As champions of great hair and good times, it pains us here at Duffy's Brew (the best beer-based shampoo on Earth) when we see some very simple and basic things that people are getting totally wrong with their hair. Hair is a fragile thing, easily damaged, and often a major hair-care disaster can take months to correct. Or even necessitate a major cutting-back, and just waiting for new hair to regrow.

And who wants that?

So today, we're all business. Let's talk about some things that you really should not be doing to your hair, for its sake as well as the sake of everyone looking at it.

Five Major Hair-Care Mistakes You Should Avoid

1 - Using the highest heat settings.

Whether we're talking curlers or blow-dryers or anything else applying heat to your head, you should never be turning it up to the highest setting. Blow-drying isn't a race! Applying too much heat to hair quickly destroys the fragile outer coating of oils and protective proteins, often leading to noticeably thinner or more-fragile hair.

Take a few more minutes on a medium-high heat setting instead. Your hair will thank you for it.

2 - Going to sleep with wet hair.

Yes, we've all had those days where we had to work overtime, and all we want afterward is a shower and bedtime. However, while it won't do major damage if done occasionally, going to bed with wet hair is actually bad for it.

The problem is that as you move around at night, it causes a lot of friction, which in turn makes for major frizz in the morning. Plus, it's bad for your pillow as well, since the pillow is soaking up all that water. Depending on the pillow type, it could damage the interior, or even lead to mildew - which you definitely don't want on your hair.

3 - Washing hair too often.

It's amazing how few people realize this, but seriously: you don't need to wash your hair every day. Hair is weakest when it's wet, and excessive washing can actually end up doing more damage than good. It gets even worse if you're using shampoos\conditioners which are full of harmful chemicals that can strip your hair of its necessary coatings.

(You know, hair care products that aren't 100% vegan Duffy's Brew.)

Further, for many people, hair simply looks better after a day or two without washing because its natural shine and build comes out. The exact timing will vary depending on your hair, but unless you've been getting really sweaty\dirty every day, only wash every 2-3 days.

4 - Going swimming with dry hair.

Here's one for lovers of summer fun: Rinse your hair under a shower or faucet (or even with a water bottle) BEFORE getting in a pool or natural body of water. Remember, hair is naturally absorbent. If you go swimming with dry hair, it's going to suck up the chlorine, chemicals, bacteria, or whatever else like a sponge.

Wetting your hair beforehand helps prevent this, since it'll be full of clean water rather than whatever's in the local watering hole.

5 - Using baking soda \ vinegar.

Yes, we talked about this a couple weeks ago, but it bears repeating: Baking soda is incredibly bad for your hair, and vinegar rinses don't help counteract that. It's one of the top recommendations by people trying shampoo alternatives or "no-poo" regimes, but it's just NOT a good idea. Worse, it can seem like it's working, right up until it totally wrecks your hair.

Now, on the other hand, beer is super good for your hair. Try some!