(Find outfit details here.)
I am currently on the last quarter of the hair cycle that we all go through. First you cut your hair short, then for some reason go shorter, then you decide to grow it out and then it gets so long you can’t wait to cut it all off once again. In fact I just swore to my husband I wasn’t ever cutting my hair again just this morning and in the same breathe I said ‘well, only to my shoulders.’ This is how it begins.
But since I’ve rotated through this cycle my whole life basically, although I can’t speak for the toddler years, this time I decided to really take care of my hair during the grow out phase. In other times of growing my hair long, my only plan of execution was to not get a trim until it was absolutely necessary. Therefore my hair would be wrecked by the time it reached desired length. I’ve got a lot of hair but it’s fine and straight, so split ends are my specialty. So I decided to take a bit longer to grow it out this time but grow it right. My hair doesn’t grow at an insane rate but lately I feel like it just grew over night! (You can see my hair from a year ago!)
Here are my tips I’ve stuck with over the past year and a half and so far this experiment’s outcome is better than my 6th grade science fair submission of which hair spray worked the best.
1) Spoil your strands.
About a year ago, my stylist introduced me to Davines hair products and now I am very obsessed with everything I’ve ever used from them. The Oi Oil was the first product I used from the line and I’ve since branched out into shampoo and conditioner and sea salt spray. I am a pretty loyal customer when it comes to finding a brand that I love. But the Oi Oil and the Oi Conditioner have stolen my attention the most. I apply a lot of conditioner to my hair every time I wash and oil my hair each time as well.
If you are on the fence about putting oil on your hair, I was as well. My scalp tends to become oily by the end of the day or definitely by beginning of day 2, so I was skeptical to put more oil on my already oil-prone hair. But she assured me it would be life changing. (She was right.) It actually makes my hair stronger and less damaged from the styling tools I use. And I can tell when I don’t use the oil, which is rare, my hair does not style as well as it does with the oil. (It’s hard to explain but my hair is much fluffier without it and doesn’t want to hold a curl.)
How I use it: After each shampoo, I comb my hair out with a wide tooth comb, and use two pumps of the oil in my palm all over the ends of my hair, then I comb through once more to make sure each strand gets covered. Then I blow dry my hair per usual. And if you don’t like the idea of oil, they make a spray that works just as well!
(PS: the oil I linked is the same, just different packaging than mine.)
2) Brush Kindly
If I could go back to my 20s, I would tell myself two things: eat more Chick-Fil-A and stop using crappy hair brushes. I didn’t realize until recently that your hair brush actually does matter. Nowadays I just use this Wet Brush Pro (above) and a wide tooth comb. That’s it. The Wet Brush is a game-changer; it really has helped calm down my split ends and my breakage. The best news is this brush is stupidly affordable and highly recommended by well, me and my stylist. (I’ve linked a couple from Amazon here and here but I’ve also seen them at my local Target!)
PS: you probably already do this, but if you give your hair a nice brushing before the shower, it helps your shampoo and conditioner go through smoothly. After years of dealing with the morning nest on top of my head, I finally figured this out.
3) Inside Out
Well, well, well. This girl finally figured out that what goes in your body, comes out. This works with both healthy and unhealthy things. I was recommended to take Hair, Skin and Nail vitamins by my stylist and let’s be honest, my doctor would love for me to take any vitamin at this point, so I picked up this intimidatingly large bottle of vitamins for no, not health reasons but vanity reasons. But this rings true not only with hair vitamins but with your diet. It may sound from left field but getting the right amount and the right kind of protein has also helped my hair not only grow, but feel stronger and fuller.
I’m taking so many of these vitamins, I better have mermaid hair by summer.
4) Give it a break.
At the end of the day, your hair needs a nap. On days we aren’t shooting, I like to pull my hair up in a loose bun, loose braid or a pony tail and give my roots and ends some alone time. I try to limit my heat styling to 3-4x a week, just so I don’t overdo it. I also only brush my hair in the morning and once before bed at night. And I try my best to keep my hands out of my hair during the day to keep the oiliness down. Style it and forget about it.
Another rule I have is limited hair products. I use shampoo, conditioner, oil, a water based pomade and a light hair spray. And that’s it. Putting a lot of products with alcohol in your hair really dries it out and the build up can be unforgiving.
Be nice to your strands and they will be nice to you. And also, get some hair vitamins.
28 Responses
Your hair looks beautiful, thank you for the tips!
