For years we were all told that we should wash our hair every day but lately beauty experts are rescinding that advice in favor of routines that are gentler to hair and geared specifically to hair types.

If your hair is very oily, you might get away with washing it daily, but chances are that most of that oil is near the roots and you are drying out the shaft and the ends of the hair. Brush hair from roots to ends to distribute oil evenly along the shaft. If oil at the roots is still a problem but the rest of the hair is dry, try using a dry shampoo. An inexpensive substitute is a little cornstarch or talcum powder on the roots. A good tip is to brush it out with a bit of nylon hose over the brush. Recycle old pantyhose that may have runs by cutting off the feet for this purpose.

If your hair is dry and brittle but you want to wash it before styling, try applying a conditioner prior to washing it with shampoo. This pre-conditioning will keep hair from drying out too much but you will still be able to wash away dirt and oils.

All hair types benefit from using styling products to smooth and moisturize hair prior to using hair dryers, curling irons or flat irons.

If hair is flyaway or frizzy after styling, use a smoothing product to tame it.