5 Hair Care Routine Steps That Make the Biggest Difference

Everyone wants healthy, beautiful hair that looks full and youthful. But as we get older, more issues can start to show up. Thinning, shedding, dryness, breakage, and even scalp problems. And if you don't take care of your hair properly, over time, you may notice a real difference in how your hair looks and feels. Today, I'm going to show you how to properly take care of your hair in five simple steps. Hey, I'm Holly. On this channel, we talk about science-backed skincare and hair care tips to help us look and feel our best as we age. Let's start with the foundation of healthy-looking hair, your scalp. When we talk about cleansing, we're really talking about cleaning your scalp, not aggressively scrubbing your hair. Throughout the day, oil, sweat, dead skin cells, pollution, and styling products can build up on your scalp. So keeping it clean is an important part of maintaining a healthy scalp. But here's what I want you to remember. Shampoo has one primary job, cleansing. It's not going to magically make your hair thicker, stop hair loss, or repair damaged ends. That's not what shampoo is designed to do. So don't feel like you need to spend a fortune on shampoo just because the bottle promises thicker, shinier, or healthier-looking hair. And here's where it gets interesting. You don't have to just use one shampoo. Choose your shampoo based on your scalp type and what your hair needs. If you have dry or sensitive scalp, look for a gentle moisturizing shampoo that doesn't leave your scalp feeling tight or stripped. If your scalp is oily, look for something that can effectively remove excess oil and buildup. Ingredients like salicylic acid can be helpful when oil and buildup are an issue. And if you're dealing with dandruff, that's a different situation. Look for a shampoo specifically formulated for dandruff with ingredients like ketoconazole, selenium sulfide, or salicylic acid. If you're not sure which shampoo is right for you, I have a whole video where I break down some of the best shampoos for different hair and scalp concerns. And I've also linked the shampoos I'm currently using and recommending in the show notes below. And here's another tip that a lot of people overlook. You can't have more than one shampoo in the shower. You might have your regular shampoo for most washes and a clarifying shampoo for when you have a lot of product buildup and your hair starts feeling coated or heavy. Think of it as a reset button when you need it. Personally, I have dry and itchy scalp and I use a clarifying shampoo once a week. Now, how often should you shampoo? There's really no universal answer. If your scalp gets oily quickly, you may need to wash more often. If your hair is dry, curly, textured, or thick, you may be able to get longer between washes. I have dry scalp, but I exercise regularly, so I wash my hair every two to three days. And I wash my hair more often during the summer. The key is to base your wash frequency on how oily or dirty your scalp gets. And when you shampoo, focus the product on your scalp and gently massage it in. You don't need to aggressively scrub the length of your hair. Here's a little tip I personally like. I work the shampoo into my hands first, then massage it into my scalp with a silicone scalp massager. It helps me cleanse my whole scalp without using my nails. So remember, don't choose your shampoo based on what it promises to do for your hair. Choose it based on what your scalp actually needs. And once your scalp is clean, the next step is about protecting the hair itself. After shampooing, you may notice your hair feels dry or rough. That's because shampoo is designed to remove oil and build up. And your hair needs something to help restore that softness and smoothness. That's where conditioner comes in. The job of conditioner is to make the hair feel softer, smoother, and easier to manage while reducing friction and tangling. And especially as we get older, when hair can become drier and more fragile, this is a step I wouldn't skip. Here's the right way to use it. After shampoo, gently squeeze out the excess water from your hair, then apply your conditioner based on the length and thickness of your hair, focusing mainly on the mid-lengths and ends. And if your hair is particularly dry or damaged, you can swap your regular conditioner for a hair mask. My hair is very dry, frizzy, and chemically processed, so I use this hair mask about once a week. You don't necessarily need to use a hair mask every time you wash. Think of it as a more intense conditioning step when your hair needs it. And here's an important tip. You don't need to put your regular conditioner directly on your scalp. Your shampoo is for cleansing the scalp, while your conditioner is for conditioning the hair. I also prefer using a separate shampoo and conditioner rather than a two-in-one. They have two different jobs, so I want my shampoo to effectively cleanse my scalp and my conditioner to give my hair the softness and slip it needs. And don't be afraid to use enough conditioner to actually coat your hair. If you have longer or thicker hair, a tiny amount may simply not be enough. You don't need to drench your hair, but you should be able to feel the conditioner evenly distributed through the lengths. Let it sit for a couple of minutes when you finish your shower, then rinse thoroughly. And once you've washed and conditioned your hair, the next step is where a lot of people unknowingly cause damage. How you dry your hair. Now let's talk about drying because this is one of those small things that can make a big difference over time. When your hair is wet, it's more vulnerable to stretching, friction, and breakage. And the way you handle it matters. One of the biggest mistakes is getting out of the shower and aggressively rubbing your hair with a towel. That