It’s a strange time as I’m writing this. Most of us are under shelter-in-place orders due to COVID-19. We’re working from home, or some of us aren’t working at all. We aren’t able to visit the salon until further notice. I think this is a good time to address improving your hair’s condition. Give your locks a little extra love and ease up on the styling, especially if you don’t have a video conference to go to.
Here are fourteen of my favorite techniques to improve your hair condition, whether you’re staying home or not. Try several or all of them while you’re able to focus on the health of your hair and less about how it’s looking in the moment. Once you get the hang of them, you’ll be able to keep up your hair self-care routine when things eventually go back to whatever the new normal is.
1. Wash your hair in cooler water
Cool water helps to close the hair’s cuticle layer, adding shine and smoothness to the strands. Even if you wash in warm water, it’s better than washing in hot. Turn the temperature down as much as you can stand, then turn it down just a little bit more for your final rinse.
2. Deep condition weekly at home
Give your hair the extra care it needs after regular styling and coloring. Treat your hair to a deep conditioner suited to your hair’s specific needs.
Shampoo, towel dry, then apply your mask liberally to your ends and work up, staying slightly off the scalp area. Allow to sit for the recommended time. If you have extra time, wrap your hair in a shower curtain or microfiber towel and allow the mask to sit twice as long as recommended. Rinse thoroughly in cool water, towel dry, then immediately spray in a leave-in conditioner to lock in moisture. Detangle from the bottom up, and air dry if you have the time.
3. Ease up on the heat styling
Even if you’ve got a video conference, you can practice a few no-heat styles. Braids take second-day hair to the next level, keeping you neat and in place.
Sock curls can be done the night before a meeting to give you soft curls with light definition. On days that you wash, comb your hair in the shower with conditioner on and air dry with an air-dry styling product to minimize frizz. Let your hair dry 80% (looks dry but still feels damp) and then set your hair on soft rollers or a long sock to finish drying. This could take a few hours, so check occasionally but roll the hair back up if it’s still feeling cool to the touch. After completely drying, drop down the curls and break them up with your fingers.
4. Go gentle with your hair color processes
Most of us don’t have much of a choice about this right now since the salons are all closed. First thing is first: think really hard about whether or not you want to color your own hair at home. Usually, it’s not worth it. Your stylist has the ability to formulate for your specific tone, varying developer and strength of product depending on the result you’re after. They may choose demi- or semi-permanent color to suit your needs. Most box color comes only in permanent varieties with 20 volume developer. This is a catch-all product that is designed to lift and deposit. That means the cuticle is opened, the internal melanin is broken down, and permanent color molecules oxidize within the hair strand. Box color is notoriously hard to remove, and your next salon appointment could turn out to be a costly corrective color service to fix what you did at home.
At-home lightener is even riskier, especially if you have previously lightened hair. You risk heavily damaging your hair and even breaking it off if you overlap the lightener onto previously lifted strands. That and your application can be uneven, especially in the areas you can’t see well. This creates splotchiness, and an overall mess for your stylist when you return.
Even if you are in the salon, chemical services dictate a lot of the condition of your hair. Even demi-permanent color can create damage if it’s been pulled through the ends every time. The less damaging the formula, the healthier the hair will be. If you’re highlighting or lightening your hair and it’s feeling rough or damaged, maybe it’s time to choose a more gentle color for the health of your hair.
5. Use microfiber towels for drying
Terry cloth towels are notoriously rough on your hair. Great for drying the body but not so great for your hair. Plus, most people wrap their hair in the towel and flip it back, creating stress and too much tension on hair that is already stretched from being wet. This can snap hairs around your hairline, creating frizz and breakage.
Instead, opt for a microfiber towel. Wrap the towel around your hair and squeeze without twisting. Start near your scalp and then work the moisture down the length of your hair toward your ends. Don’t rough up the strands, which could cause the cuticle of your hair to lift and create tangles.
If you must twist up your hair to remove moisture, use a microfiber turban towel. Bend forward, placing the largest part of the turban over the back of your head. Tuck your hair into the long point of the towel. Twist once, then flip the tail of the towel up. There is usually an elastic at the back of the head to secure the twisted towel. Wear your hair in the turban until most of the moisture is absorbed, then take it down gently by reversing the order that you put it on.
6. Take down your ponytail or messy bun
Get that elastic band out of your hair for a while! Tying your hair back, especially tightly, can create breakage at the ponytail holder. You’re better off learning a simple braid for long hair, which will pull your hair out of your face while using less localized tension near the hair tie. I finish my braids as close to my ends as possible. My hair is fine, so I use the little soft fluffy elastics you can get for baby girl hair. If you have very thick hair, you could use a scrunchy.
If you are going to wear your hair in a ponytail or bun, try moving it around to different locations on your head. Do your best not to wear your hair up in the same spot every single day. Opt for a low side ponytail or bun, or just opt to wear it down.
