How to Wash Your Hair

Co-authored by Jenny Tran

Last Updated: November 4, 2022 Approved

There’s nothing quite like the luxurious feeling of stepping out of the shower with soft, freshly-washed hair. Washing your hair seems simple enough—just lather and rinse—but there’s actually more to it if you want to have smooth, shiny, healthy locks. You’ve got to get the right products for your hair, plus you need to know how (and how often) to use them so you’re not inadvertently making your hair worse. Once you've got those things down, you can say hello to clean, beautiful hair.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Shampooing

1
Rinse your hair thoroughly with warm water. Your hair will need to be completely soaked before you apply shampoo. Using warm water is important, because the warm water will open the cuticles in your hair.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Jenny Tran
Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Interview. 31 August 2020.} Once your hair is soaked in warm water the hair will start loosing any dirt and build up it has accumulated. Additionally, the warm water will help your hair and scalp absorb the oils in your conditioner. ^{[2]
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- Let your hair get completely wet before you apply your shampoo.
- Consider using a water filter that will extract any harsh minerals from your water. Your hair will rinse cleaner and feel softer. ^{[3]
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This may be new to you, but if your hair falls past your shoulders, the ends of your hair need more conditioning to keep them strong. Apply a nickel sized amount of conditioner to your palms and massage it gently into the ends of your hair. This will protect your ends from splitting and add shine! ^{[4]
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3
Gently massage shampoo into the roots of your hair. Measure a quarter sized amount of shampoo into the palm of your hair if you have short or medium length hair. You can double that amount if your hair is longer than your shoulders. Rub between your palms and then softly work the shampoo into the roots of your hair, massaging, not scrubbing, as you go. Also, make sure you shampoo well at the nape of your neck. ^{[5]
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- Be gentle, do not scrub your hair and avoid tight circular motions! You do not want to damage or break the cuticles of your hair.
4
Do not shampoo the ends of your hair if you have longer hair. You need more shampoo at the roots, because that is where the majority of your oil is. You need less shampoo or no shampoo at your tips of your hair, because it is the oldest and driest hair.
- If you have product build up, you can shampoo your hair with a purifying shampoo once a week.
^{[6]
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Expert Source

Jenny Tran
Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Interview. 31 August 2020.} Rinse your hair with warm water until it is free of all shampoo. Run your fingers through your hair to wick the water out of your hair if you have short hair. Gently squeeze the water out of your hair at the midsection and end to prepare for the conditioner if you have longer hair.

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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Conditioning Your Hair

1
Evenly spread conditioner into your hair if it is less than 3 inches long. You can use a quarter sized amount of conditioner. You can leave it in for about 2 and a half minutes, and you can use this time to shave or finish showering. If you are using conditioner for normal hair, you can use it every day. ^{[7]
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- Rinse your hair well with lukewarm water. If you are getting build up in your hair, it could be due to not rinsing your hair well enough after you condition.
2
Apply conditioner on the midsection and ends of your hair if you have longer hair. Rub a quarter sized dollop of conditioner between your hands. Do not worry about applying conditioner to the roots of your hair. Your hair has enough oil at the roots of your hair. ^{[8]
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- Clip your hair up, and finish your shower. The longer your hair is being conditioned, the better it will absorb the conditioner. Keep a clip in your shower for repeated use.
- You can also use a hair tie to put your hair up, but be careful not to put your hair up tight because you don’t want to damage the cuticles of your hair. Remember, your hair is at its most fragile when it is wet.
- You can also use a shower cap to keep your conditioner from rinsing out while you are in the shower.
If you want to get out of the shower quickly to conserve water or you have extra dry hair, this will give your hair the extra time it needs to absorb the oils in the conditioner. Keep your hair up in a clip or wrap your hair up in a towel to keep it out of your way.
4
Rinse your hair with cool water if you have long hair. The cool water will shut the cuticles in your hair and keep the moisture and oils sealed in your hair.^{[9]
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Expert Source

Jenny Tran
Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Interview. 31 August 2020.} You hair will look shinier if you remember to do this step consistently during your shower routine.
- Make sure to rinse all of the conditioner out of your hair. If there is still conditioner left in your hair the conditioner will leave your hair looking limp and oily.
5
Use a leave in conditioner or hair mask.^{[10]
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Expert Source

Jenny Tran
Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Interview. 31 August 2020.} There are leave in conditioners marketed to men as well as women. Leave in conditioner will strengthen hair, and they will make your hair more flexible. After you have showered, apply leave in conditioner to damp hair.
- Bed Head, Aveda, and Paul Mitchell have products for leave in conditioner for men.
- Some men report that the leave in conditioner makes their hair more manageable if they shampoo every day. ^{[11]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Choosing the Right Shampoo and Conditioner

