Ok, lets talk about my hair. I feel like the latter half of 2019 and the first half of 2020 will be forever known as the year of my hair. So many of you are noticing it, which has made me notice it and now I'm noticing you noticing me lol.
So where do we all begin? I think it has to start with Prose. The story goes, long ago they reached out to gift me a shampoo and conditioner set to try out (without any obligation to post) and, as I wasn't married to my shampoo at the time, I said why not.
A few washes later and I was like woah... this really works well for my hair. It was less greasy, it didn't feel as heavy/weighed down with product, less hair was coming out during washes and my stick straight hair started to show a little bit of volume and wave to it. I was all in.
I shared about it on Instagram Stories, and then on the blog and never looked back. I soon partnered with Prose and was able to test and help launch different products like their dry shampoo (which is my favorite dry shampoo of all time) and their brushes (which I now use on the daily).
I don't get my hair cut often but I did get a little freshen up before the wedding in September and my hairdresser even mentioned how much healthier and clean my hair and scalp were looking. Coming from a professional, that is a big deal!!
Since my hair was happy and healthy, I started air-drying it more, which in turn made it even happier and healthier! I also picked up the Dyson Airwrap in the last months of the year and with that came less heat (from my blowdryer and my curling iron). All of this just added to the fact that on our honeymoon, I didn't touch my hair once after the shower. I let it air-dry and live it's best life for close to a month and boy oh boy was my hair thanking me.
In the new year, I'm getting back in the swing of things and back into my old routine. And my hair is stronger and healthier than ever and it's thanks to the products (or lack of products) I've been using. So I wanted to break down the three things I use on my hair, my hair schedule and what all I'm doing to maintain my healthy new locks!
My Hair Type + Schedule:
I probably wash my hair 2x a week and supplement the in-between days with dry shampoo but only if I really need it. If I don't (say I'm just hanging around the house), I'll just let it get dirty and put it in a bun after a day or two. I use these slip scrunchies in my hair. I've tried a ton of hair ties in 2019 and I found these were my favorite of the year. They are pricey but very much worth it as they don't grab/pull/dent your hair when using.
In terms of my hair type, I have a lot of thin hair. My hair overall is not thick but each individual strand it. The good thing? I have a lot of it so it as a whole, is thick! It's confusing, I know lol. My hair is also very oily at the roots and in the past would be a slick fest within a few hours after washing. Now it takes about 24-36 hours to really get dirty.
My hair is also super straight. Prose has given it a bit more life and volume when I let it air dry (per request when I fill out the questionnaire) but if I blow dry it, it is completely straight. I've also never really dealt with split ends too much in my life, so little that I get my hair cut about 2x a year.
I've also never colored it. I think when I was younger I would put lemon juice in it, but that's about all I do. I really like my natural color and I would hate to lose it (but also, I'm just super lazy and don't want to forever upkeep coloring!).
In terms of holding a curl or hot tools, I'm a hairdresser's worst nightmare. My hair does not hold with product in it. Whenever they load up my "soft hair" with a texture spray or anything like that it just totally flops. One day people will listen! It's very strange but when I curl my hair I don't put anything in it.
I may just may add a touch of hairspray after I'm done but then I brush it through completely so the natural texture of my hair is there. And my hair only curls with hot hot tools -- no round brush lol. The curls with an iron last for about three days and with my Dyson last for about 24-48 hours.
My Shampoo + Conditioner
I don't do anything before the shower and just go about my normal routine for this part. Shampoo with about 2-3 pumps (depending on how dirty my hair is) of shampoo really focusing on my scalp. I completely rinse and then follow up with 2 pumps of conditioner on the ends and let that sit while I wash my body/shave.
What I love about Prose is that it's a completely custom formula. I've tried other similar brands with no luck -- I almost didn't even say yes to these because my experience in the past had been so bad. But I'm so glad I did! I understand that it might not work for everyone but it has totally changed my hair for the better.
My Brush:
For the past couple of years, I've been using the brand Wetbrush for my hairbrush but when Prose reached out to try their new paddle brushes I was all in. This one has nylon and boar bristles. It's not the best for wet hair -- marketed for damp or dry hair -- but I don't really like to use two brushes when I'm getting out of the shower. This does the job and works just fine so it's what I use!
When my hair is dry or not fresh out the shower, the brush is amazing. It does a really good job at detangling, as it's super soft on my hair. It also does a really good job removing any gunk (the boar bristles pick it up) and smoothing out my hair by dispersing the oils (again, boar bristles). I also have the straight boar bristle one but that is made for more styling and thinner hair than mine!
Hair Oil:
I know it sounds crazy: putting oil into oil-prone hair but I've been using this since high school (and I'm old now!) and it has never let me down. Moroccanoil is my tried and true beauty product that I will never let go of. I'm actually out of it and need to repurchase a new bottle, as you can see above. I even have a little travel-sized bottle I take with me everywhere.
The smell is HEAVENLY and I pump about 2 pumps into my hand and rub it into my hands before flipping my (brushed) hair over and rubbing it in. I focus on the ends and then work my way up, really trying to get all the product off my hands and into my hair. I will usually avoid adding it to my roots for fear of adding to the oil.
In terms of hot tools, since getting my Dyson (full review on that coming soon) I haven't really been using them -- my blowdryer or my curling iron! Before I was using the Bio Ionic hairdryer and the T3 curling wand (you can see how I use that in this post)-- both of which I love and highly recommend but my Dyson makes it all so much easier. The curls in this post are from the Dyson!