10 Things Real Hairstylists Would Never Do to Their Own Hair

There's a TikTok trend called the #FiveThingsChallenge, in which people who work in any industry—from gynecology to bartending—tell us what they'd never do now that they've acquired all the knowledge in their field.

As we plot our next hair change for fall, we thought it would be interesting to find out what hairstylists would never do to their own hair or their client’s. Ahead, we picked out some of the best tips we found on TikTok and had some other top pros weigh in on their personal grooming habits (so we can maybe steal a few).

1. Color Dirty Hair

“You won’t see me do it. You shouldn’t do it—especially if the hair is dirty with buildup (which can prevent the color from taking). Simply put: Clean hair colors best.”—Mell Guido, @Manesbymell, hairstylist and educator in Toronto.

2. Use Purple Shampoo Often

“It’s not designed to be used daily. [It] can be drying, and [it] can also cause buildup of dull tones on your ends, which I’m going to have to cleanse out at your next appointment, which means running abrasive chemicals through the lengths and ends of already lightened hair.”—Tiffany Gilmore, a colorist at Sage Hair Collective in New Orleans

4. Only Shampoo Once

“I would never only shampoo once. I always shampoo twice.”— Racehel Valentine, a freelance hairdresser in Wimbledon.

(This is something that Helen Reavey, another stylist taught us as well. As she explained, the first shampoo is to remove any oils, pollution or [product] buildup and the second shampoo is to actually clean your scalp, which makes a huge difference in how full your hair feels and having more shine.)

“I would never do a strong Brazilian blowout or other Keratin treatment, which fries the hair. Also, I swim often and tend to wash my hair more frequently than I’d like so I always use a treatment mask after every shampoo. It makes my hair feel healthy and not crispy like cotton candy. It has elasticity and shine like it did when I was a kid.” —Sharon Dorram, celebrity hair colorist

“I never skip exfoliating my scalp. I really believe in it—especially for people who don’t wash frequently like me. I use a gommage treatment every four days.” —Jennifer Yepez, celebrity hairstylist

8. Use a Hot Tool More Than Twice a Week

“I would also never use it without a heat protector. That’s just way too much [heat] to put on your hair. You can let your hair air dry or blow dry on medium heat, which is fine, but a hot too—as in a flat iron or a curling iron [more than twice a week]—is a no. Your hair is going to break off.” —Colleen, @talesbehindthechair, a hair colorist in San Diego and Chicago.

"I never brush wet hair without using some sort of leave-in product on it first. Otherwise it will snag and break. It’s a hugely important step even if you just put it on the ends.” —Carolyn Aronson, hairstylist and CEO and founder of It’s a 10 Haircare