Taking care of my hair has never been something that I prioritized. When it came to beauty and self-care, I instead prioritized makeup and clothes to make myself feel good. I loved dying my natural auburn locks blonde, but never really took the time to tone it or deep condition it. Finally, after months of dry, frizzy and tangled hair, I decided it was finally time to take care of it.
At the beginning of the year, I got my hair professionally dyed a beautiful natural dark auburn-brown colour. However, when quarantine began, I couldn’t get my roots filled in, so after months of sloppy at-home dye jobs, my hair was a mess. The colour was awful. My hair had gotten longer and it was now falling past my shoulders, leaving the ends extremely tangled and dry. I wore my hair up or in a braid nearly every day because I was so sick of dealing with it and hated how it looked when I wore it down. Two months after salons opened back up, I decided it was time to switch it up. I chopped my hair to just past my ears, had my roots filled in, and had a slight balayage done. It looked amazing! It was a total game changer for my hair and provided wonderful before and after photos.
However, after about a month I realized I still wasn’t taking care of my hair, and this time, I knew it was completely my fault. I was not taking care of my new hair and it still had a dry texture to it. So I took some steps to have healthier, better- looking hair. I asked for tips from a close friend of mine who is a licensed cosmetologist and works at a salon.
After a month of consistently giving my hair some extra love, here are some of my findings:
- Find the right shampoo/conditioner that works for you
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I had been using Tresemme conditioner, as I cannot afford fancy shampoos or conditioners, and I tend to buy what’s on sale. I told my friend this, and she pointed out that many drugstore brands use all sorts of harmful alcohols and ingredients in their products, which causes your hair to become even drier. She suggested I try OGX, which is a safer and inexpensive hair care brand that’s sold at Pharmaprix. Once I switched over to the OGX conditioner, I noticed my hair felt softer and less dry.
If you are looking for a great shampoo, I’ve used the Kirkland shampoo from Costco for years, and I love it!
- Take care of your blonde
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If you have any sort of bleached hair, it’s important to help it stay as healthy and lustrous as possible. After I got the ends of my hair lightened, I knew I wanted it to stay as blonde as possible, especially as a natural redhead where bleached hair easily turns an ungodly shade of yellow. Luckily when I was blonde in the past, I learned how to do this. I have always loved Joico purple shampoo and conditioner, as it keeps my blonde pieces light and fresh.
- Use products
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I was never the type of person to use any extra products on my hair, aside from heat protectant–which is extremely important! However, my friend recommended I use a hair mask to help hydrate my hair. I use this one from OGX and my hair always feels extremely silky and soft after using it. I also found this Moroccan oil serum that I have found to be hydrating as well.
- Don’t sleep on wet hair.
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This might sound obvious, I know, but I did it all the time. I usually got caught up in an essay or Netflix show and would end up showering too late and going to bed with damp hair. Not only was it uncomfortable, but I woke up with my hair tangled and frizzy and all sorts of weird bends all over my hair. I’ve been trying to shower earlier to let my hair fully air dry before I sleep, or I will dry it before bed. It has made a huge difference, and it makes styling it the next day a lot easier.