Do you like your hair?
Even though I receive a lot of compliments, I still complain about mine!
My strands are stick-straight, don’t hold a curl, and are nowhere near as thick as my sister’s hair.
Then again, her hair takes 45 minutes to blow dry, while I can do mine in 3 minutes flat. And regardless of how straight my hair is, it does have one thing going for it: shine! It also grows super-fast:
I credit my healthy, shiny hair to three things: shampoo, babying, and diet.
How to get Shiny, Healthy Hair
1. Use a high-quality shampoo. I can’t say enough good things about Desert Essence coconut shampoo and conditioner.
Initially, I bought this because—well, hello! It’s coconut! But it truly is the best shampoo I’ve ever used. Prior to trying this, I would buy the cheapest shampoo (of the brands that don’t engage in animal testing). I have “normal” hair (not too dry, not too oily), so I wasn’t picky about brands.
This shampoo normally sells for about $8, but I buy in bulk at a grocery store called Sprouts, when they have a 20%-off-all-vitamins sale. That helps. Plus, sometimes quality products are well-worth the extra cost.
2. Don’t over-process your hair.
I only wash my hair on days I run (4-5 days a week), and my hair-care routine is pretty minimal (basically because I am lazy and don’t want to spend the time with a curling iron or round brush!) After washing, I spray in a detangler. (Long hair can get knotty!) Then I comb the knots out, blow dry it for three minutes (or less), and I’m done.
In the past, I’ve done highlights a few times, and I’ve had three perms (only one of which actually worked; the other two fell out!). But the last time I did anything chemical-y to my hair was in high school. I like my natural color, so why dry it out by adding highlights? (I’m not ruling out another perm, though. Being a curly-top is fun!)
3. Make sure you’re getting enough healthy fats in your diet. Low-fat diets might be good for calorie control, but they wreak havoc on hair and skin! I prescribe large doses of the following:
Ok, maybe not large doses… but seriously, if your hair and skin are super-dry, consider adding healthy vegetable-based fats (nuts, nut butters, olive oil, coconut, etc.) to your diet. Even in the dead of winter, my skin is still soft.
Step Four: Embrace your hair, whether curly or straight! (I need to remember to take my own advice on this one. Do as I say, not as I do!)
Do you like your hair?
And what’s your hair-care routine?
P.S. Click the link for a picture of me with permed hair.
🙂
You have great hair, thanks for the tips! My only complaint is that my hair is TOO FINE. Hello volume? Where are you?!
I ask my hair that too! It never answers. (Except sometimes it says, “Your sister stole it!” lol)
I definitely follow number 3, but I do like having fun with my hair so I do tend to process it slightly. Although my stylist is always amazed at how healthy my hair is (last time, because I had absolutely no split ends, we didn’t have to lose any length.) I’m all like “whole avocados baby!”
Definitely going to try out that shampoo if I can find it though!
Great tips! I need to work on #3 and #4. I’ve been eating more fats lately and hope to keep that up, despite the temptation to nix them for calorie-reducing purposes. I made a Masoor Dal with Cauliflower and Kale (http://reciperhapsody.wordpress.com/2011/03/22/masoor-dal-with-cauliflower-and-kale/) and added two tablespoons of olive oil to the recipe, despite my tempatation to either only use a tiny teaspoon or not at all. It was still reasonable in the calorie department, though. Your hair is gorgeous and def gives us a reason to follow your advice! I like you much better with the longer, straight (or slightly curled) hair, BTW. My routine is very simple. Wash, condition, rinse, comb, air dry.
Ooh thanks for the link. I love finding new ways to eat kale!
I know how you feel — my hair is straighter than sin (does that make sense? my mom always says that about my hair, but I’ve never figured out what it means). I can’t do much at all with it. I don’t even bother to blow dry it — just let it air dry and see what happens. I tried to get a perm once, but it had no effect on my hair. I’m just destined to be straight-haired.
