Wash and Wear Hair 101

There are so many things about hair that we don’t know and resultantly we aren’t always sure how to care for our hair when washing and styling it. Sought after celebrity stylist and Philips Beauty Ambassador, Shaughn Adams, gives his personal advice on washing, drying and heat styling your hair correctly.

“It can be such a let-down leaving the house with your perfectly styled hair only for it to fall out-of-place a few hours later, losing its shine and elegance as the day goes by. With these easy tips you’ll be sure to look great for longer,” said Shaughn.

Washing your hair:

1. How often you wash your hair depends on your personal hair condition. Generally, long hair should be washed less often than short hair as it has less natural oil build up.

2. When applying shampoo to your hair, massage it into your scalp in circular movements and work the foam down towards the ends of your hair.

3. When rinsing your hair, be sure to squeeze as much water as possible from your hair to prepare it for conditioning.

4. Apply conditioner to the ends of your hair. This is the part of your hair that is stripped of all natural oils and needs the conditioner most.

5. Rinse your conditioner off after the recommended time frame that appears on the bottle.

6. With every fifth hair wash, swap out your conditioner for a deep conditioning hair mask.

Prepare your hair for styling:

1. Pat your hair down with a towel to get rid of any excess water.

2. Let your hair dry naturally for about 70 to 80% of the way.

3. Apply a heat protection spray or cream to your hair to prepare it for the hair dryer. This is necessary for any form of heat styling, no matter how gentle. Argan Oil is also a great product to use while styling your hair to give it that glowing Hollywood look, leaving your hair flyaway free and fab all day.

4. Do not brush your hair while it is wet as this is when it is most vulnerable and prone to breakage. Rather comb through the hair with a wide tooth comb.

5. With your hair dryer on the lowest effective setting, blow the hair dry while keeping a safe distance from your hair and moving around continuously. The Philips ProCare Hairdryer (HP8260) has a Cool Shot function that blows cold air over the hair with the flick of a button, allowing you to seal the hair’s cuticles, making it look smoother.

6. When your hair is dry you are ready to style it.

Heat styling:

1. Once again, it doesn’t matter how gentle or innovative your hair tools are, you should always use a good heat protection cream or spray before heat styling your hair. These products will prevent your hair from being burnt.

2. Ionic heat styling products like the Philips ProCare Hairdryer (HP8260) dries your hair faster and gives your hair more shine. The specially designed air outlet spreads the heat more gently onto the hair, avoiding damaging temperatures on hair and scalp while also protecting the hair from overheating with advanced EHD™ technology.

3. Choose a straightener with adjustable settings in order to adjust it to suit your hair. All heat settings don’t work on all hair types. Thin hair would straighten effectively on a lower heat setting while coarse hair may require more heat application. Don’t set the temperature higher than 240°C.

4. Ceramic straighteners like the Philips ProCare Straightener (HP8339) are gentler at heat styling and prevent unnecessary damage. Ceramic plates allow the hair to glide through the iron slickly, without snags or breakage because of its extremely smooth surface.

5. Frizz is often caused by dry hair and thus it’s important to use a good moisturizer on your hair, especially when you heat style regularly. For enhanced frizz control in humid climates or on a windy day, apply hairspray.

6. If you are more of a curls girl, invest in a hair dryer with a diffuser like the Philips ProCare hairdryer (HP8260) has. The volume diffuser dries hair healthily, reduces frizz and increases volume by spreading the airflow across the hair. It adds lift and maximizes volume, especially when used on the crown and root area, making it perfect for creating curls and bouncy styles.

As Ademola Mandella once said: “Your hair is a statement of style, an affirmation of beauty, and an expression of self-love,” so love your hair with more style and less damage.