It’s no secret that the most beautiful hair is healthy hair. No amount of product, heat tools, or voodoo magic can duplicate the natural shine and movement of hair that is well taken care of. Follow these four steps and your hair will thank you.

Stop Washing Your Hair

Don’t stop washing your hair altogether, just dial back on the frequency. Washing your hair everyday strips it of the natural oil the hair needs to look its best. Many women who have fine or oily hair may argue against not washing daily, claiming they NEED to wash it daily or else they’ll end up with a slick mess on their heads. Though it may seem counterintuitive, washing your hair daily will only make things worse. Every time you wash your hair, you remove oil from the scalp. If you do this too often, your scalp will start to overproduce oil to compensate for this loss, leaving you with even oilier hair than you had before.

Cool it on the Heat

Repeat after me, heat and hair are not friends. That being said, it’s tough to avoid heated styling tools altogether, so do your best to use sparingly and use a heat protectant spray when you do use them. When possible, air dry your hair instead of blow drying. If your main incentive for blow drying your hair is to add volume, give hair extensions a try instead. With clip in technology, you can add instant volume in under five minutes and radically reduce both styling time and heat damage. Another great bonus to skipping the blow dry? No more split ends.

Condition, Condition, Condition

There’s a reason the hair model on the shampoo commercial has amazing hair and it’s not video trickery or photoshop. Well-conditioned hair just has a life and movement that can’t be replicated. In addition to looking flawless, conditioning your hair reduce tangles which in turn reduces breakage. Win, win. You should condition your hair each time you wash it, as well as use a deep conditioning treatment or mask once a week. If your hair is really dried out from heat abuse or over coloring, try going in to your favorite hair salon for a keratin treatment, which will rejuvenate your hair and leave it healthier, smoother, and shinier.

Avoid Breakage

Hair breakage is inevitable but you can dramatically decrease the amount if you practice a little care. One common fallacy is the practice of brushing your hair after getting out of the shower. Your hair is most vulnerable to breakage when it is wet, therefore, you should brush your hair BEFORE showering. You can use a large tooth detangling comb after if needed. Avoid tight pony tails or braids as this can also increase breakage—if you feel pain, your hair is paying for it. Finally, you can avoid the tangles and breakage caused during the night by tossing and turning if you pull your hair into a loose braid before bed. If you’re looking for an excuse to splurge, silk pillowcases are ideal for both comfort AND hair health—they decrease friction when tossing thereby decreasing tangles and ultimately breakage.