How to Choose the Right Hair Care Products for Your Hair Type

In the same way that your skin type should influence the skincare products that you use, your hair type should play a key part in your selection of hair care products. Each hair type has its own unique set of needs and understanding these will enable you to give your hair the tailored care that it craves.

Ready to make some positive changes to your hair care routine? Read on as Nubi explains how to identify what your hair type is, as well as how to pick the right hair care products to meet your hair type’s requirements.

Understanding Your Hair Type

In order to choose the best hair care products for your hair type, you need to first know what your hair type is! Fortunately, this is easy to figure out. Give your hair a wash, leave it to dry naturally, and then closely examine a few single strands to see which of the following hair types your locks most align with:

• Straight hair – if your hair lies flat and doesn’t have any sort of wave to it, this means that your hair type is straight. Straight hair also tends to feel quite soft and silky.
• Wavy hair – the middle-ground between straight and curly hair. This hair type can vary, encompassing hair that’s fine and only has a slight wave to it to hair defined and tousled waves. Either way, your waves will be more S-shaped, as opposed to having fully formed curls.
• Curly hair – this hair type features defined and prominent curls, whether they’re large and loose or tightly corkscrewed-shaped.
• Coily hair – coily hair consists of very tight curls that form springy spirals when dry. 

Choosing the Perfect Hair Care Products for Your Hair Type

Now that you’ve identified your hair type, let’s talk about how to go about choosing the best hair care products:

Straight Hair

Since straight hair gives the sebum produced by the scalp an easy path from root to tip, this hair type is prone to oiliness. An oil-free shampoo will help to counter this, clearing away excess sebum without adding more to your scalp in the process. A dry shampoo can also be useful to have in your hair care arsenal. They’re a great go-to in between wash days if your hair is feeling greasy. This will save you from washing your hair too often, which can actually cause your scalp to increase how much sebum it produces overall.

In terms of conditioners, keep things lightweight to avoid ending up with limp locks. Likewise, any styling products shouldn’t be too heavy. Opt for sprays and serums rather than creams. A spray can also help to give your hair some extra texture and volume, which this hair type often lacks.

Wavy Hair

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Wavy hair is usually a little drier than straight hair, meaning that it won’t need to be washed so often. When you do wash it, use a lightweight, sulfate-free shampoo and always follow up with a conditioner. Don’t shy away from oil-infused products as your hair type will appreciate the extra moisture.

With that said, you don’t want to end up over-moisturizing your hair, so don’t slather your locks with heavy styling products. Your hair type is loved for those natural waves and too much product will only flatten them. Instead, go for lightweight formulas that will work to define your waves and give you a beautifully tousled texture. Using a blow dryer to give your roots a lift before following up with a texturizing spray will give your mane a beautiful bounce. You may also want to consider applying an oil to the ends of your hair if they feel dry.

Curly Hair

While curly hair is loved for its natural volume, all of those bends in your hair mean that it takes a while for the sebum produced by your roots to make its way down to the ends of your locks. This is why this hair type is prone to dryness, which your hair care products need to rectify.

Start by making sure that your shampoo is not only free of sulfates but also any other drying ingredients. You don’t want to use it too often either – once or twice a week should be sufficient. Once shampooed, you’ll need to immediately restore any lost moisture with a rich conditioner. Prioritize products that contain plenty of natural oils as these will give your strands the boost that they need. This applies to any hair styling products that you use too. Go for richer formulas, such as creams, serums, and oils rather than sprays, so that you’re adding in some extra moisture at every step.

Coily Hair

If curly hair is prone to dryness, then, as you can imagine, coily hair is even more so! This hair type, with its tight spirals, really slows down the rate at which sebum is able to travel down each strand. Not only does this leave the hair dry but it also makes it weaker, which is why coily hair is renowned for being the most fragile hair type. Plenty of care needs to be taken when working with coily hair to prevent causing any damage.

This means opting for a very gentle shampoo. You only need to remove dirt and buildup from your scalp – you don’t really want to take away too much sebum. Keep your shampoo concentrated on your roots to help with this. Once done, always follow up with a conditioner. You may even want to consider co-washing sometimes, which is when you skip the shampoo and just wash the entirety of your hair with a conditioner. This will help your locks to retain moisture, making them feel softer and healthier.

Other Factors to Consider

While your hair type should be one of the main influencing factors when you’re choosing hair care products, there are a few other factors to keep in mind too: 

Scalp Oiliness/Dryness

We’ve already discussed how straight hair is prone to oiliness while curly and coily hair is susceptible to dryness. However, these issues can be exacerbated due to how oily or dry your scalp may be. Some people have straight hair and a dry scalp, meaning that they don’t have oiliness issues. Likewise, someone with curly hair could have an oily scalp, saving them from the dryness that this hair type often experiences.

The main aspect of your hair care routine that this would affect is your shampoo. The oilier your scalp is, the more powerful your shampoo will need to be. Meanwhile, a dry scalp will need a gentle and moisturizing shampoo to prevent drying it out even further.

Dandruff

While dandruff is often thought to be caused by dryness, this isn’t actually the case. Instead, dandruff arises when an imbalance in your scalp leads to excess skin cells being produced. These are then shed in the form of those white flakes. 

While a dry scalp can be nurtured with a gentle, moisturizing shampoo, dandruff needs to be dealt with differently. Ideally, you’ll need to use a dedicated anti-dandruff shampoo to restore and rebalance your scalp while removing all of those flakes.

Colored Hair

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It’s no secret that hair dye contains several chemicals that don’t do your hair any favors. This is why colored hair tends to be weakened and damaged, which most definitely needs to be considered when selecting hair care products.

Fortunately, there are plenty of products out there that are designed specifically for colored hair. Not only will they help to leave your hair feeling stronger but they can also revive your hair color and prevent it from fading quite so quickly. 

At the same time, avoid causing further damage to your fragile mane. Keep your use of heated styling products to a minimum, opting for models that allow you to control how much heat is emitted when you do decide to heat style. The Nubi Soft N’ Straight 1.25” Ceramic Purple Styler is the perfect example!

Hair Thinning and Loss

Hair thinning and loss can be caused by a number of different factors. It’s important to try to figure out the reason behind your issues so that you can then give your hair/body what it needs, be it a nutritional supplement, some stress relief, or even medication. 

Either way, you’ll likely want to encourage hair growth to replace the strands that you’ve been losing. Once again, there are dedicated hair products available for this purpose. They can work wonders but be patient – it can take a few months before you start to notice an improvement.

Exposure to Dust and Pollen

Some exposure to dust and pollen is completely normal. However, if you usually spend your days immersed in these substances, they’ll quickly build up on your hair and scalp. This can result in various problems.

This means that you may need to shampoo your hair more often than recommended, which could leave you susceptible to the symptoms of over-washing. To prevent this, pick a gentle shampoo, even if your hair type is prone to oiliness. A leave-in conditioner can also be helpful. This will form an extra layer over the surface of your strands, which will leave them feeling better protected against all of those environmental impurities.

Creating the Perfect Hair Care Routine for Your Hair Type

As you can see, there is plenty to consider when deciding which hair care products to choose, with your hair type being the first. This will clue you in to the basics of what your hair needs. However, after this, you then have a few other factors to consider. Bring all of this together when shopping for hair care products and you’ll quickly be able to put together the perfect routine for your locks!

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