First of all can we talk about the featured image of this post…LOL…what am I doing. Yes, I stood in my bathroom holding my hair products taking self timer photos for 20 minutes to get that photo…BLESS. Anyways, what hair brands are helping me re-build my hair? Let’s talk about that and some tips I have for hair health and hair growth.

These are the brands that the 10 experts that I talk to (during my hair mental breakdown back in February) recommended and swear by. I bought products from all of these brands  because I was desperate and freaking out when I lost a lot of hair in January (see below for my story!). So, I can promise you these brands are wonderful and I’ve been using them all for a couple of months.

1. Virtue recovery conditioner and recovery shampoo– this brand is really good and is a  top seller in California. It uses a type of keratin (Alpha Keratin 60ku) that is not only okay to use everyday, but it makes your hair stronger and shinier everyday. The problem with other keratins, is that over time it will break down your hair if you use it too often.  My boyfriend and I both love the way it makes our hair feel, but I use it ONCE a week, tops.

3. HairStory New Wash- the non-shampoo shampoo with aloe vera gel that doesnt strip your hair, but does leave it feeling clean and silky. Regular shampoo makes my hair stiff and straw-like, anyone else?! Maybe this comes with age as I’m closer to 30 now, but even if it is age related, I feel like stripping it everyday with regular shampoo is just making the problem worse. I use this 3 times a week.

2. Natural Tech Nourishing shampoo and Hair Mask (TIP: use the hair mask once a week and leave in for 10 minutes, wash it out with cold water). This shampoo is great for a deeper clean once or twice a week, like after a super sweaty workout. I use the Hair Story New Wash on most days, and then this shampoo once a week. I use the mask once a week. Favorite Hair Mask out of the 10 I have tried, lol, not kidding when I say 10.

4. Christophe Robin – My curly hair loves the Rose Petal conditioner, but this is a splurge! __________________________________________________________________________________________

WARNING: Whatever you do, do not use coconut oil out of the jar/container/whatever it is, in your hair! For some reason I believed it when I saw girls on YouTube raving about coconut oil hair masks, I must have watched 10 before doing it. Ask any hair professional, and none will tell you that using a cooking oil in your hair is going to be a good thing for your precious hair. It really damaged my hair and definitely made my hair very weak and dry.

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1. Try and use a leave in conditioner in your hair- There are so many good ones from the brands I put above (virtue has a great one!) This is more important if you heat style and blow dry your hair.  Honest company also has a super affordable one that is free of fragrance, which I love.

2. Always brush with this brush  or a wide tooth comb when wet and dry (because hair is the most fragile  when it is wet, but my hair is also super fragile when dry currently.) The brush you use actually does matter! Watch BRAD MONDO on youtube for the best hair secrets and advice.

3. Wrap your hair in a soft tee shirt and not a towel when drying (towels rip your hair strands and your old sorority shirt will feel way better)

4. Wait to blow dry your hair 30 minutes after your shower minimum and always use a heat protectant (some heat protectants make my hair feel brittle, so I avoid even heat styling my hair for now)

5. Wash every other day or every 3 days if you can

6. Sleep with silky pillowcases

7. Avoid high and tight pony tails- use scrunchies!

8. Switch your hair products every couple of months ( I used Pureology for 5 years straight & apparently your hair likes changes)

9. End your shower with cold water on your hair- if you can bear it that is…it’s not pleasant, but it helps your hair seal in the moisture. Hot water dries our hair.

10. Massage your scalp lightly every night before bed and you can use a brush or your hands. I do both and I have noticed hair growth because when you massage your scalp, you get blood flowing and and stimulate the hair follicles. It also moves the oil from your roots down to your ends, which is essential to hydrate those ends girls.

…..So what did I do to my hair exactly during this unintentional transformation? I went from long blonde hair to short reddish/ blondish hair and then to long extensions and red hair in a matter of a couple weeks. I’ve been a blonde my whole life and my hair has paid the price over the years.

I talk more about my experience with going off the birth control pill in that specific blog post, so here is a straight-to-the-point story about my hair transformation.

My hair started falling out at end of January 2020, 4 months after stopping the BC pill. This is actually more common than you might think, as our hormones have to do with literally everything! Skin, hair, brain, sex drive..all controlled in some part by our hormones. When you are on the BC pill, your body thinks you are pregnant, so for 12 years my body was convinced I was pregnant. Just like when a woman gives birth, she will lose some of her pregnancy hair, and so will us ladies who stop the birth control pill. When my hair started to fall out, I decided to cut it shoulder length because the missing parts were all over the back of my head and very noticeable with long hair. Then, I realized that my super blonde hair looked more straw-like than a someone with just as thin, brunette hair. Darker hair looks healthier, at least it’s better at covering up missing pieces than bight blonde.  I toned the platinum blonde to my natural hair color, matching the roots exactly. After doing my research and talking to some friends who had extensions, I got 12 inch tape in extensions in March. It’s officially been 1 month of having 20 pieces of hair taped into my head. Do I like having a ton of fake hair in my head? Yes! Actually I do, which I’m very surprised to say. Having the extensions means I don’t worry about my missing hair, I don’t have to style my own delicate hair (I just curl the bottoms of the extensions) and I can style it in so many ways with very little effort (long braids, half up half down, messy bun). If you aren’t sure why you are losing a lot of hair, don’t worry, you are far from alone. A lot of us women will go through this, although some of us have to deal with it in our 20’s like myself. Make sure you reach out to a doctor about this because it could be related to other factors like genetics or stress. Oh, and did you know that 90% of people in Hollywood have wigs or hair extensions? Even Keira Knightley wears wigs in all of her movies. So don’t compare yourself to what you see on TV or on social media, most women are most definitely faking it when it comes to hair. I’ll probably be faking it until I feel more confident with my short hair.

 

My hair is still feeling so dry and straw-like, but it is definitely masked by matching it to my natural color (remember this texture problem  is because of the coconut oil mask I put in my hair overnight, I still think the coconut oil lingers in my hair 8 weeks later..WARNING: avoid putting any oils from the kitchen into your hair, deal?) Also, I will never bleach my hair again…my hair feels like chemicals when I touch it, you know what I mean? Blonde stiff chemicals. I can’t wait for my hair to fee like hair again one day…fingers crossed that it will be better in a year? I will let you know when and if that ever happens. For now, I have 20 pieces of hair extensions and I’m loving the transformation, it feels like a fresh start.

1. ORIBE- This is so expensive and it is just left my hair feeling dull and very MEH. My hair didn’t like it, the shampoo was too much and the conditioner felt like I was dumping lotion on my hair.

2. Briogeo- I didn’t think the hair mask did much for my hair in it’s weak state. PASS.

3. Kerastase- I don’t get the hype! I didn’t like the shampoo or mask. It stripped my hair and I didn’t feel like it deserved the A list celebrity hype (Blake Lively uses this brand)