We all want wonderfully sleek, shiny and smooth locks. But there are so many things that can work against it: humidity can make your hair frizz out, too much sun, snow or rain can make it dull and dank or even just missing a haircut can increase split ends and frizz. So how do you get the super smooth hair you’ve always dreamed of? Follow our top ten tips and you’ll have stunning, sleek locks in no time.
- It might sound obvious, but you need to make sure that the hair is as clean as can be. Put shampoo onto dry hair for optimum lather, and then make sure that it is squeaky clean – quite literally, your hair should squeak when you’re washing out the shampoo. Don’t be afraid to wash your hair twice, either. And although you’ve more than likely been told this a thousand times before, condition hair only from the ears down to the tips to avoid greasiness.
- Use a heavy hair mask or deep conditioning treatment once every week to give hair an extra boost. For the most effective treatment, apply the mask or treatment, wrap your head in a warm towel and leave for at least half an hour before washing out.
- Use ionic products where you can. You can now buy iconic hairbrushes, hairdryers, straighteners and even curling tongs, which all emit ions that penetrate into the hair shaft, eliminating frizz and smoothing hair.
- Remember the 90/10 rule. When you’re blow-drying hair, just blast it all over until it’s about 90% dry. Once you’re done, use your hairdryer and a round brush to dry hair until it’s completely dry, teasing it into the style that you want – straight, curly, bouffant – anything you like. This technique is used in most salons, and your hair will keep its style far better. Once your hair is looking lovely, spritz with shine spray very gently to add shine, or for a cool, modern look, scrunch a shine spray into hair for matte texture.
- One of the most bizarre tricks we’ve come across – but one of the very best, actually, is this: instead of rinsing shampoo out of your hair with water, is to rinse it out with beer. Take a couple of cans with you into the shower (yes, really!) and then use it to rinse your hair. Once the shampoo is completely out of your hair, give it a final rinse with a blast of cold water – this’ll help get rid of the “beery” smell so that you won’t smell like a pub but it’ll also add more shine than rinsing with warm water would.
- Sometimes, if your hair is frizzy or dry, it’s more to do with your scalp rather than with the hair itself. So it makes sense to treat the scalp as best as you can. Luckily, one of the best scalp treatments is also one of the cheapest – basic olive oil. Warm it up in a cup in the microwave, just for a little while, then pour it over your scalp and use your fingertips to gently massage it into the scalp. Work it from root to tip, wrap your head in a warm towel, then leave the oil to sit for a good half an hour. Put shampoo onto the hair whilst dry, then wash out the oil as best as you can. It might take a few washes, but you’ll have the smooth hair of your dreams. Your scalp will feel wonderfully soft, too.
- Your mum might have told you to brush your hair 100 times before you go to bed to keep it smooth and tangle-free, but that’s not really true. Although it will reduce tangles, it will also increase the number of breakages that occur, which can increase split ends and therefore frizziness. Don’t brush your hair too much – only when you need to! Anyway, some of the most popular styles only require you to use your fingers to gently comb through the hair, anyway. Go for scrunched beachy hair or a boho vibe if you’re worried about your hair looking a little messy.
- Don’t wash your hair every day. Although it needs to be clean to be frizz-free, if it’s too clean (there is such a thing) it will get greasy more quickly. The old saying that you can “train” your hair to not be greasy is true, to some extent. Generally, you’re always best washing either every other day or every two days – but you definitely don’t want to be washing your hair every day. Invest in a decent dry shampoo for in-between days – it’s also good at reducing frizz, too.
- If you can get away with it, don’t use heated products on your hair. Let it dry naturally – brush it out with a wide-toothed comb and then leave it to dry as it is if you want straight hair, or if you want curly, wavy hair, use your hands to scrunch hair as it dries. If you’re lucky enough to have sunny weather, go and sit out in the garden to dry off. If you’re blond, spritz a little bit of lemon juice onto hair before you go out to brighten and lighten your tresses.
- Finally, it’s really important to treat the problem. If you have dry hair, use formulas and products specifically designed for those with dry hair. If you have frizz, treat it every day using a frizz serum. If you have greasy hair, use a deep cleansing shampoo. It’s really tricky to get perfect hair if you don’t use products that are designed for your hair type, so think about your hair like it’s a problem to solve instead of just going for whatever’s on offer at the supermarket.
Take a look at the rest of our posts for more top hair tips.
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