When it comes to hair maintenance, many people may be taking plenty of precautions to keep their locks looking fresh and healthy, from applying heat protectants to using conditioning masks.
But it turns out, that no matter how much you strive to take care, you could still be making a big mistake without even realising it.
Gareth Williams, Consumer Colourist at SALON64 in London has shared some of the biggest mistakes his clients make with their hair - and the most common one occurs during washing.
Speaking to The Mirror, the hairstylist explained that it's crucial to keep your water in the bath or shower at a certain temperature or you could do more damage than good.
"One of the biggest mistakes people make when washing their hair is using water that's too hot," he said. "You want to make sure that the water is tepid.
"When you're washing your hair, you're actually activating the sebaceous glands and using water that's too hot, or using a shampooing technique that's too vigorous on the hair fibre will actually cause the sebaceous glands to become reactive and therefore can make your hair greasy."
He went on to stress the importance of always using thermal protection after washing - and before using any heat styling tools, especially if you have coloured hair.
"Not using thermal protection can actually enable the colour to fade faster and make the hair become brassier quicker," Gareth explained.
"It can also cause overall irreparable damage to the hair fibre, so make sure you use thermal protection before blow drying or styling with heat tools to be fully protected."
The expert's final tip was all to do with salon appointments and whether or not you should wash your hair before arriving to get it coloured.
He claims the best way to arrive at the salon is with hair that's "not too clean, but it's definitely not greasy" as greasy hair is a big no-no.
"The reason it would be bad to arrive at the salon with greasy hair is that when you're applying colour to the hair you'll have to break through this grease as an initial barrier. When you have clean hair, this barrier isn't present, so the product can fully penetrate through the hair fibre and you'll be able to achieve the results you desire," he added.
This comes after a fellow hairdresser, Ricky Walters, explained to The Mirror the 'best' way to straighten hair and the mistakes to avoid that cause the most damage.
He told how you should never straighten over any knots or tangles as these can then burn into the hair.
Instead, he recommends using a comb in front of your straighteners as you run the plates down the hair to ensure it's perfectly smooth every time. And you should only be using the straighteners on each section of hair once, don't repeatedly add unnecessary heat.
Do you have a tip to share? We want to hear all about it. Email courtney.pochin@mirror.co.uk
