5 Rules For Best Hair

For the past 3 years I have customized a hair care routine that fit just for me and my situation. My hair has been through A LOT, and I mean it. It all started after a really bad salon visit about 3 years ago, at that time I wanted to start going lighter. Unfortunately, my hair has been left under the heating dryer for tooooo long, so long that my hair started melting off. That day, I chopped off half of my length because of the amount of hair I lost that day. Sounds like any girls' worst nightmare right? It sure was for me. I really wish I took a picture of what it looked like then, but I was SO embarrassed by the look, that I didn't even bother. Here is the closest picture of what it used to look like:

And here is now:

As you can see in the first picture, the top of my hair is all in broken hair pieces, as well as all those tiny hairs sticking out. And no, those aren't baby hairs, its all broken pieces of hair.

Enough of that, lets get to the exciting part! Let me also add- I am a research freak. I will research the heck out of something if I need to, you can ask my husband. All the tips and tricks were tried and true. Here is what I've learned and done for the past 3 years.

Rule .1

Eliminate all the heat.

Or as MUCH as you can at least. I stopped blow-drying my hair all together, and just let it air dry. I used to think that blow-drying was the only way to add fullness and thickness, later I learned that is simply not true. You can still have styled hair that looks fuller without the heat. I also stopped using curling irons and straighteners, but only during the week. I still use them on the weekend, when i'm going out. There are products out there that help such as root lifting spray, and thickening mouse. My favorite are from the Living Proof brand.

Rule.2

Do not brush or comb wet hair.

I mean it! Hair is at its most FRAGILE state when its wet. I know its tempting because it may seem like the only way to get all those tangles out. I like to use a hair detangler for that reason, the one i'm using is from john masters hair care.

I wait until my hair is almost dry, then I slowly start brushing it starting from the ends until I make my way up until the roots. I've also learned that it makes a difference on the kind of brush I use to gently comb my hair. I fell in love with the Olivia Garden wet detangler brush- it simply does the job right. I don't feel tugging or pulling when I use it.

Rule.3

Trim more often

My husband mows the lawn every week because it gets out of control and grows so fast. If he'd stop, the grass would grow up until a certain point and stop. Our hair works the same way. It doesn't stop completely growing if you don't trim, but it definitely slows down a lot. Now i'm not saying you should cut your hair every week, but I've noticed my hair grows faster once I trim it monthly- or at the most 2 months. Note: I said trim, not cut!! "Well isn't that the same thing?" you might think. Everyone defines trimming in their own way, some like to trim 2 inches, others half an inch. To me a cut would be going from shoulder length hair to a short bob. I usually trim about half an inch to an inch.

Rule.4

Hair needs nourishment

That's right. I'll bring another example; If you were to grow a rose bush, the only way your roses would thrive and grow to be healthy is if you watered it on time, and fertilized it. In my case, my "fertilizer" would be hair masks, and other hair products. I make myself do a hair mask once a week. I've tried many hair masks, so far I always come back to the honey and olive oil hair mask. After shampooing and rinsing, I let my hair air dry to when its almost dry but not quite.The reason why, is because hair drinks and penetrates the product better when its dry. I lather on this mask likes there's no tomorrow, wear it for two hours then rinse it off. My hair is SILKY and SMOOTH afterwards. I don't always use conditioner for that reason. The other products that I like to use is the Loma nourishing oil and Joico split end mender. The Loma oil serves as heat protectant, and it also saves time in drying the hair while the Joico split end mender (obviously the name says it all) prevents hair damage, split ends, and provides restoration. I would usually use a pump from each and apply mid-shaft to ends on towel dried hair.

Almost forgot to mention, I wash my hair only twice a week no more, where before I would wash it every other day. You need to give a chance for scalp to produce its natural oil and work its magic, you know the kind that makes your hair look greasy? Well thanks to the Detox Dry shampoo, it literally saves the day and makes it look like you just washed your hair. I've tried at least 5 different dry shampoo's, none worked as well as this one.

Rule.5

Up your water intake

Water is everything. Water is life! If you are drinking 8 cups of water daily, you are on the right track. There are HUNDREDS of benefits for drinking water, but who would of thought that it also helps with hair growth? Here's why. As we all know, water serves as a cleansing system to our bodies, and eliminates toxins. While that happens, it speeds up hair growth and strength because it provides nutrients and life to hair cells. This brings us back to rule.4, remember the part when a rose bush(or any plant really) needs fertilization? Here ya go!

I've narrowed it down to FIVE rules, simply because it's easier to start following 5 rules rather than 20. There's still a lot more that goes down to hair care and management, depending on hair type, but these basic rules specifically helped my hair to restore back to normal. It definitely took time and patience, but in the end its all worth it, and all my "hard" work is finally paying off. I was still able to go blonde during this time, not right away of course but in time and in sessions (im a natural brunette). While the products I used might not work for some, there's a ton of options for everyone in each area of concern. I hope this helps someone out as much as it helped me!