Your daily haircare routine- part 1

With lives as busy as ours, haircare is never something that can be prioritised. I mean, come on, who actually has time for hair masks/hour long soaks/any other treatment that takes more than ten minutes on a day-to-day basis? Don’t worry- we get it. But having a busy life doesn’t mean you should completely ignore your hair. It’s part of you; your identity, and you should give it the love it deserves. That’s why we’ve come up with just a few things you should be doing on a daily basis to keep your hair healthy and glossy that won’t cut a chunk out of your day. We predict this might take some writing, so this post will be split into four different sections, each with a different focus. So, without further ado…

First thing’s first, hair brushing. It sounds basic, and we all hopefully brush our hair on a daily basis (if not, you run the risk of damage and at worse, unwanted dreadlocks!), but I bet you didn’t know the importance of brushing with the right type of hairbrush. There are all sorts of hairbrushes out there, with different bristles, shapes, and sizes, and it's hard to know which brushes are used for what purpose. A few of us are probably guilty of grabbing the coolest-looking one with the most reasonable price, and heading to the till without a second thought. So you know for next time, here are the different types of hairbrushes and their uses:

Paddle brushes- Large and square, paddle brushes are flat with a wide surface area, making them great for straightening and smoothing your hair.

Round brushes- Smaller than a paddle brush, a round brush is essentially a stick surrounded by bristles, and is your go-to tool for blow-drying. They’re great for creating that volume and body in your hair.

Teasing brush- A teasing brush is used on the hair at the roots, to “backcomb” or add volume to the hair at the scalp. It’s small and narrow, and usually has two rows of bristles.

Wide-tooth comb- We don’t recommend brushing your hair straight after a shower, but if you’re going to, use a wide-tooth comb to do it. A wide-tooth comb should have larger spaces between the teeth than a normal comb.

Detangling hairbrush- If you’re prone to knotty hair, a detangling hairbrush should be your best friend. Detangling hairbrushes are usually round with no handle, and are designed to minimise breakage and damage during detangling.

Rat tail comb- Smaller and thinner than a standard comb, rat tail combs are used to section hair or to find the perfect parting. It can also be used for backcombing hair.

What about how often you should wash or replace your hairbrush? In terms of washing, on average, you should aim to clean your brush every one to two weeks (If you have longer hair, you may need to do this more frequently). As for replacing, it depends how often you use your brush, but if you use it on a daily basis and regularly put it through its paces, we would suggest changing it every six months to one year. You can check the condition of your brush yourself by taking a look at its bristles. If you notice a lot of the little round balls on the top of the bristles have fallen off, it’s time for a new brush.