Long Hair Shampoo and Brushing Tips

Brushing Before You Shampoo

Before you shampoo, you can improve the condition of your hair by brushing the natural oils from your scalp evenly throughout your locks. This is especially important for long hair. It only takes a few minutes everyday but can make a dramatic difference in the quality of your hair only a couple weeks.

Start by gently combing out any knots with a wide tooth comb. Then brush your hair in wide but thin sections, carefully moving from the roots to the ends. This doesn’t need to be precise, it only has to feel like you’re distributing the shine.

Shampoo Frequency

Washing every day isn’t always necessary, it can even be quite harsh on your long hair. The stress of washing and blowing out your locks can weaken them, increase your chances of having split ends, and severely dry out your long hair.

Allowing the natural oils to penetrate further than the root and shaft can be healing and strengthening for your hair. I have worked with models and actors who follow this advice. The only reason not to skip a day of washing is if you’ve worked up a sweat at the gym or went out last night to a bar.

I even know of a Salon Manager who washes her hair every couple of months, and no one knows the difference! Most people most likely assume she has a unique style and think nothing of it. Now that's a little extreme, but you get what I'm saying..

If you’re still kind of freaked out by the idea of not washing your hair everyday, that's okay, too. Simply make sure you use an extremely gentle shampoo like Paul Mitchell's Awapuhi. In addition to frequency, the way you wash and what you use make a huge difference in the health of your hair..

Shampoo Technique

If your long hair tends to get super oily from weight or you simply playing with your hair frequently, concentrate shampoo on the roots then let it rinse down the rest of your locks, rather than drying them out. If your ends tend to be dry and brittle (too much straightening, bleaching, heavy brushing, etc.) then try concentrating your conditioner mostly on the ends.

The selection of hair care products these days is dizzying. I have personally spent thousands of dollars experimenting with different products and tools, not to mention hours questioning stylists and clients for opinions on products.

The truth is that certain salon brands aren’t that much better than store brands. But for the most part, you aren’t going to find quality unless you know what to look for. Sodium Laureth Sulfate is the most gentle cleansing ingredient of the three main ones used in mainstream shampoo.

Great Shampoos: