Hair: Long and Healthy How-To

Hey, ladies, Emilyann here!

I'm tuning in for a familiar topic on our blog, how to get healthy hair.  I know a lot of you girls out there are growing out your hair.  It can be frustrating and you often become impatient, am I right?  I'm in the middle of growing out my hair right now, and lately, I have realized that yeah, it's great if my hair is long, but it's more important for my hair to be healthy.  So even if you're not growing your hair out, these tips will help you keep your hair healthy and hydrated.


In the shower....

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As we approach summer, it's extremely important to not dry out your hair.  That's why it's vital to keep your hair hydrated. Even if you have oily hair, apply conditioner. Having greasy hair does not mean you should do everything you can to strip it of it's oil.  Like Caroline said in her last post about oily skin, the same goes for oily hair.  If you strip your hair of all of its nutrients, it will only produce more oil to replace it.  So instead of ignoring conditioner because you think it will add unwanted grease to your hair, only apply conditioner to the ends of your hair. I apply conditioner from my ends, up to about halfway to my head. This keeps all of the hair threatening to break off and split, healthy and hydrated.

Try a deep conditioner.  I love Aussie's three minute miracle. It keeps your hair silky and smooth like no other conditioner I've ever used before. Use this in the shower once a week, and it will heal your hair as well as keep it shiny and smooth.

Switch up shampoos. I literally always buy a different shampoo every time I go to the store to purchase a new one.  Using one shampoo over and over can dull your hair and leave it lifeless and unstimulated.  Keep your follicles guessing.  Every time you change up your routine, it has to adapt. It keeps the hair working and growing. What will also help you is switching up the function of the shampoo you're using.  If you're using one for body boost, next time you buy a shampoo, get one that hydrates your hair, and then the next time get one that enhances color, etc.  Keep it lively and your hair will respond.

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Outside the shower...

Only brush your hair with a wide tooth comb or a boar bristle brush. When your hair is wet, use the comb, and when it is try, use the brush. The boar bristle brush will take all of the nutrients at your roots and disperse them thoughout your hair, whereas a regular brush will only break your ends.

Massage your scalp when you wake up everyday, and before you go to sleep.  This can both rejuvenate your hair and calm you down.  If your hair has been up in a ponytail all day, a nice scalp massage feels so good.  It gets your follicles working and your hair growing.

After every shower, apply a silk oil.  Start at your ends and work your way up to your roots.  This does wonders, I swear by it.  It is literally magic.  Plus it smells delish.  


Tone it down on the heat.  The farther you can go without straightening or curling your hair, (and don't forget blowdrying) the better. The more heat you use, the easier it is to kill the roots and break the ends.  I only use heat about one to two times a week.  Give your hair a break and go natural, put it in a messy braid, or curl it overnight with foam curlers.  All of these are great alternatives to using heat on your hair.  When you must use heat, USE. A. HEAT. PROTECTANT, and keep the temperature low.  I cannot stretch this enough. About two years ago I literally killed my hair's curls because I overlooked this step. Don't let it happen to you.

Don't dye your hair.  This will damage it like crazy.  If you must dye your hair, try a natural dye, like a henna hair dye, which is also a conditional and will actually boost your hair's shine and health.

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Try different hair masks.  You don't even have to go any farther than your kitchen.  You can have a hot oil treatment with a cup of olive oil and a microwave, or an avocado and some egg whites.  The possibilities are endless, just Pinterest natural hair remedies and you're sure to come up with a ton.

Your hair will not grow faster if you trim it often.  This is a myth.  But cutting off your ends when they get too frayed and split, does keep your hair healthier and stronger.  Cut your hair when you feel like it.  It doesn't make it grow any faster.  I personally don't like to cut mine every three months, but do what suits you.

And then there are of course the staples, like drinking a ton of water, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep.  We all sort of take these rules as freebees, but if you make a pattern for yourself and stick to it, you will see results.

This has been a pretty long post, but for those of you trying to grow out your hair, it'll be worth it if you try all of these instructions. You will start to see a difference!

xx, 
Emilyann

Hairapy

Hey, y'all, it's Caroline!

