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Hair is not an easy thing to get right when it comes to knowing how to take care of it – yes, we have hair, and yes we’ve had it for most of our lives, and for a lot of people, they’ll have it for their entire lives (although as we know, that’s not always the case), but making it look its best and keeping it healthy? Now that’s just something not everyone knows all that much about. You try that product, switch to that shampoo, follow one trend, follow another, ditch them all, and all the time you’re wondering why your hair still isn’t behaving in the way you want it to. 

Although there are potentially many reasons why that might be the case, the fact is that one big reason is that you’re causing problems for yourself by making hair care mistakes, and that could be what’s holding you back from having the hair you really want. With that in mind, here are some of the most common hair care mistakes you might be making and how to fix them so you can change how you’re doing things and, hopefully, end up with great looking hair. Read on to find out more. 

Photo by Element5 Digital

Using The Wrong Hair Care Products

We’ll start with the biggest and most common issue of all – the hair care products you’re using. You’ve got to remember that your hair is unique, and therefore it needs products that are tailored to its specific type and texture. In other words, what works wonders for straight hair, for example, might leave your wavy or curly hair looking frizzy or flat, which is probably not the look you’re going for. 

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering about the differences between 2a vs. 2b vs. 2c hair, you’re not alone, and these wavy hair types all have their own quirks, which means the products you’ll need are going to vary depending on the type of hair you actually have. Type 2a, for example, is fine and gently wavy, whereas type 2b has more defined waves, and type 2c is the waviest of them all – it’s almost, but not quite, curly. As we’ve said, they’ll all need different products to make them look their best, so it’s a good idea to find out for sure what type of hair you have and then get the products that are designed for you – once you start using the right hair care products, you should be a big difference almost immediately. 

Overwashing Or Underwashing 

How often do you wash your hair? It might be that whatever your answer is, that’s the mistake you’re making because it’s easy to over or under wash your hair thinking you’re doing the right thing but actually making the situation worse. The fact is that if you wash your hair too often, you’ll strip your scalp of natural oils which gives you dry hair that can break easily, but if you wash too little, you’ll end up with too much buildup from oils, products, and pollution, which can make your hair oily and irritate your scalp. 

You’ve got to find the ideal middle ground, and once again, that’s going to depend on your hair type a lot of the time – plus you’ve got to take your lifestyle into account. For fine or oily hair, washing every other day might work best, but if you’ve got thicker, wavier, or curlier hair, washing less can be the best thing to do, and two or three times a week is usually enough. And if you’re worried, you can always use a dry shampoo in between washes to be on the safe side. 

Using Too Much Heat

Heat styling tools are a fantastic way to get your hair looking how you want it, and they definitely make styling quicker and easier. The problem is that using them too much (or using them without any heat protection on your hair) can lead to major damage over time like split ends, dryness, and a lack of natural shine. If you’ve got any of these issues, it might be a sign that it’s time to stop using the heat tools, at least for a while, and focus on getting your hair back in shape. 

The first thing to do if you’re in this situation is to invest in a good heat protectant which you can use on your hair before you use the heat tools. Then, make sure you don’t use those tools every single day – let your hair dry naturally or fall wherever it wants to when you’re not going anywhere or seeing anyone, and it will start to gain its strength and health back again. Or, if you still want to style your hair, do it without heat – there are plenty of rollers or other tools you can get that might take longer, but still give you fantastic results without the damage. 

Ignoring Your Scalp

We spend so much time focusing on the hair itself that we can often forget about one of the most important elements of hair care of all – your scalp. The fact is that if your scalp is healthy, your hair will generally be healthy too (or at least stand a good chance if you follow these tips). But an unhealthy scalp will lead to unhealthy hair, no matter what tips you follow, and that’s why you need to focus on your scalp and make sure it’s in good condition. 

You can exfoliate your scalp occasionally with a gentle scrub or a clarifying shampoo, plus scalp massages (whether you give them to yourself or get them from someone else) can also work wonders because they get the blood flowing which helps hair to grow. And don’t forget about hydration – many scalp problems come from dryness, so if you can keep things moisturised without clogging up your pores, you’ll stand a good chance of a healthy scalp which means healthy hair and less irritation, which is never a bad thing.