My Hair Care

A lot of people struggle with having damaged hair due to constantly dying or using heat products on their hair. I've been there just like many of us. I have natural red hair and I now love it. That wasn't always the case however, back when I was a in elementary school I used to hate my red hair because it was different from everyone else. I was a really shy kid and my hair being so different would grab a lot of attention. I hated that I just wanted to be like everyone else and have brunette hair.

Let's go back in time real quick to my high school years. I began dying my hair when I was in 8th grade in middle school and by the end of my Senior year in High School 2007, I was so tired of constantly my hair. I had been debating about going blonde so I decided to try that myself, I mean how hard can that be. I was a kid that knew nothing about hair! I always did everything myself which is the biggest mistake I made. I would bleach my own hair and like usual while bleaching your hair it can tend to turn a very orange copper/brassy shade. So when the blonde didn't magically appear I would be unhappy and would dye it dark again and repeat that whole process the following weekend. I had no idea that becoming a blonde came with a process.

The last month of my senior year I decided I just wanted to go back to my natural red hair so I can finally give my hair the long break it had been begging for. At that point my hair was dry like a broom. One day I had gone into the hair salon and the owner was horrified at how damaged my hair was and even refused to touch it. So once again I decided to do the whole process myself. I honestly don't know how I got my hair light enough that I was able to dye it red but somehow I did and my hair was done! It was so short maybe about a inch below my chin. I couldn't even brush it because whenever my hair was dry it would just break. Tons of breakage everywhere. When my hair was wet it was a stretchy stringy feeling that even just my running my fingers trough my hair it would break off in chunks. It literally would look like confetti every time I would try to brush my hair. Not to mention it was so unhealthy that it would literally take hours for it to full dry. I would wash my hair at night sleep with it down and have a towel over my pillow and the next morning my hair was still damp. I swore to myself that after that I would never touch my hair again. Year and years later my hair finally grew out completely and now it's the healthiest it has ever been. Granted that came with tons of hair trims. Seven years later was when I finally decided to color my hair again.

It wasn't until April of 2014 that I bleached/dyed my hair again and this time I decided to leave it to the professionals. I felt it was time for a small change and I was so scared of putting any products on my hair again let alone bleach. I swore I would never dye my hair entirely since I would hate to deal with the roots growing out so I ended up getting a blonde ombré and I loved it. I had this hair style for 8 months when I decided I wanted to add a little bit of color to my hair. I went from having a blonde ombré to a silver lavender. Since color dye doesn't damage your hair I started to dye my purple ombré myself at home to a darker violet shade. Then eventually months later when I was over the purple may hairstylist did my ombré a silver/grey. Now as of today I am back to my natural hair color and loving it. It was nice having different colored hair for a while but I now plan on sticking to my roots. Each time I had my hair done it was with months in-between. I made sure to let my hair relax so I wouldn't damage it. I also made sure to always take really good care of my hair as I was prior to dying it again.

(Top Left: Sept. 2014, Top Right: Feb. 2015, Bottom Left: May 2015, and Bottom Right June 2015.)

(October 2015)

Alright this has become a really long intro but I wanted to share a little background on my hair how damaged it was and how I rescued it before I shared how I now take care of my hair. Ever since I damaged my hair I try to do the most in order to keep my hair looking its best. In the past 2-3 years I have really tried to focus on my hair care and it shows. The first time I met my hair dresser she told me in advance that my hair may become a bit and clearly damaged since we were going to bleach it (we had to bleach it twice to get it that light.) Once she was all done she was shocked at how healthy my hair still was and I told her I take pride on my care of my hair. I am now going to share exactly what products I use to keep my hair looking as great as can be. This is the routine that I have noticed the most improvement and growth in my hair.

Shampoo: I know a lot of people take the kind of shampoo that they use very seriously. I don't like to spend too much money on one so I try to keep it simple. I like to use Head and Shoulders every other hair wash just because I feel that one really deep cleans my hair and roots very well. When I am not using that I'm currently use the OGX Thick and Full biotin & Collagen shampoo and conditioner. I used to use this all the time before I got my ombré but since I had blonde in my hair I had to start using purple shampoo. Since January I began using this again and I forgot how much I loved it. This shampoo is suppose to help strengthen your hair along with thickening and it does exactly that. When I am rinsing off my shampoo I already feel a difference. This is the same shampoo I was using like I said before I got my hair done and my hair dresser said my hair was very healthy and strong. I really like this brand and I also own the Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner. I was also switching off using this product before I added the blonde to my hair. I am just about out of biotin shampoo and as soon as I am Im going to begin using the Renewing Moroccan Argan one again.

*Note* I do want to add that I don't want my hair often 1-2 times a week at the most. Some people may think that is gross, I did too but that is what's best for your hair. Many people don't know that if you're constantly washing your hair you are stripping your hair from it's natural oils that your hair needs. I used to wash my hair every other day because my hair would get really oily fast and that was why it gots so oily quick because I was over washing your hair. By washing your hair frequent you are making your hair over produce oils because it's always being stripped of the natural ones. It is hard to stop washing it often at first like I said I used to have to wash my hair so often but try using dry shampoo that will be your best friend. Or do what I used to do, first day of my freshly washed hair I'll wear it straight for maybe two days. By the third day I'll have it curled for another couple of days. By the end of the week I am wearing my hair up in a bun. This really works and I always tell all my friends to give it a try. Doing this will really make your hair become much more healthy in the long run.

