It's the start of a new year, which means there are a ton of hair coloring appointments being booked RN. If you're one of those people who just gave their locks a refresh, be warned. While eye-catching and definitely a big step up from your previous look (especially if you've never touched your hair in the past), it can result in dry, brittle, and damaged locks.
READ MORE: 7 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Dyed My Hair In Crazy Colors
Before you splurge on an expensive treatment, you might want to give the reverse hair washing technique a go. ICYDK, it involves *switching* up the order of your hair products in the shower. Read on to learn more about this beneficial technique, from what it is, how to do it, and who benefits from it:
What is reverse hair washing?
As you can probably guess from the name, the reverse hair washing technique simply means switching up the order of your hair care products in the shower. This means applying conditioner first and rinsing it off completely before you lather in your shampoo.
If you think it's a little strange (because we always shampoo first *before* we use conditioner, right? Right?), experts say there are actually benefits to switching up your haircare routine. According to board-certified dermatologist Craig Ziering, DO, "the theory is based on the idea that conditioner left on first will infuse the nutrients for soft, hydrated hair strands while the porosity of the keratin protein is open from the pH of our water."
Who should do reverse hair washing?
The pre-conditioning method is particularly advantageous to people with dry, damaged hair from dyeing their tresses, as well as individuals with fine, limp locks. Aside from hydrating your hair, it will also potentially give it more volume and a fuller appearance.
According to board-certified dermatologist Purvisha Patel, "Conditioner is lipophilic, as it coats the scalp and hairs. So it is left to condition, then washed off instead of [simply rinsing it off]." She explains that using conditioner first before shampoo can help with a greasy scalp as well as fine, limp hair because this method prevents it from getting weighed down by the conditioner.
If you have thinning hair or you're experiencing hair loss, you can also benefit from using your conditioner first before your shampoo. Ziering explained that this method doesn't leave the "after feel" of heavy hair products that usually make the tresses appear flat. "This patient population uses conditioner to nourish first and cleansing to clarify, eliminating any of the residues some conditioners may leave behind on the hair," he added.
How to do reverse hair washing?
The good thing about the reverse hair-washing technique is that it's pretty simple to do, plus you don't have to spend any extra money since the products you need are *already* part of your original routine.
The process for it is pretty straightforward: After wetting your hair, apply conditioner starting from your scalp all the way until the tips of your hair. Make sure to concentrate the product on the bottom two-thirds of your tresses, as this part receives the least amount of natural sebum (aka the oils on your scalp).
Let the conditioner sit for five minutes. After rinsing it off, follow it up with a gentle shampoo cleanse. Rinse again and you're done!
