Shortcuts for Healthy Hair

Time Drain: You Use Too Many Products

This may be your problem if your hair is greasy, dull, limp, or lifeless, or if you get “product dandruff” (little dry flakes of excess style that fall on your shoulders). If you’re layering product upon product and still not getting the results you want—then compensating by layering on even more—that’s another sure sign you’re overdoing it or choosing the wrong products, says Paul Becquerel, the owner and creative director of the Paul Becquerel Salons and Spas, in New York City. “You need only four things: shampoo, conditioner, style, and finisher,” he says. Any more and you’ll weigh down your hair and diminish the results—besides wasting time and money.

Speedy Solution

 

If you’ve got a case of product overload, get the excess gunk out by adding a tablespoon of white vinegar to your shampoo. (You can do this every week or two.) Then pick one product for each of your hair needs: for example, a color-protecting shampoo, a moisturizing conditioner, a root-lifting spray, and a shine-boosting silicone-based hair spray. If you can’t get the results that you want with those four products, then you may have the wrong haircut. (Keep reading.)