NOW CLOSED What are your top hair care tips? Share them with Aveda and you could win a personalised three step hair care system worth at least £50

[KatieBMumsnet]

The folks at Aveda would like to know Mumsnetters' top hair care tips for different types of hair. Here's what they say: "Here at Aveda research is key to developing the best products for our customers and talking to men and women across the world about how their hair looks feels and changes through life. We'd now like to know what Mumsnetters think about their hair - be it a crowning glory or something you'd rather hide under a hat."

What are your best hair care tips? What problems does your hair type cause? Do you wish you had a different type of hair or are you happy with what you have? What's the best piece of advice you've been given with regards to keeping your hair healthy?

Also, you may have seen recently on MN that some MNers are trying out the new Invati range from Aveda, specifically designed to help thinner hair look fuller. If you have thin hair, do you have any tips to make it look thicker? Maybe you have a special drying technique or a use weird and wonderful hair mask? Have you tried any old wives tales that have worked wonders or failed miserably?

Whatever type of hair you have, Aveda want to know your top hair care tips. Everyone who adds their comments to this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a personalised three step hair care system worth at least £50.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

[PostBellumBugsy]

I have fine naturally wavy hair, which has a tendency to fall out. My tips:

1. Eat well (plenty of protein) & take a multi-vitamin supplement.
   
2. If your hair is prone to falling out, get your iron levels checked.
   
3. Use gentle hair care products (so not too much detergent) with good rinsability.
   
4. Don't use straighteners every day, they will slowly weaken fine hair even more.
   
5. Temporary hair colourants (with no hydrogen peroxide or amonia) work a treat for adding colour & gloss.

[Choclatespread]

I have long fine frizzy hair. To tame the frizziness I recommended adding a few drops of oil to a leave in conditioner once a week. It makes it soft and shiny.

[Belo]

I like to use a build up remover once a week. I use bumble and bumble sunday shampoo every saturday and my hair always looks the best on that day!

I've also been using the same hairdresser for 7 years. She knows what my hair will or won't do and always cuts and advises me accordingly.

I've got very fine straight hair that lacks body. I wish I had thick wavy hair like both of my dds.

[SquealyB]

I have long straight hair and I wash it twice a week. I use an expensive branded shampoo and conditioner and a cheap own brand hair serum. I am very lucky insofar as I simply turn my head upside down and blow dry my hair for 10 minutes then style the ends as necessary. Top Tip is to use dry shampoo between washes if necessary.

[HelenHey]

wash hair just before you go to bed, sleep with it wet, Its a bit of a lottery how it turns out but when its good its great!!. some water will tame it if it goes wrong.

[EwanHoozami]

if applying an egg hair mask, do not rinse with hot water.

scrambled egg in hair.

Other than that, no tips. Mine is still falling out postnatally and looks dreadful.

[loubielou31]

There are some days when brushing my hair is as close to hair care as it gets.

Always get a decent hair cut, that way brushing it is all it needs

[TheOnlyPersonInTheDarkDarkRoom]

I have to wash my hair every day or it looks like it's been dipped in a chip pan. I condition it after each wash. I've been known to wash it more than once a day. The shampoo makers must love my sort...

My hair is long and straight but thin. I always let it dry naturally and never use appliances on it. I am hopeless with hair anyway and it always looks rubbish when I try to style it, or the style drops out within 5 minutes. I envy those with thick curly hair.

[daimbardiva]

I have lots of wavy, tending times frizzy hair which used to be oily but post two pregnancies and years of straightening is now dry. After each baby I lost a lot of hair which means ivegot lots of different lengths going on...

Top tips:

1. argan oil, used instead of a serum after washing
   
   
2. avoiding silicones in shampoos and conditioners
   
   
3. touching up your roots yourself - saves a lot of money!!

