by Alisa Hrustic

By now, you’ve probably heard that the less you shampoo, the healthier your hair will look and feel. That’s because lathering up frequently dehydrates the scalp and hair, making it really coarse, says Jet Rhys, celebrity hairstylist and owner of Jet Rhys Salon in San Diego.

But if you’ve been a once-a-day kind of gal forever, breaking the habit is easier said than done. For the first few weeks of less frequent washing, you might even notice that your locks feels a little grimier as your hair’s natural oils learn to acclimate—making you want to get your suds on even more.

Luckily, there are a few steps you can take to ease yourself into washing your hair less.

Go from Once a Day to Every Other Day

It’s all about baby steps. If you’re used to washing every day, Rhys recommends switching to every other day. If you really can’t part with your daily hair-washing routine (which is totally understandable, especially if you live at the gym), you can wet your hair without using shampoo. “The water is going to clean your hair,” says Rhys. “To help detangle it, use a little lightweight conditioner on the ends.”

Embrace Powders and Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoo is about to become your new BFF. And second day hair mixed with a spritz or two of dry shampoo often makes things easier to deal with, because it soaks up excess oil. Depending on if your hair is fine, curly, or somewhere in between, it might take a few tries to find your best match. “There are so many dry shampoos, but they are not all the same—some are really dry, and some over do it,” says Rhys. She recommends starting with Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk because it adds volume, texture, and has a clean scent. Good ‘ol baby powder works, too. Section your hair, give it a light sweep of powder, and gently work it in to the roots as a quick touch up.

Change Up Your Style

“Containing your hair is the best secret weapon if you don’t want to shampoo and don’t have a lot of time,” says Rhys. Avoid lathering up your locks by pulling them into a high ponytail, top knot, or side bun, while keeping a few pieces out to frame your face.

Have bangs? Tuck them away with a hairline or milkmaid style braid. If you’re not washing as frequently, the braid will actually hold better because the strands will have more grip to them.

“Keeping the hair swept away will disguise not having super clean, fresh hair,” says Rhys. The day or night before your next wash, utilizing accessories like headbands or scarves can help keep any oiliness out of the spotlight.

By Alisa Hrustic

Running out of shampoo and conditioner is definitely at the top of our list of shower-time mood killers. But running out of just one? The WORST. Don’t act like you’ve never slightly panicked after realizing you went through all of your conditioner and only used up half your bottle of ‘poo.

But it turns out your fears are totally unwarranted, because matching your shampoo and conditioner brand is not only unnecessary—it might stop your precious locks from reaching their peak #onfleek potential.

Say wha??? Nothing will ever be the same again.

Think about it this way: You should choose your shampoos and conditioners as a “prescription” for your hair type. Shampoos and conditioners come from all sorts of families (volumizing, cleansing, smoothing, and moisturizing, to name a few—all with different top-level ingredients), and rarely does a matching set suit your hair prescription, says Jet Rhys, owner of Jet Rhys Salon in San Diego. Choosing a solo product from different families is totally fine as long as you’re paying attention to your personal needs.

So, if your hair is feeling coarse, look for a smoothing agent. If your strands are finer, look for a volumizing formula. Pay attention to what kind of style you’re going for day-to-day, and adjust the formulas as you change up the texture. Want to give your fine curls a sleek blow-out? Switch from volumizing conditioners to silicone-based ones instead for smoother results.

“It’s almost like you’re treating two different hair textures,” says Nunzio Saviano, New York hairstylist and salon owner. “One is from the scalp to the mid-shaft, and [the other is from] the mid-shaft to the ends.” Saviano explains that if you have an oily scalp and dry ends, for example, you should use a ‘poo that works best for your roots and a conditioner that’ll help hydrate your ends. “It never has to be the same brand,” he says. Makes sense, right?

The only time you should be all matchy-matchy: if you’re dealing with dandruff or an itchy scalp, says Rolanda J. Wilkerson, Ph.D., a principal scientist for Procter and Gamble. That’s because using a more cosmetic conditioner with your anti-dandruff cleanser could reduce the scalp care benefits. (Wilkerson says that 60 percent of the active ingredient in Head & Shoulders—pyrithione zinc—is decreased on the scalp when you don’t follow up with the brand’s anti-dandruff conditioner.)

So there you have it. You are NOT committing hair-care sacrilege by mixing instead of matching. Take that, Ma!

By Petra Guglielmetti

Hair static is the icing on the bitter-tasting cake that is late January. As if it’s not treacherous enough that icy winds have our eyes watering and our faces about to freeze off, we also have to deal with our hair standing on end, too. Thankfully, static isn’t the hardest hair issue to fix, as long as you employ the right tricks. The first step is providing your hair with extra moisture. “Very simply put, static flyaways happen when the hair or the environment around the hair is dry, so moisture is the answer,” explains NYC salon owner Oscar Blandi and Solana Beach salon owner Jet Rhys. Try adding an extra weekly deep-conditioning treatment to your usual hair care routine. “Conditioning products help hair retain moisture and keep strands weighed down—in a good way—which is the best way to fight static.” Then be ready to handle static situations as they arise with the following quick fixes.

1. Prep your hair with products meant for curls.

If you’re especially static-prone, consider making a seasonal switch to cleansing and styling products meant for curls (whether or not you actually have them). “Wax-based products or oils for curly hair are ideal since they are heavier and will weigh hair down,” Blandi explains. Avoid volumizing products, which can leave hair feeling more electrified.

2. Grab a dryer sheet.

You already knew this one, right? If not, now’s the time to add it to your arsenal of emergency hair tricks. Dryer sheets (preferably the unscented kind) are the gold standard when it comes to getting static to calm the heck down. Just don’t press too hard or you could end up with white stuff in your hair. Pack a few sheets in a ziplock and hide it away in your handbag; you’ll thank us on some upcoming evening when you’re rushing out to postwork drinks with your hair standing on end—or your skirt clinging to your tights. Or try sheets made specifically for hair, like Kerastase Carre Lissant Smoothing Sheets for All Hair Types.

3. Mist Static Guard on your hairbrush and winter accessories.

Tempted as you may be, don’t spray this stuff all over your head. Instead, mist just a little on a hairbrush before running it through your strands. As the name would have you believe, it guards against static as you get dressed and bundled up. “Spray all your hats and scarves inside and out,” adds salon owner Jet Rhys. “It’s a life saver!” Should you want to bring its magic on the go, you can find mini bottles in the trial-size section of stores like Bed Bath & Beyond and Target.

4. Or use hairspray.

Wait, what? You don’t happen to have a mini can of Static Guard in your bag?Yeah, we’re not always that organized/prepared either. If you happen to have some hairspray around, that’s a good second choice when it comes to preventing static during brushing. Just mist some on your brush as described above.

5. Shelve your nylon hairbrush.

Plastic combs and brushes exacerbate static. “Try brushing your dry hair with a brush that has metal bristles—it’ll absorb electrical currents from your hair,” Rhys suggests.

6. Multitask with your hand cream.

The moisturizing ingredients in your hand cream are ideal for weighing down wayward hairs when you’re out and about. “Just applying a small amount to your hands and then rubbing your hands on the static can help,” Blandi says.

7. Hit the faucet.

When all else fails, plain-old water is your friend in the fight against static. “It’s the easiest non-product way to fight static,” Blandi says. “Apply a little bit of warm water to your hands or a tissue, and rub it along your hairline or the ends of your hair—wherever the flyaways are happening.”