Yesterday when I was washing my hair I started thinking about the things I do to keep it healthy and how several of those actually save me time. In the hopes that these little tricks I’ve picked up are helpful for you as well, I thought I would share how I keep my hair healthy and prevent heat damage.
Top ($30 and I am seriously obsessed! It has the prettiest effect from the two layers, which also make it non-sheer)
Clutch (under $50 and real calf hair) // Necklace– Kendra Scott // Jeans
- I wash my hair every three days. The natural oils your scalp create are actually really good for your hair and shampooing/conditioning daily strips them before they have a chance to work their magic. And not only is putting off the washing good for your tresses- I’ve found it saves considerable time because you are only washing/blow-drying every three days. I try to work with my hair’s natural cycle when styling my hair (you can read all about my three day hair cycle here), and it gives a nice variety of styles, too. What about “greasy” hair, you may ask? My stylist told me the more you shampoo, the more oil your hair produces, so if you shampoo less, your hair will eventually get oily less quickly. For that last day before I wash my hair, I usually use dry shampoo (and absolutely love this one).
- When shampoo/condition, I let the conditioner sit for 5-10 minutes. I keep a hair clip in the shower, and after I put in my conditioner, I clip it up and then shave, wash my face, etc. I take it out of the clip and rinse my hair at the very end of my shower so the conditioner has more time to sink in.
- I use high quality shampoo and conditioner. Several times in the last few years I’ve gone away from higher quality shampoos/conditioners in the hopes of finding a gem that works just as well but costs a lot less. Unfortunately, at least in my experience, you get what you pay for when it comes to this category. If you use heat to style your hair on a regular basis, I strongly recommend using a salon-quality shampoo and conditioner. I use this shampoo and this conditioner and am obsessed because of how well they work. Yes, it stinks to spend that much up front, but if you only wash your hair every three days, your shampoo and conditioner will last a lot longer. I got my shampoo/conditioner in November and still have almost half of the shampoo and about a quarter of the conditioner.
- I use good quality styling tools. In addition to technology that helps prevent heat damage, a ceramic tourmaline dryer will also dry your hair in far less time than a cheaper alternative. I’ve had my T3 dryer for over 5 years and it’s one of the best beauty investments I’ve ever made. For curling my hair, I swear by the T3 Whirl. It curls hair fast (less time = less heat damage) and gives me the shiniest curls that last more than just one day. The curls I have in today’s photos took me about 7 minutes. For a straighter style, I use the Chi Ceramic Iron. If you don’t have high quality styling tools yet, I know it’s a lot to think of buying two or three. My suggestion is to start with a hair dryer. The T3 option isn’t cheap, but it is under $100.
- Moroccan Oil. I’m so obsessed with this product it isn’t even funny! I go the 0.85oz bottle ($15) in November and still have over half left. I use this product as a leave-in/heat protectant on my wet hair before blow drying and also as a finishing treatment at the end because it adds terrific shine without weighing down my hair.
- Avoid blow drying soaking wet hair. Instead, I wait until my hair is about 60% dry before I dry it. This is another one of those strategies that will save the health of your hair while also saving you time, because the drying time will be significantly reduced.
- When curling, try leaving out the last inch or two of hair. This will give your curls a cool “lived-in” look (great for casual styles) and also help prevent split ends because you are not holding the ends directly onto the curling wand or barrel.
Anyway, these are the things that have worked for me. If there are any tricks you love for keeping your hair healthy, I would love to hear them!
Lastly, happy, happy weekend ladies! What are your plans? I’m trying to figure mine and Juliana’s (Ridge is working), but since the weather is nice it’ll involve taking her to the park. I also got a new lens for my camera, so when she’s napping I’ll be at YouTube University learning how to shoot with my new 50MM F1.8 lens in manual mode. I’m excited though because photography is really starting to become a passion of mine.
XO,
Terra