How to Build a Hair Care Routine

Your hair faces stress every day.

Heat styling, UV exposure, friction, and chemical treatments all place pressure on the fibre, and over time that pressure can weaken its structure.

Often, the difference comes down to your hair care routine. The right one helps protect the fibre and support your hair goals; the wrong one can add unnecessary damage.

At Dyson, we study the science of hair – analysing how heat, airflow, and tension affect the fibre to engineer tools and formulations designed to minimise stress while still delivering performance. In this guide, we’ll help you define your hair goals, understand your hair type, and use Dyson haircare technology to build a practical hair care routine.

What to consider when designing a hair care routine

Ahead of building a hair care routine, there are a few key factors to consider first.

After all, every hair type requires different care and support – so read on to understand what to know before you get started.

2. Assess your current hair health

Before adjusting your styling tools or products, assess the current state of your hair.

Ask yourself:

• Does it break easily?
• Is your scalp dry, tight, or excessively oily?
• Are split ends visible?

Chemical treatments – including bleaching, colouring, perms, and keratin straightening – can reduce moisture within the hair fibre. Regular use of conventional heat stylers can also cause damage, as temperatures above 230°C can weaken or melt strands. Recognising these signs of damage helps you adjust your hair care routine accordingly.

3. Identify your hair concerns

Next, identify the specific concerns you want your routine to address. This ensures your hair care routine is intentional and tailored.

Common hair concerns include:

• Flakiness from a dry scalp
• Oily hair
• Heat-related damage
• Frizz and flyaways
• Dryness or dullness
• Lack of volume
• Thinning hair or brittleness

Remember, the Australian climate also plays a significant role in how your hair behaves. The humidity in Queensland and the Northern Territory can heighten frizz and weaken hold, while cooler southern states face dryness that depletes moisture from both scalp and lengths.

4. Set your hair goals

With your hair’s condition and concerns defined, the next step is clarifying your desired outcome. A considered hair care routine should work toward specific, measurable hair goals.

These could include:

• Growth – maintaining length by reducing breakage.
• Oily hair
• Strength – reinforcing weak or damaged strands so they break less easily.
• Hydration – adding moisture to dry hair so it feels softer.
• Smoothness – reducing frizz and flyaways to help hair lie flatter.
• Shine – smoothing the hair surface so it reflects more light.
• Volume – lifting the roots so hair looks fuller.

Step 1: Cleanse with shampoo

Every effective hair wash routine starts with a clean foundation. Removing oil, sweat, pollution, and product build-up allows the rest of your routine to perform at its best.

Apply shampoo directly to your scalp and roots. Massage thoroughly to lift build-up, then rinse thoroughly.

Step 2: Condition your mid-lengths and ends

Once your scalp is refreshed, turn your attention to your lengths.

Conditioning is one of the essential hair care routine steps because it restores moisture and reduces friction, helping you detangle with less stress on the strand.

Apply conditioner from your mid-lengths to ends, where hair tends to be drier. Comb through with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb, leave for three to five minutes, then rinse thoroughly.

Step 3: Apply a leave-in scalp treatment

If you’re building a hair care routine for hair growth, don’t skip your scalp. Oil imbalance and flakes can disrupt the environment hair needs to grow consistently.

After washing, massage Dyson Amino™ leave-in scalp bubble treatment into a damp or dry scalp. The airy foam quickly melts into a lightweight serum – no rinsing needed.

Powered by Amino11™, a blend of 11 amino acids naturally found in hair, it helps rebalance your scalp while maintaining hydration. In testing, the formula reduced hair loss by 65%, oil by 62%, and visible flakes by 88%¹, creating the conditions to support consistent hair growth.

Step 4: Smooth, detangle, and protect your lengths

Your lengths experience the most friction, UV exposure, and heat styling. Strengthening them is key to Dyson Omega™ leave-in conditioning spray through damp hair, focusing on mid-lengths to ends. Comb through to distribute evenly. Its omega-rich formula improves moisture retention while helping protect against UV exposure and heat styling up to 230°C – delivering up to 90% less frizz instantly and up to 48 hours of control².

Step 5: Apply a pre-style cream, then blow-dry

Before introducing heat, apply a pre-style cream to reduce friction and stabilise the fibre during drying – helping protect progress toward your hair goals.

Next, choose the right Dyson Chitosan™ Pre-style cream to damp hair:

• If you have straight to wavy hair, apply Dyson Chitosan™ Pre-style cream Straight to wavy light conditioning to reduce friction during blow-drying and help your style hold its shape without feeling rigid.
• If you have curly to coily hair, use Dyson Chitosan™ Pre-style cream Curly to coily light conditioning to support curl formation and minimise frizz as your hair dries.

Then, blow-dry with the Dyson Supersonic Nural™ Intelligent hair dryer, which adjusts airflow and temperature in real time to help manage heat exposure while preserving shine.

Step 6: Style with controlled heat

The tools you choose should strengthen your hair care routine, not work against it.

Managing airflow and temperature helps reduce reliance on extreme heat while still delivering your desired finish. Your chosen tool will depend on the look you’re seeking:

• For a straight, sleek look, use the Dyson Airstrait™ straightener and dryer. It utilises high-pressure airflow instead of hot plates to dry and straighten simultaneously, which helps minimise thermal stress.
• For volume and movement, use the Dyson Airwrap Co-anda 2x™ multi-styler and dryer. It uses high-speed airflow that naturally attracts and wraps hair around the barrel, allowing you to curl and smooth without clamping or excessive heat.

Not sure which styler suits your hair goals? Try our interactive Help Me Choose tool to find the right match.

Step 7: Seal and protect with a serum or oil

Finish your hair care routine by sealing in your style. This helps protect your hair from humidity and surface friction throughout the day.

Smooth Dyson Chitosan™ Post-style serum through mid-lengths and ends. It forms a lightweight layer around each strand to hold shape, tame flyaways, and Dyson Omega™ hydrating hair oil to mid-lengths and ends on damp or dry hair. Its omega-rich blend restores oils depleted by heat and sun exposure, maintaining the softness of your strands after long days under the Australian sun.