My 10 Secrets to Beautiful Hair | Hair Health Tips

Reading Time: 7 minutes Over the last few months, I’ve really felt like I’ve hit my haircare stride. You know that feeling, the one when you’re just using a set of products and you’re maintaining a routine that just works for you? Yep, that’s how I’ve been feeling lately. For years, I’ve considered my hair dry and damaged, and I guess it is since I do lighten it and my hair is wavy in texture which tends to be drier anyways, but lately you wouldn’t know it. For the last few months, my hair has been feeling super healthy and super shiny – yes, even when I lightened my hair A LOT back in January. It’s been easier to managed, to style, and to love because of a few simple hair health tips and tricks I’ve been doing lately.

My 10 Secrets to Beautiful Hair: Hair Health Tips 

 

I Wear My hair Up in Scrunchies Often 

During the day time, if I am just working at home, I’ll often just tuck my hair up in a bun using a scrunchie, too. This way I can avoid using heat to style my hair and it’s just up in a messy bun. I have yet to really be able to style a scrunchie in a way I love to go out and about with, so for now, they are just my at-home way of styling my hair.  When I’m at home, I pretty much wear my hair up all day. I don’t put it up in a tight ponytail or bun, instead, I just use a scrunchie to pull my hair off and away from my face. This stops my hair from getting oily throughout the day (so I can wash it less) and it means I don’t worry about styling it. It may not be the cutest look, but who cares? I work from home – the only people who have to see me in my disheveled state are either married to me, or they are the FedEx person and I don’t really think they care about my scrunchie-style all that much.   Did you know your hair actually can get damaged when you sleep? I know, annoying right?  Rough cotton pillows can cause breakage and damage to our hair. That’s why I like to use a soft and silky or velvety scrunchie to tie my hair up and off my face at night. I typically braid my hair and secure the braid loosely with the scrunchie. I never want to loop the scrunchie on my ends too tightly as this can cause tangles which in turn causes more breakage. Best of all, braids style your hair as you sleep so you’ll cut down on your style-time, too. I recently discovered Chelsea King scrunchies and they have really been my go-to lately. They are so adorable, and they prevent hair breakage and damage. 

 

I style my hair without using heat 99% of the time (hello, braids!)

As I mentioned above, I braid my hair every night. Braids are the easiest way to style your hair without actually having to style your hair. while you sleep those pretty braids will create soft loose waves in your hair. It looks super pretty and it’s pretty darn effortless. When I can’t avoid using a bit of heat on my hair but I don’t want to immediately go to my curler or straightening iron, I then like to use my steam curlers or foam curlers to achieve super full and voluminous curls. Steam curlers aren’t completely damage-free, but it’s better than heat tools!    

I use a purple shampoo and conditioner duo

If you’re a blonde then you know the struggle of brassy hair. I love ashy-blonde hair, but my hair always tends to go back to looking orangey which is why a purple shampoo and conditioner duo is so essential to my haircare routine. Right now, I am back using my Milkshake silver shampoo but here are a few others I HIGHLY recommend:

• Kristin Ess The One Purple Shampoo
• Drybar Blonde Ale

 

I deep condition my hair weekly

Deep conditioning treatments are essential to my haircare routine. I have wavy dry hair and it breaks really easily. Deep conditioners just add more hydration and strength to my hair so that it stays healthier longer. I switch up the deep conditioning products I use often because I like to “shock” my hair (I sometimes find when I use a hair care product for too long that it stops working as well on my hair), but here are a few of my ol’ favourite deep conditioners. I also love using oil treatments on my hair for more intense deep conditioning.

 

A leave-in conditioner is a must!

Growing up, I had super tangle-prone hair. I’d brush my hair, get rid of all my knots, and then I’d turn my head and BAM – the knots would be back with a vengeance. That’s why my mum turned me to leave-in conditioners. If you have dry hair then you absolutely need a great leave-in conditioner to help keep your hair tangle-free and soft.

 

I use serums OFTEN

One of my hair care essentials is a good hair serum – and I use hair serums multiple times a day: Yes –  multiple times A DAY!  I like to add serum into my hair in the AM after styling my hair, after washing my hair, and I also like to add serum in when I braid my hair for bed. So that means I can use serums up to 3 times a day (specifically on days I wash my hair – which isn’t all that often – in fact, I have a post on how to de-sweat your hair after the gym which you should totally read). Serums add life back into my hair. They keep it looking and feeling healthy and shiny, and I’ve also always felt that serums help reduce tangles since the oil adds a bit more slip to my hair strands. That may just be in my head, but I swear it does the trick.

 

I do scalp massages frequently

Here’s the thing: I love scalp massages – like LOVE. One problem I have is that I get headaches often. So, I began doing scalp massages to help soothe those annoying headaches. Over time though, I also began to feel like it really helped promote hair growth. Now, this is a bit controversial – some people swear scalp massages promote growth while others disagree, but I have always felt that scalp massages with oil and some essential oils in it really do promote growth because they help rush blood to that area – I don’t know, that just makes sense to me! Anyways, I got hooked a few (like 1o? 12? 15? Oh god, I’m gettin’ old!) years ago and it’s just become a natural part of my routine. If I’m sitting around watching Netflix, I’m probably also sitting around massaging my scalp. I personally love applying the oil and then using an actual metal head massager – I just feel like it’s easier and then your hands aren’t stuck feeling all oily! P.S – I also just shared one of my favourite hair & body oils to use for scalp massages. 

 

I use a silk pillowcase

I used a silk pillowcase for years and then stopped for a few, and you guys – never again. My hair is bleach damaged so it breaks, and I don’t need to break it even more while I sleep. Because I sleep on my back, the back section of my hair would break off almost in an upside down U shape, and that’s just stopped happening since switching back to a silk pillowcase. Silk pillowcases provide more slip so that your hair doesn’t rub and tangle against your pillow. I swear they are essential if you want long healthy hair. Read more about silk pillowcase benefits for hair here! 

I trim my hair when I dye it

Every single time I dye my hair, I trim it 2-3 inches. It always makes me a little sad to see that length go, but the fact is it would just be hard to style and eventually it would break off anyways, so trimming just cuts out the annoying middleman. I have always found when I’ve decided against trimming my hair post-bleach sesh that it ends up looking fried and fuzzy – no amount of serum or deep conditioning treatments will help, only a little snip off the ends will fix it.  

 

I don’t wash my hair daily.

Alright, I’ve mentioned this tip above a few times, but for me, this is a biggy. If you have long hair then you’re likely like me which means you dread washing it. Not because you don’t want clean hair – but because of the washing + drying process. It’s time-consuming, and it’s damaging. Shampoos literally strip your hair and dry it out and dry hair is susceptible to damage. I used to wash my hair almost every day and I found that it made my hair feel dirtier faster. It seems backward, doesn’t it? The more you wash your hair, the less you let your scalp understands how much oil you actually need to produce. It’ll actually begin to produce more to compensate for how much you’re drying it out with shampoo.     Last year, I made a point again to train my scalp to get less oily. That meant sometimes I would have to wait that extra day just let my hair feel a little icky. I would just throw it up in a bun for that extra day. By doing this I actually retrained my scalp to stop producing so much oil. Now, I can go about 4-6 days (depending on my workout schedule) without washing my hair. By the end, I am definitely ready to wash it. But, it’s worth it because it’s helped my hair grow out long and feel so healthy. If you work out frequently then you’ll want to read my post on how to de-sweat your hair after a workout without washing it!