The most common hair care mistakes

You don’t need styling foam, styling lotion, gel, wax and hairspray all together. For the new, natural looks of the season, a good blow-dry with a high-quality hairdryer and your single favourite styling product is enough. Too many different products weigh down your hair and may leave sticky build-up.

So you’re really, really in a hurry and need your hair to look its best, sleekest, shiniest and straightest – so much to do, so little time! Wouldn’t it be okay to skip the blow-dry just this once and straighten your hair while it’s still wet? Sorry, but the answer is: NO! Absolutely not.
Your hair should always, always be completely dry before straightening.

Hair breakage can be caused by improper chemical processes such as home bleaching gone awry. But even seemingly innocent habits such as combing thick hair with a very fine comb or teasing your hair can cause it to break. The same goes for harsh brushing – or, in fact, brushing your hair while it’s still wet.

So be gentle on your hair and be sure to use styling tools that are gentle too. If your hair is very brittle and breaks easily you should check your diet: your hair needs a good supply of vitamin C, iron, protein (that’s what it’s made of, after all), biotin, zinc and folic acid.

Image: Hair breakage under electron microscope

"You don’t need to shampoo your hair every day. If you like that freshly-washed feeling and want to give your hair a good blow-dry, try just rinsing it with clear water.

And here’s a tip for the sophisticates: instead of using tap water, rinse your hair with bottled mineral water or filtered water. The lime in tap water, especially in areas with “hard” water, leaves your hair dry."

"You don’t need to shampoo your hair every day. If you like that freshly-washed feeling and want to give your hair a good blow-dry, try just rinsing it with clear water.