Let’s talk Hair.
This has probably been one of my most requested posts so I’m excited to share my hair scoop with you! Obviously everyone has different hair color and texture so not all of this may apply to you but I thought I’d share how I cut and style my hair and which products I use. In the last few weeks I’ve definitely started to see that glorious pregnancy hair go by the wayside. In other words, my hair is falling out by the bucket load…ahhh #hormones. So to start with, I should probably share that my hair is naturally extremely thick with a very slight wave. It frizzes horribly if there is any moisture in the air which is why in nearly every vacation photo, I rock a slicked back sleek bun because otherwise, its just not cute. But as a former ballet dancer, I’m never mad at a bun and think they’re the most chic. If you’re in the Southern California area, I see Truong at Salon De Claude and I swear he gives the best haircut I’ve ever had.
Color
Two years ago I decided to lighten my hair via balyage. If you didn’t know, balyage is a technique stylists use to individually highlight pieces of hair- they literally paint on the dye like they’re painting an oil painting. The cool thing about this technique is that as your hair grows out, the color looks better and better in my opinion. It took about 2-3 sessions for me to get the exact look I wanted but then I didn’t dye it for over a year and it still looked fresh. I personally chose not to dye my hair during my pregnancy- that’s not at ALL to say that you shouldn’t but I just chose not to. Truong, my stylist, told me to make sure you guys know that the base color of my hair is my natural color. We’ve debated darkening my roots to give a more extreme effect with the balyage but I’ve been so happy with my results that I opted not to.
Cut
When I asked Truong what to tell you guys about my cut he said to ask for longer layers but that the most important thing you can do for your stylist is to show them a photo of the cut and color you want. I used to be embarrassed doing this. I didn’t want Truong to think I didn’t trust him to hear how I was verbalizing my desired cut/color and be able to create that but the truth is, they’re not mind readers. If you’re just telling them what you want, and not showing them, you run the risk of not getting the haircut or color you want and it’s kind of on you, not them IMO. I’ve created a Pinterest board (see mine for exact pics I use for cut/color) for hair and makeup and will pin the haircuts and colors I want. That way, when I show up to my appointment, I’ve got at least 5 photos showing the look I’m going for.
Style
I know this is going to sound CRAZY but I wash my hair every night. I know, I know, dry shampoo. It’s just not for me or my hair. For one, ever since I was pregnant with Coco, I’ve gotten oily patches in my hair. Not gross at all, right? They’re so bad that I took to the Internet and discovered a weekly wash with wait for it…Dawn DISH SOAP does the trick. When I’m not washing my hair with dish soap, I pick whatever smells good at Target. Honestly, I’ve seen little difference over the years between a shampoo that is $3.99 and one that is $30 so why would I spend more money? This was especially applicable during my pregnancy when after using the same shampoo for a few days, the smell would make me gag and I’d have to switch. Thank goodness for cheap shampoo! I splurged at Target a few months ago and got this shea butter shampoo which smells delightful but again, I’m not going to say it makes a difference in the quality of my hair.
After I shower, I brush it with a wet brush (which I JUST discovered, thanks Mom!). I throw in a dollop of this heat protectant and run a blow dryer through it just enough to get most of the moisture out. Truong always says my hair retains water like crazy so basically that means it takes me 30 minutes to blow dry it. Not happening. What do I do next? I go to freaking bed. After watching the Real Housewives of the latest city, of course. As a side note, these are the best hair towels and if you’re hair is thick, I’d highly recommend it as it definitely cuts down on your drying time.
I wake up with it mostly dry (can you believe I’ll wake up and it will still be damp?!) let it finish drying and when I finally get ready, I’ll curl it with this curling iron (I use a one and a half inch). I’ve used it for YEARS. Seriously, do not be conned into the $200 curling iron…there is no need! I curl it away from my face in chunks that are about an inch or two wide. My strategy is to leave about an inch out of the curling iron to give it that textured beachy wave versus an actual curl. I brush it out when I’m completely done and set it with this spray. If I want the curls to really last or be more piece-y, I’ll spray each piece with this before I curl it. I am not savvy enough to create a how-to video on this but there are hundreds on Utube if you need a visual!
If I’m feeling really ambitious and have time (essentially never), I’ll spray my head with this and use this round brush to give myself a ‘blowout’. If you can believe it. I’ve still never been to a blow dry bar! Why haven’t I done this? Sitting down reading gossip mags while you drink champs and have someone play with your hair sounds like heaven right about now! What are your favorite hair products? Thanks so much for following along! xo
Products
