My hair care essentials

The year before I got married, I thought it was a great idea to dye my hair a platinum blonde. If you ever want to learn the real meaning of hair care, then start as a platinum blonde and work your way back to healthy hair. It’s a journey, and it’s best if you have a guide. Lucky for me, my hair stylist really walked me through this, during the ups and many downs.

When you go platinum blonde, it can create brittle hair from all of the processing, with breakage happening very easily, especially if you abuse it with hot tools consistently like I do. It’s tough, but when I reverted back to a more natural brunette (the first time I had been truly brunette since I started highlights in high school), I wanted to prioritize getting my hair to a healthier and stronger state.

Needless to say, I’ve been on a real journey with my hair. And over the years, I have learned that it’s just as important to invest in your hair as it is in your skincare or beauty routines.

Right now, my hair is longer than it has been in years. Last year, the goal was to wait until January to chop it short, a ritual I normally perform every August before I start another school year. But with quarantine and the closing of salons, that chop just kept getting further away. I cut some dead ends off the day salons opened back up, but I still have a great deal of healthy length, and I am loving it.

I currently wash my hair twice a week. If you told me that three years ago, I would have laughed at you. I have always been a wash your hair every day kind of girl, because I grew up in a chlorine pool on swim team- there was no choice but to wash. But after I did Accutane, my hair is no longer greasy until day 4, and I can even push it to 5 if I push in some dry shampoo. I believe that this has really contributed to the health of my hair, personally.

When I visit my salon, I get a single process color every six weeks or so. While it’s not too far off from my natural color (mostly, it makes my natural color more vibrant), the biggest reason I do it is to cover my gray hair, which I get in abundance around my temples and the top of my head. And about 2-3 times a year, I will maybe treat myself to balayage, which I just did last week. It’s a much more subtle and natural highlighting process so it doesn’t have that harsh line like foil highlights do when they grow out.

It should go without saying, but I’m not a hair stylist, so this is simply how I would describe my own hair process and care routine. This is what has worked best for my hair through trial and error, and really brought it back to life. If I have learned anything from my hair color + care journey, it’s that hair has a real science that involves a lot of chemistry and formulations. Bottom line- trust your professional stylist- they really do know best!

I wanted to put together a few of the products that really brought my hair back to health, and maintain my hair color between salon visits. While I know that some of them are pricier than your drug store brands, you do get what you pay for. I find that Oribe products are exceptional quality, and a little goes a long way, especially because I do not wash my hair more than twice a week. Plus, they all smell incredible. Here’s what I have been using and loving on my own hair.

• Step 01. In the shower, I was my hair with this shampoo, and follow it up with putting this mask on in place of conditioner for about 10 minutes while I finish showering. Because I only wash my hair twice a week, using a mask in place of conditioner eliminates the amount of products I need, which ultimately eliminates spend.
• Step 02. After the shower, while my hair is still wet, I use this oil to run through the ends of my hair- it also serves as a heat protectant. A little goes a long way, and it has a nice, warm scent. I spray the hair with this leave-in conditioner if my hair is feeling dry. Before I blow dry my hair, I use the Royal Blowout spray– it is a multi-tasking product. You will have amazing results- this spray is worth its weight in gold.
• Step 03. When I finish running a straightener through my hair, I use this serum on my ends to protect the ends that are most effected by the hot tools. Then I give my hair some volume with this dry texturizing spray instead of hair spray- it gives you texture and helps give a little bounce if you have flat hair like me.
• Step 04. Because I only wash my hair every few days, and I workout almost daily, I refresh my hair often. After my shower, I let the sweat dry, put in a bit of this dry shampoo, and style with my round brush (I plan to do another post on hot tools). This is one of the only dry shampoos that doesn’t leave a weird residue or make me feel like my hair is actually dirtier than it was before I used it. I revive my dehydrated ends with this oil that really brings back moisture and shine day after day. I use these clips to take any front fly-aways, or while I put my makeup on to keep hair out of my face without creasing.

With hair products, it’s quality over quantity for me. I don’t use each of these every day; I use them when my hair needs them. Buying high quality products is important for me because I spend so much coloring my hair, that I want to sustain the spending by protecting my color. Always do what is right for your hair needs and budget, but I hope my essentials are helpful to you!