Your SoCal Hair Deserves Better: A Daily Routine to Protect Your Look

My client Jasmine walked into Rock Paper Scissors last month looking defeated. "I don't understand, Danielle. My balayage looked perfect in January, and now I'm washing every day because it gets so greasy, but it feels dry at the same time. How is that even possible?"

I knew exactly what was happening because I'd made the same mistake for years.

She was conditioning her roots. Every single day. Then wondering why her hair felt like an oil slick by noon.

It's the small stuff that makes or breaks your hair between salon visits. I've been doing hair for nine years, and I've learned more from my clients' mistakes (and my own) than I ever learned in beauty school.

Figure Out What Your Hair Needs (Not What Instagram Says)

Early in my career, I'd recommend the same products to everyone. Oily hair? Volumizing shampoo. Dry hair? Moisture mask. I was treating symptoms instead of understanding the actual problem.

My client Sarah taught me better. She kept saying her fine, straight hair felt "sticky and heavy" no matter what she used. I kept suggesting clarifying shampoos and lighter products. Nothing worked.

Then in 2019, I asked her to bring in everything she was using. Heavy cream conditioner meant for coarse, curly hair because some influencer said it was "amazing for everyone." Wrong product entirely, coating her fine strands in a film that wouldn't rinse out.

Now when someone asks for recommendations, I make them answer three questions: What's your texture (fine, medium, or coarse)? What's your type (straight, wavy, curly)? And what have you put your hair through: color, heat, the Chino sun?

Once I know that, I can actually help.

The Morning Routine That Changed Everything

My client Michelle hits snooze four times and has fifteen minutes to get ready. She was showing up to work with wet hair in a bun every day because she "didn't have time."

The secret isn't more morning time. It's what you do the night before.

She started sleeping on a silk pillowcase in March. One change, and she woke up without tangled hair. Then she started putting her hair in a loose braid before bed. Two simple things. Her morning went from "panic and wet bun" to "I can style my hair in ten minutes."

For days she doesn't wash (which is most days now), she mists her hair with water to reactivate yesterday's products. If her roots look oily, she uses dry shampoo correctly: spray at roots from six inches away, wait a full minute to absorb oil, then massage in with fingertips. Most people spray and immediately brush, which does nothing.

Michelle texted me last week: "I haven't washed my hair in four days and it still looks good. What is this sorcery?"

Not sorcery. Just the right order.

Heat Styling: Where I Screwed Up for Years

I'm going to be honest about something embarrassing. From 2017 to 2020, I flat ironed my hair every morning at 450 degrees. The highest setting. Because hotter meant faster.

My hair started breaking off at my shoulders. Just snapping. I kept thinking it was the bleach, or I needed protein treatments, or... anything except admitting I was cooking my hair.

My regular Linda finally said, "Danielle, I love you, but your ends look fried. What temperature are you using?" When I told her, she looked horrified.

She was right.

Now I don't go above 320 degrees. And I use heat protectant every single time. Because once you damage hair with heat, you can't fix it. You cut it off and start over. I learned that when I chopped three inches off in 2020.

My client Amy asked, "Do I really need heat protectant if I'm only flat ironing once a week?" Yes. One day at 400 degrees does the same damage as five days at 320 with protection. You can smell it when hair burns. That's damage happening in real time.

Fine or color-treated hair should stay in the low 300s. Coarser hair can handle 350. I've never found a reason to go higher.

Wash Day: Where Jasmine Finally Figured It Out

Remember Jasmine from the beginning? The one with the greasy roots and dry ends? Here's what I figured out she was doing wrong.

She was washing her hair every single day because it felt oily. But washing it every day was stripping all the natural oils from her scalp, so her scalp was producing even more oil to compensate. And then she was putting conditioner all over her head, including her roots, which was making the grease situation worse.

I had her do three things differently, and within two weeks her hair was completely different.

First, I made her stretch her washes. Start with every other day, then work up to every three days. Your scalp adjusts. When she first tried this in February, she said it felt gross. By March, she was comfortably going three days between washes. Her scalp stopped overproducing oil because it wasn't being stripped constantly.

Second, shampoo only your scalp. That's where the oil and buildup are. Use your fingertips to massage it in, not your nails (which can scratch and irritate). The suds running down your hair as you rinse is enough to clean the rest. And use warm water, not hot. Hot water lifts the hair cuticle and strips color fast.

Third (and this is the big one): conditioner goes nowhere near your roots. Squeeze excess water out first, then apply conditioner from your ears down to your ends. That's it. Leave it for two or three minutes, then rinse until your hair doesn't feel slippery anymore. If it still feels slippery, you haven't rinsed enough, and that's what makes hair look greasy and limp.

Jasmine's hair now looks like it did when she first left my chair in January. Actually, it looks better because she's not stripping it daily. She sent me a photo last week with the caption "I forgot what healthy hair felt like."

For anyone with color-treated hair or who's gotten a Brazilian Blowout (which is a lot of my clients), use sulfate-free shampoo. Sulfates are harsh detergents that strip everything, including your expensive color. I love Amika's The Kure Bond Repair Shampoo because it cleans without stripping and actually helps repair damage. Michelle switched to this in March and her balayage is still going strong in late April.

What the SoCal Climate Does to Your Hair

I can look out our window here in historic downtown Chino and tell you what kind of hair day people will have. When Santa Ana winds kick up in fall, I know I'll see static, tangles, and breakage all day.

The dry air constantly pulls moisture from your hair. You need hydrating products and probably a leave-in conditioner. My own bleached hair feels like straw by noon if I skip leave-in.

The sun is brutal too. My client Rebecca spent a day at Prado Park in July without protection. No hat, no UV spray. She'd gotten gorgeous auburn two weeks before. When she came back, the top of her head was noticeably lighter and brassy. UV breaks down hair dye like it fades outdoor furniture. Now she keeps a hat in her car.

And hard water in Chino, Rancho Cucamonga, Eastvale... it's terrible. Minerals build up and make everything look dull. I started recommending clarifying shampoo once or twice a month in 2020 after noticing people's color looking muddy even when my formula was perfect. That mineral film was sitting on top. Clarifying wash strips it away.

Give Your Hair One Extra Thing Weekly

Once a week, I do a deep conditioning mask while watching TV Sunday nights. Ten minutes. My hair went from breaking constantly to healthy enough to grow past my shoulders for the first time since 2020.

My client Angela started weekly masks in January. She'd complained her hair felt "crunchy" after heat styling. Three months later, her hair is soft again. She said it feels like before she started coloring.

If your hair feels weak or stretchy when wet, you might need protein treatment instead of moisture. But be careful. Too much protein makes hair brittle.

Building Consistency

The difference between good hair and great hair is doing small things right, consistently. When you protect your hair at home, you're making that salon visit last longer. You're protecting your investment.

If you're not sure where to start or what your hair needs, come talk to me. We'll figure it out together.

Find us at Rock Paper Scissors Hair Studio, 5222 D St., Chino, CA 91710, right across from City Hall. Call (909) 707-9553 to book a complimentary consultation.