Hair that is hard to style is hair that is typically not at its healthiest. If your stylist isn’t pleased with your hair when you walk into the salon, it’s probably a sign that your hair care routine has some room for improvement.

Caring for oily, thin hair can be a challenge, but not taking into account common mistakes when washing can make the challenge even more difficult. By understanding the biggest mistakes that stylists hate, you can avoid them yourself and end up with healthier hair along the way.

Table of Contents:

• Hair-Washing Mistakes Your Stylist Doesn’t Want to See
• Over-Washed Hair
• Too Much Product
• Using Just Any Shampoo
• Rushing Your Routine
• Scalding Your Hair

Hair-Washing Mistakes Your Stylist Doesn’t Want to See

Your scalp produces a natural oil called sebum. If you have thin and oily hair, then your scalp probably produces more sebum than is needed. Although it can leave your hair looking greasy, it is important to the health of your hair, so you want to create a balance. However, if you are not mindful of this balance during your hair-washing routine, then your hair may not be at its best, and your hairstylist may call you out on it.

• Over-Washed Hair

Your hair stylist can tell when you wash your hair too often. Over-washed hair is made clear by either overly dry or overly oily hair. If you have thin and oily hair, then the natural sebum on your scalp is produced quickly and able to move easily through your hair strands.

However, your scalp only produces as much sebum as it needs. If your hair is producing excessive amounts of oil, then it is probably time to question your washing routine. Overly oily hair is a sign that your scalp is overcompensating for dryness.

Every time you wash your hair, you strip the natural sebum from the scalp and roots. If you wash often, then your scalp produces more oil to adjust for the loss.

Over-washed hair also has more damage, like split ends and breakage. Hydrated hair is more flexible and resistant to damage. Even if your hair is oily, washing it every day increases the risk of dryness between the time you wash your hair and the time when your scalp replenishes its sebum.

• Too Much Product

For some, the solution to oily hair seems to be using as much product as possible to reverse the effects. No hair stylist is happy when they come across product-filled hair. If you immediately follow up your shampoo routine with a conditioner every time you wash your hair, your stylist is going to be able to tell.

Product-filled hair is heavy and hard to work with. The reality is that oily hair does not need too much work to keep it from drying out, especially when you wash it every day. Thin hair types only make this problem worse, as thin hair makes the amount of oil appear more dramatic.  

To avoid making this mistake, limit your conditioning routine to once or twice a week at most. A healthy balance of sebum is natural and good for your hair. Once you wash your hair, allow the natural oil to take over and embrace its ability to improve the health of your hair. When you do use products, try to stick to light products like WOW’s Green Tea and Tea Tree Conditioner or Onion Shampoo & Conditioner Set.

• Using Just Any Shampoo

If you have oily and thin hair, and you choose your shampoo by picking the first product off the store shelf, chances are that you are reducing the effectiveness of your hair care routine. Many shampoos are filled with additives that can be harsh on your hair and scalp, especially if your scalp is particularly sensitive.

An irritated or flaky scalp is a sign that you are using the wrong products, and it will stick out to your hair stylist like a sore thumb. Avoid using products with ingredients like sulfates, parabens, alcohol, or synthetic fragrances. These ingredients can make your shampoo more appealing, but the truth is that they do not offer unique benefits for your hair that you cannot get from other ingredients.

As a result, you should aim for natural alternatives to these ingredients. Ingredients like charcoal, apple cider vinegar, and aloe vera can all help cleanse your hair and detoxify your scalp without the same harmful effects. If you are ready to step up the quality of your shampoo, try WOW’s Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo or WOW’s Himalayan Rose Shampoo.

Both of these products combine the benefits of a deep cleansing shampoo with nourishing, hydrating vitamins and antioxidants.

• Rushing Your Routine

A busy schedule can be tough to manage and lead to some things getting neglected. However, your hair should not be one of them. Although you shouldn’t wash too often, you should make the most of it when you do.

Pollutants like dirt and oil on your scalp can lead to more oil production, so it is important to make sure you completely wash them out. For a helping hand, use WOW’s Activated Charcoal and Keratin Shampoo to detoxify your hair down to the scalp and completely remove build-up.

If you have thin and oily hair, added oil is the last thing you need in your hair. Therefore, making sure you rinse out your hair is important for keeping it free of excess oil build-up.

• Scalding Your Hair

If you tend to like your showers as hot as possible, you may catch a judgmental look from your hair stylist during your next haircut. Washing your hair with hot water usually leads to dry and damaged hair. Think about how a hot tub or being in the sun too long dries out your skin — now imagine that same effect on your hair and scalp.

Even if you limit the number of times you wash your hair during the week, washing with high temperatures is harsh enough to strip your hair of natural oils and cause damage to your hair strands. You can also end up hindering your hair’s growth. When you burn your hair, you cause split ends and breakage, forcing your hair stylist to cut off more hair than would have been otherwise necessary.

Hot showers can also be a contributor to excessively oily hair. By drying out your hair and scalp, the high temperatures can push your scalp into production mode, resulting in heightened amounts of oil throughout your hair.

Avoid driving your hair stylist crazy the next time you visit the salon, and steer clear of some common mistakes. By adjusting your washing routine to create balance for your oily, thin hair, you can end up with healthier hair and a happier hair stylist.

To keep your hair happy and healthy, make WOW Skin Science products a part of your hair care routine. All of our hair care products are made with natural ingredients that infuse your hair with vitamins and antioxidants to keep it strong and vibrant. Explore our selection of products to understand the benefits for yourself.