Hair Mistakes: Everyone wants luscious, head-turning hair, but even the most dedicated clients can unknowingly sabotage their hair goals. While professional hair color and high-quality salon shampoo and conditioner can make a difference, knowing how to use them correctly is key. This article explores nine common hair mistakes your clients might be making and offers solutions to help them achieve their ultimate hair dreams using professional hair care products.
Table of Contents
1. Skipping Salon Shampoo and Conditioner
Drugstore shampoos and conditioners may seem like great, budget-friendly alternatives to salon products, but they aren’t as good as you might think. Salon-quality formulas boast several advantages, making them well worth the higher price. They typically have more concentrated ingredients, meaning salon shampoos provide a deeper cleanse and salon conditioners deliver richer nourishment to your clients’ hair.
Additionally, salon products come in a wide variety of specifically designed formulas to address different hair types and concerns. Whether your client has dry, oily, color-treated or curly hair, there’s a salon shampoo and conditioner formulated to target their specific needs. When recommending a salon shampoo and conditioner, consider your client’s hair type and desired outcome.
2. Over-Washing Hair
While maintaining a clean scalp is important, excessive washing can backfire. Frequent shampooing can strip hair of natural oils, leaving it dry, brittle and breakage-prone. Encourage your clients to wash less and offer solutions such as style tips or suggest alternative cleansing methods like dry shampoos. These handy products absorb excess oil at the roots, leaving hair refreshed without requiring a full wash.
3. Vigorously Brushing Hair When Wet
Detangling completely wet hair is a recipe for breakage. Hair is most vulnerable when wet, and the rough action of brushing or combing can cause strands to snap. Instead, advise your clients to let their hair air dry a little and detangle it when damp. A wide-tooth comb is a gentler alternative to a brush, especially for curly or textured hair clients. For added detangling power, recommend a leave-in conditioner or detangling spray specifically formulated for their hair type. Clients with curly hair should avoid brushing altogether and use a wide-tooth comb only while conditioning.
4. Heat Styling Without Heat Protectant
Hot styling tools like straighteners, curling irons and blow dryers are staples in many people’s hair routines. However, the high temperatures associated with these tools can wreak havoc on hair, leading to dryness, split ends and damage. The solution is simple: encourage your clients to use a professional heat protectant spray before every heat styling session. Heat protectants create a barrier, shielding hair from the effects of heat. Furthermore, recommend your clients to minimize heat styling whenever possible and opt for the lowest heat setting needed to get the job done.
5. Using Incorrect Water Temperature
Hot showers feel heavenly, but the scorching water can harm hair. Extremely hot water strips away natural oils and causes color fading in treated hair. Instead, recommend lukewarm water for washing and rinsing hair. Lukewarm water removes dirt and product buildup without compromising the hair’s natural moisture balance. To enhance shine and seal the cuticle, advise clients to finish their hair-washing routine with a cool rinse.
6. Overusing Chemical Processing
While vibrant hair colors and dramatic curls can be tempting, frequent chemical processing takes its toll on hair health. Lightening, coloring and perming treatments involve harsh chemicals that can damage the hair’s protein structure, leading to dryness, breakage and loss of elasticity. A better approach is to space out professional hair color appointments and other chemical processes. Discuss alternative hair color techniques like balayage or lowlights, which require less frequent touch-ups and are gentler on the hair. Following chemical processing treatments, recommend professional hair repair treatments to help restore strength and shine to the hair.
7. Not Getting Regular Trims
Split ends are the bane of healthy hair growth. These frayed ends travel up the hair shaft, causing breakage and frizz. Regular trims are essential to prevent split ends and maintain healthy hair growth. For most clients, a trim every six to eight weeks is ideal. For clients concerned about losing length, a dusting trim that removes only a minimal amount of hair from the ends can be a good option.
8. Towel Drying Hair Aggressively
The post-shower hair towel routine can damage hair, too. Rubbing hair vigorously with a regular towel creates friction, leading to a roughened cuticle and increased frizz. Instead, advise your clients to gently squeeze excess water out of their hair with a microfiber towel. Microfiber towels are gentler on hair because they absorb water more efficiently without creating friction. For even less frizz and damage, encourage air drying whenever possible. If clients must use a blow dryer, recommend using a diffuser attachment and a low heat setting. The diffuser helps distribute heat evenly and prevents hot air from directly blasting the hair.
9. Neglecting Scalp Health
Why is scalp health important? A healthy scalp provides the foundation for healthy hair. Just like the skin on your face, the scalp needs proper care. A gentle scalp massage during shampooing is recommended to improve circulation and stimulate hair follicles. This massage can be done with fingertips while applying shampoo, promoting better product absorption. For clients with specific scalp concerns like dandruff or dryness, advise them on targeted treatments. Scalp scrubs help remove dead skin cells and product buildup, while medicated shampoos can address issues like dandruff or seborrheic dermatitis.
Encourage Good Hair Habits
Healthy, beautiful hair is within reach for all your clients. They can achieve their hair goals by avoiding these common mistakes and adopting a proper hair care routine that includes professional products and stylist consultations. Remember that professional hair care products are formulated with higher quality ingredients and targeted benefits compared to drugstore options. Recommend them to your clients and make sure they understand how much high-quality hair care products will help them as they work toward achieving their hair goals.