Do you really need to deep condition? How long can you wait before getting a touch-up on your highlights? These are the nagging questions we all want our hair stylist to answer. Well, stop worrying and follow this plan for your healthiest hair ever.
1. Shampoo every few days.
It might seem obvious but the thicker your hair, the less often you need to wash it, says Louis Licari, a Today show beauty contributor and celeb colorist. If you have fine hair, however, you'll likely have to shampoo it more frequently.
Start by washing every other day at first, and keep stretching it out with more days in between until your oils really start to weigh your hair down. Licari also suggests using a gentle shampoo with minimal conditioner or not using conditioner at all. "If it's hard to comb out your hair then it's fine to use conditioner, but put it on the tips only," he warns. According to Licari, conditioner makes it easier to comb your hair when it's most fragile, but it can weigh down your hair.
If you have really curly hair though, Licari says to treat your conditioner like a shampoo. Wash it once a week but every other week swap out your shampoo and use conditioner instead. This will help keep hair hydrated by not overly oily.
2. Deep-condition once a month.
"It's essential," Licari stresses. But you only need to do one every four to five weeks. And, you don't need to buy a fancy conditioning treatment either. Just put your favorite heavy-duty conditioner on your dry hair. Wrap your hair in a plastic bag to trap the heat, and then wrap a towel around the bag and your head, says Licari. Give it a full half an hour to soak in before rinsing it out. (It takes about 30 minutes to penetrate the hair, so leaving it on longer won't make that much more of a difference.)
3. Get a haircut every six to eight weeks.
"Shorter hair needs to be shaped more often," says Licari. So if you have a shorter hairstyle like a pixie, bob, or lob, you'll need to get a trim at least every six to eight weeks. But if you have a longer cut you can go 10 to 12 weeks, since you'll likely just need to shape your layers for a bit of lift.
But, if you start to notice splitting, schedule an appointment ASAP. If your hair does split, it can compromise your overall hair health. "So even if you want to grow your hair long, be sure to get the tips cut regularly," says Licari.
4. Touch up roots every four weeks.
If you have more than 20 percent gray hair at the roots, you need a touch-up once a month. "If there's too much gray at the root, it can make you look older because the part looks way too wide," says Licari. Note: If you have darker hair with more depth at the root, you could probably squeeze out six weeks at the most.
If you're just going in for highlights, Licari recommends going in every three months. If you go in too often, you'll risk having your highlights placed too close together, which will look like a complete change of color. "You always want contrast," he says.
