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What? I'm doing it wrong!?
Let’s face it – it’s hard to look after yourself. Amongst responsibilities, the typical 9-5 (or 9-9) grind of corporate jobs, families and more, it can be hard to put yourself first. After working in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods industry for many years, I realised I needed to stumble out of that life to follow a pathway of happiness, personal growth and the healthiest hair I've ever had in my life.
As an 80’s kid I've never really cared so much about what I looked like. I was way more Mickey Mouse than Disney princess. I remember helping my dad paint the fence and accidentally getting my hair in the paint-can which quickly resulted in my mother giving me a haircut. I wasn’t too fussed over it at the time, although I know many girls today would be horrified to have to part with their hair. So given my upbringing, my haircare knowledge is unsurprisingly not a lot.
I knew I didn’t know much about hair care, but to discover that I had been washing my hair wrong my entire life after being enlightened by Tash was actually astonishing. I would never have thought a decade ago I would be where I am now - Managing Director of a hair care start-up. It’s not like I didn't know what shampoo and what conditioner was, I guess I had just never really thought about the different benefits both bring. Shampoo cleans your scalp and conditioner conditions your hair, so why the hell was I shampooing my hair and conditioning my scalp? My mind was blown that I was blindly doing what I had probably been taught as a child and had never questioned. It also actually never occurred to me that I might need to condition my hair at a differing rate to the frequency of shampooing my hair.
How often should I actually be washing my hair with shampoo?
The answer to that is completely your personal preference. Your hair type, styling choices and your lifestyle will also influence your hair care routine for optimal hair health. If you do not shampoo your hair often enough you will get build-up of dirt or an itchy scalp which could mean it’s time to wash your hair.
For those with fine hair, who exercise a lot, live in a humid climate which causes you to sweat or if you have oily hair, you may need to shampoo every 1-2 days (generally those who sit on the cooler side of the Lusid Rainbow). For those with medium weight hair which isn’t oily, then a shampoo every 3-4 days could work best for you (middle of the Lusid Rainbow). If you have thicker hair 5-7 days works best or even longer for Curlies depending on what styling products you use (generally those who sit on the warmer side of the Lusid Rainbow).The best way to find out what works best for your hair type is to do trial and error. Shampooing too often may dry your hair out leaving it prone to breakage.
For those Curlies in the warmer to middle of the Lusid Rainbow, another option is to go no poo (No Shampoo), to avoid stripping your hair of the natural oils produced by our scalp to help with smoothness and frizz, especially for coarse hair. However, bear in mind that the function of shampoo is to clean your scalp.
Giving up your shampoo might be the right thing to do if it has harsh sulphates in it, although I would encourage those on the no poo movement to try a Lusid shampoo bar for their hair structure and see if the results speak for themselves.
How often should I condition my hair?
The conditioner’s function is to re-hydrate hair and replenish nutrients. There is actually no harm in washing with conditioner everyday if you have dry hair that needs replenishment. For those with oily or fine hair, too much conditioner can weigh your hair down so washing your hair with conditioner less frequently may be more beneficial. Try washing with conditioner 1-2 times a week for fine or oily hair (cool colours on Lusid Rainbow), 3-4 times a week (middle of Lusid Rainbow), and for those with medium weight hair or with thick/dry hair you can co-wash - wash with just conditioner - daily (for those on the warmer end of the Lusid Rainbow).
The Lusid Rainbow
As long as you know your hair structure (coily, curly, wavy or straight) and your hair thickness (thick, medium or fine) you can easily find your place on the Lusid Rainbow.
The warmer coloured products would be best for curlier and thicker hair, all the way down to the cooler coloured products for straighter and finer hair.
My takeaway
Here are a few hair care basics that I have learned on my Lusid journey:
- Shampoo your scalp as often as required for your hair structure taking in consideration for humidity/exercise and sweat
- Don’t shampoo your hair, only your scalp - its purpose is to clean your scalp
- Double shampoo - first to get rid of the build-up and second to allow the nutrients to do their thing
- Condition your mid-lengths and ends of your hair, not your scalp
- If your hair is dry, condition your hair more frequently
- You don’t need to use shampoo and conditioner together
- 2-1’s aren’t great for your scalp and hair unless your hair is short
- Trial and error to figure out what works for your hair type
I hope you find these tips helpful! Lusid has enabled me to love the hair I have and I just wanted to take the opportunity to share my Lusid journey with you.
I would love to hear your Lusid hair care journey too. Please send us an email hello@lusidbeauty.com and tell us what you have learnt or share with us your hair care tips.