I’ve played around with my hair over the past few years, did the ombre thing and even had some ashy blonde in my hair up until last summer. I’m back to black now and I’ve been growing my hair out since I chopped it off in January. I love my hair and I’ve listed some of my hair care routine and even some styling tips!

Enjoy xx

• Use a shampoo/conditioner that’s tailored to what your hair needs. I used to grab products based on the packaging (still true haha) but I actually read the product and pick the best one for me. I have very dry hair so I’ve found that the Organix brand works best. I use the healing + vitamin E shampoo with the extra strength hydrate & repair + argan oil of morocco conditioner. These products add moisture back into my hair and scalp.
• Condition your ends first, then shampoo. Or only condition every other shower. I’ve found that when I switch the order of my shampoo and conditioner it gives my hair so much more volume when I dry it. As I said before, if you can get away with just shampooing most times, you’ll be left with a lot more volume. Or if I know I won’t have time to blow dry my hair, I will only shampoo since conditioning my hair makes it almost too clean and it will dry pin straight if I’m only air drying it.
• Use a serum. It makes your hair so soft and shiny. If you’re more prone to oily roots make sure to keep the serum way down almost just at the tips. Organix has this as well. I use the renewing Moroccan argan oil after a shower and work it through from root to ends. Only use a dime size amount, or your hair will literally look wet..
• Speaking of wet, don’t brush your hair wet. If you have to, use a wide toothed comb right after the shower, combing wet causes breakage. I’ve done this for so long and I’m starting to notice breakage around my face and at the nape of my neck 😦 I need to take my own advice here.
• For buns and pony tails, use clear eye brow gel to tame baby hairs and flyaways. Along with brow gel, using a brush with 100% pure boar bristles to smooth my hair literally changed my life. It makes pony tails and buns so much more sleek. Nordstrom has an awesome one, here. Spray your hairspray onto the brush, instead of directly on your head. Another tip to avoid “wet” looking hair.
• Personally, I only get my hair cut maybe twice a year. I know more often is recommended, like every 6 weeks I think? (I’m too broke for that). But, I’ve found twice a year works for me and if I’m wanting to grow my hair longer, I’ll stick with that. If I’m liking my hair a little shorter, I may do three times. Keep in mind, everyone’s hair is different and not everyone can grow their hair down to their butt (It’s a blessing and a curse, I’ll tell you).
• Even though my hair is pretty thick and long, I’ll still wear extensions sometimes! I got mine from Sally’s, they were around $100. I didn’t buy them for length necessarily, but more for thickness. I just feel like they make my hair look more full. Maybe I’m the only one who notices, but it’s all about feeling good in my opinion.
• Biotin…. does it work? I don’t really know. I’ve taken it before, years ago. I really only saw a difference in my nails, it did help my nails grow fast and they also got a lot stronger. As far as hair, I didn’t see a dramatic difference, but I think that’s a case by case situation. Biotin is pretty affordable, so if you’re looking to grow your hair longer, try it out.
• Invest in a good blow dryer. The Buttercup blow dryer by Dry Bar doesn’t make my hair frizzy after blow drying it, it’s lightweight, leaves my hair shiny and soft and it doesn’t fry my hair.
• I’ve recently discovered texturizing powder/spray within the last few years and it’s made such a huge difference in how I style my hair. Spraying Dry Bar’s Triple Sec spray at my roots gives me so much volume and lift without having to tease my hair. Big Sexy Hair has Big Powder Play which is great too and cheaper. I personally like the aerosol spray better, I feel like it distributes the product better throughout my hair.
• Dry Shampoo. Obviously we all use this because showering and blow drying your hair is probably top 3 most annoying things to do (it literally takes me 25 minutes to get it completely dry). I have been using the Oscar Blandi dry shampoo since I was in the 8th grade! It is the best dry shampoo I’ve ever used, you can pick it up at Ulta or Sephora.  Opposite of the texturizing spray, I don’t like aerosol dry shampoos. I feel like those make my hair more oily.

Along with the tips above, lots of water and avoiding direct heat on the hair (obviously) is what helps my hair grow long and stay healthy. If you guys have any tricks for styling or keeping your hair healthy, please let me know!