I have said it before and I'll say it again: I have no f*cks to give when it comes to my hair. I'm the anti-thesis of a 'hair person': I have little interest in how my hair looks, and no interest in taking care of it. A couple years back, when I worked in a salon, I tried to make more of an effort, and I thought my hair looked quite nice, but I quickly grew bored of my elaborate routine and now I'm aiming for what I'd call 'minimal intervention'. Wanna see?
First of all, let me explain my hair to you. My hair is straight and fine but there's a reasonable amount of it. Currently, it's all virgin hair (meaning, not chemically-processed: no hair color, no bleach, no perms) and it tends to get quite oily at the roots but dry at the ends, which is why I had most of the length chopped off about a month ago to resemble a 'lob'. To put it simply, naturally my hair requires very little maintenance - sure, I have some issues with lack of volume or split ends occasionally, but I can't really complain; are you guys already hating on me?
That is not to say that I think my hair is fab. Actually, most of the time I think it looks a bit crap - I would have loved to have some beachy waves or voluminous curls, but even an hour long session with a curling iron won't give me any results: my hair simply doesn't hold a style. I used to rebel against that quite a bit and buy a whole arsenal of products and tools in hopes of achieving the perfect do, but to be honest, I really don't care anymore. My hair is what it is. I accept that. My simplistic routine aims to keep it clean, healthy, and as fuss-free as possible. Here it is:
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1. I wash my hair every 2-3 days with a sulfate-free shampoo; I'm currently using Maple Holistics Degrease Moisture Control Shampoo* ($16.95 for 10 oz, available on Amazon.com here), and I really like the invigorating herbal scent and how clean it gets my hair without stripping. The reason I opt for a sulfate-free cleanser is that SLS/SLES tend to irritate my scalp and break me out around the hairline. In my opinion, sulfate-free shampoos aren't as damaging for the hair and they keep it more balanced, so it's worth using one even if your hair isn't colored. That being said, not all sulfate-free shampoos are created equal - some formulations just won't lather no matter what you do. My top tip is to lather and rinse twice: first pre-cleanse with a small amount of shampoo just to get things moving (it won't really foam up very well this first time, but that's fine), rinse, and then lather again with slightly more - your sulfate-free shampoo should give you a really nice lather that second time.
2. I condition with just about anything I can find in the shower; right now it's this Nivea Intense Repair Conditioner one of our house guests left behind. Due to my hair type, I don't need to be very particular about the conditioner I'm using, so this one will do; I just need a bit of help to make detangling easier and keep the ends of my hair looking healthy and shiny. In fact, I have some older bottles of hair styling lotions I'd like to try using up as conditioner once the Nivea runs out.
3. Dry shampoo - my absolute favorite is the Batiste ($6-8 for 6.73 fl oz), any scent will do. Because my hair gets oily at the roots quite fast and as a consequence, looks very flat, dry shampoo is a god send. Batiste seems to be the best combination of inexpensive and effective for me - it soaks up the oil, gives a bit of texture, and doesn't leave a white residue in my hair.
Extras, or sometimes I need a bit of something-something:
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1. Leave-in spray detangler/ conditioner. When my hair gets drier (usually as it grows out), I need an extra leave-in conditioner to cut down on the detangling time. I've tried a few options, including different oils or lotions/ creams, but I find sprays more suited to my fine hair type. The Enjoy Conditioning Spray ($20.95 for 10.1 oz) is a firm favorite - very effective at detangling but still lightweight, plus one bottle lasts me ages.
2. Texturizing/ sea salt spray. To give my hair a bit more body, especially at the roots, I like to use a sea salt spray - some of the regular volumizing root lift sprays leave my hair feeling a bit sticky. And while these texturizing sprays don't really enhance the natural texture in my hair (well, since I have none), they give it a bit of a grip, so it's not as baby down soft (= plain annoying). The Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray ($19.95 for 5.1 oz) is probably my favorite out of the ones I've tried so far.
3. Hair spray. I have lots of baby hair and I detest little strands of hair flying into my face, so hair spray is a must when I'm trying to look a bit more polished. I've tried a lot of salon brands of hairspray, and while I think you can find comparable options to a lot of them at the drugstore, I would splurge again for the MoroccanOil Luminous Hairspray Strong ($24 for 10 oz). It's a dry hairspray that smells great, has just the right amount of hold, and gives my hair a little extra shine. On the rare occasion when I curl my hair, I can also use it as a heat protectant.
