Most people wash hair in the shower every day. Unfortunately, few of us know the right way to do it. As a result of using the wrong hair care routine, your hair may look lackluster, have lots of split ends and exhibit minimal growth. You may want to change this but have no idea where to start. 

Well, changing hair products is not a complete solution. The right thing to do is to start taking proper care of your hair from scratch. You can start by adopting the correct hair washing regimen. Since you cannot do things right without knowing where you go wrong, here are a few ways you destroy hair in the shower that you need to stop to encourage healthy hair growth.

Different ways you damage your hair in the shower

1.Using shampoo every day

Many shampoos are made to strip away dirt and grime from your hair and scalp. They can be harsh if used daily and will strip your scalp and hair of its natural oils. Instead, wash your hair at most twice a week to preserve its natural oils and keep it from breaking or looking dull.

2.Too much conditioner

Using a conditioner is a good thing to do after shampooing hair. However, sometimes we go overboard by lathering too much conditioner into our hair. Although it makes it feel soft and also helps in detangling, excessive conditioner will be a problem during styling. It weighs down the hair and can also clog your pores. So too much conditioner is a no-go zone if you want to have great hair.

3.Hot water

We know there is nothing better after a tiring day than a hot steamy shower under your shower panel. Although they feel good for the body, they are not great for hair. Hot water, just like excessive shampooing, will strip the hair of its natural oils. It also weakens the hair cuticles and may harm your scalp if it is tender. Instead of using hot water to wash your hair in the shower, opt for lukewarm water.

4.Hard water

The quality of water you wash your hair with will affect its growth and texture. If your water is hard, then it will damage your hair. Hard water is water with a lot of mineral content. It’s hard to lather shampoo on hair when using hard water. Also when you use it to wash hair, it strips away moisture and oils and leaves your hair rough and tangled. You will notice that after using hard water on your hair, it becomes difficult to manage. It will also stunt your hair growth and even retard it by causing breakage and scalp irritation. So stay away from hard water if you want to have soft, healthy, and manageable hair.

5.Rough scrub

Many people handle their hair roughly in the shower and even afterward while drying and styling it. You don’t scrub, pull and wring your hair if you want to keep it soft and beautiful. Instead, you should treat your hair and scalp gently. No wringing out water like you do with clothes, and no scrubbing the scalp or detangling hair carelessly. Otherwise, a lot of your hair will go down the drain and stick onto your comb or brush leaving you with no volume and lots of split ends.

6.Brushing wet hair

Part of the hair washing regimen for most people when in the shower is to brush the hair. It’s a misconception that it will be easier to comb or brush if you do it when it is wet. Most people with thick hair do this also to detangle it. Brushing wet hair is one of the worst things you can do to your mane. It will break your hair cuticles and cause a lot of split ends. So save this step for the pre-shampoo stage instead.

These are a few things you should not do to hair in the shower. There is a correct way to wash hair, and it ensures that your hair stays healthy. Try to learn it and incorporate it into your hair care routine to maintain great hair.

 6 right way to wash hair in the shower

Now that you know what not to do to your hair when washing it, here is the correct way to wash hair in the shower.

1. Get the right hair products

Choose a shampoo and conditioner that does not contain harmful ingredients such as sulfates, parabens, and alcohol among others. Go for natural hair products made of ingredients that will strengthen, protect and moisturize your hair. Some good ingredients are shea butter, coconut oil, argan oil, olive oil and tea tree oil among others. Buy a good leave in conditioner that can also double as a hair moisturizer so you can use it every other day whether you wash your hair or not. Leave in conditioners help to keep your hair soft and manageable at all times.

Also get the right combs and brushes for your hair. Have a wide tooth comb to detangle hair before washing or during styling and get brushes with bristles that are easy on your hair to avoid excessive breakage.

2.Detangle hair

Before you wash your hair, wet it with a mixture of conditioner, your favorite oil such as olive oil, and water. It will soften your hair so that you can detangle it and brush it properly before washing. Its advisable to brush and detangle hair before washing to prevent breakage. Using this spritz treatment is also a way of pre-pooing your hair to ensure that shampoo does not strip it of all its natural oils.

3.Wet and shampoo the hair

Once you are sure your hair is tangle free, then wet it. Use only warm water to wet your hair in the shower. Ensure your hair is wet by soaking it with the warm water thoroughly. It will open the pores so that you don’t have to use a lot of shampoos. Use as little shampoo as possible. It should be just enough to cover your scalp, and then you let the suds flow down your hair strand, and they will get clean that way. You can shampoo again if you feel the first time did not get your hair and scalp clean. Massage your scalp during the wash to stimulate circulation and also dislodge any tough dirt.

4.Condition your hair 

Follow up the shampoo process by using a good conditioner. Only apply hair conditioner to your hair ends. Make sure it covers all your hair strands, let it sit for a bit, then rinse it out. You can follow up with a healthy hair mask to add more moisture to your hair and strengthen it if needed. Rinse off the hair mask and conditioner afterward and then pat your hair dry. Good hair conditioners and mask contain ingredients such as shea butter, argan oil, honey, coconut oil and aloe vera among others.

5.Drying the hair

Always use a soft towel made of microfiber to dry your hair. You don’t have to scrub your scalp or wring your hair as it will break the hair cuticles. Instead, pat it dry and wrap it with the towel to absorb any extra moisture. you can then apply a leave-in conditioner and your favorite hair oil, and style the hair as needed.

6.Extra treatments for great hair

Apart from proper care of hair in the shower, there are other things you can do to encourage healthy hair growth.

These are:

1.Home hair steam treatment

Steaming hair can help make it soft and easy to manage. The steam helps the hair cuticles to expand so that they can absorb moisture and product. You can use hair treatment on your hair during steaming. It should be a product that will moisturize and strengthen your hair cuticles. Using a deep conditioning treatment when hair steaming is a great way to strengthen hair and keep it soft and moist. You should steam your hair at least twice a month and use strengthening or moisturizing hair treatments for excellent results.

2.Clarifying Wash

We expose our hair to a lot of oils, treatments, and products in a bid to take care of it. Once in while we even use hard water on our hair. The result is that your scalp and hair cuticles can get clogged. Just like you exfoliate your skin, it’s a good idea to use a clarifying treatment or hair products to clear product residue from your scalp and hair cuticles. Do a clarifying hair treatment at least once every six weeks to ensure your hair and scalp remain clear of product build up.

3.Trim hair

You can trim your hair at home or in the salon. Cutting dead hair ends helps its to grow strong and also gets rid of any split end. It also strengthens the end to reduce splitting in the future. Trim your hair ends once every six weeks for healthy hair growth.

These are a few dos and don’ts on how to wash hair in the shower and a little extra information you can use to take care of your hair better. Hair is fragile and needs a lot of attention to ensure it grows healthy and long. Follow these tips, and you will see a significant improvement in your hair length, texture, and appearance.