feel so much better too.
1) Trim Regularly
Many people like to avoid trims and just let their hair grow, thinking that a trim will slow down their growth. In reality, trims are very necessary for getting rid of dead and split ends, making space for healthy hair to grow.
2) Choose Microfiber Over Cotton
Cotton towels are commonly found in most bathrooms, but did you know they’re really not very kind to your hair? They can easily cause strands to break and fall out. Instead, opt for microfiber towels. They’re a lot gentler and kinder to your hair, as well as being highly absorbent.
3) Keep It Cool
It might not be the most pleasant experience in the world, but rinsing your hair with cold or cool water rather than hot water is actually a lot better for hair health. It helps to make your hair shinier and lock in the color.
4) Go Easy On The Product
With so many different products out there, it’s easy to get carried away and use lots and lots of them to style your hair. But waxes, gels, sprays, and more are filled with chemicals and can often weaken your hair in the long run, so try to monitor how much you use.
5) Choose Top Quality Tools
It’s tempting to opt for cheap straighteners, curlers, and other hair tools, but your locks will pay the real price in the end. To save yourself time and get the best results, try to stretch your budget and invest in good quality tools from leading brands.
6) Learn From Rejection
If your hair keeps on rejecting certain products, you might have a case of product build-up in your hair. Luckily, there are special ‘build-up buster’ solutions you can use to clean out your locks and look fabulous once more.
7) Pillows Matter
There are so many things that can influence the health of your hair, even the pillowcase you sleep on at night! While regular cotton pillowcases can dry out your hair and cause breakages, silk pillows allow your hair to flow freely during the night and retain moisture.
8) Be Kind To Your Hairline
It’s fun to wear braids and other sleek styles from time to time, but you need to be careful as these styles can often cause breakages along the hairline due to them being a little too tight. If you notice that your hairline looks a little uneven, loosen those braids!
9) Avoid Chemical Straightening
If you choose to chemically straighten your hair, you can be doing some serious and permanent damage to your locks. The chemicals aren’t particularly kind and can cause a lot of breakage, as well as scalp burns and even hair loss. In short, it’s just too risky, so avoid it if you can and seek out safer alternatives.
10) Ease Off On The Dryer
Your hair doesn’t really like too much heat, so blowdrying it over and over again for very long periods of time can be highly damaging, leading to a lot of split ends and very dry, weakened hair. If you do need to use your blowdryer a lot, try switching to a cooler setting.
11) A Cold Shower
Many people like to start the day with a warm shower, but all that heat isn’t very kind to your hair, and all that water can wash away some of your hair’s most essential natural oils too. Try to limit your time in the shower and end it with a cool blast of water to keep your locks healthy and fresh.
12) Don’t Wash Every Day
Following on from our previous point, it’s also recommended by hair professionals to avoid washing your hair in the shower or bath every single day. Your body produces natural oils that keep your hair clean and healthy on its own, so you don’t need to add a lot of chemical shampoos and other products in there as well. Limit your hair washes to every other few day, every few days, or even just once or twice a week and check out the results.
13) Never Go To Bed With Wet Hair
Going to bed with wet hair is never a sensible idea. It’s not comfortable for you and it’s not nice for your hair either. It can lead to a lot of breakages and you might even wake up to a bunch of broken, fall out hairs sitting on your pillow.
14) Hot Oil Treatments Make All The Difference
Hot oil treatments can have a hugely positive effect on your hair, helping to keep the strands moisturized and nourished, looking shiny and feeling great. You don’t need to do it every single time you wash your hair, but it’s a nice bonus every now and then.
15) Make Sure It’s Dry
Whether you’ve got braids or bantu knots, be sure that your hair is totally dry before taking them out or trying to restyle it. Dryness makes this whole process a lot easier.
16) For Twist Outs
When you’re doing a twist-out, use a metal clip at the root of each section. This speeds up the drying time of your hair and adds extra volume.
17) Stop Smushing
Diffusers are great tools to use on your hair, but you need to be careful to use them right. If you hold them straight against your hair, you’ll simply smush your curls and ruin the look. You need to keep the diffuser at an angle to avoid this kind of smushing.
