Basic Hair Care

      Let's take a look at the basics of caring for the hair. We'll discuss the proper ways to shampoo, condition, and dry the hair. Many of you are going to think that this is a completely unnecessary article. You're probably thinking, I know how to shampoo and condition my hair. I've been doing it for years. But dealing with clients that there are a large number of people who just seem to be mishandling their hair. This mishandling is having an effect on the hair that isn't beneficial.
 
     The view of a professional stylist who chooses not to work in a salon. offering services to clients who want or need the convenience of someone who can come to them. Because of this, traveling to clients' homes and giving them the same expert service that they would receive in a salon visit, allows a better opportunity to see how certain hair care functions are performed.
 
      Because the nature of my services allows me to command a higher rate for services, many of my clients prefer to take care of basic processes themselves. I'll arrive at the client's home, we'll discuss the service (haircut, roller set, perm, color, etc.) and I'll send them to the bathroom with products to shampoo and condition the hair (when appropriate) while I set up my equipment. They usually emerge with the hair still wet while they towel it dry.
 
      The products that are given them have been dispensed into translucent bottles, and people always ask to see the bottles after they've finished. This allows us to see how much of the product they use in a single shampooing and conditioning treatment. As often as not, they discuss the routine they use when washing their hair. Based on experience and the things clients do, a few things are common to many people. They are as follows:
 
      •  Most people use more shampoo than necessary when washing their hair.
      •  Most people are rougher than necessary in handling their hair during basic hair
         care processes like shampooing and conditioning (especially those with long
         hair).
      •  Many people (especially those with longer or thicker hair) don't rinse the hair
         well enough after shampooing or conditioning.
      •  Most people with short hair use too much conditioner.
      •  Most people with long hair use too little conditioner.
      •  Most people towel dry their hair in the roughest manner imaginable.
      •  Most people are unaware of the proper way to comb out towel-dried hair.
 
Clients tend to have a number of similar complaints about their hair. These are:
 
      •  My hair gets very knotty after shampooing and conditioning.
      •  My scalp gets itchy after I shampoo and condition my hair.
      •  My hair gets weaker as it grows longer. My shorter hair always looked healthy,
         but now that I'm growing it longer, it seems to break more easily.
      •  Using conditioner on my hair makes it oily.
      •  When I wash my hair it gets too dry, especially on the ends.
 
      Sure many of you can see the correlation between the complaints in the second list and the traits noted in the first list. It is amazing that as obvious as the relationships seem to be, few people ever see the connections between the ways they shampoo, condition and dry their hair and the complaints they have. This is because most people learn their hair care habits at an early age and don't think to make changes in the way they do things as they get older or their hair changes.