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.
🙂
i LOVE your hair, always have. my hairs always been quite thin and frizzy, but after my eatind disorder there want much left at all so now I have some weaves. I want to ‘wean’off of them though because it costs me around €75 a month! geez, money well wasted. but I am a bit scared to stop using them in my hair. I eat a pretty high fat diet, all healthy fats, so I hope thatwith time itll get better 🙂
I used to have super thin hair, too, that was only made worse by my ed. I would recommend trying Nioxin. It’s treatment system with a shampoo, conditioner, and a spray that you put in after you get out of the shower. My hair stylist recommended it to me. Of course I can’t necessarily say that it was all thanks to the Nioxin that I actually have thick hair now (it definitely also had to do with me eating again), but it’s definitely helped! It is pretty expensive, but it really helps!
I’ve actually gone the no shampoo route and just scrub my scalp every day in the shower. When I shampoo I use a vegan, no sulfate shampoo, maybe once a week. I have naturally curly hair and just within the past 6 months or so, have really started to love that I have curly hair. I haven’t colored it for some time now, about 1 1/2 years. The grays are starting to show, but I am trying to embrace it, who knows though I may end up coloring it. My issue is being happy with the length of my hair. I love that i have curls when its long, but I sometimes miss the fun and funky style of short haircuts. I had short hair for years, probably 5+ years and have now been growing it for 1 1/2 years and and now wanting to go back to the pixie cut I had when I was married!
I’ve been getting Jason to eat more healthy fats (now he eats an avocado a day!) — and ever since then, whenever he gets his haircut the stylist compliments how soft and nice his hair is! That never happened before. I totally credit the healthy fats!
Katie you do have beautiful hair — when I grow mine past my shoulders it gets all scraggly. 🙁
I’m with you on the coconut shampoo! It makes such a difference, even when using an inexpensive kind. Coconut lotion works wonders for skin too.
Your hair is lovely Katie! Great hair care tips though, that shampoo sounds great!
oo i love this hair post! umm can i please say how JEALOUS i am that you can blow dry your hair in 3 minutes! im like your sister.. it TAKES AGES!! and i defs only wash on days when i do hard workouts.. if i just do strength and dont sweat- then i dont wash it!! although i am a culprit of using the straightener almost everyday………YOU SO LUCKY THAT YOUR HAIR IS FLAT!! like for real.. coming from a thick haired gal’s point of view.. having all that hair in yo face makes you feel like a lion
although.. thinking about it.. lions are pretty cool
Give me 1/4 of your hair and we can both be happy ;).
My hair is so thin, and straight….but I think it is ok. I don’t mess with it much and just let it go. I will probably never have amazing hair, but I don’t really care 😛 One thing I do like about it, though, is that it bleaches out really easily. I’m always in the sun, so I have awesome natural highlights! I’ve never died it before, or had a perm, or anything really…I also cut it only twice a year! hehe…
I try not to be an infomercial victim, but the “cleansing condition” Wen really interested me. I recently bought a generic version at Sally Beauty supply and can tell the difference after two washes. It has no detergents (it doesn’t foam), and leaves my hair super soft. It feels healthier already! I do color it though, which I know is so bad for your hair.
I have super thick, curly, usually-frizzy hair. It’s terrible to deal with in the summer, but in the winter I like it…mostly because I straighten it all the time. Straightening damages my hair so much, but I like it so much! I try to reduce the damage by using a heat protectant and conditioning.
I love your hair Katie! It always looks so soft and shiny! I agree about healthy fats 110%! 😀
Haha, I wish I had your hair. I have super thick long curly hair that I spend half the morning straightening. But I guess I’m slowly learning to love it lol.
Great tips! I love my thick, wavy hair. I used to blow-dry it & straighten it all the time, but it took way too long. Now, I just throw in a little mousse, and it’s ready to go in 5 minutes.
Thanks for the fun tips…I’m a big fan of organic hair care too! And you do have bee-uuuu-tif-fuul hair! 🙂
Love your site so much, I’ve finally subscribed. Dude, I should’ve subscribed ages ago. 🙂
Aw Charissa, thank you so much for not only the sweet comment but also the sweet twitter shake photo today. It really made me smile! 🙂
We use the SAME shampoo! How funny. 😛
I’ve purchased the coconut shampoo + condish combo twice already & it really does make my hair super shiny & silky smooth. Really love it.
My hair care routine is basic…just wash with shampoo + condish every day (or every other in the coldest of cold winter months…or twice a day in the hottest of hot summer months…), dry naturally, brush & voila. 😛 I’m pretty lucky with my hair…it is very low maintenance.
I recently had it cut (and thinned which I hadn’t realized was going to happen! eek!) and it’s gotten *less* shiny than before…we’ll see..
My hair is ridiculously thick, wavy, and bushy- I would kill for straight hair! It takes an hour and a half to blow dry and straighten it 🙁 I think we all want what we can’t have though 🙂
I use Desert Essence shampoo and conditioner, too…the green apple volumizing kind. I do have curly hair, but it’s a little fine.
My hair is super thick, super curly, and can be a super pain in the ass. I get a lot of compliments on it though. Some days I love it, other days I don’t. I used to try straightening it when I was a kid, which just turned into a big frizzy mess. I embrace the curls now, even though they drive me nuts sometimes.