It may seem simple, but could you be shampooing your hair wrong? You might be. Taking the time to wash your hair thoroughly can extend the life of your hairstyles, provide a healthier scalp, and promote stronger, healthier hair. Here are my top tips to help you achieve your best and healthiest hair:

Double Cleanse

Lather, rinse, repeat. Yes, it’s true. This is especially important if you prefer to go a few days between washes. If you’re a product junkie like me, you may need to shampoo three or more times for a thorough cleanse.

Your first shampoo may not lather much, or at all. That’s okay! It is still cleansing. Use the pads of your fingers (no nails!) to scrub all over your scalp. If you have super thick hair, consider clipping up the top half to ensure you can reach the back of your head.

Clarifying Shampoo or Scalp Scrub

If you’re going several days between shampoos, removing all the buildup on your scalp is crucial for scalp health and hair integrity. Failing to do so can create an environment perfect for bacteria, fungi, and ultimately thinning hair. Clarifying shampoos have stronger cleansers to help break up the oil. A scalp scrub will exfoliate your scalp, removing oils, dead skin cells, and products.

Use More Water

You don’t need more shampoo—you need more water. Don’t squeeze the water out of your hair before applying shampoo to your scalp. If you need more help spreading the shampoo, don’t use more product; just dip your head back into the stream of water and continue working the shampoo into your scalp.

Wash as Often as You Need To

Even if that means every day. Some people simply produce more oil and need to cleanse more often. “Hair training” or “scalp training” is a myth and has no impact on the amount of oil your scalp produces. You may adapt to the feel of a more oily scalp, but you will not produce less oil. Most people with straighter hair textures will shampoo every 2-3 days, while those with curlier hair may go a week or more.

If you have a high-maintenance hair color like unnatural vivids or ash tones, be aware that the more often you shampoo, the quicker your color will fade. Still, you should prioritize scalp health and come in more often for toners and use color-preserving hair products.

Rinse Well

Rinse until your hair doesn’t feel as slippery from the conditioner. Massage your scalp to feel for any grime that was left behind. If you have very thick hair, you may want to clip half of your hair up again and make sure you’re rinsing the back of your head very well.

Scalp health may be trending right now, but for good reason. A healthy scalp will produce strong and healthy hair. And what feels better than a blowout on freshly clean hair?