Ever feel like your hair should look and feel better than it does with all of the care that you put into it? There’s a good chance that you have an unsuspected culprit to blame for the unexplainable issues. Here are a few common things you may be doing that are preventing your hair from looking and feeling its best.

Pulling your hair into tight ponytails with conventional hair bands

You may be tempted to slick your hair back as tight as possible before an intense workout, but the repetitive stress that this puts on your hair will lead to breakage. If you must put your hair back, we recommend gently tying it up with a silk scrunchies

Brushing your hair immediately after showering

Your hair is in its weakest state when wet. This means that when you run a brush through it directly after showering, you are likely causing some degree of breakage. If you must detangle your hair after showering, we recommend sticking solely to a wide-toothed comb, and gently detangling starting at the tips and working up to the root.

Not prioritizing your scalp’s health

As we stress all the time, healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp. By regularly detoxing your scalp and washing with a gentle cleanser, you will begin to notice your hair growing in stronger, shinier, and overall healthier.

Using styling products that contain parabens/sulfates/silicones

Although most people avoid cleansers and conditioners that contain these ingredients, a lot of people forget to check their styling products for them. They may temporarily make your hair feel nice, but in the end will only make your hair more dry, brittle, and lifeless.

Applying heat to your hair every day

A common myth is that over-washing your hair is extremely damaging, but as long as you are using gentle products, washing shouldn’t do any harm at all! The real culprit is the overuse of hot tools. By cutting back and only applying heat a small handful of times per week, you will notice a significant difference in the overall health of your hair.