As a hairdresser, I get asked tons of complex questions on a daily basis. A lot of which back in the days of 16 year old me, the hairdressing industry did not teach, especially when it comes to scalp health. As frustrating as it is a lot of dealing with clients is simply not taught within the curriculum of NVQ.

We were taught how to hold our scissors, cut a straight line, magically take someone from brunette to an icy blonde, but the education on the health of the scalp and even more worryingly hair loss and how to help our clients is very scarce. Its important to find an amazing hairdresser who makes it their business to educate themselves in order to help anyone who needs advice on how to help and prevent hair loss and shedding.

If your struggling with hair loss and shedding and finding increasing amounts of hair in your hairbrush and clumps in your hand, there are SO many reasons it can be happening and there are a lot of different causes from hormonal, deficiency in vitamins and even the products your using can cause a disruption in the hair cycle and your scalp health.

My main advice to all clients is getting the absolute basics tools to create an effective hair routine, this is so you can eliminate any products that could be causing disruption in your hair and scalp. The following are questions you should be asking yourself in order to hopefully get to the root (pardon the pun) of the problem.

How often are you washing your hair?

How often you wash your hair can have a big affect on how much hair sheds, too much and you can over act the oils in the scalp causing grease and unnecessary heat while drying, leading to damage on the hair. If you don’t wash your hair enough and tie it up a lot you will find when you pull the bobble out a lot of hair will fall, this may not mean you have hair loss or thinning but can mean the hairs that will have fallen naturally have gathered up and then release when you took it down. I recommend to wash your hair every other day throughly and lessen the amount of time it is tied up, if you do tie it up lessen the grip and make sure you are not pulling on the scalp causing too much tension. I recommend using spiral bobbles instead of elastic.

How do you blowdry your hair?

As a hairdresser I ask my clients how they maintain their hair in between visits. On a daily basis how do you treat your hair? If you leave it to dry naturally then frazzle it with the straighteners in a bid to make it smooth then your probably finding it falls flat and actually goes frizzy over the course of the day, this, in time will dry out the hair and end up causing damage with too much heat.

My recommendation is learning how to properly blowdry your hair and finding the most amazing tools to help you do it.

The only things you need in your blowdry kit is:

• A hairdryer/styler

• Clips

• Tangle Teezer

• Moroccanoil - Leave in treatment

An amazing alternative to using a hairdryer and brush is a combination of both! The interchangeable Mermade Styler combines a hairdryer and different brushes which you can use to achieve different looks. I find that it makes it super easy to use and blowdry your own hair. Create a salon style blowdry yourself! Watch my super fun and easy YouTube Video on how to blowdry your own hair here.

What products are you using?

Hair products have a huge impact on how your hair feels and the long term health. Shampoo isn’t going to make your hair shed as such but if your hair is vulnerable to shedding you need to be very conscious of what products your putting on both your hair and scalp. If your hair is actively shedding I recommend Watermans Grow Me Growth shampoo.

How often are you getting a haircut and treatment?

This is one of the main things I speak to clients with who express worry about their hair. Regular trims are absolutely paramount to optimum hair health and there is no short cut or getting around this. Having said that, the techniques your hairdresser uses can make a difference to how the hair grows long term. Thinning scissors, razors and shredding tools are an absolute no no and should be left in the 90s. These tools will damage the hair shaft and make it impossible to grow healthy and full. A skilled hairdresser will use many techniques depending on your hair type and desired look to make the hair manageable and keep it maintained. A good haircut and treatment every 6-8 weeks will make sure your hair is super healthy and keep split ends and dryness at bay, leaving your hair to grow to its full potential.

Keep your hair healthy and full in between haircuts with Redken Extreme range.

Are you using dry shampoo?

Dry shampoo is a contradiction as it definitely does not clean your hair but quite the opposite. A build up of any product is very bad for the hair and especially when your spraying directly onto the scalp. Cheap dry shampoo products can be very heavy and may make your hair feel slightly fresher for the first couple of minutes, after a while can settle and build up on the scalp, blocking the glands in the skin on the scalp and long term could result in hair growth problems.

The only refresher hair spray I recommend is the Kerastase Fresh Affair. Its light weight texture leaves the hair feeling fresher for longer so you can get a further day out of your hair. I highly recommend you wash any dry shampoo out of the hair thoroughly at the end of the day and don’t let it build up longer than 2 days for best results.

Are you vitamin deficient?

The most common reason for hair loss and shedding is vitamin and iron deficiency, especially iron and Vitamin D. We all know the importance of keeping a healthy diet but a lot of us lack certain vitamins which can lead to lack of stimulation of the growth cycle in the hair and scalp. I’d definitely look at getting a blood test done by a trichologist (hair and scalp specialist) they are trained to carry out a blood test and diagnose anything that is lacking that could lead to the problem. More people suffer with deficiency than you would think and if anything the last few years has taught us is to not bypass our actual health and there are professionals out there to help.

I recommend and have worked with Jo Stacey of Prestige Hair, she is based in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire and is trained in this area of expertise. You can contact Jo here.

An alternative to keep your hair full and healthy is to take a daily hair supplement, HairBurst have everything you need to create a healthy hair growth cycle and are safe for vegans and also new mummies too!

Are you using a scalp massager?

Your probably thinking what on earth is a scalp massager? I mean it sounds pretty self explanatory but this handy tool isn’t necessarily for sitting back and relaxing with. There’s a lot of science behind the scalp stimulator and it has been known to help the hair grow thicker and faster.

What is a scalp massager?

Scalp massagers are usually a hand held silicone brush like thing, designed to relax, buff and exfoliate the scalp, this can work amazingly for removing product build up, oil and dry, flaky skin. This can result in a healthy scalp which leads to healthy hair, therefore is can make a great addition to your hair routine.

How do they work and will they make your hair grow thicker and faster?

Using a scalp massager stimulates the hair follicles and dilates the blood vessels beneath the skin encouraging thicker and healthier hair regrowth and a deep scalp cleanse. Thick healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp. Removing dead skin cells and other build up on the scalp can only have a positive result on your hair and scalp, especially long term. Promoting further blood flow to the scalp will result in a faster growth.