It's now common knowledge that spacing out your shampoos is a good idea for healthier hair. However, some habits remain firmly rooted in your routine, such as washing your hair every day. Why should you avoid it? How can you successfully adopt a new hair routine without flinching? And what tips and tricks do you have to keep up your efforts over the long term? We've put together a survival guide for you.
Washing your hair every day isn't ideal!
Do you know why you wash your hair? The question may seem trivial, but it's worth clarifying. The scalp's sebaceous glands naturally produce natural oils, which accumulate day after day at the base of the scalp and are gradually responsible for adipose build-up.
Regular shampooing is essential to maintain optimal natural oils production and to cleanse lengths. Shampoo contains surfactants which, in contact with water, cleanse the scalp and hair of impurities. The action is therefore beneficial... provided you don't overdo it! Over-washing your hair can have the opposite effect to that initially intended: it can lead to dehydration, dryness, itching and even gradual regreasing! As with any good life precept, it's all a question of balance.
So when should you wash your hair?
It's important to ask yourself why you should wash your hair: is your scalp greasy too quickly? Is your dandruff and flaking too severe? Each type of hair needs its own washing frequency, but also the right care products.
Normal hair will be delighted to learn that it's the easiest to maintain! Count on two shampoos a week, followed by a moisturizing treatment from time to time.
Dry, moisture-deprived hair requires one or two shampoos a week, systematically followed by a moisturizing conditioner containing essential fatty acids. Follow with a leave-in treatment such as a nourishing balm or hair oil, and a repairing mask once a week.
Frizzy hair, on the other hand, produces less natural oils than it needs. To make up for this shortfall, wash your hair once or twice a week, using specific care products. In your case, conditioner and a nourishing mask are essential - note that products enriched with coconut or avocado oils are recommended here.
Finally, oily hair needs to be washed more regularly - but with at least one or two days between shampoos. The sebaceous glands of this type of scalp produce too many natural oils, so turn to products based on purifying plants or zinc pyrithione for its antifungal and antibacterial properties. Also check that your shampoo is gentle, pH-neutral and correctly balances capillary flora.
Even if you wash your hair at the right frequency and use the right shampooing techniques, your hair may not follow your routine. That's why it's so important to regularly take stock of your hair's health. Your hair's nature, and therefore its needs, can change with the seasons. What's more, diet and lifestyle play a major role in hair composition. As with our skin, an excessively oily diet can lead to overproduction of natural oils due to the excess fat absorbed. Conversely, a diet too low in nutrients will cause hair loss and impoverish the fiber, making your hair dry and brittle.
The infallible trick to space out your shampoos: the boar bristles brush
Without going so far as to try a month-long cure of natural oils , there are a few simple first tricks you can adopt to start your new washing routine. In addition to buying the right hair care products, spacing out your shampoos is easier when you brush your hair properly every day. Your best ally for this is the boar bristles brush.
It's as simple as that: a good brushing ritual keeps your hair cleaner for longer between shampoos. And why is that? Because quality boar bristles brushes - for example, the Altesse Prestige brush or the Altesse Beauté care brush - have the unique ability to rid your hair of impurities accumulated over the course of the day, such as environmental particles, dust and other fine debris. The brush naturally performs this "cleansing" action when you wash your hair, with the added feature of nourishing your hair, distributing the natural oils from root to tip.
All in all, the power of this multi-tasking brush will save you precious minutes in the shower in the morning, save you money on hair care products in the long term, and leave your hair radiantly beautiful - all naturally!