11 Simple But Life-Changing Things Your Hairstylist Wants You To Know

    So thaaat's why red hair color fades so fast! (H/T Quora.)

    Patrice Peck
    by Patrice Peck

    BuzzFeed Staff

    A recent Quora thread asked hairstylists to share some little-known facts about styling, coloring, and hair care. These are the enlightening results:

    1. You shouldn't be shampooing your hair every day.

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    "Please stop washing your hair every day! Even if you're using professional products, daily washing will dry your hair out and remove your natural oils, which help to condition your scalp."

    —Angela Kizziar

    "If you have an oily scalp, you especially need to cut down on your hair washing. It’s a strange thing to understand, but oil fights oil. The more oil you strip out of your hair and scalp, the more oil they will produce."

    —Kimberly Walter

    2. But you should be putting on sunscreen.

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    "Putting sunscreen on your hair part where the scalp is is so important. You won't get sunburns and have a better chance of avoiding cancer on the scalp."

    —Angela Kizziar

    3. You can blame molecular science when your red hair color starts to fade.

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    "Red hair color molecules are larger than any other dye molecules, which means it washes out of the cuticle faster. Black hair color, on the other hand, has the smallest molecules, which means it's harder to remove."

    —Angela Kizziar

    4. Going blonde is a long and winding road...

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    "You cannot just go from black hair to blonde hair in one sitting because doing so would fry your hair and result in a ton of breakage and chemical burns. We know you don’t want to walk around rocking some orange hair, but in the end you’ll be so glad you took it slowly...Also, people with dyed blonde hair or highlights should use purple shampoo! It'll help prevent your blonde from turning yellow or orange."

    —Kimberly Walter

    5. ...So maybe you should just get highlights.

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    "A lot of people think you can go go from a dark hair color to a lighter one using hair color dye, but you can't. You're basically putting ink on top of more ink, hurting your hair’s overall health. If you really want to lighten your hair, you'll need to get it lifted or bleached before you can change the shade. It’s very time time-consuming and damaging. It’s much easier to just do highlights."

    —Emily Wilson

    6. Skip the drugstore coloring kits and stick with the pros.

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    "People also don’t understand that our salon products are much better than what drugstores have to offer. We use better chemical compounds, not cheap ingredients, so our dyes and tools are all better. Trust your salon more than a box!"

    —Emily Wilson

    7. Bad sleeping habits can lead to lots of hair breakage.

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    "Wearing your hair tied up or in braids secured with a hair tie can cause a lot of breakage, especially if it’s wet. Try to go to bed every night with your hair loose. I also definitely recommend using a silk pillowcase! Cotton pillow cases soak up moisture from your hair and cause frizz. Cotton also harbors bacteria causing breakouts on your face."

    —Kimberly Walter

    8. Not all hair grows at the same speed.

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    "Hair grows in cycles and at different rates, depending on the person. The left side of my hair grows faster than the right!"

    —Angela Kizziar

    9. If you can dream it, your hairstylist can probably achieve it...

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    "With the right haircut, products, and information, a hairstylist can really achieve almost any kind of look you'd like. This doesn't mean that we can make your hair grow thicker, but it does mean we can texture your hair to make it look thicker."

    —Angela Kizziar

    10. ...Even if that means more shine and body.

    Giphy / Via giphy.com

    "Naturally curly hair is always going to appear drier because the cuticle isn't closed down like straight hair. But a shine product can add some luster, if you'd like. Straight hair can be tough to volumize because it's very silky at the root. Razor cutting is a great way to add some texture."

    —Angela Kizziar

    11. Hairstylists might be magicians, but they're human too.

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    "Please remember that hairstylists are not perfect. Sometimes we make mistakes. But the one thing you can be sure of is that we will do everything we can to fix our mistakes! It may involve making another appointment, if time is short, and it may be sort of frustrating, but we'll do all we can to make sure our clients are happy!"

    —Kimberly Walter

    MAY YOUR HAIR BE HEALTHY AND LAID FOREVER MORE!!!

    Screen Gems / Via giphy.com