Hair Mask: As often as I can I like to use a deep hair conditioner. I have been using this one right here by L'oréal Paris for about 2 years now and the way I like to use it is, I wash my hair regularly with my shampoo and skip the conditioner. I throw my hair up in a towel while I get dressed. Then once I am all done I will remove my towel brush my hair and add this. I then will either braid my hair or toss it up in a bun and leave it on for a hour or over night. The next day I rinse it off and then my hair is so soft! I always recommend this conditioner to everyone that is facing hair problems such as any damages or dryness. This product is the Total Repair 5 which claims to repair one years worth of damage in one use. I'm not too sure if it does all that but I definitely do see a improvement with using this. Plus it is a drug store product and is cheap.

Leave in Conditioner: Every time once I've washed my hair I like to add a leave in conditioner in my hair when it's still damp. This is the one I have been using since January. I got it for free in my Ipsy bag for redeeming it with my points and it is the 'It Haircare' amazing leave in treatment. I absolutely love this product ever since the first time I used it! I felt such a huge difference after I blow dried my hair it was incredibly soft and silky. That is something I love when I see immediate difference after one use. This stuff smells amazing too and it works as a heat protectant. I've even raved about this product to tons of my friends and think everyone should give this a try. I have noticed my hair growing a ton lately. I don't know if it is because of it is this product. Ever since I began using it I've been able to see a difference in hair growth so this is a big plus! I've even been having people tell me that my hair is getting really long :)

Heat Protectant: Before I add any type of heat to my hair I always make sure I add some kind of heat protectant. I know the last product I just spoke about is also a heat protection product but I still like to spray in some of my 'Chi' 44 Iron Guard before I straighten or curl my hair. I have been using this spray for years now and I really love it. I do feel that this helps protect my hair and it makes me hair feel nice and soft once I straighten it. It smells really good too.

Oils: Once I am all done heat styling my hair whether its straight hair or my typical loose curls I always make sure I add some type of hair oil such as the three above. I don't have a favorite I will use any that I have closest to me and these are currently the three I have been rotating with. I've been getting some from Ipsy and these last me a long time since I only use a couple of drops. I add about a penny sized drop and lather it up on my hands and lightly comb it through the ends of my hair with my fingers. I even add a very tiny bit to the ends of my bangs just so they won't be too voluminous. I like doing this to hydrate my ends since they are the hairs that have been on your head the longest and have endured the most heat and damage. This also helps control the frizz on my hair along with the volume from its being freshly styled with the heat tools along with it a healthy shine. I make sure to never add any oil near my roots because that will only make my hair look oily.

The middle product, Moroccan Argan Oil, is the same shampoo I used that I mentioned earlier. It looks exactly like this but in a bigger sized bottle of course.

Hair Brush: I used to use and buy any cheap hair brush to brush my hair. I didn't think it was worth buying any of those expensive ones because they all do the same thing right? Wrong! I learned that the hair brush you use can actually damage your hair by causing lots of unnecessary breakage and that was exactly what was happening to me! I heard some great reviews on this hair brush 'Wet Brush' that it doesn't pull on your hair and really helps detangle your hair without breaking so I quickly went out to pick it up at Target. My hair would break so much and very easily every time I brushed my hair no matter how gentle I would be or how straight it was. Since owning this I have noticed my hair doesn't even come close to breaking like it did before which is probably why I have seen such significant growth in my hair. I heard this is meant to use for when your hair is wet but I use it when its wet or dry and still works wonders. I definitely recommend this brush to everyone. This is probably the only hair brush I will use unless I find something even better. They also sell different brushes depending on your hair type too! There is one for everyone.

The bottom peach hair brush is from the brand 'Diane' which I picked up recently at Ulta. It's exactly the same as the Wet hair brush except this was said it was for thicker hair. I think they both work the same and I love them both! I now take the purple one with me when I travel and keep the peach one at home.

*Note* One last note before I end this post. I wanted to share that I don't use hot tools on my hair often. A year ago I probably did almost to everyday but now I do 2 times a week at the most and thats  not every week either only if I'm going somewhere and need to look more presentable. Typically I blow dry my hair to straighten out my hair and get rid of any frizz. The following day I curl or straighten my hair and leave it that way until my next wash. My curls usually last on my hair for a few days. If I decide to straighten my hair I may end up curling it a couple days later and thats a big maybe only if I am going to go somewhere. On regular days I don't do anything to my hair and if I don't heat style my hair at all I will wear my hair up in my typical milkmaid braids or a bun. I try to give my hair a break as much as I possibly can.

I hope this post helps some of you that are looking into trying out some new products for their hair care. I highly recommend every single product I mentioned here today and stand by them. Although just because one product worked on me doesn't always mean it will work for everyone. Keep in mind everyone is different. I always wished I had someone to tell me how to take better care of my hair but its true what they say "you live and you learn".

XO

Juliana