Does this sound like you? Your hair is damaged, it’s dry and flat, and you can never seem to get all the frizz out. If that describes your head of hair, you might want to try reverse hair washing.
Most people shampoo before they use conditioner, right? And that’s perfectly fine and get’s the job done…for most people. But if that same old routine is not working for you – if it feels like your hair is begging for a new routine, then try using your conditioner first!
It sounds crazy, but hear me out. Reverse hair washing has so many benefits. Let’s go through just a few things it can do for you:
Why conditioning before shampooing can work for you
You can keep your hair hydrated but not oily
Reverse washing is fantastic for people with oily scalps. By using shampoo after conditioner, you clean out any excess conditioner on your scalp at the end, making sure your head is clean, but that your strands are taken care of.
2. It will ensure your hair is extra nourished
Using shampoo first can strip your hair of its natural oils. By using conditioner first, you moisturize and seal in those natural oils, creating a protective barrier. So, when you use shampoo later, your cleaning your scalp but not hurting your hair!
3. You won’t see product buildup
Like I mentioned in the first point, shampoo can get rid of excess product. Conditioner can be pretty heavy, and will weigh your hair down if you apply to much. By shampooing after you condition, you will wash out excess product and make sure your hair keeps its buoyancy.
How to reverse wash
Most of how to reverse wash is pretty intuitive, and there’s no one right or wrong way to do it. However, when trying this out, you have to consider the kind of hair you have, and anticipate how your hair will react to this new routine.
If you have fine, oily hair, you will definitely benefit the most from reverse washing. If you have thick, curly hair, reverse washing can still help, but there are a couple other things to consider. First, you have to make sure you only condition the shafts and ends of your hair – not your scalp! Then, when you shampoo, you want to shampoo all of your hair from scalp to tip. No need to buy extra products, the ones you have should work just fine!
My reverse wash experience
Before trying reverse washing, my hair was pretty flat, dry, and dull. So I decided to give the reverse wash a week-long trial.
The first day of reverse washing, the results were pretty mediocre. But that is to be expected – my hair needed time to adjust. On the second day, I left in my conditioner a little longer. The results were much, much better, and I started to really notice a difference.
After a whole week of reverse washing, I can hardly recognize my hair. I was pretty shocked by the final outcome. My hair looks the healthiest it has ever been!