Normal shampoo will work for every nine out of ten people who have hair that is less than 3 inches long. However, if you have problems with your scalp being too dry or too oily, buy shampoo for oily hair or dandruff shampoo. ^{[12]
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2
Thicken the volume of your hair if you have fine, limp or oily hair. It is called volumizing shampoo in the woman's section and a thickening shampoo in men's. ^{[13]
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Research source} This shampoo/conditioner will help give your hair more body.
- Avoid creamy shampoos/conditioners that will make your hair more oily. ^{[14]
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  Research source} You will want a gentle shampoo that you can use daily or every other day.^{[15]
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- If you have trouble with oily hair, you can apply dry shampoo to your hair between washes. Even guys can and should use dry shampoo, it will help your hair look fresh even when you haven't showered! ^{[16]
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  Research source} Dry shampoo is also good because it will add texture and volume if you have fine hair.
- You may not need to use conditioner if you have oily hair. Consider using a spray conditioner or a light conditioner with tea tree oil in it to absorb the oil in your hair.^{[17]
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3
Strengthen your hair with protein based shampoos if you treat your hair. If you color or chemically treat your hair, look for wheat and soy extracts or silk amino acids in your shampoo! Men's hair care does not typically offer shampoo and conditioner for this hair type; however, there is no shame in buying woman's shampoo if you want to preserve your color. Look for color protection shampoos, or you can use a gentle baby shampoo that won’t strip your hair. ^{[18]
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- Use your conditioner only on the ends of your hair if you have long hair. Your hair already has enough natural oils at the roots that you only need to apply the conditioner to the middle and end of your hair.
- Avoid conditioners with silicon that strip hair. You want to preserve the color in your hair. Also do not wash your hair every day as it might strip your hair color as well.
4
Find a shampoo to soften and tame your hair if you have coarse or curly hair. Good shampoos for coarse, curly hair contain wheat germ oil, macadamia or almond oil, or shea butter. Also you can use shampoos or conditioners with glycerin or silicon to keep your hair well hydrated.
- You can also do hot oil treatments regularly to help tame your frizz. ^{[19]
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- Use a deep moisturizing conditioner every time you wash.
5
Use creamy shampoos if you have dry or frizzy hair. Coconut, argan, grapeseed and avocado oils are all great treatments for dry hair. Use an ultra moisturizing conditioner every time you wash your hair, as well. ^{[20]
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- You can also use shampoo made for dry or color treated hair to tame your hair if you have frizzy, dry hair, because they do a great job of moisturizing your hair.
6
Rotate the kind of shampoo you use if you have dandruff. This is the best method for combatting dandruff. Switch a shampoo with salicylic acid, one with pyrithione zinc, and one with selenium sulfide to effectively fight those pesky flecks. Also rotate in a regular shampoo occasionally, or a moisturizing shampoo if your hair is drying out from the dandruff shampoos.
- If your hair is still flecking, follow up your shampoo with an apple cider vinegar rinse to fight the yeast and bacteria.
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Expert Q&A

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Question

How do you use a hair mask?

Jenny Tran
Professional Hair Stylist
Jenny Tran is a Hair Stylist and the Founder of JT Hair Lab by Jenny Tran based in the Dallas, Texas metro area. With over seven years of professional hair styling experience, Jenny specializes in hair coloring, haircutting, and hair extensions. JT Hair Lab is an authorized carrier of R+Co and of Milbon and is committed to using products with quality ingredients.

Jenny Tran

Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Answer

First, rinse your hair with warm water to open your hair cuticles. Then, apply the hair mask and leave it in for the recommended amount of time. Afterwards, rinse your hair out with cool water to seal the moisture into your hair.

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Question

Is it best to use warm or cool water when shampooing your hair?

Jenny Tran
Professional Hair Stylist
Jenny Tran is a Hair Stylist and the Founder of JT Hair Lab by Jenny Tran based in the Dallas, Texas metro area. With over seven years of professional hair styling experience, Jenny specializes in hair coloring, haircutting, and hair extensions. JT Hair Lab is an authorized carrier of R+Co and of Milbon and is committed to using products with quality ingredients.

Jenny Tran

Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Answer

Use warm water when you're shampooing your hair. This will open your hair cuticle so the shampoo can fully work.

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If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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Question

Should you rinse your hair with warm or cool water?

Jenny Tran
Professional Hair Stylist
Jenny Tran is a Hair Stylist and the Founder of JT Hair Lab by Jenny Tran based in the Dallas, Texas metro area. With over seven years of professional hair styling experience, Jenny specializes in hair coloring, haircutting, and hair extensions. JT Hair Lab is an authorized carrier of R+Co and of Milbon and is committed to using products with quality ingredients.

Jenny Tran

Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Answer

Rinse your hair with cool water to close your hair cuticles. This will lock in moisture and oils.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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