If you start researching how to best care for your hair, it may start to seem like confusing chore. So many treatments and possibilities and when to do them and how to do them and why…

There are people who like complexity in their everyday projects and there are those of us who find our complexity elsewhere. I like simple for hair.

Starting from the very basics, what do you need?

1) To clean your hair

2) To lubricate your hair

3) To provide softness

4) Protect/provide hydration (moisturize) - hydration does everything from reduce breakage to define curls to add shine and weight. Hydration is good for all hair from straight to coily and from thin to thick. Hydration keeps your hair from being flyaway and unkempt-looking.

5) A haircut that creates a nice outline and supports strong healthy ends.

That absolutely covers it in the "hair care" department. Styling can further help accomplish these tasks.

Clean the Hair

Shampoo? Cleansing conditioner? Conditioner only? Rinse with water? Choose a product that achieves what you want and need. Sometimes we need only light washing and can use water or conditioner. Sometimes you need shampoo to remove dust, dirt or excess oil or hair products.

Wash as often as you need, and as infrequently as you can. Your lifestyle has a lot to say about when you wash. If somebody with hair exactly like yours only washes it once per week but you live on a dusty road -you probably need to wash more often or your hair will start to feel stiff and gritty from the road dust.

Choose what works for you, not what somebody says should work for you and not what works for somebody else whose hair you admire. They don't have your hair and they don't live your life.

If you love your shampoo but fear it's too harsh, dilute it for a milder shampoo. Dilution works for hot sauce, it works for shampoo. (I will share a post how to dilute your shampoo soon!) It's fun to put a shampoo-distilled water mix in a foaming-pump bottle. And so much easier to apply!

Set a frequency for washing your hair ("x" times per week, "x" times per month, every "x" days) and stick to it. Every once in a while, see if you can go longer or if spacing your washing more closely is useful. Don't be afraid to change it up, just pay close attention to how your hair responds.

Hair that floats around in the air and acts weightless and shapeless after washing has been over-washed. The shampoo was too strong or too concentrated, or you shampooed sooner than your hair needed.

If your scalp demands more frequent washing than your hair, protect your hair by applying conditioner before washing, or doing an oil pre-wash treatment.

Conditioning the hair

Conditioning the hair with rinse-out conditioner helps detangle while wet and most conditioners also help hair avoid tangles while dry(compared to un-conditioned hair).

Most of us need more conditioner on the ends of our hair and on the top-most layer. The ends are the oldest and most likely to rub on things and tangle. The top layer is exposed to the elements more than the under-layers.

How much conditioner you need depends on your hair, on the weather, on the season, on your activities. Some people need a lot, some need very little.

Use enough to the tangles are easy to deal with. Use enough conditioner so every section of your hair is covered.

Every once in a while, try using more or less - either in response to how your hair feels or just as an experiment.

Troubleshooting Your Routine

Is your hair acting up, acting differently, just not cooperating, feeling dry or rough or inflexible? Set up a hierarchy of possibilities to discover the right solution.

This little chart is an example - start at the top.