You, too, can get shampoo-ad beautiful hair!

You don't need to go to the salon every other day just to have nice hair. Sometimes it's as easy as knowing what products work for you and what you simply must avoid. Here are a few basic rules for maintaining a gorgeous mane:


1. Go easy on the dye and treatments. They change the natural order of your hair. No matter how gentle they claim to be and how much conditioners they say they have, dyes and treatments contain chemicals that don't belong on our head! Give your hair occasional breaks if color it. You will thank yourself later for your restraint! Also, if you frequently color your hair, make sure you have just as many treatments to keep your hair looking healthy.


2. Save the hair styling for special occasions. Hair dryers, straightening irons, curling irons and crimpers are your best styling aids but they are also your hair's worst enemy if used every day. They zap all the moisture out of your hair and as a shampoo brand would say, make it “buhaghag.” Once in a while, a blow out at the salon is a god idea if you have somewhere to go, but more often than not, stick to leave-on conditioner, shine serum and fan drying when possible.


3. Don't wash your hair everyday. Unless, of course, your hair drips of oil in a span of hours then by all means, shampoo away. Still, make sure you alternate between your shampoo for oily hair and a gentler, baby shampoo, so your hair can still lock in moisture.

For girls with dry hair, shampooing every day will dry your hair even more, so stop your urge to reach for the bottle whenever you are in the shower. If your roots (the top of your hair where it grows from your scalp) are oily but the ends are dry, shampoo only the roots and condition only the ends.

4. Don't rub your towel on your head after you wash your hair. Instead, grab all your hair and squeeze gently until it stops dripping. Wrap your head with your towel turban-style and wait until it's damp before you air dry. It cuts the time in half and is easier to style.


5. Don't force your brush to go through the length if your hair if it's tangled. You'll end up breaking your hair and getting split ends. Use a fine-toothed comb instead and do it gently.


6. Get a trim every six to eight weeks. Even if you are trying to grow your hair, you still want it healthy, right?


7. Once a week, use a deep conditioner at home. It will only take an extra 2 to 5 minutes in the shower for you to do so.


8. At least once a month, get professional hair treatment.  The pros know what to do to amp up the everyday care you give your hair.


Have a fashion or beauty question for Erica? Drop her a line at ericaparedes1@yahoo.com.
 
Erica Paredes has been working in the publishing industry for almost a decade as a fashion and beauty editor, newspaper columnist, stylist and make-up artist. Nowadays she juggles her time between food and fashion, beauty and travel plus mommy duties to her eight-year-old daughter.