Let me start by saying that I am no hair care expert. All opinions expressed here are my own and my own personal experience. These are merely tools and tips that have worked for me – growing my hair and making it work for me! (Please also note: I am selling NOTHING, I get paid NOTHING to talk about these things, and I just REALLY REALLY LOVE what’s working for me!)
One thing you should know is that I grew up habitually changing my hair – from cuts to colors – I have literally done everything to it (including perms) – not sharing ANY of THOSE pics here. I also found that for a LONG TIME my hair was the worst (or seemed like it) if I didn’t wash it every day. I could NEVER shower at night or I woke up and my hair was a fright. So morning hair washing and almost every day to make it actually do something.
So for the past few years, I have been working to take better care of the hair I have – everyone always said – wash a few times a week and I was like HOW is that possible?! But alas, I’ve been doing the things and I like the way my hair is actually doing the things now.
This was my hair a little over a year ago. I LOVE COLOR. (And the length).
Around this time, I started using MONAT (this leads you to my chica – mainly because she has awesome pictures and descriptions of different things, but LITERALLY is not to sell the things – just to tell you what I use). The products vary based on what I need that particular month or season, but after using it for just a few weeks, the need to wash my hair every day was literally a non-issue and my hair felt insanely CLEAN. I also REALLY love my TYME Iron (BEWARE of counterfeit!) and it has made doing/styling my hair insanely easy. Here are some of my best tips for growing (and LOVING) your hair:
1. Buy products that you TRUST to do the job for your hair – really consider what the texture, coloring, etc. of your hair is like. Consult a stylist to get the best advice (THIS WILL MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE!)
2. AIR DRYING IS YOUR FRIEND. I have limited the amount times I use heat products on my hair. Sometimes this means a damp braid, crunched up beach waves (I like something from Perfectly Posh for that), or throwing it up in a bun or just letting the air do its thing.
Bonus if you do braids: You get an instant hairstyle in the AM.
3. DO NOT WASH your hair every day if you can help it. This takes time AND the right products, but I probably only wash my hair about 2-3 times a week now. This ALSO helps to keep any color I have (BONUS MONEY, PEOPLE). Use a blowdryer after a workout, dry shampoo, air dry, what have you, but the less you wash your hair is actually BETTER for it!
This is where braids come in. Or buns. Or bobby pins. Scrape it up, pin it down, and everyone will think it’s cute when your hair is actually dirty. You’re welcome. They will also think you look like something on Pinterest or you will tell yourself that so that you (and they) believe it.
4. TRY to keep coloring to a minimum. I am SUPER lucky in the fact that my hair colors have grown out CRAZY well. There’s always that weird in-between pastel phase, but if you can get through that, then you can do just about anything. I generally MAJORLY color my hair about once a year and then do highlights/ombre/something small in the fall. This also means my cuts are usually trims and by avoiding the hairstylist’s chair, I have less of an urge to C-U-T!
March 2018
July 2018
See that easy outgrowth??! It’s almost like those roots were intentional. L O L
5. STYLE IT. Do things with your hair and you will be more apt to love it! Braid, updos, curl, straighten, ponytail, pigtails, braids, do it all! It makes growing it all the more easier once you know you can actually DO something with it!
Overall, growing out your hair and taking care of it takes trial and error, patience, and persistence, but it definitely CAN BE DONE. Check out my repertoire on instagram over the years and you’ll see JUST HOW MANY different styles and hairdos I have had over the years.
What are your tried and true tips for keeping your hair in tip top shape? Any recommendations of products or tools that you CANNOT live without?
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