Thursday, May 13, 2010

My Hair Care & Routine ...& Some Tips on Growing Long Hair

Many of you asked if I could do a post on my hair care and routine. Apologies that it has taken me so long to post on it. I have to admit that my hair really is not in its most healthy state right now. As I mentioned before, I experienced post postpartum hair loss with both of my little ones. My hair is not nearly as thick now, but it's growing back in pretty quickly now.

My Hair


I decided to break this down into areas. If there is a certain step that you are more interested in, hopefully this will make it easier to skim through. A video might have been the better way to go for this! Sorry! Next time ;)

In any case, I do not do nearly all the things I know, I should be doing for my hair. There was a time I did care for my hair much better, like drinking biotin regularly, washing with horse shampoo, sleeping on a silk pillow case, hot oils, masks and deep conditioning weekly....the works. Actually, I should really go back to doing that lol. I do have slightly different routines depending on season and where I am {if I am in Florida with the humidity, I do things slightly differently, or in Europe with my different hair dryer, flat iron, products ect.} But, in the here and now, this is what I typically do...


On My Hair Type

I have a lot of hair. It's naturally curly, a bit on the dry side and has a mind of its own, with some curls being far tighter, and others more loose and wavy. I have been blowing it out since I was about 15. All the blow outs have frizzed my natural curl, a lot. I would advise anyway who does blow their hair out, as I do, to not over do it... as I have. Curls have a 'natural family' that they coil with. After many years of consistent blow outs, without enough breaks in between, curls lose their 'family'. Although, reversible with time, its best to avoid it, if you do like to wear your hair naturally at times. I very rarely leave my hair curly, so I am not completely bothered that my curls are no longer as well defined. When I do leave it natural, it gets complimented quite a bit. But, true to so many other things, we always want the opposite of what we have.


Washing

I wash my hair at most three times a week, typically only twice. I dispense the shampoo into the palm of my hair and from there massage it onto my scalp. I find that it spreads out more evenly then directly pouring it from the bottle on my hair. I rarely shampoo my ends. Rather, I let the suds distribute on their own as the water runs through it. That is more then enough to clean my hair. This avoids additional drying to my ends.

Once about every 6 weeks I use a clarifying shampoo to remove any product build up that with time can really weigh hair down, dulling it and making it more difficult to style.


Conditioning

Opposite from shampooing, I do not condition my roots very much. I condition my hair from a few inches past my roots to the ends a lot, and leave the product in about 5 minutes before rinsing.

Once a month I will try and condition my hair for about 30 minutes, but as any mama, finding the time to shower is hard enough. Spending 30 minutes just on deep conditioning is near impossible.

However, I do completely recommend to deep condition at least twice a month, use a hair mask, or hot oil. I think this is really important, especially if you are trying to grow your hair, or add life back into over processed/styled hair.


From Wet to Set

When I was younger, I loved wrapping my hair in a towel. Back then my hair was stronger, never blow dried or flat ironed, nor colored {other then Sun-In at times} and I could get away with it.

Now, I just squeeze the excess water with my hands and blot a little with a towel. I run my fingers through it, to detangle, or use a super wide comb and then flip my hair a few times {love doing that lol}.

I just try to always be super gentle with my hair when it's wet. That's when it is at its most delicate, stretches and vulnerable to breaking and damage.


Blow Outs

I am very particular with how I like to blow out my hair. To avoid having to over dry and flat iron, for my hair type, it's best to start working on it as soon as I get out of the shower. Before, it begins drying on its own.

I always, always start with the ends first. They dry the fastest and it helps to seal them right away. Once my ends are dry, I section from the middle of my hair up, into a loose twist and secure with a clip. With the loose portion below, I separate into two sections and start to work on my blow out. I always keep the nozzle about 4 inches away from my hair, working from the roots to the ends. For a sleek blow out, it's key to always direct the nozzle in the same direction from the top to the bottom.

I also find that working with thicker sections of hair prevents frizz as well. I repeat sectioning my hair about 6 times before I am done {for average hair thickness, four sections are only needed}. At the end of each section, I blast it with cold air for a few seconds to add shine, as well as quickly stop the heat from continuing.

If I am drying my hair before leaving the house, I will try to get it about 90% dry. It is good to leave hair a bit wet to maintain some natural moister. If I have more time, I leave it more damp and pull into a loose bun. After about an hour in the bun, it creates a nice bouncy wave, "beachy hair".

Long Blonde Hair



Styling

On the first day when I wash my hair I almost always wear it down. On the second day I might pull it back in a ponytail, half-up half-down, bun or messy updo. I rarely use curling irons or hot rollers, but on the occasion that I do, it's always on the 2nd or 3rd day. My hair {and I think as a general rule} always styles better when its a bit dirtier- it holds the style better.

