The Right (French!) Way to Wash Your Hair

Try these hair washing tips, and you’ll never go back to your old routine.
 
Ah, the French, with their baguettes, croissants, and perfectly tousled I-woke-up-like-this hair. While we don’t have a hack for the bread yet, the hair is attainable. We sat down with French hair master Christophe Robin (at his pop-up salon in Tribeca) to unlock his secrets.

The first cause of hair loss is an oily scalp, so mastering the right washing technique is key to lovely locks. Here, Robin outlines seven simple steps for attaining that je ne sais quoi look.

1. Detangle.
(Oh, man, we have not been doing this.) “Always detangle your hair first with a good brush when it’s dry,” says Robin.

2. A dab will do.
After you wet your hair, put a tiny amount of shampoo onto your hands. “You put it onto your scalp only, and add a small amount of water,” he explains. “People put too much shampoo all the time, and it’s difficult to rinse.”

3. Only apply shampoo to the scalp.
“You add water and emulsify, and never touch the ends,” he says. “You let it drip, or very gently pull your hands through your ends just once.” Leave the ends alone: Shampoo causes tangles.

4. Condition.
After you rinse (very, very well), the hair should be squeaky clean. Add conditioner only on the ends. Let it sit for two minutes, and rinse. Never put a conditioner on the scalp.

5. Stop washing every day.
“Twice a week is enough—as long as you’re doing it effectively,” assures Robin.

6. Eat well.
“The liver is linked to the scalp, so try to eat properly, and do a hair detox, too,” Robin says. “My thing is to treat the hair deeply, same thing for makeup—when you have great skin, you don’t need much makeup, and it will last all day,” says Robin.

7. Detox your scalp.
There are a variety of detoxes on the market that are designed to pull sebum, oil, debris, and other yucky stuff from your scalp. Two of our favorites are from Robin’s line. The first is cult favorite Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt. It’s equal parts revolutionary, tingly, and gratifying.


We're also looking forward to the soon-to-be-released Cleansing Volumizing Paste with Pure Rassoul Clay and Rose Extracts. It’s engineered to volumize hair and let the scalp breathe. No more hair falling flat like a souffle right after styling.

The trick for any hair detox product is to really work it into the scalp. Your arms should be tired at the end of the treatment. Use a tablespoon, rub into wet (but not dripping) hair, and scrub the scalp. “Add water, and really lather, rest, and then add water and really lather and then rest again,” says Robin.

This article first appeared on Domino