Should I Wash my Hair Before a Haircut (tips from a professional stylist)

 

There are a lot of myths about what people should do with their hair when it comes to getting a haircut.

Some people even believe that if you cut it during a crescent moon, it will grow faster.  There is no truth to this.

Your hair will grow at the same rate every month, approximately 1 to 1.5 centimeters, even if you cut it during the full, crescent or waning moon.

 

You will find similar beliefs when it comes to washing your hair before getting it cut.

For example, a couple of days I saw my client, Nancy. She came to the salon because she wanted to change her look.

The first thing she did after she sat in the chair was to let me know that she had washed her hair before coming to the salon because this month she was a little tight on money and she only wanted to pay for the haircut.

 

Once I began to wet her hair with a spray bottle, she once again let me know that her hair was already clean.

I proceeded to explain to her that I was wetting her hair not because I thought it was dirty, but because the dampness of the hair might help the haircut be more precise.

 

There are some instances that it does make a difference if the hair is washed or not before getting it cut.

Do you want to know what they are?

 

Well stick with me because I will give you all the detail on:

 

To wash or not to wash? That answer will be revealed.

 

 

Why it is not necessary to wash your hair before getting a haircut

There is one irrefutable fact, and that is that the cleanliness of your hair will not affect your haircut. Many of my clients wash their hair before arriving at the salon and many others prefer to do it after they get it cut.

 

Now we must have some common sense and make sure that we have good hygiene with our hair, whether you are getting a haircut or not.

What do I mean by this?

 

 Don’t you show up at the salon with hair that hasn’t been washed in 10 days! That points to a lack of hygiene habits and your stylist might not appreciate it. I know I wouldn’t. 

There is no need to wash it more than two days before coming to the salon.

When should you wash your hair if you are planning on getting a maintenance haircut?

 

If you answered yes, then it’s time to wash your hair. Hair scalp it’s skin and skin sweats. That sweat on your scalp turns into a greasy layer.

This greasy layer can be healthy for the hair. It can help protect it from external elements, like the sun and heat, but it be damaging in excess.

Therefore, this natural greasy layer must be washed off every 48 hours, to allow the hair to breathe.

Washing your hair 48 hours before going to the salon to get your hair cut, it’s plenty of time to assure that your new style looks pretty and neat.

 

Let’s make a footnote if you are the type of person that washes their hair every day.

 

First, it doesn’t make a difference in your haircut if you wash your hair before going to the salon but it really isn’t the best decision to wash your hair every day because you remove the protective greasy layer of the scalp.

If you have greasy hair, you can always use dry shampoo to keep it clean without washing it.

 

But what if in addition to cutting your hair, you also want to dye it?

I got that answer for you.

 

Why you shouldn’t wash your hair if you are getting a cut and a coloring job on the same salon visit

Once again, I appeal to your common sense, which sometimes seems to be more lost than the sixth sense. So, let’s get in touch with your common sense with a game.

 

Let’s imagine that you are going to the salon. Your stylist will certain things that will be mentioned below.

Your mission, if you accept it, is to organize the following actions.

Number them 1 through 3 in the order you think your stylist will proceed. Ready?

You got them in order?

 

Let’s look at the correct sequence:

Does the answer give you any clues?

 

It should tell you that is not necessary to wash your hair before cutting it and coloring, because the first thing that will be done will be the coloring.

And to cut it, we must rinse out the color first.

 

But there is even a more important reason why you shouldn’t wash your hair before cutting and coloring it.

You must never wash your hair before coloring it, so that the natural oils that are produced in your scalp can act as protection to the hair from the harsh coloring chemicals.

Those oils protect your scalp from irritation.

 

Therefore, your stylist will first color your hair, follow it with a rinse and wash and finally, with wet hair, make the cut.

Can you believe there are other myths about what to do with your hair before cutting it? Do you want to know what they are?

 

Should I tell you? Of course, I will tell you. I wouldn’t leave you wondering.

 

2 myths about cutting your hair that you shouldn’t believe

I have been a fan of mythology since I was a little girl. But myths about gods, heroes, and beings from the underworld have nothing do with hair fibers.

Have you heard that cutting the ends of your hair will make it grow faster?

 

This is not true. The hair grows from the scalp, not the ends. Your hair gets stronger, not longer, by getting rid of the damaged ends.

 

In my many years as a stylist, I have heard, almost as an unbreakable rule, that it is good to not wash your hair that often.

This is false.  It is necessary to wash your hair with shampoo. This cleansing allows for the pores and the follicles to breathe.

Have you heard of any other myths? If you have, make sure you leave them on the comments.

 

Conclusions

 

To wash or not to wash? Now you can make that decision yourself