How to Build a Hair Care Routine for Your Hair Type

Some links in this guide are affiliate links. If you buy through one we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.

Hair care advice has an unusual problem. Almost all of it is written as though everybody has the same hair, and then delivered with total confidence. Wash daily. Never wash daily. Oil it. Never oil it. The advice contradicts itself because it was written for different hair types by people who did not say which one.

Building a hair care routine that works starts with identifying what you are actually working with.

Three things define your hair, not one

Texture is the shape of the strand: straight, wavy, curly or coily. This determines how easily natural oil travels from the scalp down the hair. On straight hair it travels quickly, which is why straight hair looks greasy sooner. On curly and coily hair it struggles, which is why those types are usually dry at the ends regardless of how oily the scalp is.

Porosity is how readily the strand absorbs and holds moisture. Low porosity hair resists water going in, so products sit on top and build up. High porosity hair absorbs quickly and loses it just as fast, so it needs sealing. A rough home test: a clean strand dropped in a glass of water that floats suggests low porosity, one that sinks quickly suggests high.

Scalp condition is separate from hair condition and frequently the actual problem. An oily scalp with dry ends is extremely common and needs two different approaches at the same time.

Almost every piece of contradictory advice makes sense once you know which combination it was written for.

Washing frequency is a scalp question

There is no universally correct washing frequency. It follows scalp oil production, texture and what you put in your hair.

Oily scalps and straight hair generally need more frequent washing. Curly and coily hair usually needs less, because washing strips the limited oil that reaches the ends. Heavy styling products need removing regardless of type.

Two useful corrections to common advice. Washing more often does not train your scalp to produce more oil in any meaningful long term way, though a temporary adjustment period after a change is real. And shampoo is for the scalp, conditioner is for the lengths and ends, which is where most people apply both incorrectly.

The ingredients worth understanding

Sulphates are the detergents that create lather. Effective at cleaning, and drying on hair that is already dry. Sulphate-free is genuinely useful for curly, coily, colour-treated or dry hair, and unnecessary for many oily straight-haired people.
Silicones coat the strand, adding immediate smoothness and shine. They are not harmful, but some varieties build up and need a clarifying wash to remove. Whether they suit you depends largely on porosity.
Proteins temporarily reinforce damaged hair. Useful for chemically treated or heat-damaged hair, and capable of making hair feel stiff and brittle if overused. This is the most common self-inflicted hair problem after heat damage.
Humectants such as glycerin draw in moisture, which behaves differently depending on humidity. Helpful in moderate conditions, and capable of causing frizz in very humid weather.
Oils mostly seal moisture in rather than adding it. Applying oil to dry hair with no water in it seals in the dryness, which is why oiling sometimes seems to make things worse.

Heat is the damage nobody counts

Most visible hair damage in adults is cumulative heat damage, and it is not reversible. Split ends cannot be repaired, only cut off. Products that claim to mend them are smoothing the appearance temporarily.

If you use heat, use the lowest temperature that achieves the result, always with a heat protectant, and not on soaking wet hair. Reducing frequency does more than any product.

A routine worth starting from

Shampoo the scalp, not the lengths. Condition the lengths and ends, not the scalp. Wash at a frequency that suits your scalp rather than a rule you read. Add one treatment for one specific problem, whether that is a deep conditioner for dryness or a protein treatment for damage, and give it a month before judging.

Clarify occasionally if you use silicones or styling products, and get the ends trimmed regularly, because damage travels up the strand.

When it is not a product problem

Sudden or patchy hair loss, persistent itching, flaking that does not respond to an anti-dandruff shampoo, or scalp pain are medical questions rather than shopping questions. So is hair loss alongside other changes in how you feel.

This article is general information, not medical advice. A doctor or dermatologist who can examine your scalp will beat any routine.

Common questions

How often should I wash my hair?

It depends on scalp oil production, texture and product use rather than on a universal rule. Oily scalps and straight hair generally need washing more often, curly and coily hair usually less. Adjust based on how your scalp feels rather than a schedule.

Are sulphates and silicones bad for hair?

Neither is harmful. Sulphates clean effectively and can be drying on already-dry hair. Silicones smooth the strand and some types build up over time, which a clarifying wash removes. Whether to avoid either depends on your hair type, not on marketing.

Can split ends be repaired?

No. Products can temporarily bind the appearance of a split, but the only fix is cutting. Regular trims prevent the split travelling further up the strand, which is what turns a small problem into a large one.

Does oiling hair actually help?

Oils mainly seal moisture in rather than adding it, so they work best applied to damp hair rather than bone-dry hair. Applied to dry hair they can seal the dryness in, which is why the same practice helps some people and not others.