Understanding Hair Hygiene
Submitted by SharpMan Editorial Team on Thursday 14th October 2010- Choose the right shampoo for you and your mane.
- Salon-priced maintenance: is it worth the big bucks you’re spending?
- Common hair problems and solutions.
If your schedule is as hectic as most of our readers, you fit in work, workouts, lunch, laundry, returning e-mails, voicemails and snail mail and your social calendar, all within the space of a day. So the last thing you need to worry about is the shampoo and hair products you use, right? Check out these SharpGrooming tips, all designed to cut down on the time, maintenance and cost of your optimal hair care:
Choose the Right Shampoo for Your Mane
Most SharpMen are familiar with the basic labeling of shampoo and conditioner bottles: "oily to normal," "normal to dry" and "color-treated and permed" (i.e. chemically treated). Seems simple enough, but what do all of these designation actually mean? Check out the definitions that follow and choose the one that best applies to your luxurious locks:
Normal hair. Your hair is "normal" if your hair and scalp end the day feeling and looking pretty much the same way they did in the morning. SharpMen with "normal" hair often notice a bit of oil buildup on their scalps at the end of the day, which is also "normal"; that oil is simply the product of your sweat glands, hair products meltdown and pollutants. SharpMen with "normal" hair generally feel the need to wash their hair every day or two.
If the information above describes your hair on most days, choose a shampoo for "normal" hair.
If the information above describes your hair on most days but your hair has a tendency to become oily on occasion, choose a shampoo designed for hair that is "normal to oily," paired with a "light" conditioner.
If the information above describes your hair on most days, but your hair has an occasional tendency to be dry, choose a "normal to dry" shampoo, paired with a "regular" conditioner.
Oily hair. Your hair is "oily" if you can feel your scalp becoming more and more oily as the day progresses. SharpMen with "oily" hair often find that their hair requires a shampoo once or more each day to avoid a greasy look.
If the information above describes your hair on most days, choose a "tea tree oil" shampoo, or one with "menthol" as an ingredient. These shampoos will remove oil gently, so as not to damage your hair and scalp. The menthol shampoos also feel cool on the scalp — a welcome feeling of clean to guys with oily hair.
Go easy on the conditioner. Choose a "light" conditioner with a label that indicates that it is "for oily hair." When applying, avoid conditioning your roots — your scalp is oily enough to condition itself. Instead, apply the conditioner to your palms and fingers and touch it to the ends of your hair.
Our SharpMan panel of hair testers found that many two-in-one shampoo and conditioner combinations have a tendency to make oily hair feel oilier, so discontinue use if this occurs with your two-in-one product.
SharpMan Tip: In some cases, the presence of several factors can switch your hair type from one category to the other. For example, "pomades" are very popular men’s styling aids — some of which can be very oily. Applying a pomade and going out into the sun — or doing anything that causes your body temperature to rise — may cause the pomade to melt and your hair and scalp to feel oily.
The solution? Opt for a wax-type product instead. Try Head Games Bizarre Twist Modeling Putty ($14.99). Note that with any type of pomade, wax or modeling putty, too much product will result in oilier hair.
Dry. Your hair is dry if your scalp has a tendency to feel tight and itchy, particularly after you shampoo and dry your hair. For SharpMen with this hair type, daily shampooing is torture. Instead, guys with "dry" hair types prefer to shampoo every three days or so.
If the information above describes your hair on most days, ignore those "shampoo, rinse, repeat" directions found on most bottles of shampoo. Since dry skin is caused by an absence of natural scalp oils, and shampooing washes those scalp oils away, shampooing twice can leave dry scalps that much more dry and irritated. So, shampoo once (using a moisturizing shampoo), rinse, and that’s all.
Follow your shampoo with a "leave-in" conditioner. This type of conditioner is exactly what its name suggests: a conditioner that you "leave in" rather than rinse away. Your leave-in conditioner serves as your first line of defense against your dry scalp and hair, in addition to serving as a great styling agent that won’t further dry out your locks.
When you brush through your "dry" hair, use a wooden brush with natural hair bristles; experts indicate that natural hair brushes transfer oil from the roots to the ends of your hair more effectively — a great "natural" way to condition dry hair.