Products

Since this post is already so long, I will post product names and tools in a separate post. But, when it comes to products, I never use the same one more than 3-4 times in a row {especially the ones I really like}. I do this for skin care as well. Hair and skin can get used to products with overuse. With time, your favorite product seems to no long be as effective, but if you give it a break and go back to it, it will work its magic again :) Therefore, I like to keep a steady rotation on my hair and skin products.

Some Of My Tips On Growing Long Hair

  • Eat a well balanced, high protein diet and incorporate biotin, B-6, folic acid, and beta carotene supplements {remember your hair is protein}.
  • Remove split ends as soon as possible, trimming often.
  • Avoid vigorously rubbing your hair while washing or drying it.
  • Try not to over wash, if your hair is very oily use a gentle, mild shampoo on rotation with your regular shampoo.
  • I recommend using at little heat as possibly necessary {I use it though too, so obviously I know for some hair types that can be difficult}.
  • Use products for your hair type and invest in a good conditioner, a little goes a long way.
Happy Thursday!

49 comments:

  1. Great tips, glad you threw in the part of a well-balanced diet. It's an internal process as well! xoxo

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  2. You have a beautiful hair dear Iva. I love your suggestions...My hair actually is growing very fast when I leave it alone :-)

    Cheers: Evi

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  3. This is great! I definitely think I wash my hair too much but I'm always worried about it looking greasy. I need to take some of your tips. :)

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  4. You know, I rarely think of what I eat as having anything to do with my hair. Good tips. :)

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  5. Great tips!! can you do my hair for me :) xxxooo

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  6. That was a great post. Thanks for sharing. You have absolutely gorgeous hair. :)

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  7. Amazing post. These are some really great posts. My stylist told me recently that you should squeeze as much water as you can out of your hair before you condition. If not, the conditioner will just sit on top of the hair shaft. Since I started doing that, it's improved the condition of my hair immensely.

    Melanie@Unravelled Threads

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  8. We have very similar hair! Mine is the same texture as yours. I'm experiencing the annoying regrowth post-partum too. You should see my hair-line. lol

    Can't wait to see what products you use. I'm a huge fan of the Moroccain Oil. I can't use it enough and it never makes my hair greasy.

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  9. This was really great. I was going to ask about what you put in your hair before drying, but you said you'll be covering that in a separate post. Your hair really is beautiful!

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  10. your hair are gorgeous and thanks for the tips!

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  11. I've never had long hair, and I am trying my hardest to grow it out. It's got an awkward wave when I don't blow it dry. It's thick and poofy, but I wonder how much of the poof is frizz. From what I can see, I don't have split ends. I do color my hair, and I have to use a dandruff controlling shampoo. (I use Fructis shampoo + conditioner, then another conditioner, then a glossing cream before blow drying.) In other words, I don't have a clue what to do to protect my hair as it grows out. I'd love to have real curls. My hair hits my shoulders right now. Any advice? (Maybe you should do a weekly Q&A advice column, LOL)

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  12. Wow Iva what a wonderful post! So informative. I'm definitely going to be taking some of your tips. I have hair similar to yours too :)

    Happy Thursday, sweetie!
    xoxo

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  13. These are such good tips, it feels as though iv been growing my hair forever! Your hair is beautiful! :) xx

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  14. i forget that i have short hair now. its sad sometimes.

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  15. Your hair is gorgeous, thanks for sharing :)

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  16. You have one of the most gorgeous hair I have ever seen, fabulous!!

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  17. you look lovely! your hair is amazing! and i think you take better care of yours than i do of mine! LOL!!! it is tricky -- sometimes i feel we have to damage the hell out of our hair to make it pretty -- color it, blow dry it, curl it, etc. i am so guilty of punishing my hair and i will have to try some of these tips (especially deep conditioning more and washing it less)!

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  18. Love the tips! When we lived in Africa we got to washing our hair once a week (at most) I remember my stylist saying that my hair was the healthiest she had ever seen! 6 months of weekly shampoos and no flat irons or hair dryers can do that :)

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  19. Wow. This is all very good to know.

    I grew my hair long once, but got tired of trying to maintain it. But if I ever do again, I'm sure I'll use a lot of these tips!

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  20. You are so sweet to do this for the many many people who want your hair. I think long hair is absolutely the best part about being a woman and it's so feminine. It can be high maintenance but that's a price I'm willing to pay.

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  21. You do have lovely hair. Thanks for sharing.

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  22. Great tips, thanks for sharing!
    Your hair is amazing!

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  23. Ugh, I need MAJOR help. After three months of not eating/vomiting/being too sick to brush my hair and wearing it in a bun everyday, my hair is so sad looking. I wish I could remove it and send it off to a spa then re-attach it.

