SHAMPOOING AND CONDITIONING
Daily shampooing is best for the health of all hair types and scalps. It benefits the general condition of your hair and also helps create the optimum scalp environment for hair growth. If you have fine hair daily shampooing may already be part of your daily regime due to your hairs’ propensity to becoming oily quickly at the roots. If you aren’t washing your hair daily, the best way to add body and shine and to avoid associated limpness is to do so.
That said, we also find that many individuals with fine hair are reluctant to use a post-shampoo conditioner thinking it will weigh it down. However, a post-shampoo conditioner is essential for all hair textures. The correct conditioner applied in the right way will simply add shine and lead to hair that feels and looks both shiny and healthier.
There are even conditioners formulated especially for finer hair types to help add bulk to individual strands. Those with fine hair should always match the shampoo they choose to their hair texture, and then choose a conditioner by factoring in hair length and level of heat and chemical processing as well.
STYLING FINE HAIR
The most common complaint amongst women with fine hair is that their style lacks body and bounce. Other than using a body building shampoo, you can also use styling products that add root lift and fullness throughout the lengths. For more information on this please read our section on limp hair.
MEDIUM HAIR
If you have medium hair, it will feel thicker in texture than fine hair, both in the individual strands and in terms of the overall volume of hair on your scalp. Medium textured hair can be straight, wavy or curly.
SHAMPOOING & CONDITIONING
Medium textured hair needs slightly more moisture than fine textured hair due to its wider diameter. The best shampoos and conditioners for this hair type are moisture balancing, that balance the needs of drier and older ends and newer roots. It is also a good idea to use a pre-shampoo conditioning treatment once a week to restore and maintain elasticity and shine.
However, if your hair is very damaged and dry from chemical processing and/or frequent heat styling, treatment twice weekly is recommended.
STYLING MEDIUM TEXTURED HAIR
If you have straight medium textured hair that is prone to frizzing, choose lightweight smoothing products that will tame frizz and not weigh your style down. If your hair is wavy or curly, a heavier cream or serum may be needed.
However, regardless of your hair type, always apply anti-frizz products throughout your mid-lengths and ends and not your roots to avoid dullness and limpness.
COARSE HAIR
If you have coarse hair, it will feel rough in texture and it may feel like you have a lot of it. Coarse hair can be straight, e.g. Asian hair, or curly or frizzy, naturally red hair.
CURLY & FRIZZY COARSE HAIR
The diameter of coarse hair is the largest of all textures, which makes it more prone to moisture evaporation and dry ends. The best products to use are those that are labelled as ‘re-moisturizing’, ‘moisturizing’ or ‘smoothing’ and those that tame frizz.
SHAMPOOING
If you have coarse hair you may be reluctant to wash your hair more than a couple of times a week, as it can be difficult to style. However, frequent shampooing is recommended for all hair textures as it promotes the optimum scalp environment for hair growth and also keeps your hair in good condition! It is in fact water, not oil content that keeps your hair supple and moisturised.
STYLING CURLY & FRIZZY COARSE HAIR
Individuals with coarse hair tend to straighten their hair more often than other hair types, as it can be frizzy and very time-consuming to style. However, frequent or incorrect heat processing can be extremely damaging and so you need to use styling products that help protect your hair.
While there are many ones available on the market, make sure to choose one that doesn’t contain too much silicone. Preferably it should not be listed in the first 3 ingredients, and definitely not the first 2. While the correct formulation containing the right amount of silicones can be wonderful, heat styling with a product that is too silicone heavy, or using too much of the product, can cause something we call ‘silicone burn’ – a nasty brittleness and dullness of the hair that can be even more annoying than frizz itself.
Due to coarse hairs’ propensity towards dryness, we recommend you use a pre-shampoo conditioner once to twice a week. However, if you bleach or frequently heat process/straighten your hair this should be done twice weekly to reduce associated damage and breakage.