8 tips for washing your hair properly

Because men and women alike spend so much time on their hair, it makes sense to give it the best care. Here are 8 tips for washing your hair properly to keep your tresses shiny and healthy.

Wrap wet hair gently in a towel and let the cotton absorb the moisture for a few minutes instead of rubbing. This helps to prevent split ends.

Check the drain after each shower for the amount of hair. The typical person loses between 50 and 200 hairs a day (out of 80,000 to 120,000 hairs on the head). So it's normal to have a very small clump of hair left in the drain after washing.

• If that amount starts to increase, see your doctor about it. It could mean your scalp has an infection, that baldness is beginning to set in or, more rarely, that you have a nutritional deficiency.

Transform ordinary shampoo into a herbal experience by mixing in a few drops of essential oils.

• Dilute a 250-millilitre bottle of shampoo by half with water and add 20 drops of essential oil of lavender.

Bathe your hair in botanical oils. Available at health-food stores, olive, jojoba and sweet almond oils are all wonderful hair elixirs.

• If your hair is thick and heavy, coconut oil works wonders.
• Dampen your hair and apply small amounts of the botanical oil until your hair is thoroughly covered.
• Cover with a shower cap and warm towel for half an hour, then rinse and shampoo as usual.

Shampoo grey hair every day with a blue-coloured shampoo. By the very nature of its light colour, grey hair gets duller, dirtier and drier than darker shades, which is why it's so important to shampoo and condition it daily.

• The bluish shampoo helps to hide any yellowish tinge, which can be aging.

To reduce damage to your tresses and add bounce to your hairdo, dry your hair until 90 per cent of the moisture is removed, then stop.

• Most people falsely believe they must use a hairdryer until their hair is bone dry. Not true. The style should fall into place if your hair is healthy and well cut.

If you usually wear your hair in a ponytail, take it out for a few hours a day to give your hair a break. Also, try not to pull hair back too tightly. And never sleep with any sort of accessories in your hair.

Ironically, harsh shampoos can actually lead to more oil because your scalp tries to compensate.

• Use a shampoo that's gentle enough for everyday use.