Let’s talk haircare. Something I feel very passionately about. Whilst I haven’t been on the most dramatic hair journey in terms of style and colour as my hair has largely been the same style all of my life, I have had to deal with a bump in the road when it came to the condition of my hair. Around two years ago I had to have, what I call, a ‘damage cut’. Basically, my hair had broken so terribly the only way to repair it was by cutting the damage off.
Let me rewind. I was born naturally ginger (yes, that shocks most!) and gradually went blonde after regular trips to the hairdressers for a full head of highlights.
I have always had long hair but my hair really took a beating after years of bleaching and the condition suffered. For me, the dreaded ‘damage cut’ was drastic (dramatic, I know). I went from having long hair to shoulder length hair and when you only intended a trim, thats drastic.
I didn’t realise the extent to the damage and the inevitable cut until one of my friends complimented me on my ‘new shorter hair style’. I thanked her kindly, but I was mortified inside. This comment was a real turning point in my haircare journey and I knew I needed to start a strengthening and repairing haircare routine before my hair snapped any further.
Over the past two years I have trialed and tested hair products and methods to help with the condition of my hair, as well as the growth.
When I started making an effort to look after my hair there were (and still are) two main things I was (and still am) aiming for:
1. Outstanding condition of my hair (particularly for someone who gets their hair bleached four times a year); and
2. Hair Growth.
The two are not mutually exclusive, if your hair is in good condition, it’s very likely to grow faster and because the hair wont break as fast it won’t require a drastic snip every time you go to the hairdressers. Instead, you can have smaller trims and your hair will, overtime, grow longer.
INVEST IN YOUR HAIR, YOU WEAR IT EVERYDAY.
So, what are my 5 Top Tips To Get Your Hair In The Best Condition Of Your Life?
Tip 1: Lay off the washing!
This may sound scary to a daily washer, but try to wash your hair as infrequently as possible, ideally once a week. Whenever I can I will only wash my hair once a week and when I’m having a very social week I will up that to two times.
What are the benefits of washing your hair less frequently?
Well, washing less will strip less of the natural oils from your hair which, in turn, will allow your hair to be more healthier, shiny and grow faster (legit, not a false claim).
It’s also far less effort because you only have to do your haircare routine once, maximum twice, a week. You can therefore save a lot of time and ensure that when you do wash you take your time and give your hair the TLC it deserves.
I only wash my hair once (sometimes twice) a week but when I do its a production. I take it step-by-step and have built up a routine. I’d rather invest my time in doing a routine once well, than rushing to wash it more frequently.
For some, particularly those of you who are daily washers, decreasing your washes to once a week won’t happen overnight. Start by washing every second day, then third, then forth and so on until you build up to only washing once. Your hair will adapt!
In the meantime, dry shampoo can be your best friend. My personal dry shampoo recommendation is the Living Proof Perfect Hair Day (PhD) Dry Shampoo. Style using a headband or an up-do and ride out the grease wave. It will be worth it, trust me!
Tip 2: Tie Your Hair Up At Night
Does anyone else feel like they constantly shout at their partner for leaning on their hair? OUCH! This will happen during the night and in turn, will lead to hairs coming out. Whilst this may only be a few hairs a night, this soon builds up and quite frankly, you want all the hairs you can get.
Tying your hair up will also help breakage as the friction on your pillow when you toss and turn in the night will also pull on your hair and cause unnecessary hair loss (albeit very minor).
No1 rule for tying your hair up: Use a scrunchie. An elasticated bobble will, again, cause friction and in turn, cause breakage. The fabric around a scrunchie will protect you from this.
Tip 3: Be Gentle With Wet Hair
This is a hard and fast rule whatever the state of your hair, but your hair is certainly at its most susceptible to breakage when it’s wet. So please be gentle with it.
Do not, I repeat, do not use a standard hairbrush on your hair. They really pull on your hair and again, will end up pulling considerable amounts of hair out which can be prevented. Use some oil or detangling product on your hair whilst its wet and use a brush designed for wet hair, such as the WetBrush, or better still use a wide tooth comb.
Tip 4: Deep Condition Like Your Life Depends On It
As I said before, if the condition of your hair is good then growth will inevitably follow. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Deep conditioner has been my saviour. It adds moisture and shine to my hair whilst preventing split ends. I deep condition every single time I wash my hair (yes, every single time). You need to too. For a minimum of 10 minutes to a maximum of however long you can feasibly allow. If you’re looking for a good place to start then try the L’Oréal Professionel Serié Expert Absolut Repair Gold Mask (I have repurchased this more times than I can remember).
Even if your goal is not hair growth then you still want your hair to be shiny or free from excessive breakage, surely? So, if you do one thing from this post, buy yourself a deep condition (it doesn’t need to break the bank) and start using it each week or twice a week.
Tip 5: Use Products That Are Actually Beneficial To Your Hair
Whilst practices like deep conditioning are paramount to healthy, lustrous hair, if you are only using products with parabens and sulphates then you are going to see very little long-term benefit.
Why’s that, you ask?
Much like our skin, our hair requires certain ingredients to help its condition and maintenance. There are so many products on the market (again, like skincare) and it becomes unbelievably overwhelming about which contain ingredients which actually improve our hair and which just falsely claim and take our money.
Think of haircare products like a cocktail. Now assuming you drink cocktails to get a little tipsy, what ingredient is crucial to achieve that? Alcohol. What does a cocktail require for it to taste nice or look nice? A mixer, an abundance of candy floss and a candy necklace. All those additional things potentially make the cocktail more desirable and aesthetic, (well perhaps not a mixer because thats quite essential otherwise you’d be more than just tipsy) but in reality the ingredient that makes drinking cocktails, instead of mocktails, worthwhile is the alcohol. Its the same concept with haircare products!
If you are using products solely because they have enticing branding and include fragrances to make them smell desirable then chances are they probably aren’t adding value to your haircare routine. If you focus on products with proteins and keratins then your hair condition will prosper.
Don’t be fooled just by pretty packaging and exotic smells (although they do help), make sure you spend your money wisely and chose stimulating and nurishing ingredients.
Its Okay To Be A Little Obsessed With Your Hair
Now I’ve told you my 5 Top Tips To Get Your Hair In The Best Condition Of Your Life, you might want to check out some of my trusted, holy grail products to add into your routine (if established), or kickstart your haircare journey. I have put all these products in a youtube video for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
Remember: Be patient. Rome wasn’t built over night and the condition of your hair won’t be fixed in that time either. Be consistent and you will see results in no time.
Speak real soon,
Clo x
