Having healthy, beautiful hair is a goal that many of us strive for. However, to achieve this goal, it’s important to learn how to properly take care of your hair in between salon visits. With the right hair-care routine, you can maintain healthy hair and keep your locks looking their very best. In this blog post, we'll discuss some tips on how to take care of your hair between salon visits and protect your hair in the best way possible.

Ideally, you leave the salon looking fabulous, with your color on point, your blowout looking amazing and with the best shine!! But how do you make it all last? Here are my helpful ways to help your beautiful salon visit last until your next visit. I’m going to tell you how you can keep your hair in the best shape! I was a former hairstylist behind the chair and Matrix educator for over 10 years and these are the tips and tricks I always shared with my clients and continue to use for myself to this day.

Washing Your Hair

I was always having this conversation with clients as to how often they wash their hair. Often if they are doing daily shampooing it's hard to get them to change, but when they do they are so much happier! Think of all the time you will save, the money on shampoo and to top it all off, your hair will look even better. Now I know some of you say that your hair is too oily to do this or you hate the smell. To ease yourself into this process, start with regularly washing every other day to get your hair used to not producing as much oil, wear a hat on day two or plan it for when you won't be leaving the house. Once your hair gets used to an every other day schedule you can keep pushing it until your only washing your hair around 2 times a week. This will give the best results! Your hair will continue to produce those oils because you are stripping them away. The less you wash the less oil it will produce.

Washing your hair every day actually can strip the scalp of its natural oils, leading to dry, brittle hair. I suggest aiming to wash your hair every 2-3 days, this seems to be the sweet spot for more people for never getting oily and keeping their hair clean. If you have an oily scalp, try using a dry shampoo in between washes to absorb some of the excess oils. When you do wash your hair, make sure to use a gentle, sulfate-free shampoo and use lukewarm water as hot water can also strip your hair of its natural oils. You also want to make sure you are cleansing correctly. Use two shampoos every time you wash. The first one will clean off any dirt, oils and chemicals from the product, and the second wash will actually clean the hair. This is important for getting your washes to last longer as well. After washing your hair, make sure to condition it to keep it soft and healthy.

Now when you are washing, your water shouldn’t be so hot you're burning your head. For a number of reasons this isn’t good for you! One is it will remove your color faster. Two it’s stripping the oils from your hair again and can cause dryness to your hair. It can also cause your hair to produce even MORE oil. Bottom line, the cooler the water the better for washing your hair.

Heat on Hair

Along with hot water, using hot tools on your hair can also cause damage. Yes, we all want a gorgeous blowout, but save it for special events or use your blow dryer in a cooler setting. Here’s what I do: I wash my hair twice a week. On day one I will usually braid it when it's half dry and sleep on it. This way I have the appearance of full-volume hair in the morning with a beautiful wave but I didn’t use any heat. On day two I will blow it out and give my hair curl (with a lower heat setting and protective products). Usually, day two is for the weekend when I have more places I am going and people to see. If you still need to blow dry and curl your hair just turn down the setting and use a heat protector.

Heat styling can cause extensive damage to your hair, so it is best to keep heat styling to a minimum. Instead, allow your hair to air dry as much as possible and avoid using hot tools such as curling irons, straightening irons, and blow dryers. If you must use heat styling tools, always use a heat protectant product first and set the temperature to the lowest setting. I will link below all of my favorite heat protectants and styling aids to help you maintain gorgeous hair!

When To Use Top Knots & Hats

Yes, we all love those days when you can throw a hat on or pull your hair into a top knot. However, they aren’t ideal for your hair. I myself am a lover of both!! However, if I wear a hat I only use it outside of the house, and as soon as I am home I take it off! Top knots are also my favorite style when it's almost hair-washing day, but I try my best to never sleep with it like that and always leave it loose. The tighter you pull your hair the more it's pulling each strand and causing breakage. I like to use silk scrunchies and tie in a loose pony when I go to bed or leave it loose. The silk scrunchies will help fight the frizz and breakage of hair. You also want to be cautious when combing or brushing your hair. Be sure to use a wide-toothed comb to minimize breakage.

What Products To Use

You just paid good money for your hair to get done, so please don’t run to the store and buy some products off the shelf without some research. The wrong product can strip your color, as well as cause damage to your hair. There is a reason stylists show you the products they use and ask if you need anything as you are checking out. To keep your hair looking its best, it is important to avoid products that contain harsh chemicals such as sulfates, parabens, and mineral oils. These ingredients can strip away natural oils from your hair, leaving it dry and brittle. Instead, opt for natural, organic hair products with ingredients like aloe vera, coconut oil, and shea butter. These ingredients will nourish and moisturize your hair without stripping away essential oils.

Using fewer styling products such as mousses, gels, and sprays can also help keep your hair healthy between salon visits. These products can leave a residue on your hair that can cause it to become dry and brittle. Again, try to limit your use of heat-styling tools such as curling irons and straighteners as well, as they can cause heat damage and strip away natural oils from your hair.

To further nourish your hair between salon visits, deep condition your hair once a week. This will help replenish moisture and nourish the overall health of your hair. If you are only washing your hair once a week then stick to every other week or every other time. You don't want to over-add protein from conditioners and conditioning masks to your hair, this can cause the opposite effect. So stick to once a week if you wash 2 or more times and every other week or once a month if you wash weekly.

Bonus Tips

- One way to extend the life of your color between salon visits is to use a root touch-up powder or spray to conceal your roots. Apply it to the root area only and blend it in with a brush or a comb for a natural look. Be sure to brush this out before washing your hair.

- Appointments to trim your hair every 6-8 weeks to keep your hair looking healthy and avoid any split ends that can cause your hair to actually get shorter from breakage.

- Protect your hair from the sun with a hat or other coverage, and avoid over-washing your hair. Eating a healthy diet rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals is also important for keeping your hair healthy and looking its best.

- Avoid using chemical treatments (such as bleaching or coloring) too often or over-processing. A good hairstylist will advise you against any hairstyle that will overly damage your hair.

By following these tips, you can keep your hair looking great between salon visits and maintain a healthier hair care routine.