The chemistry and physical features of your hair are genetic. Some people have naturally oily hair while others have dry hair. Some of us have curly hair while others have straight hair. Whatever the composition of your hair, you aren’t likely to suddenly wake up one morning with a miracle fix. However, there are some things you can do to help keep your hair healthy, manageable and more to your liking.

5 Tips for Oily Hair
1. Washing: Shampoo every day or every other day with a clear, see-through shampoo. Avoid using 2-in-1 shampoos with added conditioners, as you don’t need the extra oils. Lather shampoo on hair and let sit for five minutes. Rinse thoroughly. If you feel you need a conditioner, condition only the ends of your hair; avoid the scalp, where oils originate.

2. Styling: Brush hair only as needed and avoid excess brushing near the scalp. Too much brushing near the scalp will only spread oils to the rest of your hair and stimulate more oil production. If you need to touch up your hair, consider brushing from the middle down. Avoid running your hands through your hair. You hands have oils on them, too, and this adds more oil to your hair.

3. Cutting: If your hair seems to be very flat and oily, consider having layers cut into your hair. It will add texture, body and movement to hair weighed down by oils.

4. Hair and Body: Oily hair can transfer oils to your face. Style oily hair away from your face to help keep oils off your face, reducing your chance for acne and blemishes. At night, use a cloth headband to pull bangs away from your forehead to lessen the amount of oils transferred from your hair to your skin.

5. Stylist’s Secret: Shampoo buildup and grime weighing down your hair? Try mixing 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 cup water. Then gently cleanse hair with the baking soda solution to remove old shampoo and conditioner buildup on your hair. You don’t need to do this every day, but it can be a hidden treasure once in a while.

5 Tips for Dry Hair
1. Washing: Shampoo every other day, twice a week or just once a week to help keep healthy oils in your hair. Use a cream-type conditioner, one designed for dry or damaged hair, every time you wash to help keep hair smooth and manageable. Contrary to popular belief, hair doesn’t need to be washed every day. With dry hair, wash as needed to remove dirt and oils.

2. Styling: Run a wide-tooth comb through hair when it’s damp to style. Avoid brushing hair as much as possible, as brushing very dry hair can increase splitting and breakage. Avoid using curling or straightening irons as much as possible. If you want to add curls to your hair, try rolling your hair in foam rollers at night. If you need to straighten your hair, do it every few days and touch up only as needed to give your hair a break. On windy days, tie your hair back in a braid or ponytail to avoid wind damage.

3. Cutting: Split ends only add to the dry-look of your hair. Make sure to have split ends trimmed every six to eight weeks to keep hair healthier. Trimming split ends will also help keep them under control. Uncut split ends will continue to break off farther up your hair. Split ends can also grow out and split again. This leads to weakened hair that breaks easily.

4. Hair and Body: Just as your body needs water, so does your hair. However, pouring water onto you hair won’t hydrate it. Be sure to drink eight to 10 glasses of water a day so the water can go into your body and hydrate the new growing hair.

5. Stylist’s Secret: Never, ever rub or twist wet hair to remove excess water. This will only add to the breakage. Instead, use a towel to gently blot and squeeze water out of your hair. When shampooing hair, shampoo down with hair growth and don’t pile hair on top of head and scrub all around. The more tangles you add while shampooing the more tangles you’ll have to comb out.

5 Hair Myths Revealed
Myth: Cutting hair makes it grow faster.
Truth: How fast your hair grows is based on genetics. The average rate of hair growth is about a half inch a month. However, keeping hair free of split ends will prevent breakage.

Myth: You can repair split ends with hot oil treatments and conditioners.
Truth: Once hair splits, it’s split. Hot oils and conditioners can help smooth hair back together, but with the next shampooing, the ends will separate again. The only way to truly fix split ends is to trim them off. This will also help prevent further breakage.

Myth: You need to wash your hair every day.
Truth: Wash you hair according to your lifestyle and hair’s needs. Dry hair can be washed a lot less frequently, and some people with oily hair find they can go a day in between washings.

Myth: It’s healthy to brush your hair 100 stokes a day.
Truth: The more you brush your hair, the more damage you may be doing. Brushing dry hair increases breakage, and brushing oily hair will spread the oil further down your hair. Brush hair enough to remove tangles and style. Then leave it alone.

Myth: You need to change your shampoo and styling products frequently.
Truth: Your hair doesn’t build up immunity to shampoos, conditioners and styling products, making them less effective. In truth, these products might be building up on your hair. Simply use a cleansing shampoo or baking soda rinse to remove the buildup, and you can return to your favorite shampoo and conditioner.