How To Wash Hair Properly For A Salon-Worthy Bounce, According To Stylists

Pro hair stylists have the inside scoop on how to wash hair properly to get it looking bouncy, healthy and gorgeous – because make no mistake, there’s an art to creating salon-fresh hair. Even if you’re not booked in for a blow dry, the wash alone leaves hair both silkier and more voluminous, often for days after. But, how?

I pondered this at my most recent hair appointment while my stylist lathered up my roots at the backwash. “Is there a ‘right way’ to wash your hair, because whenever I do it myself at home, it never ends up looking as good?” Her answer was interesting: “Most people who come to the basin have lovely, clean hair on top, then when you reach the mid-section of the crown and the bottom, it takes a bit longer to work through because it’s not been washed as thoroughly.” Huh.

Comparing notes among my friendship group, they concurred: there’s not a whole lot of technique going on when they wash their hair. Most of them made like a Herbal Essences advert and massaged the tops of their scalp. Some paid due attention to the hair at the nape of their neck. None sectioned their hair so they could really give the strands nestled at the centre of their crown a thorough cleanse.

This oversight, it turns out, could be the difference between achieving a a gravity-defying blow dry or not, since the oil and grime that disperses itself throughout our scalp (on the hair behind our ears, in the mid-sections and at the bottom) gets left behind, resulting in sad, wilty hair that feels weighed down.

“Putting a little bit of extra time and thought into how you wash your hair at home can leave you with that light, bouncy salon-fresh feeling,” confirms leading hair stylist, Hollie Rose Clarke. According to the pros, there are easy tweaks we can make to transform our usual hair wash into a formula for delicious salon-worthy hair. Here’s how to wash hair properly at home…

Brush your hair first

You want to start with your hair in a good place. “Before you even get in the shower, brush your hair. This will help loosen dirt, remove stray hairs and untangle knots,” says Hollie.

“For textured hair (particularly type 3 and 4 curls and coils), I’d always recommend detangling before shampooing,” concurs top global hair stylist, Dionne Smith. “This can be done with water and a little conditioner for slip, or with a good detangling spray. It makes the washing process much easier and helps minimise unnecessary breakage,” she explains.

Section your hair off

Given that so many of us miss our mid-sections, it’s worth putting extra effort into making sure we’re thoroughly cleansing every inch of our hair. “One technique I swear by, especially for thicker or denser hair, is sectioning the hair before shampooing and applying the shampoo directly onto the scalp,” says Dionne. “By working through the head in sections first, you’re making sure the scalp is being properly cleansed rather than just the surface of the hair,” she explains.

Make sure the temperature is just right

If you like a roasting shower, you might need to dial it back. “Water temperature is important,” notes Holly, who recommends washing hair with lukewarm water. “Water that’s too hot will open the hair cuticle and this will allow keratin proteins, your expensive salon colour and natural moisturising factors to escape,” she says. “It means hair loses not just colour, but strength, too.”

Double up on your shampoo

“Always, always wash your hair twice,” Hollie says. “The first shampoo removes dirt, pollution and product residue. The second shampoo essentially adds shine and gloss,” she adds – similar to double cleansing your complexion. Double-shampooing is what is going to give you that salon-level luxurious shine. You may even need to go for a third. “I rarely go in with a third shampoo unless there’s still a lot of product build-up or the water still isn’t running clean after the second rinse,” notes Dionne.