The 10 Haircare Tips That Will Actually Transform Your Hair

An interviewer recently asked me if I could only share 10 hair care tips, the ones that people should prioritize the absolute most, what would they be? Which certainly got me thinking about Everything that I have tested and learned over the past several years and about what actually makes the biggest difference in a healthy hair routine. And I thought about that not only as a beauty creator who has tested hundreds of products at this point, but also as someone who has really struggled with my own scalp and hair health and also became so obsessed with understanding the science behind it that I decided to get my trichology certification somewhere along the way. So with all of that in mind, these are the 10 things that I I landed on that I would tell anyone who was trying to grow longer, stronger, healthier hair. And honestly, A few of them might surprise you. Let's dive in. Tip number one is clean your scalp and clean it well. For years, the hair care industry made us afraid of shampoos that actually do a good job of cleaning. We were told sulfates are too harsh and need to be avoided, that clarifying shampoos should only be used once a month max, and that if a shampoo cleans really well, that means that it's stripping your natural oils, disrupting your scalp microbiome, and causing damage Which is pretty ironic when you think about it because avoiding a thorough clean can actually cause the exact problems it claims to prevent. When oil, sweat, dead skin, and product build up on your scalp, it can lead to itching, flaking, irritation, and inflammation. And research demonstrates that over time, this can not only weaken your scalp barrier, but also compromise the quality of the new hair that is growing from it and in some cases Shaving cases even contribute to premature shedding. And buildup effects are lengths too. It can make our hair feel dry, stiff, frizzy, heavy, tangly, just kind of waxy and coated. So I cannot emphasize this enough, but using a shampoo that properly cleans is easily one of the most important parts of a healthy scalp and hair kit routine. And if you're wondering how to know if you're not cleaning well enough, There will be signs like your hair feeling heavy and coated even right after you wash it, your roots looking greasy or feeling itchy pretty quickly after washing, little flakes in your hair, or maybe all three of those things all at once, which is exactly what used to happen to me when I used to not clean well enough. And if you need some recommendations for shampoos that have stronger cleaning power than all of these extra gentle, extra clean options out there, these are my top favorites. And some are better suited for normal to dry scalps, while others are better for extra oily scalps. So I'll list some videos below that explain the differences between them if you need help deciding. And as for how often you should use shampoos like this, it really just depends on your scalp. Some people need a deeper clean every single wash to keep their scalp feeling clear and comfortable, while others might only need to do that once a week and that works great for them. Both are totally fine, as long as the shampoo that you're using is not too strong. using for the rest of your washes does a good enough job of cleaning too and as long as you feel like that cadence is also working for thoroughly removing buildup from your lengths. Which brings me to tip number two. Make sure to pay attention to the unique needs of your scalp versus your hair and treat them separately when necessary. This ties into tip number one because a lot of people have dry damaged ends that they want to treat with products that are Ultra conditioning. Oils, masks, creams. But if you have an oil- oily scalp or a scalp that is prone to issues like dandruff or seborrheic dermatitis, putting products that are super oily or heavy or conditioning directly onto your scalp can trigger or worsen a lot of those issues. That malassezia on our scalp thrives by feeding on lipids. So I think that the best approach to get the best results for both is to treat your scalp care and your hair care as two separate things. For your scalp, find shampoos, exfoliants, or serums that target your specific scalp concerns. And for your lengths, find conditioners, masks, leave-ins, or oils that treat your specific hair concerns. And yes, you can absolutely still use a shampoo that is meant to deliver benefits to your links as well. Like added shine or repair, but the point is really just to think about what your scalp needs that your ends don't and vice versa. Because if you don't, your scalp can very easily become neglected. Where I see this conflict the most is when someone has a super oily scalp and therefore needs a deep cleaning shampoo, but has lengths that are dry and damaged and needs a lot of repair and conditioning. But there are a couple things that you can try for this that can make a really big difference. Option number one is to use a deep cleaning shampoo. Shampoo and really max out on your conditioning products like applying oil to your lengths before washing, using hair masks that are deeply conditioning, opting for leave-in sprays that are thicker and creamier. You might feel like you get the results that you're looking for with just one of those things, but you also might not and feel like you need to combine more than one to really help to make sure that your hair is feeling softer and smoother and healthier. When my hair was really damaged, I needed to do all three. Option number two, which you could also So combined with option number one, or just try separately, is to use a reparative conditioning shampoo for your second cleanse. So you'd use your deep cleaning