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  24. Thanks for the tips! You have super beautiful hair!


    xx

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  25. i'm growing my hair out so this is really helpful information. i'm thinking about investing in a good dry shampoo as my scalp gets greasy but i don't want to over shampoo. thanks for the info!

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  26. Great hair! You always look amaizing!
    Such an intersting post, thank you for that!
    Kisses and have a fun day!

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  27. I am so jealous of your long hair.

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  28. You have beautiful hair. Now, I'm not sure what my place is on this blog being that I'm a dude, but i admire beautiful hair. I think i could also get some tips from this post that would make me quite literate in matters of the hair when talking to a woman; especially if pick up lines fail to pick up something at all.

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  29. hi nice blog and tips, thank you for the comment on my blog :)

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  30. Great post!! so what is the theory on why cutting split ends promptly helps grow your hair out? i've never understood that.

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  31. You have fantastic hair! Great genes :)

    xx,
    Anna Jane

    http://seejaneworkplaylive.blogspot.com/

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  32. WOW. Thanks so much for this post. It's like something every girl needs to know! :)

    I've heard good things about horse hair shampoo and really want to try it. I just wanted to know what your take is on it? I would really want my hair to grow out thicker, more so than longer.
    If you could reply I'd really appreciate it! Just blog me or email me @ tiemeabow@gmail.com

    THANKS !! ♥

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  33. What a fab post. You have such amazing hair and I've always wondered how it looks so completely fabulous all the time!
    xxoo Josie
    http://winksmilestyle.blogspot.com

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  34. Everyone thinks it's so gross when they find out that I only wash my hair every three days. I'm glad to know I'm doing it right!

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  35. I love this post and it reminds me to be less lazy in my routine. Your hair is beautiful!!

    xo

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  36. ohhh great tips!! you do have an awesome head of hair lady...and i'm with you on the naturally curly hair, that's so me...i'd have a fro if i just let it go natural! lol!

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  37. Brilliant advice! I worry the most about how my hair looks, so I love reading any tips when it comes to hair.

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  38. I love your hair! A few inches below my shoulders is the longest my hair can grow before it tapers off and look hideous. I have been blessed with very thin hair, unfortunately. But, luckily, I have quite a bit of it!

    x Jasmine

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  39. Great post! My main issue is the Florida humidity and my frizzy, moisture-starved hair. I can't walk outside without my style disappearing completely. I've been doing more olive oil masks and natural shampoos and conditioners so my hair doesn't dry out.

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  40. Your hair is GORG!!! What I would do for a thick mane like that... I have fine hair, but a lot of it, so it's not thin... but I def have thick hair-envy ;) During dance season, washing daily is a must with fine hair, but during the off-season, I wash every other day and do an up-do on the "dirty" day :)

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  41. My hair is straight I do most of those things except I don't deep condition. You are right..we always want what we don't have...I would love some waves or curls. I think you are lucky because you can wear it curly, wavy or straight.

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  42. Gorgeous hair.... we are loving every way you have styled it

    stop by our fashion blog, we hope you love it!

    xx .saboskirt.

    www.saboskirt.blogspot.com
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  43. This is a wonderful and incredibly helpful post, as I struggle with the same thing . . . my hair used to be so much healthier, and now after so much dye, blow drying, and flat ironing, it's much more broken and not as thick. I'm bookmarking this post, thanks!

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  44. Love this post!!! You have beautiful hair!!

    xo

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  45. Wow you have great hair!! Has anyone ever told you that you look like Blake Lively from Gossip Girl. I think she's gorgeous so I mean that as a compliment :-).

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  46. What a fantastic post, I too have long blonde hair, though not as long as yours. I need to take care of it more and deep condition. Often I use a lot of hair product and it gets built up in there, not that great on my hair! Thanks for the reminders to treat my hair gently and make it pretty and strong! Yours is beautiful!

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  47. Hello!
    My hair is about as long as yours (all natural, no extensions!) and I'm sixteen.
    I also rely on conditioner a lot more than shampoo :p
    I don't like drying my hair because it very dry to begin with, so I usually let it air dry, then wet my bangs and style them.
    My hair has a bit of a natural wave to it, but it looks really really weird :P I wish I could get the natural looking wave you have in some of your pictures. How do you do it?

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  48. My hair become very dry.... thanks for your hair care tips... :)

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  49. I love this thank you! I'm 14, so i'm constantly strarighteing my already straight hair. I also just shaved half of my head in Novemeber, i now want to get my normal hair back, so i need to grow my short side out to my chin and cut my long hair to a bob. I also eat unhelthy then go do sports so thats how i stay in shape, thanks i will now eat healthier and get my hair to the right length!

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