Welcome to Reader Request Week! In honor of my 2 year blogiversary (thanks for the sweetest wishes ever!), I asked what YOU wanted to see on the blog. I took those topics and made them into a week's worth of posts. Enjoy!
PS: If there's something you'd like to see, or a beauty question you'd like answered, OR general questions about me, let me know below!
The number question I get asked is about my hair. I consider this awesome because (a) my hair is the one physical thing I like about myself (b) it's the one thing I will spend money on! So let's get into my hair routine:
- I had my first grey hair at 20, so I get my hair dyed (sometimes by me) its natural color. In the spring/summer, I do very natural highlights. I try to stretch out the dying process as long as possible to save money.
- I get it trimmed every other hair appointment, so maybe every couple of months or so. My hair grows fast, and I've had it all lengths. Right now, I'm loving it longer, with face-framing layers, since I feel there's only so many years I can rock hair. I'm not young, ya know!
Wash & Condition:
- My hair texture is wiry, slightly wavy, and dry. Since it's so dry, I wash it once or twice a week. I know that sounds gross to most people, but it dries my out hair and makes it frizzy. It rarely gets greasy and I've trained it to be this way. All of this, of course, depends on the time of year and activities. If I'm at the beach, for example, I've gotta wash my hair every day.
- I use a shampoo for colored hair. Today I'm using L'Oreal Ever Pure.
- I almost always use Aussie 3 Minute Miracle. It smells so good & it works for me always.
- Every other shampoo, or if my hair has been exposed to a lot of heat, I'll use a hair masque. Today it's Dove's Intensive. Repair Deep Repairing Mask. I use natural products too. Check out my past hair masques here, here, here, and here...coconut oil is a fave too.
- I brush my hair before getting in the shower. I also keep a comb in the shower to comb through the conditioner/deep conditioner/masque.
- Once I'm finished, I gently squeeze out excess water and put my hair in a towel or air dry for about 20 minutes.
- Then I apply Sunsilk's Straighten Up--they don't make this anymore), but it smells and works great. It also has heat protectant in it.
- I comb it through and let my hair air dry, preferably over night. Never use a brush on wet hair.
- I try not to do two heat processes in my hair in one day, but sometimes it's just not possible. I wait until my hair is 70% dry, and using the nozzle on my Hana hair dryer, I'll attempt a blow out with a big round brush. If I just randomly blow dry it, my hair will be ginormous. It takes about 30-40 minutes to do a quality blow out, 10 minutes for a quick & dirty blow dry, or 8-10 hours to dry au naturale.
- I'll spray heat protectant, like Tressame, before using a curling iron/flat iron.
- I use a bristle brush to brush my hair, from Sally's Beauty.
- I rarely use hair spray. I don't need it. My hair will hold curl for a week, and most hairspray is alcohol-based, and anything with alcohol will frizz my hair. L'Oreal has a line of alcohol-free based hair products that I've been loving.
Other Products Used on Occasion:
- Dry Shampoo (I love Oscar Blandi, Dove, and Suave).
- Root Booster (L'Oreal alc-free, Got 2B powder)
- Hair Spray (L'Oreal alc-free, Elnett, Garnier)
- Styling Paste (Garnier Surf Wax)
- Leave In Conditioner (homemade or It's a Miracle 10)
The Quick Version:
- Wash weekly or biweekly
- Deep conditioner weekly
- Hair masque bimonthly
- Apply straightening/anti-frizz product on damp hair.
- Allow to air dry, if possible. If not, do a blow out or quick & dirty dry.
- Apply heat protectant, straighten/curl/etc and style.
Natural, no-product, air-dried hair!
Got hair questions? Need more explanation? Let me know, below!
Congrats to SARAH DINKLE, who won the Sneakpeeq giveaway!
Wowzers, thanks for the helpful advice. Now I know all the things that I've been doing wrong :)
ReplyDeleteAw your hair is so gorgeous! Thanks for sharing all of your tips and tricks, Aussie 3-minute miracle is a favorite of mine too!
ReplyDeletegreat advice- i especially like the idea of combing your hair in the shower, that's a great tip. You have GORGEOUS hair so clearly, you are doing some things right!
ReplyDeleteI totally get it, I too only wash my hair twice a week, and let it air-dry most of the time. I also apply a Kerastase oil to the length and ends, because my hair has gotten dry - might be because it's long, but I think also because I have been living in cold climates for many years now, and that's how my hair reacts.
ReplyDeleteThank u for sharing all those useful tips and the products u use!!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Jelena
awesome hair chores. love it all!
ReplyDeleteLyosha
Inside and Outside Blog
Wow that's a lot of work that goes into your hair, but I have to say that it's well worth it, because it always looks incredible. But I really like how it looks air-dried and with no products too...that's what I do with mine most of the time.
ReplyDeleteHope you're having a great start to the week!
No wonder you have great hair! Thanks for sharing:)
ReplyDeleteNo wonder you have such gorgeous hair!
ReplyDeleteI love air drying my hair most of the way when I have time. Yours looks lovely!
ReplyDeleteoh, thanks for sharing your beauty secret!
ReplyDeleteIt’s a GIRL Thing
Great post - I have my hair straightened now which makes it so much more manageable
ReplyDeleteI have a similar hair routine but yours is so much prettier :)
ReplyDeleteYour hair is so beautiful! It's good to know all the secrets. :) From your post, I think I wash my hair to much!
ReplyDeletewhew, thats quite a routine but it obviously works cause your hair always looks good.
ReplyDeleteThat is a lot! I have the same type of hair, though, so I might have to start adopting some of this. Especially for summer!
ReplyDeleteThis was so great of you to share! I am always intrigued by the hairstyling processes of others!
ReplyDeleteSuper informative...I'm curious how you said not to use a brush on wet hair...I'm going check out some combs. I really want to try dry shampoo as well so thank you for the brand suggestions.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't seem crazy to me–after all, your hair and your skin are the only things you wear everyday!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad someone requested this. You have really lush healthy looking hair so it was great finding out some of your hair secrets
ReplyDeleteBeautiful hair!:X
ReplyDeleteGreat tips, Elle! You do have an amazing mane! xo style, she wrote
ReplyDeletelove the list! I've been looking for a sulfate-free shampoo, gotta try the loreal one you use! Xox <3 hautepinkpretty.com
ReplyDeletegreat tips! my hair is out of control and way too long but that's just out of sheer laziness to drive all the way to my hair dresser. at night, i get so tangled up in my hair it feels like it's strangling me!
ReplyDeleteI love your hair. I always use a heat protectant spray. It's so important!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
Twitter: @GlamKitten88
Thank you fir sharing, your hair really is gorgeous! I wash my hair only a couple of times a week, for the same reason, it would be a dry frizzy mess if I washed everyday.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your hair!! No wonder it's one of your favorite physical attributes ;)
ReplyDeletealways love your hair!
ReplyDeleteYour hair is so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard for me to grow my hair out. I wish I had a long healthy hair like yours. xoxo
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hellohellofriday.com/
Your hair is really gorgeous. If I am trying to fix my hair I only wash it a few times a week because my hair gets dry too. I am always on the hunt for masks so I will check out the one you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteUh, and I'm sick al ready of my hair routine! But the result is gorgeous :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats to SARAH
ReplyDeleteHi Elle! Could you possibly do a post on how to use the Sunsilk Straighten Up? I read the product description on Amazon, but not sure where it would come into my routine. I have really wavy hair and I think it may be something that would work for me. Thanks!
ReplyDelete