I´ve seen girls writing on forums that they take cues from how their hairdresser on how to wash their hair. After all, those are the professionals. Right ?
Yes, but they wash your hair with a different aim. They wash it to prepare it for the process of cutting. Hairdressers need to get every atom of product buildup gone from your hair, otherwise it´s hard to cut. They probably get a lot of clients with months worth of silicones, proteins and other things on them, so they assume that everyone has a lot of product buildup. And they automatically do a very thorough wash. You don´t need that kind of thoroughness in your hair washing routine, in fact you would harm your hair. Your washing shouldn´t have to remove more than a few days worth of product buildup, and it shouldn´t disturb the hair´s pH balance or strip it of it´s natural oils.
Squeaky clean means stripped.
When my hairdresser has washed my hair, I can feel how squeaky clean it is, even if he´s the one touching it -- it literally squeaks. Squeaking hair is stripped of all it´s natural oils. The scalp responds to this either by producing more oil, or by drying out. If you are used to the squeaky clean feeling, you need to realise it´s not a good thing at all.
Hairdressers use strong shampoos, often clarifying ones.
You only need a clarifying shampoo (or any shampoo with Sulfates) only once in a while when you want to clarify. If you are not using anything that might cause buildup you don´t need to clarify at all. A Sulfate-free shampoo does a good enough job of cleansing.
Hairdressers concentrate on the length
Because that is where most of the product buildup is. They ignore the scalp, it´s not their concern. You, however, need to pay attention to the scalp -- massaging it gently with the fingertips. If you need to remove skin buildup, try scrubbing with sugar -- not your nails.
Hairdressers use shampoo on the length
They need to get out every bit of product buildup. But normally you should use shampoo only on the roots. The suds flowing through your hair when you rinse it are enough to clean the length.
Hairdressers are not gentle
I don´t know whether it´s the fact that they are in a hurry / insensitive because they handle hair all the time / need to get the hair really really clean, but even the most gentle hairdresser is too rough when it comes to washing the hair length. Always treat your hair as if it were fine, expensive lace.
Do read: my ultimate guide to washing your hair
All that said I still love my hairdresser, because no one understands unstructured waves like he does.
Do you enjoy the washing part of haircuts ?
