Establish the Right Daily Hair Care Routine at Home

Other than your daily schedules on chores or work at home, you must also not forget to give some attention to your hair! You might also be quite confused about what hair care routine you should follow. We get it that the process of finding a suitable hair care routine for yourself might be quite troublesome, especially with many types of hair that people can go for. An effective hair care routine keeps your hair healthy, nourished, soft, tidy, and clean. Here are the basic steps for hair care routine you can do at home, and it works for any hair type! A little tip though, just be consistent on maintaining your hair care routine.

Determining your hair type

Before we hop onto the hair care routine, you have to first determine your hair type. This can be done by just taking a glance on your hair.

There are four types of hair:

1. Straight hair

2. Wavy hair

3. Curly hair

4. Coiled hair

Determining your hair condition

After determining your hair type, we shall look into your hair condition to determine which hair care routine is the most suitable for you. This step is optional if you have perfect hair.

There are a few types of common hair conditions:

1. Dandruff-prone hair

2. Oily/greasy hair

3. Frizzy hair

4. Damaged hair (through heat or colour)

5. Dry hair

6. Thinning hair

Step 1: Cleansing and washing

Your hair type and condition can determine how many times you should wash your hair, but it is a must for every hair care routine as not washing your hair will build up unwanted oiliness for your hair.

Recommended shampoo for each hair conditions:

1. Dandruff – a high-quality dandruff-free shampoo

2. Greasy hair – sebum control shampoo

3. Frizzy hair – shampoo that consists of less-frizz ingredients like natural oils and citric acids

4. Damaged hair (heat/colour) - Hair repair shampoo that contains antioxidants, protein, ceramides, lipids, and healing oils

5. Dry hair – gentle shampoo

6. Hair loss – hair loss shampoo

Straight hair

- It is recommended to wash your hair once within 2-3 days as it is easier to get greasy comparing to other hair types.

- For some reason if your hair is really greasy or it contains a lot of dandruff, then it is recommended to wash it every day, once within 1-2 days works too depending on the level of greasiness.

Wavy hair

- Such type of hair does not need to be washed often like straight hair; it is recommended to wash your hair once within 3-4 days with a sulphate-free shampoo

- Wash more often if its greasy.

Curly hair

- By using a gentle and moisturising shampoo, wash your hair only once a week to ensure that your hair will not get too dry.

Coiled hair

- Wash only once a week with a mild sulphate-free shampoo to prevent more dryness.

- Moisturise your hair with coconut oil or a hair mask before washing.

- Try to avoid the shafts and only focus on the roots.

Tips while shampooing:

1. Apply the shampoo in small and circular movements

2. Massage your scalp

Step 2: Conditioning

Conditioning is also considered as one of the essential steps to keep your hair nourished and fresh. It is usually done after washing your hair with shampoo.

Recommended conditioners for the following hair conditions:

1. Dandruff – high-quality dandruff-free conditioner

2. Greasy hair – oil balancing conditioner

3. Frizzy hair – leave-in conditioner

4. Damaged hair (heat/colour) – deep conditioner with keratin and cetyl alcohol

5. Dry hair – Overnight moisturising conditioner

6. Hair loss – conditioner rich in natural oils and biotin

Straight hair

- Avoid using leave-in conditioners as it can make your hair feel heavy, use a light conditioner instead.

- Best to use conditioners that contain oils (coconut, jojoba oils) to keep your hair soft and healthy.

- Try to avoid the roots while applying the conditioner, it is advised to apply it on the shaft

Wavy hair

- Apply leave-in conditioner after shower or conditioners with oils (coconut, jojoba oils) to keep your hair nourished.

- Condition your hair every time you wash it.

Curly hair

- Conditioning is more important than shampooing your hair

- Apply conditioner on your hair every 3-4 days, a few drops of essential oil can work too

- Deep conditioner is recommended to prevent dryness

Coiled hair

- To provide moisture and nutrients, apply deep conditioner to your hair once a week (or more)

- Detangle your hair once you applied conditioner

Tip while conditioning: Apply the conditioner evenly with your hands or a wide-toothed comb.

Step 3: Detangling

After washing and conditioning your hair, you might feel that some of your hair are tangled together (usually a knot). Thus, there are a few approaches you can use to detangle your hair.

1. A wide-tooth comb

2. Brush (do not brush your hair too often though)

3. Spray (conditional)

4. Serum (optional)

Step 4: Drying and styling

This step might sound simple, but it actually requires some work to ensure that your hair is beautiful, presentable, and healthy.

Straight / wavy hair

- Towel-dry your hair

- Hair products to use: Volumising mousse, gels (apply on damp hair)

Curly hair

- Air dry your hair or invest in a diffuser-attachment to prevent your hair from becoming frizzy

- Hair products to use: mousse, light curl cream (apply on damp hair)

Coiled hair

- Air dry or diffuse your hair

- Hair products to use: curl cream (apply on damp hair)

Other hair products you can use:

1. Wax

2. Pomade

3. Dry shampoo

4. Texturiser

5. Serum

6. Hair spray

Step 5: Hair treatments (optional)

Other than the typical shampoos and conditioners, you can also go with some treatments to maintain the best of your hair while looking good with it.

Here are a few types of hair treatment you can do to achieve your best look:

1. Hair masks

- Similar to face masks, hair masks serve their purpose on nourishing and developing a stronger, shinier hair.

2. Scalp treatment

- A type of treatment that improves scalp health, typically used to reduce dandruffs, or promote rapid hair growth.

3. Hair vitamins

- Provides essential nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C and Vitamin D for a healthier hair