Oh my gosh, I thought I was the only one!!! I got two perms that didn’t “take” before finally having success with the third. Actually, my first perm was very unfortunate… the hairs broke off! Never get a perm at a cheap salon :(.
Found this interesting article about not using any shampoo but rather baking soda, and apple cider vinegar for conditioner. I tried it for three months and when I switched back to regular shampoo tons of my hair fell out, so I think I will switch back! (or check out your stuff)
http://babyslime.livejournal.com/174054.html#bad
hahaha i ACCEPT your perscription for healthy fats in the form of Raw Chocolate-Fudge Cake. it’s for my hair, right? 😛
*prescription. oops!!
Great tips, Katie! I couldn’t agree more with #3 – SO important! I have course hair that is naturally a little wavy. I’m not really into hair products, but I have to rave about one – BioSilk Hair Serum by Silk Therapy. It protects my hair against blowdrying and straightening, and it helps tame the frizzes and makes my hair super smooth. LOVE IT!
Sometimes I like my hair, some days I hate it… Isn’t every girl like that though? haha
I definitely try to shampoo less, but it’s so hard bc I’m such a clean/neat freak. I was the girl that would shower twice a day– whether or not I sweat or was active. I’ve gotten better about shampooing less though… and trying to get in enough fats every day
Have a great day,
Rebecca
http://fromheretothereinpurple.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/rlustig
haha yea! Boys have it so easy! (Of course, then they hit 30 and start to go bald, so I guess they get their comeuppance!)
You have such beautiful, full hair, Katie. I’m always jealous when you post pictures 🙂
Maybe I just need some more fudgies in my diet…
I like my hair! It has natural highlights from the sun since I run alot outside, so everyone thinks I get it highlighted!
I used to have hair just like yours! It’s funny how we always seem to want what we don’t have. I wanted dreadlocks for a long time so I finally let me hair dread up, but now when ever I see pictures of my long, straight hair I miss it! Oh well 🙂 Dreads are fun too. And nothing is permanent. Someday I’ll cut my dreads off and have super short pixie hair and then I’ll let it grow long again! I think it’s important to just be content with what you have 🙂
I know a lot of people who use that coconut shampoo and conditioner. It’s good stuff!
Aww you look so cute with the curls!! 🙂
I definitely can agree with you about the low-fat diet thing from personal experience. I thought fat was unhealthy last spring, back when I knew nothing about nutrition, and made it a goal to have less than 10 grams of fat a day. By July, I lost…LOST half my hair. It is very thick and luscious so luckily it actually wasn’t very noticable, but it was definitely a loss. Thankfully, after maybe a little too much nut-eating (a lot of it following your very own recipes–they really helped!), my hair is now almost back to normal. 🙂
I use a tiny dab coconut oil as a leave in conditioner if my hair is feeling dry. 🙂 I wash it once every other day or two because it dries so easily. This leaves it very soft and shiny without oil or dandruff. I also use natural shampoos and conditioners from whole foods with no animal testing and very few chemical ingredients, and those actually are keeping my hair in better condition than any cheap thing I used from Target. I love my rose chamomile shampoo/conditioner right now. 🙂 I’d love to try something more environmentally friendly though, so I could use less packaging. I think it’d be fun to make my own wonderful smelling shampoo/conditioner 🙂
Ten grams per day?! Oh my gosh, I think there’s more than that in ONE slice of my fudge cake. LOL no wonder your hair was mad at you ;).
Oh yeah lol. It certainly punished me alright!! 😛
you ONLY wash your hair 4-5 times a week? Oh man, mine gets done twice if it’s lucky!
I like my hair… sometimes. Your hair is gorgeous, Katie!!! 😀 I go to great extremes to get my hair as straight as possible, you are so lucky to have it that way naturally! Of course, if I had it naturally, I’d probably want a little curl. We always want what we can’t or don’t have, right? 🙂
I love the Desert Essence Coconut Conditioner! It smells like heaven! I like to use a biotin-infused shampoo, though, for some extra oomph 🙂