Best hair products: How to make your hair look healthy and beautiful!

Rapunzel, let down your hair!!! 

I was born with naturally thick, straight, light brown hair. It was beautiful and shiny, as most little girls’ hair. But of course I turned 13 and between the pool chlorine, the introduction of the curling iron, and hair “lighteners” my head turned into straw, it was dull and and greenish and just unmanageable. It was hell and I was very frustrated. It would not grow past my shoulders, and I insisted that I wanted to keep it light so I kept doing highlights and buying a bunch of products. Bad girl.

Now I am not going to say that I have the best hair ever but I must admit I love my hair, it is manageable and easy to style, it grows fast and looks shiny, and I get lots of compliments, so I thought I’d share the products and tips that changed my life.

1. Stop lightning your hair. Seriously! I hate that this is my first step but from the moment I stopped trying to make it lighter everything changed right away. I like changing the hue of my hair color, but I only play with different brown colors and like to use semipermanent ammonia-free hair colors like Loreal’s Healthy Color. This particular brand is just amazing and it has awesome colors to choose from. I like their 4AR Cool Chestnut Brown and right now I am using 5CB Chestnut Brown. I am embarrassed to admit this but I have about 15% gray hair already, so I do touch ups every 28 shampoos (and yes, I keep track). This way you can make your hair color more vibrant yet it is not as damaging. Remember the rule, you want to keep it 2 tones close to your natural hair tone AND you want to take into account if you look better with warm or cool tones (I figured I look better in cool tones but I think I might be somewhat neutral).

2. Sulfate free products. I found out about this trick when I met a girl that had soft and shiny hair and she kept changing its color dramatically every month without any damage showing. She said that she simply had used sulfate free shampoos and conditioners since she was very young, so her hair still looks like a little girl’s. I tried Loreal’s EverPure Sulfate-Free Color Care System Moisture Shampoo, because it is not that expensive and you can get it at any supermarket. I am not changing my shampoo line EVER! Seriously, all the products from this line are amazeballs. The conditioner I use is their EverCreme Sulfate-Free Moisture System Intense Conditioner. I sometimes change the shampoo/ conditioner type but never the brand, if it starts with EVER I trust it.

3. Keep it dirty. You have probably heard about this before, but washing your hair daily is not a good idea. Unless you have very oily hair in which case you may want to get a shampoo that is made for daily cleansing. I think CHI has one that is good. My hair is more on the dry side, but as it keeps getting healthier it gets greasy sooner, so I wash it every other day. If I go to the gym I use dry shampoo to refresh my scalp, but I try to avoid washing it daily as much as possible.

4. Beauty comes from the inside. Don’t just ignore this. Good eating habits= healthy looking skin, hair, and nails. I eat somewhat healthy as I naturally enjoy almonds, soy milk, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and salmon, so it is not a problem for me. However, I like to take vitamin supplements and I truly think that they are helping my hair, nails, skin, and lips. I swear by Biotin supplements  (you can get them at any Sprouts or any other store that sells natural supplements). They are not expensive and are a good investment.

5. Cool down. I straighten my hair almost every time I wash it. I almost always let it dry naturally and then use the straightener but if not I use my hair dryer in the ‘warm’ setting just to get rid of excess water. I don’t really use it to blow dry, but this may be necessary for some people with coarser hair. Mine is slightly wavy now, I think due to moisture loss, so just using the straightener at 375 degrees works fine for me. Have you seen that video where the girl burns her hair out? Yeah, that made me want to cool it down with my straightener a bit.

6. Chop chop chop! If you are looking to let your hair grow I recommend getting a trim every 4-6 months. If you are happy with your hair length then keep doing it every 3-4 months, just make sure you find someone who knows what they are doing and who actually understands that it is just a hair trim. I get mine cut in long layers 🙂

7. My favorite hair product in the entire world: Moroccan Oil Original. It is very expensive ($43 per bottle, at least) but OMG it is the best find ever. I use it to protect from the heat of my straightener when I dont have heat protectant, and always after I style it. Just one pump is what I need even with my long hair,so the bottle lasts for a very long time. It is an oil but does not leave your hair greasy (dont put it in your roots of course!). It smells seriously great and your hair looks instantly shiny. Best kept secret. I have found the bottle at $30 at Nordstrom Rack, but it is hard to find. Try ebay as well.

I also use leave-in conditioner form Loreal’s Evercreme line when I feel my hair gets very tangled. When it feels like it may be breaking more than usual, I use CHI Keratin Mist. I apply these after I shower before styling.