All About Hair: Favorites, My Routine, and the Power of Dry Shampoo

1. Aveda Brilliant Shampoo 2. Aveda Brilliant Conditioner 3. wide tooth comb  4. Aveda Damage Remedy Restructuring Shampoo 5. Aveda Damage Remedy Restructuring Conditioner 6. Hana Shine Shield 7. 1 inch curling iron  8. Corioliss Classic Pro flat iron 9. bobbies  10. claw clips  11.  Klorane dry shampoo 12. paddle brush  13. L'Oreal Elnett hairspray

A good portion of the questions I get on this little blog revolve around my hair.  While I don't think my hair is anything to write home about, many of you have left sweet comments about it and inquired about how I do it, what products I use, etc.  So after much procrastination (and disbelief that anyone actually wants their hair to look like mine) I'm finally putting together a semi-comprehensive hair post.

A few quick words about my hair: its thick, naturally curly, and has taken quite a bit of abuse over the years.  I started highlighting my hair in high school and have continued since.  I'm not quite sure what my natural color is, but judging by some kiddie pics, its probably in the middle of light brown/dirty blonde.  My haircare routine has changed significantly in the past two years, as I've finally listened to my stylist and stopped washing my hair so often.  That simple step has changed my life (more on that later...)

Ok, so first, a few words about some of my go-to products...

Aveda shampoo/conditioner (#1, 2, 4, 5): In my opinion, Aveda has the best of the best when it comes to hair care.  Their products are some of the only products that truly feel nourishing to my hair.  I alternate between the Brilliant line and the Damage Remedy line.  Aveda can get a little pricey, and I buy my shampoo/conditioner in their large liter sizes.  At purchase time, this is a little expensive, but over time, it evens out.  And because I wash my hair every 3ish days, the liter lasts me for quite some time.

Hana Shine Shield (#6): I started using this product back in July when Missiko approached me about doing a review/giveaway.  (You can read the full review here.)  The reviews for this product were raving, and now I completely understand why.  No product has gotten my hair so soft and so straight.  I also think this product does an incredible job at protecting my hair from heat damage.  In years past, I felt like my hair verged on "fried" and since I started using this product (and washing/drying my hair less) I haven't felt this way at all.

Klorane dry shampoo (#11): This is my absolute favorite beauty product to date.  Seriously, I love it.  It has changed my hair life.  My friend/old stylist Hannah tried to convince me for years that I was washing my hair too much.  The constant washing and drying were stripping my hair of its health and its color (which I pay a pretty for lol.)  I kept complaining that there was no way I could go more than a day or two because it got oily on top, blah blah.  Then I started using baby powder in pinch situations, which got to me wanting more out of a powder.  So I finally gave dry shampoo a try, and I haven't looked back.  I've tried about every dry shampoo out there, and this is my absolute favorite.  I prefer to use the non-aerosol version, as it distributes through my hair easier, giving me more uses than the aerosal.  (Many Sephoras don't carry the non-aerosol version in store, so I get it online.)  If I were stranded on a deserted island and could only take five things, this dry shampoo would be a serious contender.  No joke.

L'Oreal Elnett hairspray (#13): Best hairspray on the market, hands down.  It holds no problem, yet isn't sticky or stiff.  I'm from Dallas which makes me a born and bred hairspray connoisseur.  So if I like it, its good.

In the past two years, I have managed to not only nail down my favorite products, but I've also worked out a pretty sweet hair routine.  Yes, that's right, my hair is on a schedule lol.  A well thought out, consistent schedule designed to maximize hair health (as well as my wallet and time in the mornings!)  I won't get too detailed for the sake of sounding weird and creepy, but here is rundown of my routine..

Day 1: Shampoo and condition with Aveda products.  I let my conditioner stay on in the shower for five minutes and right before I rinse it, I run a wide tooth comb through the ends.  (Avoid the roots or they may look greasy later.)  After I towel dry my hair, I run another wide tooth comb through it.  This step has helped reduce frizziness, and on days I skip this step, I can always tell the difference after my hair is dry.  Apply Shine Shield then blow dry with a paddle brush.  Using claw clips to seperate hair, straighten hair in sections.  (I have a lot of hair, so I have to do three layers/sections, bottom, middle, top.)  Look in the mirror, smile, and done!

{Day 1 hair at my BFF's engagement party}

Day 2: Clip hair up while in the shower, don't get wet.  Blast with blow dryer for a minute or two to freshen up and dry any bit that got wet in the shower.  (Obviously you're OUT of the shower for this part!)  Touch up straightening from the day before, using a less intense version of day one's technique.  Since my hair is naturally curly, its doesn't stay stick straight from day to day, unless I touch it up with a flat iron.  However, I usually do two sections instead of three on this day, and don't hold the straightener on my hair as long.  Smile, done, go!

{Day 2 hair at the apple orchard}

Day 3: Third day hair is always curly.  It helps hide the little bit of dirtiness and is easy and quick to get done.  Clip up, shower, blast with blow dryer.  Spritz/puff dry shampoo on roots, work in with fingers.  Let sit for a few minutes, then gently brush through.  (These directions are on the Klorane bottle.)  Divide hair into three sections (like other days.)  Spray each section with hair spray right before you curl it.  Curl hair using gold 1 inch curling iron.  I use a very similar technique to Tiffany at I Am Stylish.  She is much more precise then me, and I decided to spare yall a tutorial of me bumbling around in my bathroom lol.  See her video tutorial here (fast forward to 4 min-6 min for the main gist.)  After all three sections/layers are curled, spray, spray, spray to hold in place.  Then, I usually take the front little part and pin it back with two criss-crossing bobbies.  I just never like how the all-down and curled look looks on me.  Voila, day 3 hair!  (This is the day I seem to get a lot of blog comments on.)

{Day 3 hair at my little bro's bball game.  Check out that sweet pin lol}

Day 4: I'll often stretch my hair an extra day, especially if I don't have anything major going on.  I know for some people this seems crazy (or gross lol), but had to work my way up to this point before I learned the routine that works for me now.  This day is either a complete repeat of day 3 or a messy bun.  Either way, I use a touch of dry shampoo, but not as much as I did on day 3.

So, that is the not-so-short version of my hair routine lol.  If you are still reading this, I am beyond impressed.  I am kind of disgusted that I blabbed on about my hair for this long, but I wanted to do one thorough post about my hair, rather than break it up into several smaller ones.  For those of you who have emailed and commented with hair questions, I hope this helps.  And if you couldn't give a flip about my hair, lol, sorry.  If you have any additional questions, leave them in the comments, and I'll do my best to answer them.  Also, if you have a product or routine you love, share it in the comments.  I'm always looking for tweaks to add to my routine! :)