Everyday Is A Bad Hair Day.

May 18, 2016

Lexi F.

Hey guys so I've never been able to control my coarse, unruly, damaged, and curly hair. it always ends up looking bad no matter if it's in a bun, straight, braided, curled, crimped, etc. how do I get it to do the styles I want and what are some other styles so I'm not doing the same old gross ones over and over again? thanks so much.

May 19, 2016

Rachel W.

Make sure you deep condition it at least once a month, and use shampoo and conditioner made specifically for your hair type. You won't be able to really work with your hair when it's unhappy, so make sure to take really good care of it all the time!

May 19, 2016

Hannah K.

Here's how I used to keep my hair healthy:

In terms of products, invest in a sulfate and sodium chloride free shampoo and conditioner. That's all that matters. It can be any brand, any formula, with any intention (hydration, cleaning, repairing, what have you), as long as it is sulfate and sodium chloride free since that's what will strip your hair and leave it feeling really dry. I really like L'oreal EverStrong, EverPure, EverAnything, really. They're all great. EverCreme is in my shower now, and it's doing a pretty great job of keeping my hair soft and moisturized, though I really don't like the smell after a while (that's just me; it's like the warm vanilla sugar scent from Bath & Body Works, it just gets to be too much and too sweet for me personally) You can also check out Organix, they're great as well. If you're interested in higher end products, I adore the Unite and Keratin Complex lines, both are fantastic and really keep your hair in good shape.

I also recommend investing in a hair mask or deep conditioner. I really like the Macadamia Deep Repair Masque, it's very moisturizing and leaves your hair feeling hydrated instead of dry. I also happen to love the L'oreal Power Moisture Mask, it's a weird, jelly-like texture, but I love how light it feels on my hair. It makes my hair extremely soft without weighing it down. I also recommend the Keratin Complex Vanilla Bean Deep Conditioner. It's a bit heavier as well, but it smells great and certainly hydrates your hair.

In the shower, when you're washing your hair, make sure the water is as cold as you can stand. Shampoo only the roots and condition from your ears down. Rinse quickly in cold water, and then after that, apply your mask, focusing on the ends of your hair. Finger comb until you don't feel any knots, because that way you don't have to brush it, because brushing it can break it off like heck. Then put your hair in a bun. Leave it that way for the rest of your shower, washing it out should be the last thing you do. I wash my hair around 3 times a week (with drier hair I can get away with it) and do the hair mask every time. If you need to wash your hair more than that, reduce your hair mask usage to 3 times :)

Try to avoid brushing your hair a lot, that can break it more than anything else, actually. This is why I finger comb my hair in the shower, so that I don't have to brush it.

If you heat style, use a protector and keep your heat setting as low as it can be while still working on your hair. For me that's about 350-390 degrees fahrenheit. In terms of heat protectors, I like the Tressemme, or I use a combination of the Alterna Caviar CC Cream and the It's a 10 Miracle Leave in plus Keratin (be careful with that though, if you get too much on your roots your hair will get so greasy so quickly)

Also, get trims when you notice split ends. If you don't really see any, you probably don't need a trim. Regular/constant trims just keep your hair at a consistent length. When your ends start looking a little fuzzy or bedraggled, that's when you need a trim.


