Three Common Hair Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

For a lot of us, hair is the most intimidating part of an at-home beauty routine. And Umberto Savone, famed stylist and founder of Umberto Beverly Hills, has built his reputation and business around addressing that very thing. With two salons and an affordable product line (it’s sold at Target), Savone and his team educate clients, giving them the know-how and tools they need to tackle hair care at home. When I recently sat down with Savone and colorist Jeff John, they outlined a few of the most common hair mistakes we make. Here’s their advice on how to avoid them.
Mistake: Starting off your blowout with a round brush
Avoid it: It’s understandable that many people, after picking up the dryer, go straight for a round brush. That’s what we always remember our stylists using, right? Not so fast, says John. “A round brush is meant to finish your style. Starting with one can actually make your style flatter in the end.” Instead, begin with a flat brush (like Umberto’s Banana Brush), using it to lift up sections at the root as you get out the majority of the moisture. “When it’s about 85% dry and you start to see it fuzz up around the root, that’s when you’re ready for your round brush to get those nice, smooth ends,” says John. And once you’re done drying a section, don’t immediately brush it through or even rake your fingers through it. “Let it set so it maintains that volume,” he says.
Mistake: Not letting hair cool down after drying
Avoid It: After a blowout, let your hair cool completely, either using the cool button on your dryer, or by turning the heat down to the lowest setting. John explains: “The head is a place that a lot of your body heat flows from, and using a dryer can turn up your body temperature. And even after you switch off the dryer, the hair remains hot from within. Because of that, it might just start to frizz on you as soon as you go outside, or even leave the bathroom. Cooling the hair off as much as possible really helps to set your style.”
Mistake: Overwashing
Avoid It: This one, we’ve all obviously heard a million times, with mixed advice about how often we should and shouldn’t lather up. But Savone named it as one of the most common hair mistakes out there. “Many women wash too often, and use way too much shampoo,” he says. His advice: wash every other day at most with a nickel-sized amount of product, even on longer hair. This goes even after a workout. “If you workout and sweat, the trick is to just rinse hair thoroughly under hot water on your skip days. No shampoo. Then, just use your fingers to comb a bit of conditioner through the ends and rinse again,” recommends Savone. This will keep your hair healthy and strong, and will also keep it smelling fresh even when you skip washing.