February 20, 2015

The Hair Post.


I've been mulling it over and the decidedly important thing to do would be to talk about hair two days after we alls chat about being with Jesus in the desert. 'Cause that totally makes sense. 





Up until, oh I don't know a few years ago?, my mane was the bane of my existence, my nemesis, I would've rather been bald than deal with all my curly wavy dry dumb hair. I never brushed it as a kid, I hated hair cuts because the stylist would always turn it into a triangle poof ball, and whenever my mom touched it I would get mad. Like call 911 mad. Yup, did that once.


All I wanted was straight, easy hair. But it wasn't until I actually embraced what I had that my hair started cooperating. It was like it said to me: "thanks for not getting mad at us anymore. We will like you now." I realized that there's nothing I can do but deal and, well, not really care.


You see, for as much as I cared about my hair (aka: in hating it) I also really didn't care. And actually I still don't. I hate washing/doing/taking longer than 5 minutes to do my hair. I just don't have the time or the patience - plus with working out/running any cool thing I do to it ends up in a ponytail so what's the point. Along the path from hating to embracing I've found a few key things that have made my hair doable and, finally, non 911-able.


For time's sake, I'm just going to do bullets. Half because it's easier to read and follow along and half because it's Friday and my brain is dead. But how about instead of using bullet points, I'll use stars. STARS are PREEEETY. (Fri-Yay, Fri-yay!)


*DO NOT use WEN. I already mentioned this but it made my hair fall out. Eeeek.

*I currently go 7-8 days between washings. Here's how I've made that work: extend washings out by a day or so every few weeks, use good products on the first day then mostly leave it alone (product list below), use minimal heat, after the first couple of days I brush it out every night and put into a braid or bun for sleep. This takes the oil from the scalp and pulls it into the hair and the braid/bun will  keep it all in the hair working magic while you sleep. I actually learned this trick from the ladies on Downton Abbey, lol. I also have a routine for how I wear my hair everyday. (That way I never have to think about it....again me hatey thinking about my hair). My hair is on the dry side so this works but if yours is oily, the brushing should help plus finding a good dry shampoo for the mornings. 

*Here's my routine for how I wash my hair: wash Thursday mornings or Wednesday nights. Brush it out major before shower. Use shampoo, and leave conditioner in for 10 minutes up in a clippy thing while I finish my shower. Rinse. Then rinse in cold water for about 30-40 seconds. I try to stand outside the freezing water but sometimes no such luck. Offer it up...The cold water rinse closes the cuticles and is one of the best things I've done for my mane. Then squeeze dry with a towel (no rubbing), brush out again, and wrap up in a microfiber turby towel thing that dries it some more.







*Routine for products: after about 20 minutes in the turby towel I put in hair oil, then a heat protector, then my curl cream. (I never blow dry it straight because I just don't have time but if I were I would use the straightening stuff instead). I use Elnett Hairspray the first couple days (because it's not crunchy) then Tresemme after that. I LOVE this hairspray. I also usually reapply hair oil on nights 3 and 5 or something like that.

*Routine for how I wear it everyday: if washed at night, I put in my products, blow dry for just a few minutes, then put into a ponytail braid to sleep in. I used to do a bun but the braid was easier on my hair (less breakage, especially when damp) and it makes awesome waves. If washed in the morning, I put in products, blow dry to about 70% dry then let air dry the rest of the way. Day 1: half up, Days 2-4: down, brushed out every night,  Day 5: usually a hat/beanie/braid or something, Days 6-7 ponytail or bun (because by this point it's done...)

*Other tips: when blow drying, POINT THE DRYER DOWN the hair. This keeps is from getting frizzy. Avoid heat on the ends. I show below how I curl it without touching the ends. My hair started looking gross around day 5 but the brushing out and reapplying hair oil really helped over time. 









Post brush. Poofy poof.






*Products:


T3 Blow Dryer from Costco




Mythic Oil and Heat Protector. I also use this shampoo/condition and love it.