shampoo first, focused on your scalp, and then immediately follow that up with a reparative, more conditioning shampoo to make your hair feel softer and more manageable. And it works the other way too. If your scalp is dry and sensitive, but your hair is fine and weighed down easily, you'll want to use slightly gentler shampoos with ingredients that are meant to hydrate and Tip number three, do not underestimate the importance of being gentle. You could have the most amazing haircare routine with the best products in the world, but if you are not careful with your hair, you can still end up with serious breakage, especially if your hair is already damaged or fine in texture. I see this mistake all the time. all the time. people are using all the right products but they're also ripping through tangles, brushing aggressively when their hair is wet, being rough with hot styling brushes and using them on soaking wet hair, frequently sleeping with wet hair just worn down, wearing really tight hairstyles, and then wondering why their hair looks damaged and is breaking off. self-inflicted mechanical damage would be the reason why. and i say that with zero judgment by the way. i used to be guilty of making all of those exact Exact same mistakes. I think it's really easy to kind of mindlessly do some of those things and not really realize it. So the best thing that you can do is be as gentle as possible at all times, but especially when your hair is wet, because that's when it's most fragile and vulnerable. So for me personally, that looks like brushing my hair very slowly from the ends up, always pausing if I feel my brush starting to catch on a tangle, setting my brush down, using my fingers to loosen the tangle, Making sure that my hair is always coated in conditioning products so that there's plenty of slip for detangling. Gently squeezing water out of my hair with a microfiber towel instead of roughly rubbing a towel back and forth on my hair. Low drying my hair a little bit before going in with any sort of hot styling brush to make sure that I'm not using them on soaking wet hair. And being extremely gentle when I do use them. Going slow, avoiding tugging and pulling, stopping if I feel the brush catching and hair with my fingers from the brush, also sleeping with my hair fully dry and in loose protective styles, and avoiding any hairstyle that is pulled tightly as much as possible. Bottom line, anything that is Pulling or tugging on your hair, avoid it whenever you can. Tip number four, do not underestimate the importance of how you apply your hair care products. The way that you apply your hair products is almost as important as the products themselves. Okay, well, maybe I can't say that because if the product sucks, changing the way that you apply it isn't going to do much. But in general, the way that you apply your products can make a huge difference in the results that you get with them. And sometimes the reason that you're not getting the results that you want has nothing to do with the product that you're using and everything to do with how you're applying it. Like if you're just doing this with your shampoo for a few seconds, or this with your conditioner, or this with your leave-in, or this with your scalp serum, you're never gonna get the results that you're hoping for. I do already have an entire video where I walk through my specific application tips and tricks for every single step in my hair care routine. The one One exception is that scalp serums were not in that original video. So I have a separate video on scalp serum application and I will list both of them below But this is the most important takeaway as you are going through your haircare routine You should be thinking about applying every single product as evenly as possible Because any area of your scalp or your hair that the product doesn't touch is not getting any of the benefits of that product. Some of the most commonly missed areas are the bottom back area of your scalp while shampooing. It's harder to really get your shampoo down to your scalp in that spot if you're not intentionally thinking about it, but it's often where sweat and oil build up the most. So it can be really helpful to flip your head upside down in the shower and really think about massaging shampoo directly onto that area. Or if you want to stay standing up, At least lifting your hair up and away from that. So you can get down in there. Also, the underneath and in between layers of your hair with conditioners and hair masks and leave-in sprays, a lot of people just coat the outside layers of their hair or don't realize that when they're applying, let's say, a conditioner or a hair mask in the shower, it's only really depositing where their hands are first putting it down and then it's not traveling all the way to their ends, which can cause a lot of dryness and tangling because our ends are what need that conditioning the absolute most. So working in sections can make a huge difference and also making sure that you're going in with enough product to fully cover about like right underneath your chin all the way down to the ends. And then the last area that is really commonly missed is just your entire scalp with scalp serums. I often see people kind of just like dragging their scalp serum like that on the top of their head and calling it a day, but that makes it really easy for the serum to just kind of get Get stuck and sit on the top of your hair instead of actually getting down to your scalp where it needs to be because if it's not touching your scalp, it's not doing anything for you. But even when I do see people really getting the serum down to their scalp, I will also often see people making the mistake of just doing a couple dots on each side, which