[missymum]

I have thick brown curly hair which I recently had cut into an inverted bob.
My routine is to wash with sulfate free shampoo every 3 days... And always use conditioner. Frizz can be a big prob so my first tip is to use Argan oil on wet hair after combing with wide tooth comb.
I then use a curl Creme and twist sections of hair all over using fingers as I find my hair holds the bob style better. I leave to dry naturally .
My second tip would be to use a tiny blob of conditioner on dry hair each morning inbetween washes. This eliminates frizz and touches up the curl.
My third tip would be to drink loads of water and eat well. I believe making the most of your hair type and so I embrace my curls rather than trying to fight them

[Eggrules]

I have fine hair that becomes greasy easily. To minimise hair loss I really can't wash it every day.

I wash the roots and condition the ends. My routine is this:

1. Wash; tangle teezer; product; blow dry,
   
2. To get an extra day I straighten with GHDs
   
3. To pinch a third day I wash the drown/front and tie up.
   

I get a cut and colour every 6-7 weeks.

[MummysHappyPills]

I too have very straight, fine hair, but luckily there is lots of it! I prefer to wash it every day, and I use a shampoo/conditioner that gets it super clean and no other products as any build up just makes it look dull and lank. I either let it dry naturally, or blow dry it with the aim of getting as much volume and movement in at as possible as it is poker straight. So I tend to dry the roots with my head upside down and then dry the lengths with a round barrel brush. It really tends to hold onto the water so it takes ages to dry.

[MyNameIsInigoMontoya]

I have realised over time that it is much easier to work with the hair I have, rather than wishing for something different. I will NEVER have curls (at least not for more than an hour at a time), but at least I will never need to use straighteners either, and at least I can get a good shine if I look after my hair, so now I just try to do that and to find styles that actually work for fine and exceptionally straight hair!

[cat]

Hair is a fucking ball ache. Mine is thick, long, wavy. Imagine Garth from Wayne's World/Rod Stewart

I'm still waiting for baldness to come back in to fashion.

I use Keratase and oil (lots of it)

[3bunnies]

I have long, thick, slightly curly brown hair which is prone to tangles. I have it cut about twice a year! My routine is to use the same products as my dc, they are 3, 5 and 7. We use baby shampoo, but then slap on lots of reconstruction 3 minute conditioner, followed by 'fairy spray' so all the fairies can detangle their hair! We then use a tangle teaser to brush it.

My moto is 'easy and no tangles'. I don't use hair driers or colouring just pull out the odd grey one!

[johnworf]

As I get older I seem to lose more and more hair in the hairbrush. I've stopped combing my hair when I get out of the shower and instead, leave it until it's damp. It doesn't seem to break as much.

I use argon oil as my hair is dry. My hair is also coloured and I make sure I use the correct shampoo and conditioner. It really does help keep the colour for longer.

[mynameis]

Henna to colour, hair dyes have really ballsed up my hair in the past

Don't really use anything other than mousse for styling and get a trim every six weeks

[mynameis]

Oh and dry shampoo is a god send for going an extra day without washing

[insprognito]

I think less is more with anything to do with hair,maybe because I am lazy have 4 children and not much time. Mine is pretty long (elbow length) and very straight. I wash it about 5 times a week but only twice if I'm not in gym so much.I'll use whatever mid range shampoo +conditioner is on offer,but only condition from the ears down. I use a silver blue shampoo once a week to keep my blonde colour looking bright and shiny.
I have my roots tinted every 6 weeks and have it trimmed around every 12. I like to leave it until its 80% dry(about 30mins as its not thick) before finishing it off with the hair dryer. If I'm in a rush and have to dry it from wet it goes fluffy and frizzes more. I use a pea sized blob of frizz ease and dry it upside down which only takes 5 minutes.I don't own straightners and find my hair looks exactly the same when I've had it done at the hairdressers.
I've tried lots of treatments over the years for shine but find nothing works better for me than a cold rinse after conditioning and using the cool shot button at the end of blow drying. It closes the cuticles apparently so the surface reflects more light.