As for tools, most of the time I let my hair air dry - I only reach for my basic Conair hair dryer when I'm pressed for time, or when I want to give myself a blow out for a special occasion. For a simple blow out, I style my hair using a round ceramic hair brush from Olivia Garden - it gives my hair more volume and shine, as well as accentuates the cut of my hair a lot better. For after-shower detangling and all other brushing, both me and my husband use the Wet Brush.
Am I alone in not giving two hoots about my hair? I think it's quite amusing that I can spend upwards of half an hour applying a full face of make-up, and then look at my hair, brush it through with my fingers, shrug and get on with my life. What do you guys do with your hair? Are there any indispensable products in your haircare routines that I should look into?
Disclaimer: Item marked with an asterix (*) is a press sample I received from the brand's PR for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided as free press samples. Thank you for reading!
First of all, let me explain my hair to you. My hair is straight and fine but there's a reasonable amount of it. Currently, it's all virgin hair (meaning, not chemically-processed: no hair color, no bleach, no perms) and it tends to get quite oily at the roots but dry at the ends, which is why I had most of the length chopped off about a month ago to resemble a 'lob'. To put it simply, naturally my hair requires very little maintenance - sure, I have some issues with lack of volume or split ends occasionally, but I can't really complain; are you guys already hating on me?
That is not to say that I think my hair is fab. Actually, most of the time I think it looks a bit crap - I would have loved to have some beachy waves or voluminous curls, but even an hour long session with a curling iron won't give me any results: my hair simply doesn't hold a style. I used to rebel against that quite a bit and buy a whole arsenal of products and tools in hopes of achieving the perfect do, but to be honest, I really don't care anymore. My hair is what it is. I accept that. My simplistic routine aims to keep it clean, healthy, and as fuss-free as possible. Here it is:
2. I condition with just about anything I can find in the shower; right now it's this Nivea Intense Repair Conditioner one of our house guests left behind. Due to my hair type, I don't need to be very particular about the conditioner I'm using, so this one will do; I just need a bit of help to make detangling easier and keep the ends of my hair looking healthy and shiny. In fact, I have some older bottles of hair styling lotions I'd like to try using up as conditioner once the Nivea runs out.
3. Dry shampoo - my absolute favorite is the Batiste ($6-8 for 6.73 fl oz), any scent will do. Because my hair gets oily at the roots quite fast and as a consequence, looks very flat, dry shampoo is a god send. Batiste seems to be the best combination of inexpensive and effective for me - it soaks up the oil, gives a bit of texture, and doesn't leave a white residue in my hair.
Extras, or sometimes I need a bit of something-something:
2. Texturizing/ sea salt spray. To give my hair a bit more body, especially at the roots, I like to use a sea salt spray - some of the regular volumizing root lift sprays leave my hair feeling a bit sticky. And while these texturizing sprays don't really enhance the natural texture in my hair (well, since I have none), they give it a bit of a grip, so it's not as baby down soft (= plain annoying). The Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray ($19.95 for 5.1 oz) is probably my favorite out of the ones I've tried so far.
3. Hair spray. I have lots of baby hair and I detest little strands of hair flying into my face, so hair spray is a must when I'm trying to look a bit more polished. I've tried a lot of salon brands of hairspray, and while I think you can find comparable options to a lot of them at the drugstore, I would splurge again for the MoroccanOil Luminous Hairspray Strong ($24 for 10 oz). It's a dry hairspray that smells great, has just the right amount of hold, and gives my hair a little extra shine. On the rare occasion when I curl my hair, I can also use it as a heat protectant.
As for tools, most of the time I let my hair air dry - I only reach for my basic Conair hair dryer when I'm pressed for time, or when I want to give myself a blow out for a special occasion. For a simple blow out, I style my hair using a round ceramic hair brush from Olivia Garden - it gives my hair more volume and shine, as well as accentuates the cut of my hair a lot better. For after-shower detangling and all other brushing, both me and my husband use the Wet Brush.
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| Freshly washed and air dried hair set with MorrocanOil Hairspray. This photo also captures the natural color of my hair quite well - not quite brown, not quite red. |
Disclaimer: Item marked with an asterix (*) is a press sample I received from the brand's PR for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided as free press samples. Thank you for reading!