Hi Loves!
Happy Tuesday! This post sure has been a long time coming & one I’ve wanted to share for a while. Lots of you have messaged me over on Instagram asking about haircare tips, specifically when you have an active lifestyle and like to workout/ sweat often. This is definitely me & it sounds like most of you as well!
Let me start by giving you a little background on my haircare history. Throwing it back to the early college days, I don’t think I really thought twice about the way I was caring for my hair. I was getting the blondest of blonde highlights, using crappy drugstore shampoo with zero heat protectant, washed my hair every day, and used styling tools every single day!! Gahhhh, this all makes me cringe now looking back. I didn’t even realize that all of these habits were negatively affecting my hair until I started to use a product called “lightening spray” in-between my trips to the salon for highlights. One day, I was blowdrying my hair while using the “lightening” spray (similar to Sun In) when a solid chunk of my hair broke off… I freaked out and took this as my sign that I needed to learn how to truly care for my hair and nurse it back to health.
This was about 6 years ago so let’s just say I’ve sure learned a lot since then! Before I talk your ear off, let’s get into my 5 top tips for maintaining healthy hair!
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- 1. Transition into only washing your hair once per week. Before you call me crazy (and gross), let me explain! If you are someone who has very oily hair (I used to be) I know this can sound very intimidating, but stick with me. Only washing my hair once per week has been the biggest game changer for my hair health so I promise it’s worth it. How do you go about making the switch? Primally Pure DRY SHAMPOO (code is “taylorlove” and you add a chapstick to the cart on http://primallypure.com and then proceed to checkout to get the chapstick free), & time for your hair to adjust. Say right now you are washing it every other day. I suggest starting by switching to washing it every three days. In the beginning you will have to dry shampoo the crap out of your hair, which is why it’s so important to pick one with great (100% natural) ingredients that actually works. The reason I LOVE Primally Pure’s Dry Shampoo is because it builds so you can use it multiple days in a row without it getting gross. Ok, back to what I was saying. After washing the hair for a few weeks only three days, you can switch to every fourth day! Is this making sense? Basically, my theory is that you can train your hair to become less greasy! It might suck at first but I promise your future healthy hair will thank you.
- 2. Commit to using high quality hair products and a heat protectant. This one really does make alllll the difference in the world, especially if you have blonde hair. Some of my favorites include products from Kerastase and Aveda. I love Aveda because it has mostly clean ingredients. I use Aveda’s “Daily Color Protect” as a heat protector and have recently started using Kerastase’s “Resistance” Shampoo & Conditioner. While investing in high quality haircare products is a bit of an investment upfront, it will pay off in the long run so much. Trust me, your hair will thank you. Another tip for using the heat protector might sound a bit obvious but seriously, always USE IT before you put ANY heat on your hair! Let the stuff do the work for you & protect those beautiful locks.
- 3. Start taking Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides & be super consistent. I’ve mentioned my love of collagen before, which you can view here. However, I haven’t talked much about the hair health benefits I’ve noticed from taking it regularly. I’ve noticed that my hair is stronger and shinier and also that it is less prone to breakage. I love taking collagen because it’s something easy I know I can do every single day to help not only my hair but also my skin. I’m definitely a big fan!
- 4. Try & only use heat on your hair once per week. This one is super important!! Like I said, back in college I used to blow dry my hair and then curl it or straighten it, every single day. NO BUENO! Now, I’ll wash once per week, let my hair airdry (this is hugely helpful for hair health which I’ll talk about below), and curl it. For the rest of the week, I’ll touch up the curls here or there but don’t re-curl the whole head. I more so try and salvage the curls for as long as I can which works pretty well because I love the whole “beach waves” style. I throw my hair up in a a clip bun which also helps to keep the curls in tact during the evenings.
- 5. Let hair air-dry as much as possible & minimize the use of a blowdryer. After I wash my hair, if I know I’m going to be awake for a while, I’ll let my hair completely air dry which is amazing for strengthening hair. On the other end of this, if I know I’m going to bed soon, I’ll blow-dry only the front part of my hair to ensure it won’t dry funny right around my face and then will let the rest of it air-dry. The main point here is to make a conscious effort to use a blowdryer as little as possible. I try to only use one once per week or less!
- 6. Color your hair less often. This is another tip that has been hugely important for me. I’ve never colored my hair dark but do know that coloring blonde can be very damaging to the hair. For about the last 2 years, I’ve been working towards a more natural and darker blonde. Thank goodness for the fact that roots are in style these days, right?! Instead of asking for highlights right at the base of my head, I ask for a very natural balayage blonde. This way, the grow out is gradual and natural and I don’t have to get my hair done very often! It’s taken about 2 years to grow out what used to be very blonde hair but I’ve learned to love the more natural color. Coloring my hair less often has helped my hair become so much healthier and I really recommend it.
I hope these tips have been helpful for you guys! Should I do another post about the first bulletpoint where I discuss creating the new hair washing schedule? Let me know in the comments!
Are there any amazing hair tips I’m missing?? I love to hear your favorite tips and tricks too! XX