18) Castor Oil Could Be Your Secret Ingredient
There are so many different hair lotions and potions out there, but one of the oldest and most traditional products of all, castor oil, might be all you need! Many people say it’s a natural elixir for their hair, adding shine, volume, strength, and promoting growth too by providing hair with all the vitamins and minerals it needs.
19) Be Careful With Colors
More and more people are experimenting with bold colors and rainbow styles these days, and it can be exciting to dye your hair blue, purple, or silver, but you need to be careful. One mistake could be disastrous for your hair, so you should always at least consult with a professional before applying any crazy colors or ask them to do it for you.
20) Get A Steamer
Steamers are one of the top tools to have in your hair kit. They’re awesome for your daily styling needs and can provide a lot of health benefits too by boosting circulation around the scalp and enriching the hair with nutrients.
21) Take It Down A Notch
Avoid setting your hair tools to the highest temperature setting. Too much heat is terrible for your hair! Instead, lower the settings a little and try to use a cooler option that still lets you get the style you want.
22) Wash Upwards
When washing your hair, try to wash in an upwards and outwards direction, rather than just rubbing the shampoo and products in every random direction. This will help to prevent knots and tangles.
23) Steer Clear Of Sulfates
A lot of shampoos contain sulfates, but you probably want to avoid these particular products if you can, esepcially if you have curly hair. Sulfates dry out the hair, stripping it of natural oils, reducing the natural curl and leading to weak, brittle, frizzy strands.
24) Try Using A T-Shirt
Instead of towel-drying your hair, consider using a 100% cotton T-shirt instead. It will cause less friction, leading to fewer breakages and being kinder to your locks overall.
25) Consider A Satin Bonnet
A satin bonnet can work wonders for your hair. Materials like satin and silk let the hair flow freely, offering minimal friction to keep your strands safe from breakages and helping to maintain moisture too.
26) Use Protectants
By far one of the most important tips on this list is to use heat protectant before blow-drying, straightening, or submitting your hair to any other kind of intense heat. It’s so important and can make such a big difference!
27) Find A Stylish Who Suits You
Finding a stylist can feel like quite a challenge, and if you make the wrong decision, you could end up with a look you don’t like. Try to find a stylist or hairdresser who understands your type of hair and knows how to handle it.
28) A Speedy Solution
Is your twist-out starting to fade a little? Well, you don’t need to redo the whole thing! Just touch up the edges to bring a lot of life back into your look.
29) Never Bleach Alone
No matter what you might read on Instagram or in celebrity magazines, bleaching alone isn’t easy and it isn’t safe either. You can totally ruin your look and damage your hair by improperly applying bleach, so always leave this kind of job to the pros.
30) Clean Tools Often
Dirt, bacteria, and dust can all build-up on your hair tools with repeated use, and this includes everything from dryers to combs. Be sure to cleam them at least once a week.
31) Take Your Time
Even celebrities, with their own personal stylists and all the cash in the world, can’t break the laws of hair. It takes time to change color, especially when you’re switching from something dark to something light, so be patient and take it nice and slow.
32) Always Add A Little Spray
Your look can’t be complete without a little holding spray. It’s perfect for using after straightening your hair, helping to keep your locks shiny, smooth, and in place.
33) Don’t Overdo The Touch-Ups
Every time you touch-up your roots, you might think it’s only a minor treatment, but it can do major damage to your hair. Hair color treatments are filled with peroxide, a dangerous chemical that directly damages new, fresh, healthy hair strands when applied to the roots.
34) Learn Your Hair
One of the top tips many experts suggest is to learn as much about your hair as possible. The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be when choosing products, styles, and salons.
35) Stop Playing With It
It’s tempting to play with your hair, especially if you’re the sort of person who can’t sit still and likes to fidget with something when you get bored. However, every time you touch you hair, you can add grime and dirt into the strands, as well as causing frizz, oiliness, and other issues.
36) Deep Condition Regularly
Deep conditioning is so important for healthy hair. It’s a process you should do at least once a week.
37) Let It Dry
This poor girl went viral after trying to curl wet hair and pulling a bunch of it out in the process! You should always let your hair dry fully before using hot tools like this.
