So since I started this blog, the question people ask me most often is how I do my hair. And as I sat down to work out how I would do the tutorial (Which btw, looks like I have to make a video so that will be my big film debut!) I couldn't help but feel like I wasn't giving the whole picture. Sure I have a certain way that I style my hair but honestly it goes much deeper than that.
My hair style really begins with my hair care routine. Consider this part one of the "How I Style My Hair" Post.
First I have complied these pictures of my hair in different colors and different years, so that you can see that I actually do have long healthy hair, and it has been as such consistently. If I were the one reading this, I would be thinking "Who are you to tell me how to take care of my hair, yours could look like an old straw hat." So there you go, pictorial evidence.
Now let's get right down to it shall we?
DON'T use really cheap shampoo. I know beauty products are expensive and it is tempting to cut corners sometimes, but this is not the place to do that. Please, please, please do not go to the drug store and buy a bottle of 79¢ shampoo. If you look at the ingredients on the really cheap bottles, they are shockingly similar to dish soap....please let that marinate in your mind for a moment....DISH SOAP. I won't even wash my hands with that stuff never mind my hair! I'm not saying you have to buy all of your shampoo and conditioner at the salon or at Sephora for 20 bucks a pop. But don't totally cheap out on your hair either. If you are on a budget, look for the better drug store brands like Schwarzkopf or John Frieda or L'Oreal when they go on sale. There is always a deal on something decent.
DO Try sulfate free shampoo. Some people hate it because it doesn't lather as well, and it is debated whether sulfates are bad for your health or not, but I think it is pretty universally accepted that they are harsh on your hair. I personally like the
L'oreal "Everstrong" line.
DON'T Rough your hair up with a towel to help dry it when you get out of the shower. You hair is your friend, it's always there for you in good times and in bad, so don't be a jerkapotomus to it! When you rough it up with a towel you knot it all up, and then what? You have to rip through it with a brush to get the knots out and you break it and you damage it. Hello? Abuse. Terrible. Do not do it. Just don't. Stop it.
DO Squeeze the water gently and nicely out of your hair with a towel, without rouging it up like a rabid gorilla. Getting the water out is a good thing, because that means less blowdrying, which means less heat damage. Just be gentle.
DON'T Brush your hair by starting at the roots. You are only compounding all the knots together by doing this. Think of it like a rope. If a rope has a bunch of knots in it and you try to get them out by pushing the knots down from the top, what do you get? A giant super knot at the bottom that you have to like hack off with a knife or something.
DO Brush gently starting at the ends. Take you hair in your hand an start brushing at the end, in gentle downward strokes, then move your hand up a few inches and do the same there, until you get to the top. It is also helpful to apply any leave in conditioners or shine serums before brushing, because they lubricate the strands and help the knots come out more easily.
DON'T Wash your hair every day. The oils that your body produces are like, the greatest conditioner ever. Let them get in there a little. Wear a ponytail or a bun or a hat. This will also force you to get used to wearing different looks, which is way better than looking the same every day, BONUS. If you insist on just wearing your hair down every day, you can use a dry shampoo, but dry shampoo absorbs some oil, so you won't get as much of a benefit from your luxurious scalp oils (it's not as gross as it sounds).
DO Use some sort of hair mask maybe once a week or so. You can use expensive store bought ones, some of them are fabulous. I especially love
PHYTO Phytodensium Mask
. But for a less expensive, DIY version you can make a mask at home... and I just so happen to have a tutorial on how to do my favorite one
right here!
DON'T Use your flat iron or curling iron on your hair while it is still damp. I know there is often a time crunch, life doesn't always give us time to style our hair. I know it happens but just let your hair be more natural that day. The problem is when you use direct heat on your damp hair, it basically boils the tiny amount of water which is in your hair's cuticle, which does all kinds of things to screw it up. If you will refer to the graphic at the top of the page, it will make it look like the first one, basically. No good.
DO use a heat protection spray. There are a endless numbers of them on the market, and who knows how much they really protect your hair, but it is worth it, even if they only help a little. Heat damage is a HUGE cause of hair breakage, and breakage means more haircuts and more haircuts mean it doesn't grow longer which brings me to my next point. . .
DON'T get your haircut too often. I know people always say you have to get your hair cut to keep it healthy and grow it which is true....KINDA. Hair grows pretty damn slow, so if you get an inch taken off every six weeks or so, you are pretty much negating ANY growth you may have seen since the last trim. Which makes your hair healthy, but not LONG and healthy. All these do's and don't are geared toward trying to keep your hair as healthy as you can without cutting off the ugly ends. That being said....
DO get your haircut when your ends are looking a little....Hay-like. If your ends are dry and breaking, the breakage will make it get shorter, which will not help it grow long and healthy (DUH) and will only lead to further damage. Use your judgement and get haircuts when you actually NEED them.
So that sums it up! Take care of your hair, so when I finally teach you how to style it, it will look GLORIOUS!
<3
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