I haven’t tried anything from this range but they sound interesting. Sleeping on a silk pillowcase is a tip as well. It doesn’t make your hair longer but it stops your hair from breaking.
http://vodkaandarose.blogspot.co.uk
Yes!! My mother always tells me this advice — I need to get me a silk pillow case!
These are really great tips! I’m currently trying to grow my hair out so I’m definitely going to try and incorporate these tips into my haircare routine! Thanks!
Great, great tips! I need to try that first brand!
http://www.maggiealamode.com
brush gently is definitely a great tip! I love argan oil and coconut oil for
http://dreaminloud.com
Your hair is gorgeous! With my hair it grows at all different lengths and layering is just the worst because the layers are so visible within a few weeks. I don’t use heat on it because I want to keep it healthy.
Davines OI is the best!!
http://hashtagliz.com
Love it! Thanks for sharing these healthy hair tips!
<3
katsfashionfix.blogspot.com
These are great tips! Especially to give it a break!
Paula- http://www.livingpaula.com
Hair nourishing is the best thing we can do to our hair. oil products seemed to be the best nourishment for the strands. Great products for the hair! 🙂
La Bijoux Bella | by mia
Great tips! I take multivitamins and though I HATE that I have to get my brows done every 10 days, it definitely helps with your hair health! x
http://www.chevronsandeclairs.com/blog
Lovely!
Love,
http://www.thestyleventure.com
The Wet Brush is the greatest brush ever invented! I wish this was around when I was younger and didn’t rip my hair out every time I had a tangled head of hair. Was actually thinking of purchasing to give out as gifts to my besties. Can you tell I’m obsessed?!
What a great post! I have curly hair so cutting it short is usually a big mistake. But like you, I do it anyways…then want it long again…then cut it all off:P One of the viewers on my blog wanted to know ways she can style/take care of her hair. I will for sure give her the link to this post <3
Love,
Thays
http://www.sillycrazyme.com
I am in stage three of the four stage cycle, haha! I also made a decision to treat my hair much better this time around than I had before. I have sworn by a wet brush for years, and get scared when people say they are not using them. I am going to look into the Davines products. I am always looking for new hair care products!
Ashlee Liz
http://www.ashleeliz.com
I take the gummy version of those vitamins and they are amazing! My hair has grown so much in just 6 months!
I wondered if the gummy would work as well!! I need to make the switch 😉
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
xx
Mademoiselle Coconath
http://mllecoconath.com
The tips are indeed very helpful. Your hair looks so brilliant and sparkling. It seems that you do have a strong intention to work hard on its health. And you know it’s great. I died my hair long time ago. Now, it’s just a heap of culms. It doesn’t glister any more… I wish I hadn’t combed it too much…
Sadly with warm hugs,
Read Lewis (mom and blogger)
The tips are indeed very helpful. Your hair looks so brilliant and sparkling. It seems that you do have a strong intention to work hard on its health. And you know it’s great. I died my hair long time ago. Now, it’s just a heap of culms. It doesn’t glister any more… I wish I hadn’t combed it too much…
Sadly with warm hugs,
Read Rowen (mom and blogger)
Thanks for these tips!
Love,
http://thestyleventure.com/2016/04/18/spring-makeup/
Haha, I thought I was the only one that cycled through hair like that! I’ve always grown my hair super duper long and then got bored and cut it really short, so my whole life, I’ve cycled from super short – > shoulder length -> waist length. I’m currently at shoulder length right now and can’t wait to get back to long again. My hair grows pretty fast anyways, but I definitely use oils also and I take the hair/skin/nails vitamins every day.
coffeeslag
COFFEESLAG Best Reads 04.08.16
Have you noticed if the vitamins make a difference in your eyelashes and eyebrows?
thank you for this!! I’m terrible about not tending to my hair so when it grows out it’s all gorss. hehe maybe it won’t be now with these tips
Thanks for sharing these tips! Your hair looks amazing. I’m definitely going to give some of these a try, especially the hair brush and vitamins 🙂
Thank you so much for the tips! I’m not sure why I didn’t see this post earlier… I feel as though I have been on a similar hair journey with you for the past couple years! I love that my hair is somewhat long again after having the trendy lob with ombre highlights for a while. Anyways, I would love to know what pomade and hairspray you use too if you don’t mind sharing. Thanks!
-Kimmy
I want to grow out my hair and get it looking nicer. Thanks for the advice about how you should spoil your strands by oiling it. Another thing to consider is to get a product to help your hair grow.