Wash day; it’s our favourite day of the week. Especially when it's a full service; a scalp treatment, the deep clean, nourishing masque, prepped, primed, perfect styling, every single product put to work. The outcome? Epic hair.

A wee while ago, our friend Ashley Proctor of Pilot Digital Agency shared her pretty colleen shelfie, stacked with beautiful products, and 4 shampoos. It got us thinking; how many shampoos does one need? What do they all do? What is the thought process behind such a comprehensive haircare regimen?

If you have specific hair concerns, it might be time to rethink your haircare regimen and work on tackling them head-on. Much like starting or adjusting your skincare routine, rebuilding a haircare regimen can seem like a daunting task – but it doesn’t have to be!

Here we set out to help you understand each step in supporting and maintaining hair and scalp health.

To help with setting goals, selecting compatible products and working out how often to use them, some considerations to take into account are: if your hair is coloured or chemically treated, if you use heated tools, your hair type:

• Fine
• Thick
• Coarse

and your hair texture:

• Straight
• Wavy
• Curly
• Kinky

Address your hair concerns. These will be different for everyone depending on hair type, texture and condition, but it’s really the best place to start so you can focus on what you actually want from your haircare, how best to deal with them and if you need a targetted attack. These are some of the most common hair concerns, you may have one or more:

• Scalp issues: itchy, oily, dry, flakey
• Colour damage
• Frizz and flyaways
• Split ends and breakage
• Hair loss
• Oily or greasy
• Dryness
• Flat, limp hair

It’s a good idea to set goals, if you’re going to drop some cash on a consciously planned hair routine then you want to see results! Setting goals is the best way to track your new regimens' progress:

• Target scalp care
• Volume and texture
• Hydration
• Repair damage
• Smooth
• Shine
• Colour maintenance
• Curl definition
• Overall healthy hair

Whether you're double cleansing, co-washing or switching up shampoo on the reg, the ultimate goal of your cleanse is a clean scalp; removing product buildup, grease and dirt. How often you cleanse really depends on your hair type and personal preference. If you have fine, straight hair you might wash daily as it's less likely to absorb and distribute natural oils, whereas thick waves might need a double cleanse once a week to keep it under control.

As a general rule, apply the shampoo to the roots of your hair and lather by massaging using your fingertips - remember your scalp is skin, you don’t cleanse your face with your fingernails, ouch.

If you’ve been using the same shampoo for a while and finding the results aren’t bringing you the joy they once did, it’s likely your shampoo has stopped working and it might be time for a change, or to introduce a new shampoo into rotation. If you have more than one goal for your hair, you can use an alternative shampoo either in your double cleanse regimen or on alternating days.

The next step is a silky conditioning moment, here we turn the focus to detangling, sealing cuticles and restoring moisture that shampooing may have depleted.

Gently squeeze excess water from your hair, apply your conditioner from the mid-lengths to the ends and use a wide tooth comb to distribute the product as well as detangle the hair. Leave on for 1-2 minutes and rinse.

Like alternating shampoo, you can do the same with conditioner but switch it out on different wash days depending on what the concerns and goals for your hair are; you might use a repairing conditioner after your hair has been coloured and then focus on volumising during your next wash. You might be focusing on delivering moisture and amping up your colour so can alternate between different conditioners suitable for your needs.

TREAT: For the problems that need fixing. A Treatment should be added as a regular addition to your regimen if you are going in for a targeted attack or need some extra help to take your hair where you want it to go. There is a multitude of treatments to provide a solution to your mane problems; colour longevity, toning, shine, moisture, repair, scalp help, fighting frizz, reducing breakage, and plumping up some volume. A treatment is the cherry on top of a great regimen.

MASQUE: Dull, desert-dry, straw-like locks get in formation! If you have naturally dry hair, damaged hair, or if your hair needs some TLC, a dose of nourishment and some encouragement, treat it to a deeply conditioning hair masque every 2-3 weeks. A movie star mane is guaranteed.

OIL: Does the thought of hair oiling give you greasy hair nightmares? While not everyone’s cuppa tea a beautiful, restorative hair oil can really work wonders for all hair types, especially thick hair and curls. Used pre-styling or as an overnight treatment, hair oils are great for shine, frizz control, and detangling as well as heat and UV protection.

PROTECT: If you style your hair with heat, protect it! Like putting sunscreen on your face, a heat protector will add a protective shield around the hair shaft to avoid damage caused by styling tools and UV rays plus keep your colour vibrant and shiny for longer.

STYLE: Having a cabinet of styling products is like having a wardrobe full of different clothes; you have the nice ones for work, the sexy ones for the clubs, something hot for a dinner date, something breezy for the beach and the ones for the days you need to lie down and relax all day – you get the idea. Experiment with new hairstyles and have fun with your styling products, but always keep the ones you love on hand.

HAIR TEXTURE: Thick
HAIR TYPE: Curly
TOP CONCERNS: Frizz, Yellow tones
GOALS: Tame frizz, tone brassy tones, define curls

My daily cleansers are Davines Love Smooth Shampoo & Conditioner, focusing on smoothing frizzy hair.

I use My. Platinum Shampoo & Conditioner once a week to cool the yellow tones.

When my hair feels like it needs a pick-me-up and boost of moisture/life, I use either Botaniq Replenish Butter or K18 treatment, usually once a month.

I detangle my hair with a Wet Brush Epic Quick Dry Hairbrush, it's the best brush for wet hair. After brushing, I then always put my hair up in my Iles Formula Turban Towel to reduce frizz caused by static and help my dry hair quickly.

If I'm styling with a blow dryer and straightener, I will apply Davines Love Smoothing Perfector prior to smooth and for heat protection. When I’m wanting to go for curly hair, I use Evo Total Recoil to enhance and define my curls without the frizz.
And for a finishing touch, I use Davines Oi Oil to add shine and tame flyaways.