Ever heard your mom tell you that boxed hair color is better and easier than going to a hair salon, or if you have dry hair to just put a coat of mayonnaise on it? These and other wives tales about hair care have been going around for years, but I am here to help you sort out fact from fiction to make sure you have the happiest and healthiest hair possible.
First of all, so many women think a mayonnaise conditioner will help repair excessive dry hair, but this is not the case. While your hair will feel like it is brand new and moisturized to perfection, it is actually just coated in a layer of oil from the mayonnaise, giving your hair the appearance of being conditioned, while not actually having done anything. Mayonnaise is simply an oil-based product and the hair will appear to feel better because it has been coated in oil however there are absolutely no moisturizing traits present. For the best conditioning treatment for extremely dry hair, call your local salon and ask what products they carry for retail sale, or what services they provide in regards to a conditioning treatment.
Another myth about hair-care that so many women believe sounds a little like, “my hair isn’t growing anymore because I have so many split ends!” Ladies, believe no more because this is not true, though technically, it does appear to stop growing. As the ends of the hair split they go further and further up the hair shaft causing the hair to break higher and higher up on your head, giving the appearance that your hair has stopped growing. Want to tell if your hair is broken and in need of a good hair cut? Grasp the top of your hair and then grasp the ends of your hair in a bundle; the hair at the bottom will feel thinner if you have excessive breakage and split ends. A healthy head of hair will have the same amount of thickness all the way from your scalp to your ends. Without a proper trimming of the hair every 4 to 6 weeks the hair will continue to split resulting in the appearance that the hair has stopped growing. Scheduling regular haircuts will make sure your hair stays thick, moisturized, and prevent excessive breakage.
The next most common myth women hear and believe in regards to hair care relates to hair coloring. So many women believe that boxed color is just as good as salon color for half the price, but all too often women expect unrealistic results from that boxed color and the unskilled hands of a friend to apply it. Of particular importance are women with dark hair wanting to go lighter with a box color; we spoke to former hair stylist and current Sally’s Beauty store Manager Jackie for some advice and here is what she told us.
“Rule number one in hair color 101 is you cannot use hair color to lighten the color of your hair! If a woman goes to the grocery store to pick up a box of hair color it does not mean that you will achieve that hair color posted on the box. The results of the boxed color rely on having ‘virgin’ uncolored hair, but about 70% of women over the age of 30 have colored their hair at least once. All of those television ads for Clairol and other brand name hair color that have beautiful movie stars advertising their product really upset me. Celebrities do not use Clairol box color but have professional stylists to do all of their hair care and in my opinion it is false advertisement.”
If a friend or hair stylist has ever told you to do a cool rinse when you are done showering if you have color-treated hair, this is very good advice. What the cool water does is close the hair cuticle so the last bit of hair color will rinse out and preserve the integrity of your color. The hair cuticle becomes open when we shampoo out hair due to the warm or hot water– some people like really hot showers, but if they have color on their hair that hot water is actually helping to strip the color right out. To keep your color looking fresh weeks after having it done, give yourself a 1-2 minute cool water rinse at the end of every shower and make sure to you are using sulfate-free shampoo.
The last myth I want to address is one I never believed myself growing up: rinsing your hair with clean water before getting in the pool or ocean. Using a clarifying shampoo one-two times a week will help to remove any mineral buildup but it is also recommended to use clean bottled water to initially wet down your hair. This initial rinse will ensure your hair is absorbing clean water as opposed to mineral or copper filled water or heavily chlorinated water found in swimming pools. As most of us are Florida residents, swimming pools during the summertime are a part of daily life, and so many blonde or lighter hair colored women might suffer from a greenish cast on their hair, which can easily be prevented by rinsing your hair with tap or bottled water prior to any swimming.
There you have it ladies: we have debunked the myths of hair-care that so many of us have fallen prey to over the years. Proper hair care is easy and affordable if you know the right tools, tips, and tricks to make sure your hair is 100%. If you have any other myths or wives tales you want discussed, leave us a comment!
Photo Credit:
Cover Image: www.maximumfx.com
Mayo: http://ohpepper.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html
Box Hair Color: www.beautyramp.com
Green Hair: http://thebeautydepartment.com…