[MichelleObarmy]

I have thick, straight hair that I colour regularly. The colouring had started to dry it out and conditioners weren't helping. I now massage through raw, virgin coconut oil once a week on damp hair then tie up and leave overnight. It doesn't make hair (or pillows!) greasy and rinses out completely in the shower the next morning. Leaves my hair very soft.

[MiniTheMinx]

Thick coarse hair, bit like a brillo pad, I could scour pans with it and I love it. I can bend it in any direction and it just stays put! Tis weird but I wouldn't have it any other way. What could aveda do for my hair? I never use the hair dryer and only use natural products, I'm probably not a good advert for natural is best but I have had old ladies fly at my in the street petting my hair.

[swallowedAfly]

i have curly/wavy hair. used to think it was a curse as a kid now see it as a blessing. i can have curly hair or, thanks to modern hair straighteners can relatively easily have totally straight hair. i think it's easier to straighten curly hair than curl straight hair.

my hair is not greasy or dry so... normal??

most of my adult life i've had long hair which is really handy - nice down when first washed, when on the turn/a touch greasy you can put it up. currently i have shorter hair and find it hard work as the put it up option is gone which means it has to be washed and 'done'. hence i've become quite a fan of hairscarves and hats on the school run this term but that get out is about to become useless as i go back to work so will have to 'do' my hair every day.

top tip/thing i've learned about curly hair is either have it long or have it very short. anything in between is an exercise in wrestling against nature. also be realistic about how much effort you want to have to put in on a daily basis. also try to pick hairdressers who have curly hair or who have children with curly hair - it amazes me how inept many hairdressers are at cutting and styling curly hair.

in terms of haircare i think you just have to find the products that work for your hair - there's no set rules, guides imo. all hairdressers have told me pantene is crap for your hair and just strips it yet it is the thing that works best on my hair. pantene perfect curls range (now disappeared with the fad for straight and sleek having returned) was fantastic with my hair - i'd just wash and let it dry naturally and it would be lovely. i haven't found a replacement sadly. so another top tip is if you find the product that is right for you buy up big and fill a cupboard because you'll miss it when it's gone.

[slug]

I have masses and masses (hairdressers always comment on it) of very thick straitish hair that no amount of styling product/device/tool can tame. It has fallen out of every style within 20 minutes. It's now about 40% grey but was auburn in it's prime.

I wash it using a hypoallergenic shampoo (Boots own brand currently) not because I have a sensitive scalp but because I'm prone to excema between my shoulders and I've found this helps immeasurably.

My best advice is to find a hairdresser you can trust. Failing that, wear a hat in the sun, scalps can sunburn too, and Moroccan Oil is fantastic for slightly damaged hair.

The best thing I've ever done with my hair is cut it completely off. I'm currently sporting the kind of crop that has people asking me how the chemo is going. It's dyed bright red and I love it because it quite literally is wash and go. My hair is nearly dry by the time I leave the bathroom. The extreme shortness also gives me the opportunity to indulge in my slight hat fetish now that the chillier weather is here.

[racingheart]

I have very fine, thin, straight fair hair and am constantly on the lookout for ways to thicken it. It won't hold a curl for anything, so I've given up trying, and if I let it grow too long it hangs down very flat and lank.

Tips:
1.) Cut every 2-3 months.
2.) Wash at least every other day.
3.) Condition the ends but never the roots.
4.) Always blow dry. This gives it body and far more shape. Takes seconds, as the hair is so fine, but doubles its thickness appearance.
5.) Wear it up in a scrunchie at home so when going out it has been lifted all day and doesn't hang so flat.

Instead of expensive highlighting, I always use a blonde shampoo. Love Aveda's camomile, but can't always afford it or find it. Timotei is good, but only available in Poundland these days, it seems. John Frieda leaves it looking a bit brassy and feeling tacky but at least it stops that mousy winter look, and blonde shampooing means you never need to touch up the roots.

[VerySmallSqueak]

I have slippy shiny thick hair that won't hold a style.
I would love wavy hair.
I wash about once a week but sometimes don't condition and I cut it myself.
My top tip is to take your time finding hair clips that don't slip out instantly.