Common hair care mistakes and guide to avoid them

From sleeping with wet hair to using foaming shampoo -- do you make any of these hair care mistakes?

Make it sacrosanct that you never use silicone, mineral oil, or dye with harmful ingredients as part of your hair care routine.

Different people face different kinds of hair and scalp issues, induced majorly by their hormonal behaviour, texture, skin conditions and the hair care regimen they follow. We also contribute to the woes with some very common mistakes, which might not appear as damaging as they actually turn out to be in the long run.

The problems that these mistakes can cause include frizz, double ends, breakage and excessive greasiness, among others. Luckily, it is easy to nurture our hair and scalp while avoiding all the damaging mistakes.

Trapping and/or sleeping with wet hair

Dermatologists and hair experts suggest that holding damp strands can make the hair more prone to breakage. As such, those fond of sporting a ponytail shortly after a hair wash or bath might want to reconsider their habit. When damp hair strands are tightened and pulled for a hairdo, it can cause traction alopecia or hair fall. Hairline failures are also a possibility that cannot be ruled out in such instances.

In addition to the aforementioned mistake, one also needs to avoid going to sleep with damp or wet hair. Doing so, not only causes stress to the hair threads, it ends up allowing the proliferation of fungus in the scalp.

Applying mask/creams directly to the root

People who have curly hair often battle acute dryness, and what they need are products that have the potential to ‘quiet their baby hair’. But it must be noted that such products, especially hair masks or creams, must be applied on the roots and not the scalp. If the root is oily, just apply the product two fingers below it. The best way, though, is to apply on the strands away from the root so that the product does not block the pores. This would help avoid hair and scalp related problems like itching or dandruff.

Foam or no foam?

It is a common perception about shampoos that ones that lather more are best when it comes to cleaning and cleansing the hair and scalp area. Whereas, the fact is that foam is actually triggered by sulphate, a substance that is quite harmful for our hair health. Understandably, this is one of the most common mistakes that people commit while caring for their hair. Next time you need to spend on a shampoo, make sure it is sulphate-free, as doing so would allow you to prevent dryness, breakage, or frizz.

Dyeing hair

If you dye your hair, look for natural dyes, with no harmful ingredients. Free of PPD (p-Phenylenediamine), paraben, EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), sulfates, resorcinol, mineral oil, sodium chloride, sodium perborate, hydrogen peroxide, synthetic fragrance, gluten and ammonia and its by-products (Ethanolamine, Diethanolamine and Triethanolamine.