Things I Don’t Do to My Hair Anymore as a Hairstylist and What I Do Instead

I stopped overwashing.

I wash my hair like twice a week now. Sometimes three if I worked out and I'm feeling gross about it. But daily? That version of me is gone. Every time you shampoo, you're stripping your scalp's natural oils. Your scalp gets dry, overproduces oil to compensate, and now you feel like you NEED to wash every day. It's a cycle you created. I broke it by pushing my wash days further apart, using dry shampoo at the root on day two and letting my scalp figure itself out. It took about two-three weeks to regulate. It wasn't cute. But it worked. Now 2-3 washes a week is perfect for my scalp health without overusing dry shampoo!

I stopped using hot tools without heat protectant.

I used to be lazy about this. Like, criminally lazy. Now I won't even look at a flat iron without spraying something on first. Heat protectant works by creating a barrier between the tool and your hair strand - it doesn't make the heat disappear, but it absorbs and distributes it so the damage isn't as concentrated. Skipping it is basically choosing split ends. I don't make that choice anymore.

I stopped using permanent color on my own hair.

I switched to demi-permanent color, and the difference in the condition of my hair is honestly wild. An alkaline permanent hair color opens the cuticle, deposits color inside the strand, and changes the internal structure. It works, but it's a lot of stress on your hair over time - especially if you're coloring frequently.

Demi-permanent color deposits without fully opening the cuticle, and acidic demi formulas work at an even lower pH, which means less swelling, less damage, and insane shine. The trade-off is that it fades more gradually and won't lighten your natural hair. But for adding richness, toning, blending grays, or refreshing color between lightening services? It's the smarter choice for most people, most of the time.

I stopped chasing styles that weren't made for my hair.

This one's bigger than it sounds. I have medium to fine hair with medium density. That big, voluminous blowout that looks effortless on someone else? That's not my natural hair. If I want that look, I need to utilize extensions and a lot of product to create it - and I CAN create it. That's the whole point.

But I had to stop pretending my natural texture was going to get me there with just 1-2 products. I can either choose extensions and get the volume I want, or I can be happy with my natural hair as it is. Both are good options. The difference is I'm choosing now instead of feeling like something's wrong with me. And here's the thing nobody tells you - most of the people you see online with that thick, bouncy, big hair? They're wearing extensions and have a big styling routine too. You're comparing your natural hair to someone else's enhanced hair and feeling bad about it. Once you know that, the comparison loses its power. Now you're making decisions from real information instead of wondering why your hair doesn't look like hers.

I stopped brushing my hair from the top down.

You start at the ends and work up. That's it. That's the habit change. It sounds so small but if you're ripping through tangles from your root, you're creating breakage every single time. Get a wet brush or a wide-tooth comb, start at the bottom, work in sections if you need to. Your ends will thank you in about a month.

None of this is revolutionary. That's kind of the point. The stuff that actually makes your hair better long-term is boring. It's not a viral product or a salon hack. It's just doing the small things right, consistently, because you decided your hair was worth the effort. And it is <3