My Hair Care.

I have never been a hair snob until a couple years back when I, for the first time in my life, had as close to Rapunzel hair as I have ever had. I swam in High School and College so my hair was never something to brag about. It reeked of chlorine and was about as dried out as a pile of hay. Part of the problem was I straightened my hair every single day after showering. So you have to think I not only had the pool against me, I had harsh chemicals in Shampoo (which I didn't know at the time; I was a broke college student who thought purchasing a bottle of Dove was splurging) and the heat, oh the glorious heat of my straightener which of course was only ever used at the highest level of heat because it wouldn't straighten it if I didn't....or so I thought. 

After I stopped swimming my hair needed to be given a brand new start, a fresh slate, so I chopped it all off. Well, not all off, just right above my shoulders. I started doing more and more pinterest reading on ways to grown long, strong hair. Of course most of the articles seemed like a bunch of crap (no offense) so I took to asking around. Every person had something different to say, but most people said I don't straighten my hair. Well, I remember thinking these girls were nuts, good for them but did you see this frizz ball I call my hair? Giving up my straightener was absolutely no way in hell happening. That summer I was working at Panera Bread, working early ass hours (for a minimum wage job) and not trying to look good at all so doing my hair all cute was a big bunch of pointless. That entire summer I worked my ass off, picking up as many shifts and hours as they would let me so I basically lived in a Panera uniform and a messy bun or braid. Well, Panera was lookin' out. That summer I hardly ever had a straightener on my hair and before I knew it, my hair was growing. Now, I had cut my hair before and it would grow, but it would always get to a certain length and then stop growing. It was the weirdest thing. So this time I wanted to make sure it didn't stop. 

I honestly cant remember who told me about it, but someone had told me about Biotin. If you haven't heard of it; Biotin is a natural vitamin. It's sometimes called Vitamin B7. It can also be found in foods like liver, cauliflower, salmon, carrots, bananas, eggs and chicken. It's used for health benefits but most people use it as a natural beauty supplement. Anyways, I went to Walmart and got a bottle. I definitely didn't notice any difference with the first bottle. However, after the second bottle I started getting a lot more people commenting on how long my hair was getting. So, I continued with the no heat and Biotin. It's been a while since my hair has been long because I get bored and feel like I need a change so I had chopped it off again summer of 2014, but the picture below is about the length it was before I cut it.

Gosh, I miss my hair like this. Honestly, once my hair got to this length I loved it curly for the first time in my life. Oh ya, if you didn't know, my hair is naturally curly. I know most people are thinking that having longer and more hair is higher maintenance but it honestly wasn't for me. I'm actually the complete opposite. The shorter my hair is, the more time and effort I have to put into my hair for it to look cute or just normal ha and that's probably because it's curly.

So, like I said I had cut my hair again, but this time I donated it. Yep, 12 inches. I was so excited doing something for someone else, while changing up my look. So, below is how it looked when I cut it.

When I cut it, I really loved it for awhile. Then I started to miss it, you always start to miss it....So I of course wanted to grow it out again. If you follow along you know my hair has grown out again. You may also notice that I dye my hair or get highlights. Whatever you want to call it, I bleach the shit out of my hair. That obviously isn't good for anyone's hair so I have to make sure I take good care of it. Which brings me to the point of this fricken novel of a blog post. Sorry bout it. I wanted to be a real person and share with you my real and honest opinion about what helps my hair. 

First and foremost I NEVER blow dry my hair. I think I had to once because I showered and my parents said something about going somewhere and looking nice. Well, my hair doesn't look nice if it's sopping wet. Other than that, I never EVER use a blow dryer. I know that letting my hair air dry makes it that much softer and silkier. It doesn't have heat on it forcing it to dry and ya I know you can do cool air but who the heck wants to stand there for hours when you have as much hair as I do and wait for your hair to dry? Not me. 

Second thing, I try my darnedest not to straighten or curl my hair, but hell I blog don't I? I can't be going out and taking pictures with a frizzy mess! So I found a solution. When I do straighten my hair I use it on a lower heat. Yes, it takes longer but I can tell my hair isn't being as damaged. Also, I only wash my roots, and I only wash every 4 days. If I know my weekend is going to look like PJ's all day and netflix, I'll let it go until I need to make a public appearance. 

I know this is where people are going to stop reading. HA maybe most of you closed out before because you took one good look and saw a bunch of words. Eh, I don't blame you, but if you did get this far thank you for reading! So, how do I go 4 days or more without washing? Simple. I don't touch my hair. Your hands hold so much oil that most people can't help but touch their hair. Don't. I use a Bamboo Hair brush (which I got at my local Target). Bamboo Hair brushes are known for eliminating frizz and making hair more shiny and soft while pulling your natural oils through to your ends. I also use a Wet Brush in the shower after I condition. I swear this brush is amazing. My hair use to always pull and snag with other brushes. Now, the shampoo. You don't necessarily need to spend a fortune on top notch, salon shampoo; just make sure when you buy shampoo you look at the ingredients and avoid anything that starts with Sulfate. I also am a huge fan of dry shampoo. I will have everything I use linked below!

Of course I still take Biotin, although I have to say I do forget a lot, I'm human give me a break! The last thing I do is apply oil to the ends of my hair. This is something I have done forever; it doesn't help your hair grown, but it does make it look and feel so healthy. My ends are always the worst and most dry part so just adding a little oil makes a world of difference. Best part about it is you don't need more than a dime shape amount which makes the product last you forever!!

I chose to post this picture as well because it reminded me of one other thing I try to do to keep my hair healthy. I try to go about 3/4 months without getting highlights. I'm not afraid of some regrowth. Now, this definitely isn't for everyone and there are a lot of people who don't get their hair colored at all so I didn't want to include this part of my daily/weekly routine. It's more like an extra little thing I do for myself.

I hope you enjoyed this post and took something away for yourself! Thanks again for reading and supporting!

Wet Brush | Bamboo Hair Brush | Oil | Dry Shampoo