What Are the Most Common Mistakes You Can Make with Your Hair?

Emanuele Bortolotto
Sep 27
6 min read

Avoid the most common hair mistakes ruining your shine. Learn what really matters for healthy hair with espresso truth, science, and style that holds.

I Didn’t Know Hair Had Feelings Until I Killed Mine with 3-in-1 ☕💀

There’s a special kind of ignorance that comes with thinking your drugstore shampoo is “fine.” I lived there for years. Happy in my Torino apartment, thinking the faint scent of generic citrus and clean towels meant I was doing something right.

Then I moved to Finland. Dry winters, hard water, and saunas so hot they question your moral fiber. Suddenly, my hair turned into birch bark with attitude.

That’s when I discovered the truth: the biggest enemy to healthy hair is not bad genetics, not styling, not even bleach. It’s bad habits. I am not talking about listening music on your phone's loudspeaker in public. I am talking about the ones you picked up from roommates, commercials, and that one coworker who swears you must trim your hair every month to make it grow.

So, let me walk you through the nine biggest hair care mistakes — sins, really — that I’ve seen, committed, or confessed about over espresso with my stylist. Each one is a trap. Each one has consequences. And if you're ready to fight back, it starts here.

Mistake #1: The Ex Syndrome : Loving Products That Don’t Deserve You 💔

I call this one the Ex Syndrome — you cling to a product that’s “always worked for you” because you don’t know what better feels like.

Just like that ex who remembered your coffee order but emotionally gaslit you during meal prep, these products give you just enough comfort to avoid change.

Mistake #2: The Air-Dry Frizz Trap — Skipping Post-Shower Product 🌬️

This one hurts because I did it for years. Shampoo, conditioner, towel-dry, air-dry... frizz. Like clockwork. I thought I was being gentle. Turns out I was leaving the battlefield with no armor.

When you leave the shower, your hair cuticle is open. Full of water. Vulnerable.

If you don’t apply a leave-in conditioner or post-shower styling product, that water evaporates. And when it goes, it takes every drop of moisture with it — like Finnish wind stealing your hope.

What happens if you don’t use product after showering?

Hair becomes porous
Ends feel like cardboard
Moisture loss leads to frizz, breakage, dullness
Styles won’t hold because the foundation is weak

Every time you wash, you must seal in the moisture. This isn’t a luxury. It’s physics.

Mistake #3: The Stylist Snipping Spiral — Trimming Too Frequently ✂️⏳

This one’s controversial because it sounds healthy. “Get a trim every 6 weeks!” they say, with scissors in hand and hopes in their eyes.

But if your goal is length, not just damage control, trimming too often is sabotage.

Yes, split ends must go. But forced trimming every 6 weeks only keeps your hair short — especially if you’re growing out damage, bleach, or a regrettable layering experiment.

So, how often should you trim your hair?

Only when you see split ends. For most people on a growth journey, that’s every 10 to 14 weeks — not six.

And if your ends are in decent shape, focus on hydration, not scissors.

Hair doesn’t need ritual sacrifice to grow. It needs protection, moisture, and a few prayers to the espresso gods.

Mistake #4: Going Naked — Styling Without Specific Products = Disaster 👀

When you style your hair without any product on it, it’s naked. Exposed. Vulnerable. Like in your dreams where you walk naked in public.

No matter how skilled your blow-dry technique or how expensive your flat iron is — without specific products, your hair has zero defense.

What products are important before styling?

No blow-dry cream? No style hold. No thermal spray? Burnt ends. No serum or oil? Hello static, my old friend.

Hair without protection collapses like my self esteem after I was looking for my phone in the darkness, using my phone as a fleshlight. And I don’t care how “natural” you are — even Vikings wore helmets.

Why should anyone use specific producs? Because it provides:

Heat protection
Structure-holding polymers
Frizz control
Shine and longevity

Mistake #5: Listening to the Chosen Ones — The Genetic Lottery Illusion 🎲

You know the type. They wake up with perfect waves. They can bleach at home, skip conditioner, and still show up glowing.

Do not listen to these people.

They won the genetic lottery, and they walk through life blessed by the gods of keratin and climate. You, my friend, live in reality.

Why shouldn’t you follow naturally gifted hair routines?

Because those routines aren’t built on science. They’re built on luck.

They use:

Random products
Minimal effort
Technique-free applications

Meanwhile, your hair needs discipline. Structure. Technique. The hero’s journey, not the shortcut.

Follow people who’ve struggled. Who’ve fixed breakage. Who understand pH balance, water hardness, and why coconut oil might be ruining your life.

Mistake #6: The Dollar Store Wash — Using Low-Quality Shampoo 🧴🚫

We covered this in sin number one, but it deserves its own spotlight.

Because shampoo is the foundation of your entire routine. If it sucks, everything built on it will fail.

Cheap shampoo often contains:

Low-quality surfactants
Harsh cleansers that strip natural oils
Fragrances over function
Residue-leaving formulas that block other products

The result? Your conditioner can’t absorb. Your oil slides off. Your scalp gets itchy. Your ends feel confused.

If your shampoo costs less than your coffee, ask yourself: Which one’s doing more work?

Mistake #7: The Flat Iron Spiral — Constant Touch-Ups 🔥😱

You straighten Monday. Touch-up Tuesday. Curl Wednesday. Smooth flyaways Thursday. You’ve created a monster. And its name is cumulative heat damage.

Each touch-up adds microscopic fractures to your hair shaft. You can’t see them — not right away — but they build like compound interest with malicious intent.

What’s the best way to avoid heat damage?

Style once every 3 days
Always use heat protection
Embrace restyle-free days
Plan your hair schedule like a training split

Your hair isn’t a TikTok trend. It doesn’t need to change daily. It needs rest, recovery, and smart execution.

Mistake #8: Fighting Nature — Styling Dry Hair ☁️💨

This one is pure science, explained beautifully in the video: Water breaks hair bonds. As it dries, those bonds reset into whatever shape the hair was left in.

That means if you air-dry your hair and then style it, you’re fighting against already-set bonds.

It’s like trying to reshape cooked pasta without reboiling it.

What’s the solution?

Style from damp, never dry
Use blow dryers to set the shape while bonds reform
Don’t air-dry into chaos and expect a brush to save you

You can’t brute-force your hair into a new style. You must work with the water, not after it.

Mistake #9: The Platinum Rush — Bleaching in One Session 💣

Going blonde isn’t a transformation. It’s a chemical war. And rushing the process is the equivalent of trying to get six-pack abs in one workout.

Bleach doesn’t lighten. It destroys pigment. And if you go too fast, you destroy structure, too.

How long should it take to go blonde?

However long your hair needs.Six months. Ten months. However long your stylist says.There is no safe way to go platinum instantly.

If you force it, expect:

Elastic, gummy texture
Massive breakage
No colour retention
Permanent damage

Trust the journey. Or risk losing the game before the boss fight even begins.

Final Thoughts: Your Hair Isn’t the Problem — Your Routine Is 🧠☕

I’ve made every mistake on this list. Or I’ve watched someone cry in the locker room because they did. What I’ve learned is this:

Hair doesn’t fail you. You fail your hair. Through habit, denial, convenience, and misinformation.

But here’s the espresso shot of hope — every single mistake is fixable. With the right knowledge, the right routine, and maybe one less product from that mystery basket under your sink.

You don’t need miracles. You need method. You don’t need perfect genetics. You need persistence.And maybe a good leave-in conditioner.

Sources

Redken Official Website
Moroccanoil Haircare
Olaplex Official Site

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