Washing your hair seems simple, yes? Surprisingly not – and it’s actually different everywhere you go because the water is different – who knew?!
We recently spoke to Darwin hair expert and master of ‘lived in blonde’ – Ebony from Ebony Rose Hair Design in Bellamack – about how to care for your hair in Darwin. We discovered that many people are washing their hair wrong (us included!)
So with Eb’s help, we’re here to set you all straight… with a guide to washing your hair LESS!
If your scalp is oily, or when it gets oily – this means it is actually in overproduction mode from washing it TOO MUCH – and more often than not, you actually need to slow it down and try to persevere between washes.
According to Eb, the ideal amount is actually washing every 4-5 days, which means when you do wash it, you wash it properly!
In Darwin, not only because of how much we swim here, but because of the water and the piping, hairdressers see much more mineral build-up on hair which often makes it brittle, harder to style, and harder to colour!
So, what do you do? Here’s Eb’s steps to great, fully washed and healthy Darwin hair;
1. Shampoo your hair 3 times in one shower, focussing solely on the scalp. Really work the shampoo in, wash it out, and do this again twice more. The first time will only break the surface, it’s a very superficial wash which is why you’ll find it going greasy again in a short amount of time. If you can – use a mineral removing/detox shampoo every wash to strip the metals & minerals and build-up from your hair (Especially if you’re swimming in chlorine!)
2. Conditioner is next, but you only need approx. a 20c piece, focusing on the mid-lengths and ends. If you have medium-long hair, the conditioner never needs to go above the ears!
3. Once you’ve finished in the shower, never towel dry your hair, and especially don’t rub it! I like to use an old t-shirt to squeeze the excess moisture, and then let it dry naturally if you can. It’ll be much smoother and shinier!
4. Wash your hair in the morning – allowing it the dry naturally throughout the day. Going to sleep with wet hair is not very hygienic for your scalp, and will lead to excess moisture build-up, leaving you feeling greasy soon after a wash!
5. The PH in the water here also sits at about a 7.3 on the PH scale – and our hair ideally needs to be at 5.0 – 5.5 PH. Something like Staying Alive by Kevin Murphy is also excellent to help do this, and this in turn will smoothen out the cuticles, giving your hair a softer, smoother shine.
5. You need to protect your hair in between washes – in Darwin especially – so invest in a good leave-in treatment. After applying a PH Balancer, Apply a small amount of a leave-in treatment to your mid-lengths and ends (a good rule of thumb is from your chin down) to protect your hair from the NT’s harsh climate. Some of my favourites are Olaplex No.6, Leave In Repair & Untangled by Kevin Murphy.
7. And every OTHER day (other than wash day) make sure you rehydrate your ends with a serum! I recommend Olaplex Bonding Oil, It’s super lightweight & will keep your ends hydrated to prevent dehydrating & breakage.
Check out Ebony Rose Hair Design on Facebook & Instagram for more tips!
Follow us on socials for all the latest local’s tips!