is not going to get anywhere close to covering all of your scalp. Even application is really one of the easiest ways to get better results from your routine and make your products work better for you without having to buy a single new thing. Tip number five, Pay attention to the signals that your scalp and hair are giving you, because the way that your scalp and hair feel, look, and behave can tell you a lot about what your routine might be missing or not doing well enough. For example, if your hair is constantly tangled and really difficult to brush through, you could probably benefit from using conditioning products that have more slit. If your hair looks limp, stiff, or coated, that is often a sign of buildup and needing a deeper clean. If your ends feel really dry. dry and brittle, you'll want to focus on using products that repair, condition, and protect both on wash day and in between washes, like a bond repair treatment to strengthen damage and a serum or oil to restore some softness and manageability. And if your scalp is itchy or flaky, you might need to wash more, use shampoos that clean better, or start using medicated shampoos with ingredients like Ketoconazole, Pyrethione Zinc, or Selenium Sulfide. And if you're dealing with uncomfortable scalp symptoms, That is when it's worth it to see a dermatologist or trichologist because some of those signs can point to things that need more targeted treatment than just your hair care routine alone can provide. It can be really easy to overlook. Any and all of those things that I just listed off or assuming that that's just how your scalp and hair will always be. But paying attention to those signals and realizing that there are things that you can do to improve them is one of the best ways to figure out what you need to change in your routine. Tip number six, prioritize bond repair and not just for severe damage. Like after bleaching to the point where your hair gets super stretchy or is breaking off like crazy. And it is definitely amazing for that. I would know. It's what saved my hair when it looked like this. But I also think it's important to continue using bond repair to protect your hair over time, even after it's no longer severely damaged. Because even if you're not bleaching your hair to this level like I used to, there are still so many everyday things that weaken and damage our hair, and then eventually cause breakage. Hot tools, coloring, UV exposure, harsh water, oxidative stress, brushing, styling, really any and all forms of mechanical manipulation. And because hair is not a living tissue, it can't just repair itself. So that damage doesn't go away. It accumulates. And if your hair is long, that damage has been accumulating for a long time. On average, hair only grows about a half an inch a month. So for some people, that means that the ends of their hair have been through four, even five years of wear and tear. Some even longer. For super long hair. And without anything to repair that damage and strengthen it along the way, it can end up in a really fragile state and start to look extremely weathered. So now, I no longer use bond repair treatment like a rescue treatment for severe damage like I once used to. Instead, I think about it more like a maintenance treatment. Something that I continue to use so that my hair stays strong and is able to grow long while being repeatedly exposed to damage. Number seven, protect your lengths at all. Costs. This tip really builds off of the last tip because bond repair treatments are amazing for strengthening your hair from the inside, but they don't always do much to protect the outside of your hair from all of the styling and brushing and friction that it goes through. And that kind of protection is equally as important because it helps to minimize so much of that damage before it even happens. There are a lot of ways to protect your lengths and you can pick and choose based on on what you need and what works best for you. for you, but I personally think that there are two that are non-negotiable. Number one, an in-shower conditioning product, like a conditioner or a hair mask, and number two, a post-wash leave-in spray with heat protection. Those two products alone, if they're good products, will give your hair so much protection against damage and breakage. They reduce friction, make detangling easier, and provide a layer of protection against external causes of damage, like brushing, styling, and hot tools. If you want even more protection on top of that, there are tons of other products that you can choose from. Pre-shampoo oil treatments, conditioning shampoos, glosses that add extra slip on top of your conditioner or hair mask, post-wash serums, creams, or oils, overnight treatments. You absolutely don't need to use them all, but the point is just to always remember to protect your lengths all the way down to your ends every single wash day and between washes when needed with whatever products work best for you to do them. Because your hair is never going to grow as long and as full as you want it to because if you were anything like I was, sometimes the hair can still keep growing long, but so much of it is breaking off along the way that there is a major difference in density from the roots up here all the way down to the ends. So let's just say that your hair will never grow as long and dense as you want it to if you are not protecting and retaining your lengths. Tip number eight. Do not fall for scare tactic marketing because it can cause a lot more harm than people think. Scare tactic free from fear-mongering marketing has caused so many issues for people. I touched on this in tip number one, but a perfect example of this is sulfate-free. That claim alone has led to the creation