It's no secret that in order to have pretty hair, you have to have healthy hair.  You may have the longest, thickest hair in the land, but it can be wildly unattractive from the frayed, broken ends and the lackluster color.

So, what are you going to do about it?  Here are some tips on getting your healthiest hair yet.

• Get your hair trimmed once every 4 to 6 weeks, even if you're trying to grow out your hair.  This cleans up split ends and fragile tips, and heightens the overall healthy appearance of your locks.  A trim doesn't have to remove much length at all.

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• Wash your hair less.  Yup, you heard me right:  LESS!  This probably freaks you out, because you're thinking about how oily your hair gets after even just a day without washing it.  Well, worry no more!  The reason your hair is this prone to oil is because every time you wash your hair, you strip it of its natural oils.  This causes all of that good stuff to come in too quickly and powerfully to compensate for all the oil you took away.  I only wash my hair twice a week, and by the time I wash it, it's only just starting to look dirty.  Next week, I'll be doing a post on how to pull this off, so stay tuned!

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• Let your hair down!  When you put your hair up with clips and pins and rubberbands, you're inevitably going to break some of your hair.  So try to wear your hair down more often, and if you need to "put it away" for a while, try braiding it loosely and securing with a no-snag hair band.

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• Never brush wet hair.  When you get out of the shower, use a wide tooth comb.  Start at the ends of your hair and gently work out the knots and kinks.  Try not to tug, pull, or yank at your hair.

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• Every once in a while, use a clarifying shampoo.  This reduces the amount of build-up in your hair so you can get a shinier look.  For people with color-treated hair, and also for people on a budget, use baking soda!  Make a paste out of two parts baking soda and one part water, and work it through your hair.  Rinse thoroughly, and follow with your usual shampoo and conditioner.

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• Keep off!  Try to use heat tools as sparingly as possible, and when you just must, please use a heat protectant.  Don't handle your hair too much throughout the day, because that will cause greasiness.  Also, don't put too much product in your hair or brush it too often!

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These are just a few thoughts on healthy hair, and I hope this all helped you!  Like I said, stay tuned for a post on how you can go days without washing your hair.

Have a great day!

-Caroline

DIY ~ Salt

Hey!  It's Caroline.

I love creating homemade beauty products.  Anything that prevents me from spending more money is certainly a good thing!  So imagine how excited I was when I realized that I could do three things with a very small amount of products that I already had in my pantry.

Here's what you'll need:

• Salt
• Water
• Olive Oil

That's it!  I've got three "recipes for you guys, and I hope you enjoy them.

Salt Water Facial

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Mix one part course salt with two parts filtered water.  I used Sea salt.  I keep my mixture in an old makeup remover bottle (which I cleaned out thoroughly), and this mix actually gets better with time.

All I do is shake up this mixture and pour a bit into the palm of your hand.  Rub it around, all over your face.  You don't need a lot, so a small bottle of salt water goes a long way.  Now, go about your other business while you let this dry.  After about 5-8 minutes, if you look closely at your face, you'll see little white grains all over, and you'll feel a noticeable tightness in your skin.

Gently use your hands and warm water to rinse this off.  You'll be left with smoother skin!  Salt also helps combat acne.  Do this no more than two or three times a week, as it can be a little harsh.

Salt Lip Scrub

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Simply mix a coarsely ground salt with a little bit of olive oil, until it's reached a pasty consistency.  Gently rub it onto your lips, and rinse off with warm water.  Voila!  You now have soft lips.

Salt Water Hair?

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This one isn't for everyone, but I love doing this to my hair.  I've noticed that whenever I go swimming at the beach, I get the prettiest messy waves in my hair.  So while my hair is wet, I put a bit of the salt water mixture from the first recipe into my hair and scrunch my fingers in it.  I simply blow dry with my head turned over while continuing to scrunch and to wrap pieces around my finger under the heat, and I'm left with messy waves, which I love.  This works especially well if you use a strong-hold or curl-boosting mousse before you add the salt water.

I hope you enjoyed this quick DIY!  Have a great day.

~Caroline