How to take care of normal hair
Looking for tips on how to take care of your normal hair? Consider your search complete. Read on for expert-approved advice to keep your normal hair looking and feeling its best!
Think about your skin care routine. Chances are you’ve identified your skin type and (hopefully!) follow a regimen that’s tailored with it in mind. The same sort of thing applies to your hair care. In order to achieve the best possible results, it’s important to identify your hair type—normal, oily, dry, or combination hair—first.
Let’s just say you have normal hair. (It’s probably a good assumption if you’ve made it this far in the story, but I digress.) Normal hair is often characterized by a healthy amount of hair shine that’s not quite oily. It’s typically soft to the touch and easy to manage. In fact, some would say it’s quite lucky to have this hair type. While normal hair types may have won the easy-to-care-for-hair lottery, they’re not completely off the hook. Without consistent hair care, maintenance and follow through on good hair care habits, they too can experience woes often associated with other hair types, including hair frizz, hair moisture loss, and excess hair volume. Ahead, we share tips on how to take care of normal hair…the right way.
1. SHAMPOO HAIR SPARINGLY
Traditional shampoos can strip the hair of moisture, especially when used too often. Instead of lathering up every day, stick to a schedule of two to three times per week. Since normal hair is typically not prone to excess grease the way oily hair is, this should pose no issue.
2. CONDITION YOUR HAIR
After shampooing, be sure to apply conditioner to your hair strands to help reintroduce any lost moisture, and increase hair shine and softness. Bonus points if you use a conditioner from the same range as your shampoo. Just make sure to rinse out any shampoo and/or conditioner residue thoroughly.
3. APPLY A WEEKLY HAIR MASK
With all the aggressors your hair can come in contact with daily—think: pollution, UV rays, chlorinated water, excessive styling—we recommend giving your strands a little extra TLC every now and again. To help improve the overall quality of your hair and address specific concerns, think about using a hair mask. Hair masks are easy to use, take very little time, and can be worn while multi-tasking. Win-win-win.
4. TAME FLYAWAYS AND FRIZZY HAIR
Just because your hair is normal, doesn’t mean it’s immune to bad hair days, unwanted frizzy, or flyaway hairs. As a recap, frizzy hair is caused by a loss of moisture in strands. To help keep hair frizz at bay (especially on extra humid days!), hydrate your hair so as not to seek moisture from the air around it. If you’re in a pinch, reach for a hair oil or hair serum that can tame frizzy and flyaway hair immediately.
5. BE GENTLE WHEN BRUSHING HAIR
Forget what you may have heard. You don’t have to brush your hair strands 100 times a day for perfect hair. In fact, you’ll probably be best served not to. Unless your hair is curly, brush your hair when it’s dry. Hair that’s wet and filled with moisture is more fragile than hair that’s dry, which can result in hair breakage and snapping when brushed. Also, be gentle! Start a few inches off the bottom and slowly work your way up the strand in small sections using short strokes. Removing hair tangles this way is much more efficient at keeping unwanted hair damage at bay.
6. GET REGULAR HAIR TRIMS
The easiest way to remove split ends is to get—yup, you guessed it!—regular hair trims. Visit your hairdresser for a trim every six to eight weeks. The longer you wait, the more hair damage can ensue as the split travels further and further up your hair shaft.
7. LET HAIR DRY NATURALLY
Are blow-dryers, curling irons, and flat irons staple tools in your hair styling routine? Perhaps it’s time to reconsider. Excess heat can wreak havoc on your hair, especially when used daily. We recommend dialing back on your use of hot styling tools in favor of air-drying. If you don’t want to leave the house with hair that’s sopping (we don’t blame you), use a microfiber towel to get as much water out of your hair as possible. If you absolutely must use these hair tools, apply a heat protectant product and use the device on the lowest temperature setting.
