After trying out a million and one different products to keep my hair healthy and looking great, I think I've finally found a combination that works well for me.
My hair type (see below): Curly/wavy/flat/thin-ish/dry at the ends/oily at the roots/frizzes up at the first sign of moisture/sheds everywhere ALL the time... the list goes on! Anyone else feel my pain?
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| Natural hair (left) & blow dried hair (right) |
Below I've listed the steps I follow and products I've been using in my hair every week for the past year and a half (at the very least).
Hair treatment
Ever since I can remember, my gran would use coconut oil in my hair to keep it healthy and shiny. Unfortunately, I thought I was way too cool to continue this treatment throughout my teens, thinking it made my hair too oily so I stopped bothering. Well guess what, it's back with a big fat I TOLD YOU SO!
Coconut oil is amazing for the hair (and skin but we won't get into that today). The night before washing my hair I massage about a 2 pence coin size of virgin coconut oil into my scalp, roots and ends. (Be careful not to use too much on your scalp or else it'll be a nightmare to wash out!) I tie it up into a super high top knot, stick an old t-shirt over my pillow and catch some z's. Massaging it into the scalp helps to stimulate hair growth and rubbing it into the lengths and ends really helps with dryness.
N.B. If you do use too much coconut oil in your hair, you may need to shampoo it 2-3 times to get the oily residue out. If this happens, don't let it put you off using the oil. Just use a bit less next time and it should wash out nicely after 1-2 washes.
Shampoo & conditioner
I've now been using Loreal Elvive Paris Fibrology Thickening Shampoo & Conditioner for about a year and a half now. I don't think I've noticed my hair becoming any thicker directly from the use of these alone, but they really make my hair feel beautiful, silky, and clean without having to use a tonne of product.
Now some of you may or may not have experienced the need to switch up your shampoo every few months due to your scalp and hair getting "used to" your current shampoo and therefore not working as well as it usually would. I definitely go through these spells which make my scalp dry and irritated, so I keep a bottle of Head & Shoulders Dry Scalp Care Shampoo With Almond Oil in my bathroom to help soothe my scalp. I usually only need to use it for a week or so before going back to my usual shampoo, but I find that it really helps.
Brushing
This genius of a brush has changed the hair grooming game completely. I brush my hair GENTLY starting from the ends down and moving upwards rather than from the roots and straight down. This technique combined with the Tangle Teezer's brilliance has made brushing knots out a doddle!
Heat protector
This is the only "high end" product I use in my hair and that's the Kerastase Keratine Thermique. I've been using this heat protector for about a year now and I've noticed that my hair has a lot less split ends than it used have. Heat damage isn't always visible to the naked eye, so I can only hope that it's doing some good in protecting my hair since it's generally feeling much more healthy than it used to. Over the years I've tried a handful of high-street heat protectors and didn't notice any difference to my hair when using them. I also have quite sensitive skin so had itchy reactions when heat protector sprays accidentally got onto my skin. Gladly, I've not had any annoying skin reactions with Kerastase's product! And it smells amazing too!
Hair oil
Hair oil gets a bad name when used on the wrong type of hair in the wrong way. Sometimes the ends of my hair can feel a bit dryer since I have curly hair so I use the OGX Renewing Argan Oil of Morocco Penetrating Oil in my hair, being very careful not to get it near my roots since I don't want to make my hair look greasy. This oil has a thick consistency and so should be used sparingly. Depending on how dry my hair has been feeling, I use it when wet and/or dry, being careful to use a very small amount so not to weigh it down too much or make it look oily. I can't say I've used many hair oils but I love how silky the OGX oil makes my hair feel and again, it smells divine!
Hair tools
I tend to blowdry my hair straight when I want a more "put together" look using my Babyliss Pro Torino Ionic hair dryer and a Remington round bristled brush, rather than using hair straighteners. I find that this prolongs the general look and feel of freshly washed hair so it stays less oily and volumised for longer, allowing me to wash my hair less frequently. I know that blowdrying is still a form of heat, but I tend to let my hair air-dry for as long as possible and then go in to blowdry it on a medium heat while keeping the nozzle a couple of inches away from the hair on the brush. It's my way of compromising and I've definitely seen the quality of my hair improve since ditching my hair straighteners!
Et voila! That's my current hair care routine. Fairly simple with mostly high-street/drugstore products that are very affordable. With the use of these products and routine, I've really found that the overall condition of my hair has improved, with it feeling and looking much healthier! If you have any holy grail hair products that you need to rave about, shout them out in the comments section below! In the meanwhile, I hope this post has been helpful to anyone with (annoying) hair like mine!
Swapna x
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