38) Say No To Coco
Coconut oil is super popular right now and can be beneficial to hair, skin, and nails in some cases, but not all! For those with dry or coarse hair, coconut oil is a big no-no and can actually dry your hair out even more.
39) How To Cut Bangs
When cutting bangs, avoid just cutting in a straight, horizontal line. Instead, make little cuts upwards into the hair to avoid looking like a Lego person.
40) Use The Nozzle
The nozzle on your blowdryer exists to protect your hair and prevent burning. Use it!
41) Wear A Wig Cap
If you’re someone who loves to wear hair wraps, be sure to invest in a wig cap. It’ll protect your hair from friction and allow you to wear any wraps you like with total peace of mind.
42) Dry Combing For Coarse Hair
If you have coarse or curly hair naturally, avoid combing it when it’s dry. Only comb it when damp for the best results.
43) The Best Brush
The right brush can make all the difference to the look and healthiness of your hair. Expeirment with different brush types and find the one that works for you.
44) Avoid Bleaching If You Can
Lots of women want to go to blonde and bleaching seems like the obvious answer, but many hair professionals advise against bleaching altogether. It’s super dangerous and so unhealthy for the hair and scalp, so maybe just try using hair dyes to lighten your hair gradually instead.
45) Buy Products From Salons
Professional hair products are only sold in professional hair salons, so that’s where you should go to get the finest sprays, shampoos, and other haircare essentials. If you see other stores selling professional products, they might be fake.
46) Use Products For Your Hair
Be logical when choosing haircare products. If you have curly hair, buy shampoo designed for curly hair. If you have dry hair, find a conditioner specially tailored for dry hair.
47) Box Dyes Can Be Risky
Box hair dyes might seem like an easy option for people who want to color their hair, but everyone’s hair is different and these dyes can produce totally different results too! The woman in the photo, for exmple, has weakened her hair and got a lot of discoloration after using a box dye.
48) Choose Quality Products
Many people like to save a little money where they can, but if you choose cheap hair products, you won’t get the same great results as you would from better brands. Of course, not everyone can afford top of the range shampoos and conditioners all the time, but it’s always better to choose quality products when you can.
49) An All-Natural Knot Remover
Apple cider vinegar is one of those wonderful ‘home remedy’ ingredients that seems to have a million different uses. It’s even helpful for untangling knots in your hair! To use it, just mix a little vinegar with a larger amount of water in a spray bottle and spray some over your hair.
50) To Condition Or Not To Condition
That is the question! Well, you should always condition in general, but you might not need to go all the way down to the scalp, depending on your skin type.. If you have a dry scalp, conditioning right down to the roots is essential, but for those who produce enough natural oils and don’t tend to get dandruff or dryness in that area, using conditioner on the ends and middle parts of your hair will be enough.
51) Get A Denman Brush
If you have coarse hair, a Denman brush can change your life! They work so well at detangling knots, but should only be used on damp or wet hair.
52) A Purple Hair Mask For Protection
If you want to bleach your hair, regardless of the risks, consider making use of a purple hair mask like this one. They’re great for keeping your hair healthy, even when bleaching products are applied.
53) Have Faith In The Pros
Hairdressers know what they’re doing. They’re fully trained and experienced in hair-related matters and often provide great advice. Try to find a hairdresser you like and stick with them, as they’ll understand your hair better than anyone else.
54) Do The Twist
Washing your hair in twists can make the whole process a lot easier, preventing tangles and other issues.
55) Keep Those Buns Loose
It’s super convenient to put your hair up in a bun now and then, but be sure to avoid pulling it too tight! This can tug at the roots of your hair, leading to breakages and damage.
56) Make The Most Of Dry shampoo
Dry shampoo is super popular with busy women, letting you clean up your hair in a matter of minutes without needing to take a full shower. Expert stylists recommend applying the shampoo right down at the roots and then blasting it with a dryer for best results.
57) Prepare Your Hair For A Workout
We often fail to think about our hair when working out. All that sweat can build up in your hair, drying it out in the process. Fortunately, there is a solution. Apply hair masks before exercising. The masks will keep you safe from sweat and nourish your hair at the same time.
