Hair Care

Lately I've had several people ask me to write a post on my hair care routine, so here goes. Two years ago my hair was shoulder-length and I decided to grow it out. I had tried many times before, but when it would get to the dreaded "awkward length," I would give in to the urge to chop it. I knew that the only way I would be able to resist the urge to cut is if I just stayed out of the salon until my hair was at a decent length, so I didn't go to the hair salon for one year. Since my hair was also a bit fried from all the Japanese silk infusion treatments, I also started wearing my hair curly and skipped out on the straightening for a year, too. Disclaimer: I have dry, thick, course, curly hair. If your hair is fine, thin, straight, etc., then you should look up hair tips for your type of hair. For example, someone with thin, oily hair would need to wash their hair more frequently or the oil build-up could suffocate the hair follicle and actually cause breakage and hair loss.

As I let my hair grow, I discovered that there are entire online communities where people congregate and swap tips on how to coax your hair to grow. I have tried everything from scalp massages to a brief stint into the world of "no poo," (which WOW, was really not for me!) but in the end I have boiled my success down into about 5 million tips, aka, the Layson Laws of Length. (Really just a random hodgepodge of anything I can think of that I've been doing.)

Forget everything you know about hair. ;-) For me, I had a lot to learn. Always having had short hair in the past, I had to relearn even basic things like when and how to wash my hair. One thing that has really worked well is only washing my scalp. I start with the front and sides near my face and the nape of my neck and I work shampoo into the scalp REALLY well. When you rinse your hair, squeeze shampoo into the length of your hair as the water runs through it. That will be all the cleansing your hair should need, unless you use a ton of hair product. Also I had to start taking better care of my scalp. I noticed a couple of areas of dry skin on my scalp. I used a zinc shampoo to treat those areas on the scalp and it worked quite well. After shampooing, I work a nice thick conditioner into the "ponytail part" of my hair and use a bendy wide tooth comb to *gently* comb it through my hair. I then plop my hair up on top of my head and use a clip or elastic to secure it while I finish showering. After rinsing, I part my hair where it normally parts and then start squeezing the water out. I have also given up towel drying. I use Rich's t-shirts for hair drying. The little fabric loops on towels can roughen the cuticle of your hair, but a t-shirt won't do that.

I only wash my hair 2-3 times a week. Any more and it starts getting really dry. When I wash, I let my hair air dry for a while. I keep blow drying to a minimum and use a paddle brush or my wide-tooth comb to dry. It's been far less damaging to my hair than the round brushes I used to favor. Once the hair is mostly dry, I will finish it off with a large round brush around my face and at the crown. If I am going to be wearing it curly, it has to air dry all day. Before washing my hair, I melt coconut oil and "dip" the bottom half of my hair in it. I leave it in for about an hour prior to washing. It really does work well. I have also tried many other remedies, like avocado/honey hair masques, etc. I can't say how well any of them work besides the coconut oil, but the end result has been good. ;-)

I don't brush my hair as often. Once a week, I spend about 5 minutes brushing my hair prior to washing it. I am gentle and use a paddle brush. I only do this to stimulate my scalp. The rest of the time I very gently use a wide tooth comb.

I skip tight ponytails. If I am going to tie my hair up, I use a loose elastic or scrunchy. This prevents a lot of damage. Tight ponytails cause a lot of breakage to your hair, particularly in the front where it really matters!

I skip hair color. I completely stopped coloring my hair. I am not in love with my natural color, but I am in love with healthy hair! I've actually learned to love my hair color. ;-)

I don't tie my hair up at night. I don't think it's good for your hair to be tied up. If you are one of those people that really needs it tied back for bed, try a really, really loose braid. This will prevent stress to the top/front of the hair. A slippery silk pillow case will help to minimize damage to the hair.

I switched from Japanese straightening treatments to Brazilian keratin treatments. My hair is kinky, coarse, and icky if I don't do some type of straightening at least 1-2 times a year. This is the one thing I can't give up. :)

I use the HOTTEST straightening iron I can find--I love the CHI Air. You may think that using a lower-heat iron is better for your hair, but in reality it takes longer (more passes over the hair with the iron) to get the look you want. In the end, this is MORE damaging to the hair.

I always use Argan oil on my hair while it damp, prior to blow drying. If I am going to straighten my hair, I spray on a heat protectant before I do it. I don't use hair products. If I am in desperate need of some control, I use a pea-sized amount of Jonathon silky dirt or a tiny spritz of "Not Your Mother's" hair spray. seriously, I buy like one small bottle of hair spray per year. I use Argan oil on my ends, daily, before bed.

I try to skip styling my hair at least once or twice a week. If I am staying home all day, I will just pull my hair back loosely with a scrunchy and call it a day. The heat, the products, all that--it's just not good for your hair. If you want it to look great the rest of the time, seriously--give your hair a break!

I drink lots of water and incorporate hair--healthy foods into my diet. This is not hard to do. I think my winners are Omega-3's, raw nuts, avocados, sweet potatoes, eggs, spinach, eggs, greek yogurt, lentils, blueberries, and poultry. I also took biotin pills religiously every day for the first year. Now I take them a couple of times a week.  

I laugh at people who don't use shampoo ("no poo"). Seriously. I tried it for like one week. It's such a huge craze, and especially people with curly hair seem to be all over this trend. But my scalp felt disgusting and my hair was dull and yucky looking. It could have been my imagination but I think my hair also smelled kind of awful. I think this is a dumb fad, and I hope it goes away. Soon.

Links to my favorite things:

Dermorganic: I use their shampoo and masque.

AGADIR Argan oil. Seriously, skip the cheap stuff. It doesn't work the same.

Biotin. Some people say that Biotin can cause nausea. I take it right before I go to bed and I've never noticed that.

Jonathon: Silky Dirt

Note--always use the best coconut oil you can find. Extra virgin, cold-pressed, organic, etc. It is not all created equal! :) You can normally find a huge vat of Carrington farms coconut oil at Cosco for about $12-15. Seriously, it's huge.

Also, there's this girl whose youtube hair tutorials I love to watch. Yes, she looks like a female version of Mr. Bean, but seriously, she knows her stuff. She's the one who taught me about terminal hair length, etc. Check out Loepsie's tips, facebook, youtube channel, etc.

My hair growth journey, in a series of awkward selfies. :)

The beginning. Short hair, Japanese straightener, & color. 2011.

About 6 months in to growing out my hair VS May 2013. 

Top right is 2011 VS fall 2012 (left and bottom right). 

2012. Air dried curls--my bangs had a little help from a curling iron, since they refuse to curl nicely.

Air dried--January 2013.

Straightened--2013. My hair is only about 2 inches longer than this right now. I think it has reached its terminal length. 

Curly, May 2013. This is air dried with some shaping from a curling iron in the front. For some reason the back of my hair is a lot more curly than the front. ;-/

Air dried/natural curls, June 2013.