Have You Ever Stopped to Really Think About What you are Actually Doing When you Shampooing your Hair?_
Have you ever stopped to really think about what you are actually doing when you shampooing your hair? What are you using? Where are you using it and when do you use it? I have seen many heads of hair in my chair in the past 30 years and I will tell you that the individuals that shampoo less often had a noticeably different appearance. Their hair is softer, shinier and way more manageable than those who like to frequently bathe their hair. Not only does their hair appear better it actually behaves and styles much better. Who would not want this for themselves? Is not the goal to cultivate and grow the healthiest head of hair? We are in a time where hairstyles are so vast meaning no longer do we produce one look and simply wear it. It is so on-trend and current to be with many options when it comes to your hair. Women and men today like the option of different looks offered from styling techniques. You're not wearing the same set of clothes every day and in a 5 day work week, you will most likely have sported 5 looks with the weekend having you perhaps more relaxed or more daring, depending on your weekend activities. It only makes sense that our hair reflects this as well and what better way than to simply restyle it or as a dear friend of mine in the business refers to it "re-purpose your hairstyle”. This is just one more supportive ideal that lends itself to the many reasons why you really only need to shampoo once maybe twice a week. As we get into that conversation lets first begin with understanding why so many people grab the shampoo every time they are in the shower. Let’s go back to 1965 and on Madison Ave in NYC the famous British hairdresser Vidal Sassoon opened his first NYC salon. A year prior to this he made famous a one length hair cut called the “Bob” and still today it is worn by many and considered to be very fashionable. This was the beginning of wash and wear hair. This new way of styling hair was about to change the entire landscape of how everyone cared for their hair. Up to this point, women would frequent the salon weekly to have their hair shampooed and styled. Only once a week did you shampoo. This new wash and wear style was about to change how everyone thought about their hair and what they did to care for their hair. Now you simply shampoo and blow-dry your hair almost daily as after sleeping with this you need to start fresh each morning and so the routine began. If we look back at the '70s and ’80s and even up to now we can see how everyone was influenced to shampoo their hair and do this daily. Not until recently did we start to pay attention to this act of frequent bathing. Having said this let’s now think about why we actually shampoo. What is the intention of shampooing anyway? The shampoo is designed to remove dirt and debris from the hair and it also aids in the removal of sebum from the scalp. Often times sebum will trap sweat at the scalp and once this happens hair is usually limp and without any volume. Here in itself is a problem and because of this people find themselves shampooing their hair daily. As you shampoo daily and strip the hair of the sebum the body starts to overproduce sebum in order to protect itself. The end result is an oily scalp. Don’t worry if you find yourself resembling this it can be undone and you can return to the normal production of sebum at the scalp. I have found that shampoos that are gentle help to aid with this situation. Because the scalp is skin that is covered with hair we have a tendency to forget to treat it like skin. Once this way of thinking is changed we can obtain much more desirable results. Honestly, you only need to shampoo the scalp to rid it of the sweat, perspiration, and sebum that is trapped there. If you're using water-soluble products and it would behoove you to do so, then, you shouldn’t need to shampoo so often. Rule 1 Shampoo the scalp and condition the hair. I have seen time and time again how much better hair appears when you begin to treat it with the love and respect it deserves and by using premium products. It not only looks better it also behaves much better and hairstyles have a tendency to last longer. Feel free to condition your hair every day if you like there is no harm done there. Make certain that your cleansing your scalp with a premium shampoo. You don’t want to strip the hair of essential nutrients that help to condition and protect your hair. This one decision to shampoo your hair less will help to offset many of the challenges your hair now incurs. On the days that you do shampoo, I recommend you use NEO Powder a water-activated shampoo. Because it contains no water it is a gentle formula containing no preservatives, sequestering agents and microbes. I ask you this very important question, why do you need water in your shampoo when you are getting into a shower and there is an abundance of water there? NEO Powder is a new and modern way to shampoo your scalp and is designed to improve and elevate your shampooing experience.