creates a lot of friction, especially if your hair is already dry or fragile. Instead, gently squeeze out the excess water and pat or press your hair dry. I personally like using a microfiber hair towel because it's soft and helps absorb the water without all the rubbing. You don't need to twist your hair tightly or leave it rubbed up for a long time either. Just gently wrap or blot it and let the towel do the work. And here's a little tip. Don't immediately start brushing through a soaking wet hair. If your hair is prone to tangling, gently remove the excess water first. Then use a white tooth comb or a gentle brush and start from the ends working your way upward. Now, what about blow drying? The bigger issue is excess heat. Use a heat protectant, keep the temperature reasonable, and keep the dryer moving rather than holding hot air in one spot for too long. And remember, the goal isn't to avoid touching your hair altogether. It's to reduce the unnecessary friction, pooling, and heat that can contribute to breakage. So instead of rubbing, twisting, pooling, and blasting your hair with the hottest setting, be a little gentler with it. These are really simple changes, but over time they can help you preserve the hair you already have. And now we're getting to one of my favorite steps. What I actually put on my hair after washing it to keep the length soft, smooth, and protected. Now let's talk about oiling, but I actually want to expand this step because I don't just use hair oil alone. I like to think of it as a two-step process. A leave-in conditioner first and then oil. After washing my hair while it's still damp, I apply a leave-in conditioner through the lengths. If you blow dry your hair, make sure that your leave-in conditioner has a heat protectant. Then I follow with a small amount of hair oil, focusing mainly on the mid-lengths and the ends. The oil helps smooth the hair, reduce friction, control frizz, and add shine. And here's why I pay extra attention to the ends. If you're trying to grow your hair longer, you have to protect the lengths you already have. A lot of people think their hair isn't growing because they're losing hair from the scalp, but sometimes the issue is actually breakage at the ends. Your hair can be growing normally from the scalp, but if the ends are constantly splitting and breaking off like dust, you'll never seem to grow long your hair. That's why I think of this step as protecting your length. The leave-in gives the hair moisture and slip, and the oil adds another layer of smoothness that can help reduce friction and keep those ends from becoming so dry and fragile. And less is more here. Start with a small amount of oil and concentrate it where your hair needs it the most, especially those last few inches. Too much oil can simply weigh down your hair and make it look greasy. I also wouldn't automatically put heavy amounts of oil on your scalp. If your scalp is already oily or you're prone to dandruff or buildup, adding more oil may not be what you need. Your scalp and your hair lengths have very different needs. So if you're trying to grow your hair longer, don't just focus on what's happening at the root. Pay attention to what's happening at the ends, too. Sometimes keeping your length is less about making your hair grow faster and more about preserving the ends from breaking off. And now that we've covered what you're putting on your hair, let's talk about something that's just as important, what you're putting into your body. Because no hair care routine is complete if you're only thinking about what you put on your hair. Your hair follicle needs nutrients to produce hair normally. So if your diet is lacking in certain nutrients, changing your shampoo or adding another hair oil isn't going to fix the underlying problem. The first thing I would pay attention to is protein. Hair is primarily made of keratin, a protein, so getting enough protein in your diet is important. And here's an important one. Especially if you're noticing increased shedding, don't overlook iron. Low iron levels can be associated with hair loss, particularly in women. If you're experiencing persistent shedding, it's better to talk with your doctor about whether you might have a deficiency rather than unlikely taking an iron supplement. Other nutrients, including zinc and certain vitamins, can play a role in normal hair growth, but this is where I want to caution you about the huge market of hair growth supplements. More vitamins don't necessarily mean more hair, and taking supplements you don't actually need isn't always harmless. And one of the biggest things people overlook is simply not eating enough. If you've been severely restricting calories, losing weight quickly, or constantly not getting enough protein and nutrients, your hair can be one of the places where you notice it. So rather than immediately reaching for a hair vitamin, start with the basics. Here are some foods you can add to your diet to support healthy hair. I'll pause so you can take a screenshot of this. And finally, remember that not all hair loss is caused by poor hair care or nutrition. Hormonal changes, stress, illness, medication, genetics, and certain medical conditions can all contribute to shedding or thinning. So if you're experiencing sudden or persistent hair loss, don't just keep changing your products. That said, if you're looking for more ways to support healthier, fuller looking hair, I have an entire library of hair videos here on my channel. Everything from growing and thickening your hair, to reversing the look of gray hair, plus the best products and tools I've personally tested. So make sure you check out this playlist. There's a lot more for you to explore. But if you want to see the exact steps I took to grow back my own thinning hair, that's the video you want to watch next. So I'll see you there. Bye!