Personal hygiene: the important thing is to get a lather, rub it relatively vigourously over the areas that need cleaning and rinse it off, the most important places are where you sweat lots, armpits, feet and between your legs and your hands. Soap is much harsher and more likely to dry your skin than shower gel/body wash. A sponge or loofah is marginally more convenient for this liquid stuff.
Keeping long hair looking nice requires constant combing. To have it glossy and relatively manageable you need to either wash semi regularly, like 3 times a week and condition once a week (conditioner must stay in at least ten minutes, or be the kind you let dry in) or no shampoo and conditioner at all and leave for six to twelve weeks. This last is a pain because during the adjustment period your hair can get greasy and kinda gross. It still needs washing with water though.
There are many who believe that the key to better hair is NOT using as much shampoo. Use as little as possible in order to not have greasy hair. This takes time to master. Some people need a full scrub every day. Some people need almost nothing. The homeostatis of your scalp is the key: using less shampoo should, over time, make your scalp produce less oil. I’m down to a point where I go a day or two rinsing only, sometimes just a little bit of extra soap from when I washed my neck. When I wash my hair, I use very little shampoo...the bare minimum. Then, a few times a year I really wash it (and then it’s all crazy for a few days).
note: I should point out that I do not appear any less “groomed” than the next guy, except when I procrastinate about getting a haircut. I have extensive client contact at work in a somewhat-trendy architecture firm, etc.
Dove Bar, unscented/sensative skin. I’m not a “product” guy but that’s one product I highly recommend. A little extra attention at armpits, neck, feet, and of course the vitals, goes a long way.
IMPORTANT: deoderant. There are unscented brands, and delicate ones too. The “crystal” works for some, but I find it works in winter but not in summer (too hot, and the deoderant fails me, so I switch to an unscented antipersperant).
IMPORTANT: you can shower and deoderant all you want: you must wear fresh clothing. Fresh tshirt, socks, and underwear every day (the overshirt and pants you can wear multiple times). Synthetics stink more than cottons/wools: body oder bacteria can actually feed on the plastics in fleece, bras, socks, etc. Wash undergarments regularly, and wear cotton socks.
Concurring with minimal shampoo. Also, try conditioning with natural oils if your hair is dry (coconut oil in particular, though don’t let it clog your drain).
If you really care about keeping long hair in great condition, wear it up or braided most of the time. I don’t have the patience or the desire for that, so I have to trim my damaged ends more often than some do, also.
(I am female, with waist-length hair; I think of wearing my hair down rather than up as akin to using the good dishes rather than letting them sit in the cabinet.)
Personal hygiene: the important thing is to get a lather, rub it relatively vigourously over the areas that need cleaning and rinse it off, the most important places are where you sweat lots, armpits, feet and between your legs and your hands. Soap is much harsher and more likely to dry your skin than shower gel/body wash. A sponge or loofah is marginally more convenient for this liquid stuff.
Keeping long hair looking nice requires constant combing. To have it glossy and relatively manageable you need to either wash semi regularly, like 3 times a week and condition once a week (conditioner must stay in at least ten minutes, or be the kind you let dry in) or no shampoo and conditioner at all and leave for six to twelve weeks. This last is a pain because during the adjustment period your hair can get greasy and kinda gross. It still needs washing with water though.
There are many who believe that the key to better hair is NOT using as much shampoo. Use as little as possible in order to not have greasy hair. This takes time to master. Some people need a full scrub every day. Some people need almost nothing. The homeostatis of your scalp is the key: using less shampoo should, over time, make your scalp produce less oil.
I’m down to a point where I go a day or two rinsing only, sometimes just a little bit of extra soap from when I washed my neck. When I wash my hair, I use very little shampoo...the bare minimum. Then, a few times a year I really wash it (and then it’s all crazy for a few days).
note: I should point out that I do not appear any less “groomed” than the next guy, except when I procrastinate about getting a haircut. I have extensive client contact at work in a somewhat-trendy architecture firm, etc.
Dove Bar, unscented/sensative skin. I’m not a “product” guy but that’s one product I highly recommend. A little extra attention at armpits, neck, feet, and of course the vitals, goes a long way.
IMPORTANT: deoderant. There are unscented brands, and delicate ones too. The “crystal” works for some, but I find it works in winter but not in summer (too hot, and the deoderant fails me, so I switch to an unscented antipersperant).
IMPORTANT: you can shower and deoderant all you want: you must wear fresh clothing. Fresh tshirt, socks, and underwear every day (the overshirt and pants you can wear multiple times). Synthetics stink more than cottons/wools: body oder bacteria can actually feed on the plastics in fleece, bras, socks, etc. Wash undergarments regularly, and wear cotton socks.
Concurring with minimal shampoo. Also, try conditioning with natural oils if your hair is dry (coconut oil in particular, though don’t let it clog your drain).
If you really care about keeping long hair in great condition, wear it up or braided most of the time. I don’t have the patience or the desire for that, so I have to trim my damaged ends more often than some do, also.
(I am female, with waist-length hair; I think of wearing my hair down rather than up as akin to using the good dishes rather than letting them sit in the cabinet.)
What’s a lather?
Lather is what you get when you mix soap/shampoo etc. with water, and it starts foaming.
foam