Products wise...here are deep conditioners I like

1. My ultimate favorite right now is the L'oreal Power Moisture Mask. It's not expensive, and it's sulfate and sodium chloride free. It's super light, kind of a jelly like texture that melts into your hair, and when you rinse it out your hair doesn't feel heavy or greasy, just hydrated. This is the blue one. I really, truly love it.
2. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, which I leave on for a lot longer than 3 minutes. It's really nice, also cheap, smells lovely, and hydrates your hair. It's pretty light, but make sure you rinse it all out or your hair will be a grease pit.
3. Macadamia Deep Repair Masque. This was my favorite for a while, until I found the L'oreal one. After that, I find this to be a little too heavy for my hair. I have to be really careful with this one, otherwise my hair gets greasy the same day. If I rinse well enough, my hair feels super clean and hydrated, but there's a thin line between greasy and too dry if you rinse too much, so this mask can be tricky.
4. Keratin Complex Vanilla Bean Deep Conditioner (also used as a hair mask) it's awesome. It smells like vanilla and hydrates your hair flawlessly. It's also color protective, which is part of why I love it so much. It's not heavy, so if you leave it in for a while it's not going to weigh down your hair, but it is a bit more expensive than others.
5. Organix Renewing Argan mask. It's also a bit on the heavy side, because it's oil based, but it seems to work fine so far. Also color safe, and also $6. It's a pretty good find :)
6. L'oreal Total Repair 5 hair mask. It's like $6, has a super smooth consistency and hydrates hair really well. You do have to rinse pretty well, or your hair gets greasy quickly, but after you rinse, you can add a tiny bit to the ends of your hair and it will work really well.
7. Alterna Bamboo UV+ masque. It's awesome. It smells really light and nice, it's safe for colored hair and it's super lightweight so you don't have to worry about rinsing everything out incredibly well. I also find it super smoothing, I like this a lot.
8. Garnier Damage Erase Butter. It's thick, really thick, actually, but it's pretty great. I like how easy it is to work with, it really moisturizes hair and prevents it from feeling super dry and frizzy. It's pretty good for $5
9. It's A 10 Miracle Hair Mask. It's decent, I like the packaging on it a lot, and the product itself is nice enough. It feels like my hair is hydrated and it works through really easily and gets rid of any tangles I have.
10. Paul Mitchell Super Charged Moisturizer. This is great. It's super lightweight and leaves my hair feeling super clean and hydrated.
11. Alterna Caviar Repairing Mask. I really like this. It's also super light and it feels so amazing on my hair. I managed to get a 16 oz version on Hautelook for $30 or something, which is amazing. It's really worth it. It's so smoothing and it makes my hair really shiny and soft.
12. Biolage Matrix Conditioning Balm. I love this stuff. It smells like my childhood since this was the brand they used in the salon I went to when I was little. It's a really nice texture and there's a ton of it for like $25. It's also available at CVS and Target which is convenient. It leaves my hair super smooth and shiny, not heavy or weighed down.
13. It's a 10 Miracle Deep Conditioner plus Keratin. This is decent, it's been working okay and it smells really good, it keeps my hair smooth despite the humidity.
14. Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! This stuff is decent. It's silicone free which I like since I've been trying to transition to silicone free products. It leaves my hair very soft but it's a little too light for my hair and doesn't help it keep its curl pattern very well. It doesn't do enough to prevent frizz, though.
15. Shea Moisture Shea Butter Deep Treatment Mask. This is great! It really keeps my hair shiny, nice and smooth, and it's not expensive, either. It's a really thick mask so I feel like it does a lot for my hair to seal it and keep it looking nice

Those are just my opinions and what has worked for me!

Lately, I've also been switching to silicone free formulas of hair products as well; the last two hair masks I've mentioned are silicone free. I still follow the same routine, but instead of the shampoos and conditioners listed I use products either from Shea Moisture or from Living Proof, both of which have incredible hair products that are sulfate, sodium chloride and silicone free. I'd be happy to go more in depth on that, but some people don't care that hard about their hair.

May 19, 2016

Rida S.

I am with Hannah on the Loreal Ever sulphate free line. the products are amazing. get rid of sulphate shampoos and conditioners from your routine ASAP and you will notice a difference.
I lovedddd the Macadamia Deep Repair Mask. but its expensive and not easily available locally so Hannah THANK YOU for the list of recommendations!
I also like Mark Hill's Miracoilious Argan Oil shampoo. not a fan of its conditioner and mask though.

May 19, 2016

Rida S.

Oh and a DIY Mask that helps tremendously: take equal parts honey and yoghurt. add a few drops of any hair oil that you like. apply it on dry hair and leave for half hour. wash and go!

May 19, 2016

Lexi F.

Thank you guys so so so much for all the suggestions!

May 19, 2016

Rachel M.

Try deep conditioning it once a week. Make sure you use shampoo and condition especially for damaged hair. Ensure you get a good cut regularly. It takes a lot but cut all the damaged ends off. Also your technique when blowdrying massively changes the end result of styling. So watch some youtube videos to ensure you blow drying your hair the right way. Make sure you never allow the hair and the nozzle to make contact, always blow dry down the shaft of the hair to make sure you close the cuticle. Also rinse your hair off in cooler water to close the cuticle. Use your hot settings to dry the hair and if using brushes, set the hair with the cool button on your blow dryer xx