Have You Been Washing Your Hair Wrong All Along?

17th April 2014

Boosting thin, flat hair can be one of life’s most tedious challenges. With a high street brimming with products that all promise a Nicole Scherzinger style mane, people could easily spend hundreds of pounds in their quest for that extra ‘oomph’. However, according to news articles this month, the answer to your hair woes may be much simpler than you thought!

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve noticed a range of articles creating a furore around ‘reverse washing’ such as this one from the Daily Mail. The technique involves leaving behind the age old ritual of shampooing then conditioning, by simply reversing the process.

Although this isn’t a new, or particularly remarkable discovery, there is some method behind the madness. What many people don’t realise is that it’s very difficult to completely rinse away the entire residue from a conditioner. The remnants of the product can leave hair weighed down and oily – making already thin hair appear limp and lank.

This being said, reverse washing isn’t the fix-all it’s being touted as. The reason we historically shampoo then condition is because the detergents in shampoo, which get rid of the oils and dirt, actually damage our hair. Using a conditioner re-moisturises the hair, leaving it healthier and less likely to break.

Swapping the order in which you wash might instantly result in fuller, bouncier looking locks, however hair will be left more damaged, and ultimately, flatter in the long-run.  My advice would be to reject the reverse wash and stick to the lather and rinse you’re used to.