58) Style When Wet
Bangs can be tricky to work with, especially if you try to style them when they’re dry! Avoid this common mistake by styling your bangs as soon as you get out of the shower.
59) Use A Dryer On Dry Hair
You usually use a dryer to dry wet hair, right? Well, what if you used it on hair that was already dry? Professional stylists say that this little trick can actually add shimmer and shine to your hair, but the key is to only use the dryer on the cold setting in short, sharp blasts.
60) Keep Curling Irons Horizontal
If you want to use your curling irons like a professional stylist would, be sure to hold them horizontally. It might sound a little odd and it’s tricky to adapt if you’re used to holding them vertically, but it can make a real difference.
61) Super Scrunching
If you have curly hair you want to get under control, you might not need to waste money on so-called magical products. In fact, all you need to do is use your own fingers to scrunch your hair when wet, shaking out the curls and getting the style you want.
62) Make The Most Of Colored Shampoo
If you have blonde hair and don’t want it to start getting brassy, make use of colored shampoo. It really helps to lock in your bright blonde color.
63) Use Your Fingers
If you tend to struggle with knots and tangles, don’t use a big, tough brush to remove them. Just use your fingers instead! You have way more control over your fingers and can be a lot gentler to your hair when removing knots and tangles. It also feels quite nice and can be highly therapeutic to massage your scalp and detangle your locks.
64) Tease Properly
Teasing your hair can be a super way to add volume and style, but you need to do it right. Top stylists suggest teasing your hair in layers to provide a bouncy look without making your hair look all tangled and messy.
65) The Night Before
If you tend to have quite unruly hair, washing and drying the night before a big day or special event can help save a whole lot of time the next morning. Sleeping on clean hair helps to reduce frizz and provide a more natural, smooth look.
66) Spray Bottles
Having a spray bottle around can help out when you want to tame your curly or frizzy hair. Apply a fine mist and smooth out those curls quickly rather than totally rewetting your hair. It’s perfect for a quick fix!
67) A Top Drying Tip
While blow drying your hair and brushing it at the same time, be sure to wait for the hair to cool down for a second or two before letting it off the brush. Many people rush through this process, and that’s why their curls fade away too quickly.
68) Don’t Be Afraid Of A Cut
If you feel like your hair is very thin or even starting to get thinner, you might be tempted to avoid cutting it at all. However, a little trim from a good stylist can actually help to make thinning hair look fuller.
69) Add Some Volume
Want to add a little volume to your hair? Try using dry shampoo just before bed and then sleep with your hair in a bun.
70) A Side Parting
To try something new and make your hair look fresher and shinier than usual, consider a side parting. This helps to reveal the under-layers of your hair, which are often healthier and shinier than the top layers.
71) Make Sure It’s All Dry
If you want a blowout to really work, you need to be sure your hair is 100% dry. It’s so easy to miss little damp spots here and there, so be sure to check all over your scalp.
72) A Dry Shampoo Hack
Accidentally put too much product in your hair? Don’t worry! Dry shampoo is the answer. Spray some over the top and it’ll actually soak up the excess product, making your hair look more natural in the process.
73) Never Skip Conditioner
Always, always, always use conditioner when you want to look your best! This is especially true if you have curly hair that tends to dry out easily. Your hair needs moisture to shimmer and shine, and the best conditioners are able to nourish each and every strand. For best results, look for naturally-powered conditioners with ingredients like shea butter and argan oil.
74) Stay Safe In The Sun
One very common mistake so many people make is forgetting to protect their hair from the sun’s rays. You use sunscreen, right? Well, your hair needs protection too, just like your skin. Leave-in conditioners and heat protectors can be vital for days at the beach. Or you can consider hats to cover up.
75) A Little Spray
If you like to use a lot of product, here’s one top tip that can change your life. Instead of applying more and more product every single day, just spray a little water over your hair in the mornings. This can reactivate the product you used the previous day, helping you save cash and protect your hair too.
Looking after your hair is so important if you want to look and feel your best every day, and these awesome tips and tricks can help you make the right decisions to make your hair shimmer and shine, as well as preserving colors, boosting growth, and maintaining overall hair health too! Share the list around so friends and family can benefit from this expert advice!