The ultimate men hair care tips

Many men often wonder if it’s ok for them to use their spouse’s or girlfriend’s hair products. And the answer is yes. That is totally fine if you don’t mind the more ‘feminine’ fragrances of the products, and if the products work. Men hair care is not entirely different from that of women. Just like women, men need to be mindful of how they handle their hair so that it remains healthy.

1. Shampooing routine

Shampooing is important to cleanse the scalp and hair. It is particularly important if you use products such as pommades or gels: these leave residues on your scalp.

-Avoid the 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 shampoos! These will either clean well, but not condition properly or the reverse.

The choice of shampoo depends on your hair type and on what the hair needs. However, it should always be accompanied by a rinse-out conditioner.

Conditioners protect the hair, allow hair to be detangled more easily, add softness and shine, among other things. Just like shampoos, you should pick a conditioner based on what your hair needs. For those of you with fine hair, you might even consider reverse-shampooing: conditioning first before shampooing.

-Remember to detangle hair only after conditioning. The reduction in friction will help prevent damage to hair.

-Use wide toothed combs to prevent breakage.

2. Heat Styling

Most men do not actually heat style hair with a brush if the hair is short. However, in order to avoid damage, make sure the hair is not dripping wet before applying heat. Additionally, hair is at it’s weakest state when it is wet. If you have long hair:

-Use either leave-in cream or thermal protecting spray before heat styling.

-Keep heat styling to a minimum by extending your shampoo routine.

-Avoid tying or making buns with the wet hair.

3. Caring for beards

Beards are usually coarser and thicker than head hair. They often require some extra care especially if dry. Keeping the beard moisturized and soft makes it more manageable when styling, and prevents breakage.

-To keep the hair at the beard clean and soft, I recommend starting with shampoo/conditioner as you would for your head.

-When the clean beard is still damp, apply a light oil such as argan oil (Moroccan oil) to the beard, and follow with a cream such as a leave-in conditioner to seal moisture in. This technique is also called the L.O.C. treatment. Some people use blends of richer oils such as coconut oil , olive oil, sunflower oil, or jojoba oil.

-Make sure to trim regularly to keep the ends healthy.

-Avoid over-combing or over-brushing. Beards don’t grow as long as hair, and are more susceptible to breakage.

4. Caring for split ends

Split ends are dangerous because if left unattended, they can make their way further up the hair shaft, and cause breakage there. If you have long hair, it is important to have regular hair cuts (~ every 2 months) to get rid of them. Men with shorter hair don’t usually have split ends problems because they usually cut their hair quite often to maintain their short style look.

5. Caring for colored hair

Men as well as women need to give special attention to their hair when they start hair coloring. This is because hair coloring is a chemical treatment that damages the fiber. The damage level will, of course, depend on the type of coloring treatment.

-Men hair coloring kits sometimes contain progressive dyes which are made from heavy metals. These are harmful to health. Choose safer hair dyes that do not contain heavy metals. You can find the list of dyes that have heavy metals here.

-Use shampoos that are designed for colored hair or any shampoo that have mild surfactants in them. You will want to stay away from the sulfates because they cleanse too well, and will strip the conditioning layers of the hair. This will accelerate fading of the hair color.

-For more care tips for colored hair: http://hairmomentum.com/care-for-colored-hair/

So here you go:  A few men hair care tips for maintaining healthier hair!