of so many shampoos that do not clean nearly well enough and has caused serious scalp issues for people as a result. Similarly, silicone-free has led to the creation of a lot of conditioners, masks, leave-in sprays, serums, oils that just don't condition well enough at all, giving people more tangles, more breakage, and not enough protection. And clean, non-toxic, lowering your toxic load, whatever the f***. That means has led to a lot of products being stripped of beneficial, effective ingredients and leaving people with bad results because of it. So if a brand is trying to convince you that a random ingredient or group of ingredients is dangerous, don't take that as a sign that you need to start looking for products that don't have those ingredients and recognize that they're just trying to earn your dollar however they can. I know a lot of us have been aware of just how bogus the clean beauty movement is. movement is for a while now, but I still feel like it's really important to bring up because number one, there are still people who fall victim to this mindset. Every single day. How can there not be when there are still brands like Goop running full speed ahead? I was actually just listening to a podcast the other day where the person started talking about the fact that they were just trying to lower their toxic load where they could and not eliminate all toxic products from their life, but just try to be as low tox as possible. I got so irritated. This was me. So it's certainly still out there. I see comments all the time on my videos, stories of people tagging me being like, Like, I, you know, was really bought into this whole clean beauty thing. I started trying the products that you recommend. Oh my god, there is a night and day difference in the quality of my hair. And I'll even still see people saying things like, oh, I just picked the least toxic of her product recommendations. And I'm like... So I feel that it's still very important to bring up for all of those reasons, but also because, number two, I have no doubt that this could easily evolve into something else over time. It may be sulfate-free today, but it could turn into secondary surfactant-free tomorrow, or... thickener free. We're just making people afraid of other things that maybe aren't necessarily a specific ingredient, but just like something about a formula or a product in general. So I think it's just important to remember that marketing claims don't actually have to have anything to do with how safe, effective, or good a product really is. The best thing that you can do if you're trying to kind of sift through all the information in the hair space and figure out what products are best for you is to ignore any sort of marketing claim like that. Test products out for yourself and focus on how they make your scalp and hair actually feel. Speaking of testing new products, tested some new stuff in the shower yesterday and I don't know how I feel about you. I feel like it's making my hair have a mind of its own today. Tip number nine. This one's quick because it's just a list of the products that I think are the most important to prioritize in a healthy hair care routine. And we've already talked about a lot of them. So that list starts with my three non-negotiables, which include a shampoo that cleans really well, in-shower conditioning product like a conditioner or a hair mask, and a leave-in conditioning spray with heat protection. And then there are my three add-ons that you can survive without that you don't necessarily need to use every single wash day on what it is, but that can still make a massive difference in your healthy hair journey. And those three products include a bond repair treatment to strengthen damage, a hair oil for extra protection on your lengths, either before washing or after, or both, and a targeted scalp treatment to support scalp health and healthier hair growth, like a serum for strengthening your scalp barrier and improving hair retention, or maybe an exfoliant that helps to control oil flakes and buildup. And there are many other products that can be super- Super beneficial in a healthy hair routine, but if I had to pick a top six that I think can be the most impactful, it would be those. And if you are newer here and looking for recommendations for products in those six categories, I will make sure that they are all listed below. Tip number 10, my very last tip, is that when in doubt, you should aim to build your hair care routine around these five pillars. Number one. Cleansing, number two, conditioning, number three, protecting, number four, repairing, and number five, treating. This is really the framework of my hair care routine. And this is not only helpful to build your routine from in the first place, but also to come back to when things feel off and like they're not really working. Because if a product that you're using in even one of these pillars isn't doing its job well enough or just isn't agreeing with your specific scalp or hair, it can throw everything else off and really affect your results. But if your routine covers all five of those things with products that do them really well, then you're doing exactly what you need to be doing to grow the longest, strongest, healthiest hair of your life. And those are my top 10 hair care tips. I hope that you found this helpful. The second that I was asked that interview question, I was like, I think I need to make this a YouTube video. Thank you. Goodness, are you going to come Oh my goodness, best day of my life. Thank you so much for watching this video and all of my videos. I love the freaking heck out of you guys. Make sure to stay tuned for my next one that will be up a week from today. But until then, we hope you have a great week.