shampoo

We all want hair that looks and feels healthy, whether that means glossy waves, bouncy curls or sleek and smooth strands.

In an industry worth £5.8bn in the UK, there are endless products, trends and TikTok hacks flying around which makes it’s easy to lose sight of the basics.

The truth is, healthy hair isn’t about spending a fortune or following complicated routines, it’s about getting the simple stuff right.

Trichologists Eva Proudman from UK Hair Consultants and Tracey Walker from Hair and Scalp Clinic, bust four common myths about how to look after your hair.

Ever shivered your way through an icy shower just for the sake of shinier hair?

Well luckily you can stop doing that and enjoy a warm and comfortable wash as Proudman says cold water doesn’t add any extra shine to your hair.

“There’s no need to wash your hair in freezing cold water as it does nothing,” she says. “What’s much more important is how you protect your hair from chemicals, heat and the environment you’re in.

She does add that you don’t want to wash you hair in too hot water though as it can dehydrate your hair and can scald the scalp in the same way hot water scalds our skin.

If you’re someone who hopes to fix their split ends without a visit to the hairdressers, you’ll be disappointed to know a haircut is the only solution.

Proudman explains a split end is similar to a ladder in tights – there’s simply no way to mend it.

Walker says: “If you imagine a hair is fracturing and if you look at it under the microscope, it almost looks like there’s two or three more prongs to the hair.

“Products on the market act as a kind of glue which puts the hair back together again so it looks better.”

She says these are temporary fixes, and warns not to get lulled into spending a lot of money on products which promise a solution.

Proudman also says claims that cutting your hair can make it grow faster are untrue.

“It’s just not possible to make your hair grow quicker so any product claiming that is lying.”

You may well have met someone who swears they’ve managed to train their hair to “self-clean” allowing them to wash it infrequently or not at all.

But Proudman says doing this is absolutely not good for your hair. “Your scalp has 180,000 oil glands and it collects dirt and debris if it’s not regularly washed.”

Walker agrees and likens it to the fact you can’t remove an oily or dirty mark from clothes with just water, you need detergent too.

Not washing your hair regularly can cause a smell as well as a worsening of scalp conditions such as dandruff, she says because “leaving the hair to become oilier can let yeast and bacteria build, making itchy scalp conditions worse”.

Proudman recommends washing your hair every other day if your hair is very oily or you use a lot of product in it.

Laura Waters, Professor of Pharmaceutical Analysis at University of Huddersfield, says while those with very oily hair might benefit from stronger cleansing, people with drier hair could consider a sulfate-free shampoo which is more expensive but won’t strip oil out of it.

Finding time for a full wash, blow-dry and style isn’t always realistic so between work, workouts and social plans, many of us reach for dry shampoo as a quick fix to revive greasy roots and refresh our hair without hopping in the shower.

Proudman says dry shampoo is “absolutely fine”, but that it should be used only once between hair washes.

The problem arises when you use it for multiple days in a row without washing it out.

“The natural oil of the scalp sinks into the shampoo and the yeast will feed on the build up,” Proudman says.

“If you’re not careful you’ll get an itchy and flaky scalp.”

Ultimately her advice is to focus on looking after your scalp in the same way you look after your face – you wouldn’t keep piling makeup onto your skin without removing what’s underneath and washing it first.

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