I’ve been on a healthy hair journey for almost 2 years now. I can best describe the experience to that of a roller coaster. Between trying new things, sometimes failing at them, learning what my hair needs, and what to avoid at all costs, I think it’s safe to say I’ve finally found what works best for my dry, wavy hair. I do want to preface by saying this is all based on my personal experience. Everyone’s hair is different and what may work for me may not work for you and vice versa. If you are finding yourself to have serious hair damage concerns it is best to speak with a certified trichologist or doctor on the matter.
Alright, so moving on to the habits I learned I should be doing regularly. Here’s a quick breakdown and reasoning behind them.
Hair Habit Must Do’s
Mindful Hair Brushing
I used to rake through the tangles in my hair with whatever brush or comb was lying around. I’d start at the top of my head and work my way down. Since then, I’ve learned that kind of brushing can contribute to A LOT of breakage and split ends, which we definitely don’t need if we’re trying to grow our locks. Starting at the ENDS and working your way up helps with preventing breakage and split ends from occurring, keeping hair healthier and stronger.
Microfiber Towels
The things you learn when you want to start actually taking care of your hair. If you were like me, you’d use an identical towel to the one you had wrapped around yourself after getting out of the shower, twisted and plopped it on top of your head, and called it a day. Well, apparently that rougher towel material can also contribute to hair damage. It makes sense when you think about it, but it never crossed my mind all those years let alone was something I thought I needed to worry about.
Did you know that our hair is at its most fragile state when it’s wet? I had no idea until I dove into the world of hair care. Microfiber towels are great because they’ll soak up all that excess water and moisture like as sponge. It’s also said that they don’t create as much friction with our hair (also helping to prevent breakage), and may help to reduce frizziness, which being a dry and wavy haired girl I am all about.
Silk
Having a silk pillowcase and silk bonnet or scarf is an absolute MUST at bedtime. I feel like a total grandma saying that but if you’re a fellow curly or wavy girl, it will be a game changer! Silk is a wonderful option to sleep on because, unlike other fabrics, silk does not create friction with our hair when we sleep. Hair friction can cause split ends, breakage, tangles, a super cute bedhead look..it’s not ideal, so silk is definitely the way to go.
Did You Know?
Since researching more on proactive sleep routine hair care methods I’ve also learned that NOT sleeping with our hair down is most beneficial. Who woulda thought? But again, it makes sense if you think about it. Whether you’re rolling around, tossing and turning – if your hair is down it’s likely going all over the place, which can definitely lead to friction and potential damage. Styling in a loose braid or up high in one of those loose pineapple buns with a silk scrunchie are a couple great options to protect your hair.
Refresh VS Washing
Back before I was a mom, when I had time. I’d say I probably washed my hair every other day. & I’d go over it with a straightener EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Honestly, I don’t know how my hair hung on for as long as it did. Well, with three rambunctious boys, a house that always needs cleaning, and what feels like a never ending list of things to do.. I do not have time to wash my hair every other day. And it turns out, I don’t need to anyways. Which I’m taking as a mom win because that is a process in and of itself.
Turns out it’s actually GOOD for our hair to NOT be washed so much. When we don’t wash our hair as often, it allows the natural oils to moisturize our scalp and move its way down our hair, helping to prevent dryness and giving it a little extra shine. However If you have super oily hair, you may need to wash your hair more than once a week. If you’re hair is on the drier side like mine, you’ll only need to wash it once maybe twice a week (unless you have a very active lifestyle – out in the sun, sweating a lot, swimming, doing intense workouts..in those kind of instances it will be best to wash your hair more to keep your scalp clean).
Since I have dry, poofy, frizzy wavy hair, it 100% needs to be styled almost everyday. Otherwise I look like a got struck by lightning. That’s when I discovered refreshes. They’ve helped so much with looking more put together while still working towards my hair health goals.
So what’s a refresh? Well..it’s a refresh. A touch up with the help of a few go to products that bring life and definition back to your hair. As far as what products you should use for your refresh, well.. that depends on your hair type. Since my hair needs all the moisture it can get, I reach for the hair oils, mousse, and gel for definition, hold, and a hydrated look. Some swear by wetting their hair when doing a refresh as it can help to reactivate some of the product you already had in your hair, but I don’t prefer this method as I find it a bit too risky since our hair is super fragile when wet. I don’t want to be adding fuel to the fire and potentially causing more harm than good to my hair as I try to heal it.
Another perk with refreshes is that I don’t need to use heat, which is awesome when you’re trying to heal your hair from heat damage. Heatless curls and reapplying a few of those products mentioned above have been my go to’s when I’m wanting to look put together.
And there you have it! A few of the must do habits that have helped me go from heat damage, hair thinning, frizzy dry hair to embracing my natural waves, adding shine, definition, and life back to my once dull and brittle hair. If you’d like to see what kind of products I use to set the foundation for healthier hair, visit my Instagram @honestlymommin – I’ve tried a handful of popular, trendy products that didn’t even make a dent in my hair progress, so I was beyond excited to have finally found something that worked and was visibly showing healthier and prettier results.
What would you like to see next? Let me know in the comments!
Talk soon
Kath
