Girls, there’s something about going to the salon that makes you feel like a rockstar. No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be able to replicate everything about that perfect, bouncy blowout. But not all is lost! I’m here to give you the steps to getting a little closer to that freshly-styled salon feeling (hint: it’s in the shampooing and conditioning techniques).
Step One:
Step into the shower and wet down your hair. I’m not talking about standing in the water for 10 seconds and then lathering up, gals. I’m saying stand under the water for a good minute to let the water penetrate all the layers of your hair and become saturated. If you have long and thick hair (like me), lift it up to make sure the hair in the middle gets wet, too.
Step Two:
Wash your body. This allows your hair to absorb the water even further. The point is that you want your hair to be as wet and saturated with water as possible.
Step Three:
Squeeze a handful of shampoo into your palm. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter how much you use (you’ll know when you’ve squirted too much, anyway). Then, emulsify the shampoo between your palms. Seriously, this is the most important part. Emulsifying it activates the detergents in the shampoo and helps you achieve a better clean.
Step Four:
Apply the emulsified shampoo to the crown and back of your sopping wet head first. By doing this, you are avoiding applying a large gob of shampoo directly to your forehead area and not evenly distributing it to the rest of your scalp. Yes, shampoo is for your scalp only. Do not actively shampoo the rest of your hair (rinsing the shampoo out cleanses the ends as much as they need, anyway).
Step Five:
Rinse thoroughly. If you feel that your scalp didn’t get fully clean, don’t be afraid to lather up again. Since I only wash my hair about twice a week, I usually end up lathering up twice. After rinsing, gently squeeze the excess water out of your ends. If your hair is too wet when you apply your conditioner, it will be dilute and not as effective.
Step Six:
Squirt a generous amount of conditioner into your palm. Distribute briefly between palms (do not emulsify). Apply to the ends of your hair only. Remember, shampoo is for your scalp ONLY and conditioner is for your ends ONLY. Let the conditioner sit on your hair for a good 2-5 minutes to really absorb and deep condition.
Step Seven:
Rinse the conditioner out of your hair thoroughly. You’re good to go! Style your hair however you wish.
XO, J
