Take Care of Your Hair!

Coming from someone that's the farthest thing from a beauty queen, I felt like I wasn't qualified enough to write a hair-care post. I felt that since I almost never blow dry or straighten mine that a post highlighting how to make it look good would be a little strange. So I'm not here to tell you how to style your hair, but just how to make it happy! You deserve to be happy and so does your hair :)

just air-dried + wind-blown

I think that even though I don't wear Nike elite socks and workout shorts every day, I'll still always be a bit of a tomboy. I never do anything to my hair besides keep it down or put it in a ponytail for sports. I don't do anything fancy with it except for maybe twice a year. But even with that being said, I've become so invested in making sure that I take really good care of my hair. I do my best to prevent split ends, make sure it stays soft, and treat all those wispy baby hairs. STORY TIME:

I did gymnastics for almost three years and for every single practice and every single meet, I tugged my hair into a slicked-back, high ponytail. I used two elastics, hairspray, and a scrunchie to make sure it stayed out of my face. My head would always hurt by the end of the day and it caused my hairline to go back so much further than it should've. After I stopped doing gymnastics, my hair was left to grow back where it was lost.

Those little baby hairs are still coming in today and although sometimes they annoy the heck out of me, I couldn't be more thankful that they're there. I've been doing my best to make sure that they keep growing in and that they stay - somewhat - tamed. To give you an idea of how I take care of my hair, here are my pre, mid, and post-shower routines!

Before shower

Once a week, I add tea tree oil to my fly-aways, baby hairs - whatever you call them - and let it sit for about 10 minutes before I shower. Tea tree is known to unclog hair follicles and nourish your roots to assist in hair growth. Just what we're looking for!

Maybe twice a month, I put coconut oil throughout the entirety of my hair and onto my scalp (while it's dry). I put it up into a loose bun and leave it in for anywhere from 30-60 minutes. I can't use coconut oil in my hair any other time or else it stays really oily, but letting it sit for a while before shampooing works well and makes my hair so soft.

This hair mask is also really good and a favorite of mine. Although it isn't as natural as coconut oil, it's paraben, sulfate, phthalate, and cruelty-free!

During shower

I'm lucky enough to not struggle with major hair issues like bad frizz or dryness, but Maple Holistics is my favorite shampoo and conditioner company, hands down. They were kind enough to send me their  Silk18 conditioner and after using it for about a month, it's done an amazing job at hydrating my hair without making it oily or weighed down. Not to mention it smells amazinggg... I'm a sucker for a fresh coconut scent. I'm 100% ordering their shampoo when mine runs out and will restock on the conditioner when it's gone.

I leave the conditioner in for a few minutes while I sing or plan out to-do lists in my head (usual shower things, you know?) and when I rinse it out, my hair does feel like silk. While I'm sure you may have a brand of shampoo/conditioner that you love, Maple Holistics' products are all at least 96% natural and contain really great ingredients. The conditioner that I have is made of argan oil, shea butter, organic pomegranate, and jojoba oil and contains no silicone or parabens. Making the move to organic and natural products has become important to me as I'm learning that health isn't only what's put in your body, but also what's put/used/done on the outside. So thank YOU Maple Holistics for having the best haircare I could as for! 

After shower

Chances are I'm rushing to finish my homework, study, or catch my favorite tv show when I get out of the shower, so I don't overcomplicate things. I just have three tips!

1. When drying your hair, USE AN OLD T-SHIRT INSTEAD OF A TOWEL! It decreases frizz so much!

2. Don't brush through it right away! Your hair is really fragile when wet and if you brush it roughly just after getting out of the shower, some of it could break. I usually wait until it's damp before I do it.

3. Don't put it up when it's wet!! I used to do this every day and noticed that keeping it down was critical when it was growing in. As I just said, messing with your hair too much when it's wet will break it and I don't think that's what anyone is going for.

I hope you found this post helpful and that you have a wonderful weekend!

stay on the sunny side,

meg