But as our Trichologist advises, there really is a right way to wash hair. Avoid heavy roots or dry ends, and enjoy a noticeably healthier scalp and stronger, shinier, better-conditioned hair when you improve your washing technique.
Start right for your hair type
Your shampoo and conditioner must be right for your hair type - oily or fine hair, for example, won’t benefit from a formula for replenishing dry hair. At Chāmpo, we approach hair diagnostics a little differently. We use hair Doshas, consistent with the ancient Ayurvedic wisdom that underpins our brand. Doshas help identify hair’s character traits and likely response to lifestyle and environment - know your Dosha and you’ve got your ideal tailored haircare.
All our shampoos and conditioners are free of sulphates, silicones, parabens or synthetic fragrance, and are trichologically designed to be suitable for chemically treated or coloured hair:
Vata | hydrates and softens dry, dehydrated or damaged hair. Enhances manageability and shine in curly, black or medium-to-coarse texture hair.
Pitta | strengthens and boosts body in fine or thin hair. Enhances fullness in straight or wavy hair, flat and lifeless hair or those experiencing hair loss.
Kapha | re-balances oily or full hair, including those with lots of fine hair. Enhances control in unruly or wavy hair and restores harmony where roots are heavy and ends are coarse.
Top 4 shampoo dos and don’ts
Shampooing should remove dirt, excess oil and styling product build-up while maintaining the integrity and balance of your hair and scalp’s natural oils. Therefore:
Do soak first | For your shampoo to really work its hardest, every strand needs to be completely drenched. Soaking wet hair ensures proper emulsification and a deeper clean through the scalp, roots and strands. Not doing this will mean shampoo is harder to spread through hair, resulting in product overuse to get the results you want.
Do use the right amount | And it’s far less than you may think. Short, fine or very thin hair only needs a raspberry or 5p size amount. Hair of medium length and fullness should use a 10p or small strawberry size piece. Longer, thicker hair can use a little more. Always start small and add more, so as not to waste it. Plus mix shampoo with a little water in your palm, create a low-foam cream then work into roots.
Do focus on roots | This is where dirt and grime build up. Stick to your scalp and roots for 2-3 minutes and then, if you feel it’s necessary or if hair is greasy, lightly work shampoo through hair’s mid-lengths and ends.
Do rinse thoroughly | Accidentally leaving shampoo in hair, which then builds up on the scalp is a common error. Spend a few minutes ensuring it’s all washed away.
Don’t wash every day | Let natural oils do their job to keep hair hydrated. Fine / oily types can wash every 2-3 days; dry hair every 3-4 days; Afro hair once a week.
Of course, those with very active lifestyles, including daily swimmers, may wash hair each day. Be sure to go light on the amount of shampoo used, as hair won’t be dirty.
Don’t assume lather = clean hair | Shampoo doesn’t have to lather to do its job. Abundant lather usually comes from synthetic surfactants, which are more likely to strip natural oils and leave hair dry, dull and frizzy. In fact, low-lather formulas like Pitta volumising shampoo are the trichologically recommended way to cleanse fine, thinning or fragile hair.
Don’t scrub | Digging into the scalp with your nails is abrasive, may damage the cuticle, cause breakage and leave skin open to infection. Our Trichologist always suggests washing hair as if it was your favourite cashmere jumper. Hair is delicate, go gently - fingertip pressure only, or our flexible, super-soft Shampoo brush.
Don’t double wash | This wastes Chāmpo unnecessarily. Our concentrated shampoos use 4-5 naturally derived cleansers, cleaning hair with no need to double wash. Anything else also affects the balance of natural oils, leaving hair open to damage.
Top 4 conditioner dos and don’ts
Conditioners get a bad rep - blamed for weighing hair down and leaving roots lank. Yet this only happens when the wrong conditioner is used on your hair type, or you condition incorrectly.
Do squeeze out excess water | Before conditioning, gently squeeze strands to remove excess water. Otherwise, the follicle is filled with water… which is right where the actives in your conditioner need to be to get working.
Do use the right amount | Like our shampoos, Chāmpo conditioners are made to last much longer. Their concentrated formula means 1-2 pumps is right for short or fine hair and no more than 6 pumps is great for thick, full, long or Afro hair.
Do comb it through | Use our wide-tooth bamboo Conditioner comb to gently work conditioner through hair. Not only does this detangle without the worry of breakage, but also more evenly distributes conditioner.
Do rinse thoroughly | As with our shampoos, spend time fully rinsing away conditioner to avoid leaving any residue behind to build-up.
Don’t skip conditioner | Fine hair types often skip conditioner for fear it leaves hair flat. But every hair needs conditioner… just use one that’s right for your type. The bespoke balance of strengthening, thickening plant extracts in Pitta volumising conditioner weightlessly nourish to boost fullness and body, while the powerfully moisturising botanical actives in Vata hydrating conditioner replenish dry, curly and Afro hair.
Don’t condition roots | Quite simply, conditioner only belongs on older and, therefore, drier areas of hair - i.e. mid-lengths and ends. Hair near the scalp is new, healthy and gets sufficient moisture from naturally conditioning actives in our shampoos.
Don’t leave it on long | Our concentrated conditioners get to work right away, so don’t need to linger long on mid-lengths and ends before being rinsed away, safe in the knowledge their nourishing, strengthening or balancing benefits have remained. Pitta hair types don’t need to leave it on long at all, though Kapha or Vata types can let it sit for 1-3 minutes - just find the fit that’s right for your hair needs. Those with very dry, thick and coarse ends may even like to use it as a conditioning mask or smooth one pump over ends as a pre-blowdry moisture boost.
Don’t vigorously towel dry | Wet hair = fragile hair. Instead of rubbing, go ultra-light post-rinse and gently pat to blot-dry hair.
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