Pureology curl cream and Bumble Bumble Straight. The straightening cream is going on 3 years (is it expired yet???) and I've had the curl cream for at least 2 years. Good products cost more but you can use so little of them that they last forrrreeeevvver.



Elnett Hairspray



 Tresemme Hairspray






*How I curl:

I wrap it around the curling iron towards the top/middle of the hair. Hold for a few seconds, chomp/open and close the iron down the hair (ahhh, hard to explain) a few inches, but don't curl the ends. 












Ends are left straighter which is more natural than curling like Cinderella.








Sooo, I think that about covers it. Biggest tip: embrace what you've got. Straight as a pole? Rock it. Curly and frizzy? Rock it. Afro? TOTALLY ROCK IT. (I want an afro. Perhaps when I'm 50 I'll chop and perm the heck outta it.) Your hair will look the best if you stop fighting it and roll. 


And now I'm off to enjoy the weekend with my babes. We've got maj plans. Gonna be bananas. TGIF.













7 comments:

Lauren @ Here We Geaux said...

Thanks for taking the time to share this! I have been fighting gross curls (the kind that isn't really curly or straight, but more than wavy and never easy to manage) for my whole life and I have started washing my hair less and less frequently. For some reason, I dread the hassle of washing, drying, and straightening my hair. Lately, I have gotten to the point where I can wash about twice a week (every 3ish days) instead of every other day and MY does it make me a much happier girl. Getting to a point of washing once a week would be even more awesome!

Kathleen said...

This post was really interesting. I’m in the process of trying to find a new regiment for my hair…I have very thick hair, which is mostly straight, but it does have a very slight natural wave to it. It really only goes curly unless I coax it with scrunching & products, which I never do, so it's more prone to frizziness than curls & waves.

ANYWAY, I follow Wellness Mama’s blog and have slowly been getting rid of chemical based personal care products. I know make my own deodorant and skin care products and love the way the work and also feel better about not using chemical on my biggest organ (my skin).

The hair has been a challenge, though, and harder for me to go the natural product route. I recently started using all natural shampoo bars and conditioner bars to wash & condition my hair and I like them a lot. I'm still in the adjustment period, but my hair is shinier and less weighed down. Right now I wash it about every 2-3 days.

This past weekend, I did a hair detox, which is basically putting an all natural clay mask on your hair and - wow - for 3 days after my hair had so much volume, which is not something I was really looking for since my hair is already thick, but it was a nice bonus. If you just go to Wellness Mama and search for hair detox, you'll see her instructions.

Thanks for posting!

Unknown said...

Lauren, yay for you for embracing what you've got! And washing less often is totally awesome, right?!

Unknown said...

Kathleen, thanks! I will totally check out that website for the hair mask. Also, how do you make your own deodorant? I've used some natural products but they don't work as well as my harmful chemical stuff!

Kathleen said...

I am seeing tons of typos in my comment, ugh!

Unknown said...

Kathleen, hahaha funny thing is I totally didn't notice!

Kathleen said...

So I started out using this recipe and it was AWESOME. Like the best deodorant I've ever used, ever ever. No white residue and I would sit on the beach in the 100 degree heat and 100% humidity all day AND workout AND never need to reapply.

(scroll down to #6)
http://www.thefikelife.com/2014/07/adventures-in-minimizing-and-list-of.html

But then I started to get irritation from the baking soda, so I switched to this recipe from Wellness mama.

http://wellnessmama.com/22357/spray-deodorant-recipe/

It's basically 1/2 c. magnesium oil, 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar and then I also use some tea tree essential oil for added antibacterial power.

The 2nd recipe works well. I feel the baking soda is really the best stink buster, but I get a reaction from the baking soda.

However (sorry this is the most rambling comment ever), Wellness Mama suggests detoxing your arm pits to help with the baking soda reaction.

http://wellnessmama.com/25432/detox-your-armpits/

I think with natural personal care, it's a matter of trial & error and figuring out what works best for you.