7. Braid long hair while you sleep
Instead of sleeping with your hair loose or in a ponytail or bun, learn to french or dutch braid your long hair to wear when you sleep. Even a simple 3 strand braid is great for keeping your hair out of your face and prevent it from rubbing on the pillowcase and creating roughness. For added smoothness, wrap your hair in a silk scarf before you turn in for the night.
8. Air dry when you can
Depending on the thickness and density of your hair, air-drying can be a source of relief from heat styling. If your hair strands are medium to fine and your hair density is medium to thin, you’re a good candidate for air drying. Thick, coarse hair is not usually recommended for air drying because of the amount of time the hair spends wet. But even if you can air dry part of the time, then fully dry it the rest of the way, you’re saving a little damage.
If you do have to blow dry your hair, turn up the power and turn down the heat. Use a blow dryer that moves a lot of air, and use it on the low setting. This may take you a few extra minutes, but the lower the heat the smoother your hair cuticle will be too.
9. Use clips that don’t pull and break your hair
Clips and barrettes can be efficient ways to keep growing-out fringe out of your face or secure loose strands when you put your hair up. Just make sure you’re not putting your clip in the same place every time.
Evaluate the quality of your clips. Check for sharp edges. Check that the tension is spread evenly over the clip. Make sure it’s supported by enough hair for its size and weight. If you have a heavy clip that is holding a small amount of hair, the clip may snap those strands.
Clips and barrettes can extend the number of days you can go without washing your hair by twisting sections and clipping them away, and distracting the eye from flat or slightly oily hair.
10. Get in-salon treatments at least every 8-10 weeks
I understand that this tip is less relevant now as I’m writing it, but it will come back into play once the salons have reopened. Until then, keep up on your at-home deep conditioning treatments.
When you can get back to the salon, make sure to ask your stylist for hair treatments that are designed specifically for your hair’s needs. They will recommend hydrating treatments for dry hair, reparative treatments for damaged hair, and bonding treatments for hair with internal weakness.
My favorite way to schedule a hair treatment for my guests is to pair it with a scalp treatment. We scalp brush and use a light treatment oil on the scalp, then shampoo, rinse, and treat the hair. Some treatments require conditioner after, some do not. Your hair will feel softer, stronger, and less tangly. Maintain the benefits by asking your stylist for at-home treatment recommendations.
11. Use professional shampoo, conditioner, and hair products
Your hair is only as good as the quality of cleansing and conditioning ingredients you use. Many drugstore brands are designed to be less expensive and therefore use lower quality ingredients. Some are designed to work with colored hair, but most are not. Conditioner molecules are often not small enough to go into the cuticle and penetrate the strand, so they leave buildup behind on the exterior of the hair. Non-professional hair styling products are often heavy, leave buildup, and often use ingredients that are drying on the hair.
Especially if you do color, invest in a professional shampoo, conditioner, and styling products. It doesn’t make any sense to spend hundreds of dollars on your hair color and then use low-quality products to care for it. Think of that professional shampoo and conditioner as your insurance policy.
12. Get regular haircuts to manage split ends
It seems counter-intuitive to think that cutting your hair could help keep it looking better, longer. But when you don’t manage split, breaking ends, they have a tendency to continue breaking up the strand. Keep your lengths healthy by snipping off broken, brittle ends regularly. Your hairstylist will tell you how often they think this is necessary for your specific hair, but you can figure on cutting your hair every 8-12 weeks on average. Shorter styles may need more maintenance to keep their shape.
13. Wear a hat in the sun and wind
Do you hike, walk, or run outside a lot? Lay out by the pool? Garden? These activities all leave your hair exposed to sun and wind damage. Wear a hat if you’re outdoors for more than just a few minutes. If your hair is long, pin your hair with just a few pins into a loose, flat bun on top of your head. Place your hat over the bun and you’re ready to go.
Bandanas and extra-wide headbands are also great for protecting your hair. Make sure you’re not pulling on your strands, and tuck any exposed hair in.
14. Use a silk pillowcase
At night, friction is one of the biggest sources of damage, frizz, and tangles. Over the years I’ve seen a lot of people come into the salon with breakage, frizz, and even matted strands near the nape of their neck. This happens because when we sweat, we open the cuticle of the hair. Friction between our heads and the pillowcases from moving around in bed locks the open cuticle of multiple strands together. If left unkempt for even one day without brushing out, the problem can compound itself. Damaged hair is prone to breakage against a regular pillowcase.
While you can substitute a satin pillowcase, for example, if you’re vegan or if you have price constraints with silk, you’re going to get your best results from silk. Real silk will absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture, keeping your strands dry and frizz-free. This is especially beneficial if you have curly hair. Plus, silk is delightful to sleep on and is great for your skin too.
I know in times like these that self-care can feel a little challenging. However, taking care of your hair is a practice that will benefit you forever. A few minutes a day of hair care will go a long way.
I wish you healthy bodies, healthy families and healthy hair. Take care of yourself and each other.
