I could seriously talk about hair all day every day and never get tired of it. (Maybe that’s an exaggeration….). But I DO love learning about haircare and about the science behind hair. I find it endlessly fascinating, and it’s such an interesting topic to learn about.
My poor locks have been through the wringer… colored, heat styled daily, blow-dried 4-5 times a week for the past 18 years and they never ever got a break. After more than a year of using Monat, I realized my hair was SUPER dry. Like…so dry that when I held the ends of my hair, they didn’t droop over. They stuck straight out….like straw. A change needed to happen otherwise the breakage and thinning (which I couldn’t afford in the first place) would be even worse.
Quarantine proved to be the perfect time to completely give up the hot tools. So I decided to try it and see what the results would be. No heat for as long as I didn’t have to work (No curling wands, no hairdryers, no straighteners….nothing). All my thin hair girls out there are probably looking at their screen like this right now 😳😳😳😳, because without the dryer or curling iron to make our hair look fluffy and volumized….things. are. ROUGH. But I thought “hey, maybe the end result will be worth it and, honestly, what do I have to lose? It’s not like I’m gonna see anyone in quarantine.”
- I switched my shampoo and conditioner to something that was more focused on repair. (My hair likes product switching, so I’ve been using this shampoo/conditioner combo, and this set)
- I used no heat tools for 60 days.
- I only air-dried for 60 days.
- I used a keratin conditioning spray daily.
- I didn’t use my extensions for 60 days.
- I started taking liquid collagen.
- I use hair ties that are softer and less likely to rip your hair out
- I brush my hair less often (using a brush made for detangling and only a wide-tooth comb when it’s wet), but really only because I generally also style less. Less brushing = less breakage
I wasn’t perfect by any means, but since the middle of March (approximately 90 days ago), my hair was heat styled or had extensions in….. five times total. It used to be 6 to 7 days A WEEK.
And you know what? There’s a difference. A BIG one. It’s been a little over three months, and there is a DEFINITE difference. I was air drying my hair the other night and went to pull it back into a ponytail with my hands and it felt…. Healthy. Soft. Hydrated. Thicker.
All of this to say, if you feel like your hair is looking rough and you have the time and/or patience – I highly recommend a styling and heat hiatus.
I won’t go back to work until August and have no plans on dropping this routine any time soon. Sometimes we all just need to take a step back! Even our hair.
Wildflower Collective 