Color-treated and chemically treated (or "permed"). You know who you are: SharpMen with color-treated or chemically treated hair have locks that are more brittle and/or coarse due to the chemicals involved in manufacturing their look (and yes, highlights count). The ends of their hair tend to be drier, too.
If the information above describes your hair on most days, choose a shampoo and conditioner specifically designed for "chemically-treated" hair. Don’t skimp on the conditioner; apply it to the ends of your hair and then work up toward your roots.
Salon-priced Maintenance: Are You Getting What You Pay For?
We’re all familiar with the popular commercials promising salon-quality results at drugstore prices. Is buying your hair products from the salon worth the cost?
Interestingly enough, we got different answers from different SharpMen based on their hair types. Guys with oily hair tended not to notice a difference in the quality of the hair product, only the smell (the more expensive name brands tended to have a more gender-neutral smell; the drugstore brands were reportedly "sort of flowery"). The SharpMen in the other two hair type groups indicated that the drugstore and supermarket brands had a greater tendency to dry out their hair and scalps.
We also found that there are a few brands of products that are classified as "generic" but that are only available at hair product specialty stores like Sally’s Beauty Supply and Trade Secrets.
For example, a line called Generics manufactures a whole host of knock-off products. Another line called Ohm specializes in Aveda knock-offs. The ingredient list on the packaging is identical, but we don’t know about the ratios. Some SharpMan testers could not tell the difference between their usual pricey salon stuff and the generic stand in. So, the bottom line is, oily hair guys who like flowers, buy what you will. The rest of you, stick to your salon brands or their designated substitutes available at your nearest hair specialty shop.
SharpMan Tip: Hairstylists surveyed made a point of stressing how important it is for SharpMen with chemically treated hair to use extra gentle shampoos and a high-quality conditioners to avoid further damaging their locks. Bottom line? Stressed-tress SharpMen shouldn’t skimp on their hair care.
Common Hair Problems and Solutions
Flakes. If you find flakes of dead skin in your hair and on your clothes near your shoulders and neck, this does not necessarily mean you have dandruff. Often a dried-out hair product may be the culprit. Try decreasing the amount of stiffening hair product you use; gel, mousse and hairspray can all lead to dandruff-like flakes.
If you typically have dry hair and you have eliminated the excessive-hair-product possibility, your scalp might just be dry. Try a moisturizing conditioner or a hot oil treatment.
If these don’t solve your problem, you might have dandruff. The good news is there are many of over-the-counter remedies for this condition. Follow the instruction on the bottle and don’t hesitate to see your doc if you need more help — many prescription shampoos are worth a try. If you missed it, check out our article on Handling Dandruff.
Scalp blemishes. If your scalp is prone to developing blemishes underneath your hair (i.e., "head zits"), and these blemishes are causing irritation and scabbing, switch to a shampoo for oily hair. A buildup of sebum (dead skin cells and oil) may be blocking your hair follicles and causing head breakouts. "Tea tree oil" shampoo is a time-tested remedy for this type of condition, and should yield an improvement within two weeks of regular use. If, after two weeks, you have no success or you are experiencing more than a little hair loss, seek your doctor’s opinion.
Hair loss. Hair loss is genetic, so if the relatives on your mother’s side have thinning hair, you could experience male-pattern balding or a receding hairline. If that’s not what you hand in mind, see your doctor for a prescription hair loss treatment, such as Rogaine. The statistics are in your favor. Eighty percent of those who use these types of prescription hair loss aids stop losing their hair, and a smaller percentage of these lucky guys actually experience new hair growth, so it’s important to catch the hair loss as early as you can. For more information, check out Male Hair Loss: Answers & Options.
If your hair loss occurs suddenly or is accompanied by sores on your scalp, see a doctor immediately. You could be experiencing something more severe.
Lice. And just a word to the wise: if you’re in the habit of crashing on your buddy’s couch for the night, you might want to make sure he’s a good housekeeper. Head lice are a more common problem than you think. Symptoms include relentless itching and some sores. If you believe that head lice have taken residence on your noggin, consult your pharmacist for an over-the-counter treatment.
This article last updated on Thursday 14th October 2010