Article by BR Amelia
You're washing your hair too often. You should let your nails breathe between manicures. You need to moisturise every day. You're not treating your skin enough. You're over-cleansing. You're under-nourishing. You're using too much conditioner. You're not using enough serum.
Sound familiar? It can be a bit of a struggle to find the balance in your beauty regime, so here's a list of how often you should be doing some common beauty 'chores'.
How often should you do these hair care tasks:
- Shampoo. 2-3 times a week is plenty - shampooing too often can irritate the scalp and strip it of natural oils, creating a whole heap of problems to try and fix.
- Condition - you can condition your hair daily, or just as often as you shampoo.
- Treat your hair - for an intensive treatment like a mask, once a week is fine. For serums, as often as you wash your hair, or daily if it needs it.
- Brush your hair - we're going to be somewhat controversial - there's no need to do this daily - do it as often as you feel you need to; just be gentle and methodical. Over-brushing can lead to breakage and damage.
- Straighten your hair - with new technology, hair straighteners and stylers are causing less damage. None the less we recommend direct heat styling 3 times a week max. And always use a protecting spray beforehand!
- Colour your hair - every 6-8 weeks. If you colour at home, remember not to slather your hair in product if you're only doing a root touch up.
- Perm or chemically treat your hair - every 6-10 weeks. Your stylist will be able to tell you if you're perming too often.
How often should you do these skincare steps:
- Cleanse - Face and body - At least once a day.
- Moisturise - Face and body - At least once a day.
- Wear sunscreen - Daily. Yes even in Winter.
- Treat your skin - Most people who use a serum use it daily, but 3-4 times a week is fine. If you're using retinoids you might find 3 times a week is enough.
- Exfoliate - Once a week is sufficient for most people, only do it more if your skin will benefit from the extra scrubs.
- Clean your brushes and tools - As often as you use them. Seriously. Wash your face cloth after each use. Wash your brushes after each use. We know, being a grown-up sucks.
- Go makeup free - it's never a bad thing to go makeup free every now and then - cosmetic build up can cause clogged pores and break outs. If you're happy not to wear it, why not let your skin breathe?
- Paint your nails - it depends on how you look after your nails. A day between taking off a shade and applying a new one is never a bad thing, especially if you use some intensive moisturising gloves in between! Also - avoid using quick-dry polish religiously however, as it can dehydrate your nails.
I need to moisturize my whole body more!