New Day Your Way

Hair Myths Debunked by a Pro

Forget about brushing your hair 100 times a night à la Marcia Brady, or shampooing only once a week. We went straight to the scientists to find out just what we need to do to have hair that looks silky, shiny, clean and full of bounce.

Myth 1: Don't Use Conditioner if You Have Oily Hair

"One of the best ways to prevent damage to you hair is to condition," explains Lesley Bride, senior scientist at Proctor & Gamble. "Whether your hair is fine, coarse, dry or oily, it can

only benefit from conditioner." It's the scalp that needs the conditioning, so if your scalp tends toward oiliness, opt for a shampoo followed by a light conditioner and apply it two inches below the root, so you don't over-saturate the scalp.

Myth 2: Too-Frequent Shampooing Dries Out Your Hair

Healthy hair comes from a healthy scalp. To keep your scalp from itching if it's too dry, or sebum from spreading if it's oily, you want a clean scalp. Shampooing once a day is OK as long as you use a conditioner each time.

Myth 3: Brush Your Hair Often for Healthy, Shiny Hair

Just the opposite. According to Bride, if you have no knots or tangles you need not brush your hair, ever - unless you're styling your hair, in which case it's part of the process. Brushing involves pulling on your hair, scratching the cuticle and causing damage.

Here's a bit of the science behind it: "The way we achieve shiny hair is by reflecting light. Conditioned-and therefore smooth and aligned-hair will reflect light the best way possible, so you have a nice strong shine band," explains Bride. "Damaged cuticles will cause hair to be criss-crossed, rather than smooth, causing irregularity such as frizz, which we all know is not shiny." If you do have some knots and tangles, conditioning your hair can help to prevent damage, by laying the hair down smooth and preventing trouble when putting a comb through, causing less friction and snagging. Bride suggests using a spray-on conditioner before combing, then using a wide-toothed comb, the wider the better.

Myth 4: Hair Needs to be Wet to be Styled Right

Here's why you should wait till it's 90% dry before trying to work it into a style: "As your hair dries, it locks in the style; but when it's soaking wet it's too wet to lock in anything," explains Bride. "Right at the moment it's almost dry is when you can manipulate it." If you brush it wet you damage it, and too much heat damages it, so the less you work your hair, the healthier it is. This is also a huge time-saver-you can wash you hair, let it air-dry while you get the kids ready, make breakfast, get dressed, apply makeup and, by the time you're done, your hair will be nearly dry, at which point you can style it. If you use a curling iron or flat iron, make sure the hair is 100% dry before you start.

Myth 5: If You Use too Much Product You'll Damage Your Hair

Get product-happy, because the amount you use has no effect on your tresses. "Alcohol is not drying for your hair," ensures Bride. "The only time product can damage hair is if you have a very strong hold spray or gel in it, and then you attempt to brush your hair: you'll find that you'll have to pull the hair to get through it and it's this that causes the damage".