Why is my hair flat?

Why is my hair limp and lifeless? Why is it dull? Why is it heavy? Why does it feel like I can't get it clean? This is a question I hear often in the salon and that I've experienced for myself.

I try a lot of different shampoos and conditioners on my  hair from friends and product companies. I know how I like my hair to look and feel so I'm sensitive to the slightest change. Recently I tried one of those conditioning shampoos/conditioners in one. The kind from the infomercial. I tried it for a week using it during the 3 times I washed my hair. I used a lot of it like the product suggests, and I think it did what it was supposed to. The conditioning cleanser kept my hair smooth, but lifelessly smooth, slightly dull with whatever it coated my hair with, and almost stringy with a slight greasy feel. As I continued to use it my hair felt less and less clean. This can even happen with Pureology hydrate which I use daily or other shampoos which are meant to cleanse gently. But, some do it in a way that you can feel the coating...This was one of those times...yuck..

There are many reasons...But, here are 2 of the most common.

1. REFRESH HAIR COLOR

With dark roots in blondes or dull ashy roots  in brunettes the hair can look dirty like when you have oily roots. Unfortunately, the top of your head is where the lights in restaurant bathrooms and office lights shine making overdue roots less attractive.

Fresh color also damages the hair slightly by roughing up the hair cuticle making each strand just a little bit thicker. Because it is also slightly less smooth and silky you can also style it easier...Especially blondes, if you have trouble getting your hair to curl put in a few highlights teasing the roots for volume will be easier and curls will last longer.



2. PRODUCT BUILDUP
 Almost every product will build up in your hair overtime, along with pollution from the environment, minerals from water, medications that grow out into your hair that are orally consumed. One way I've seen this visually is when a client gets a perm they hair will shed color onto the cotton around the hairline..You might see brown dye slip out, yellow vitamins/ medications, slight tones of green. Life builds up in the hair. A good practice is to use a clarifying shampoo like Pureology Purify or ColorProof Detox shampoo which have ingredients like baking soda, witch hazel, and tea tree which gently remove buildup. Just like exfoliating your skin this weekly or biweekly treatment will leave your hair feeling soft and more radiant by revealing what is underneath...Fresh, Healthy Hair. 

By clarifying the hair the weight of the world is literally lifted off of your hair leaving it as your open canvas. You can get more predictable results from your products for volume, smoothing/moisturizing, or shine. Products remain in the hair even after washing with a color safe shampoo because these shampoos are made to be gentle just cleansing the oils and product. Sometimes with these shampoos I'll wash my hair twice. Shampoo can be thought of like a dog bone shape. One side loves oil the other water. First you suds it in  to make it grab the oil then rinse it out. The shampoo flushes from your hair as the water loving side is drawn out. Like washing a dish sometimes you need to rinse it twice.