7 Things You Need to Stop Doing to Your Hair Immediately

We’re all guilty of making hair care mistakes from time to time, but the truth is many of the mistakes we’re making are ones that can be easily avoided. From the way you blow dry your hair, through to using the wrong products, these seemingly innocent mistakes can have a dramatic effect on your locks. We had a chat to Grow’s hair care expert Belinda Keeley from Chumba Concept Salon about these common hair care mistakes—and what you can do to avoid them.

1.Blow Drying Hair That’s Dripping Wet Yes, we know it can be tempting to jump out of the shower and save time drying hair with blast from the hair dryer, however all of that heat on your still-wet hair tends to do damage and leave your locks susceptible to frizz. Try to wait until your hair is at least 80% naturally dry before hitting it with the hair dryer. The reason for this is that wet hair is typically far weaker than dry hair, so any heat or pulling of the hair makes it more susceptible to breakage and damage.

2.Vigorously Towel Drying Hair Remember how we said hair is more susceptible to damage when it’s wet? Well that goes for vigorous hair rubbing with a towel too. Instead of treating your scalp like it’s a wet dog, just pat your hair dry instead, or wrap it up in a towel for a while and then leave it to dry naturally (when you can). Tempting as it may be to rub a towel all over your hair, you’re not doing your locks any favours.

3.Stripping Your Hair Of Its Natural Oils You may not think you do this, but it’s actually an all too easy trap to fall into just by shampooing too often. Most people tend to over wash their hair, which kicks off a cycle of the scalp producing excess sebum, making you want to wash your hair again to get rid of the excess oil. However falling out of the trap of over-washing hair can be a difficult transition for some because you have to let your hair get a little oily in the process—we know, it’s a tough ask. There are a few ways that can ease the transition—try a scalp scrub like Grow’s Stimulating Scalp Scrub which will thoroughly cleanse your scalp of any dirt, residue and product build-up and make it easier to put off washing for an extra couple of days, and use a dry shampoo like Grow’s Thicker Fuller Dry Shampoo Powder to absorb moisture and excess oil instead.

4.Using Products Containing Silicones Silicones are a group of ingredients that act like a raincoat for your hair, coating the hair and eventually causing build-up that will leave hair dull, weighed down,and lifeless. Silicones can give the illusion of shine but it’s actually a ‘fake’ shine that has coated the hair making it appear healthy (when in actual fact it’s not). Silicones are often found in shampoos and conditioners, so switch to silicone free products, like Grow’s Thicker Fuller Shampoo (that’s sulfate, silicone and paraben free).

5.Letting Product Build Up On Hair You might think having gorgeous, shiny locks is all about treating your hair well, but how you treat your scalp is just as important. Just like you would keep your skin in check with a daily routine, your scalp needs regular attention too. As well as shampooing and conditioning, you should be regularly cleansing and exfoliating your scalp with a scalp scrub like Grow’s Stimulating Scalp Scrub. It’s packed with natural sea salt and peppermint oil to get rid of any residual product clinging to your scalp and hair, and will leave your head feeling refreshed and probably tingling a little too. Bonus, a scalp scrub can assist with the prevention of hair thinning and shedding, so this one’s for the boys too.

6.Neglecting Hair Your hair needs attention guys—you can’t expect it to thrive if you’re just giving it a perfunctory shampoo and condition once a week. It will love an occasional mask as much as your skin does—we’re currently loving Grow’s Anti-Breakage Hair Mask. This 10-minute treatment will prevent damage and breakage caused by environmental stress, chemical treatments or over styling, enriched with aloe vera, jojoba, and avocado oil to nourish and hydrate, leaving beautifully shiny hair.

7.Doing Your Own Cut Or Colour Just don’t do it. You might have given it a go in lockdown, or stooped to the occasional box colour in your time, but if you can avoid it, don’t. Hairdressers spend years studying and training because there really are so many things that can go wrong. Home colour jobs and haircuts can be really hard to fix and will often take a few trips to the salon to correct it. If you get the urge to do things yourself, try sleeping on it (which allows you to really think it over), just doing a temporary change or better yet, just making an appointment at your salon instead.

We all know that prevention is better than cure! Read on for advice from our Grow Haircare Expert, Belinda Keeley from Chumba Concept Salon for 7 common hair mistakes that could be contributing to damaged and fragile hair here. Because it’s time to #Rethink_Haircare.