Shampooing and Conditioning your hair at home

I think I always thought that everyone automatically knows how to do this properly. Recently, one of my clients really surprised me when we started talking about her home maintenance routine, and she was telling me that the conditioner I recommended her was weighing her hair down and she felt it was still dirty afterwards. Because I knew what I recommended was exactly what she needed, (she is overprocessed and I have her on a restructuring line) I started asking her questions about how she washes and conditions her hair. We found out that is what her problem was. Here is how to duplicate a salon shampoo and condition at home:

1) start with the best products for your hair. if you don't already have them, ask your stylist to recommend some for you. the better the products work with your hair type and condition, the better your end result will be.

2) wet your hair THOROUGHLY. don't just dampen it. if you have thicker hair, you will find that you need to part the back of your hair with your fingers to get the water to really hit your roots.

3) shampoo: concentrate on roots. conditioner: concentrate on ends. when you shampoo, really SCRUB your head. again, part your hair with your hands where you are thicker so you can really get in there. for most people, washing only once is not enough. lather, rinse, repeat. :) rinse your hair well after the second shampoo.

4) squeeze out all excess water before conditioning. if you are doing a treatment or deep conditioner, use a towel to get all extra water out of the hair.

5) apply your conditioner to your hands, rub them together to spread the conditioner on both of your hands, and start from the bottom of your hair, working your way up. NEVER apply conditioner to your roots or scalp. you can work your way up to the top of your hair, (near your roots) but you just have much less conditioner on your hands when you get to that point. using a wide toothed comb, (never a small one or a brush...yikes!!) you can comb the conditioner through, or you can manipulate it with your hands. again, start at the ends and work your way higher.

6) for the final rinse, rinse longer than you think you should. part your hair with your hands and let the water beat onto your scalp, scrub your scalp to remove any residue. if your hair doesn't feel clean, it isn't. it should feel soft from conditioner, but not slimy.

we often find gals that come in that think they have dandruff, or may have some flaking. the truth is, most of those women are actually not rinsing their hair enough, and that is shampoo residue that is building up on their scalp and flaking off.

on another note, you should always feel like you are getting a thorough shampoo at a salon. if you're not, (if your stylist doesn't scrub an area of your head well enough, like the nape or crown, or they don't rinse you well enough) speak up! all of us want our guests' heads squeaky clean. some of us are hesitant when it comes to pressure, and sometimes if you lean back into the shampoo bowl a certain way, part of your hairline rests under the bowl and it doesn't get as clean. we will readjust you if we need to, and we want you to be 100% happy. :)

Take care of your hair! :)