We all want to have strong, shiny, healthy hair, and can spend hundreds getting it cut, styled and coloured. However, these 10 seemingly harmless actions may be damaging your tresses – without you even knowing it. Scroll through to make sure you aren’t committing any of these hair sins!
Compiled by: Sarah Swee
Cover Photo: Pexels
When you toss and turn in you’re sleep, your hair rubs against your pillowcase. This creates friction on your hair strands, leaving them dry, brittle and susceptible to breakage.
Instead, opt for either a silk or satin pillowcase, or a high thread count cotton. These ultra-smooth fabrics do a much better job at retaining the natural moisture in your hair and won’t tangle or knot it when you’re asleep.
Applying heat directly to your hair will withdraw moisture and even crack the hair cuticle. However, we only tend to apply heat protection products to our hair when using heat-styling tools such as a flat iron and curling wand, looking over the fact that blow drying our hair falls under this category as well. Just because it’s not as hot, doesn’t mean you should skip this important hair-rescuing step.
If you don’t have time to let air dry naturally (who has?), look for hairdryers designed with technology to keep hair strong and shiny as it dries. And to be doubly sure, use an oil or spray protectant first.
Photo: Pixabay
We may want to achieve that post-hair wash, sleeked back, tangle-free look but this is the time when your hair is the most fragile and elastic. When you brush through wet hair, chances of over-pulling and breakage is very high.
Thank hair-vens this can be solved by using a wide-tooth comb (or even just your fingers) to comb through your hair after you’ve slopped on some leave-in conditioner.
Photo: Pixabay
Vitamin D is important but the Sun can reek havoc on your hair, especially if it’s been dyed – it’ll bring out that unwanted brassy tone.
It’s important to protect your hair with a UV protectant and bring back life to sun-parched hair by conditioning it.
Photo: Pixabay
Brushes are breeding grounds for germs and residue from products you use or from your natural hair oils. When your brushes or combs go too long without a wash, these transfer back to your hair…yikes!
All you need to do is consistently remove the hair that gets caught between the bristles after each use.
An extra step to take is to soak your brushes in baking soda (just a little will do) and water mix for a few minutes. Make sure to rinse thoroughly after! This helps to remove oils and kill bacteria stuck in between bristles.
Photo: Pixabay
Nozzles not only help to focus the air to maximise your drying, they also create a distance between the head of the hair dryer (where the hot metal prongs sit) and your hair. This prevents your hair from getting into direct contact and ending up as fried strands. Definitely not a situation you want to get yourself into!
Photo: Pixabay
Rough rubber bands/elastics, or even worse those infamous red rubber bands, can pull on your hair, causing fallout and breakage.
What you should be looking out for are smooth, fabric-covered, hair ties. A quick home fix is to cut out a thin ring from a leg of an old pair of nylon stockings!
Photo: Pixabay
You might want to reconsider your go-to pony tail or bun! When your hair is repeatedly pulled up in the same position, tension is placed at the origins of the hair strands, leading to weakened hair and even slight balding.
Fret not! Minimising tearing and shedding is as easy as switching up your hair style and hair parting ever so frequently.
Photo: Pexels
Split ends are like a plague. Although it might be fun to pick at them when you’re bored, the longer you wait to be rescued by your hairdresser, the more chance you’re giving them to divide and multiple in scale, resulting in weak and frazzled ends.
Book an appointment to snip off your split ends once every month or every other month at the latest to keep your hair looking fresh and healthy!
Photo: Pixabay
Just like how skincare is catered to different skin types, shampoos are made in such a large assortment to cater to different types of hair. If you’ve dyed your hair, grab a colour-care one. Or even if you have brittle hair, or oily hair, or a sensitive scalp, don’t stick to what your whole family used, find a shampoo that is appropriate for you.
What most people also miss out, is to incorporate a clarifying shampoo once a week into your hair routine. Just once though, otherwise you’ll risk stripping down too much.
Photo: FreeImages