Detailed Hair Care Routine

My hair routine has done a complete 180 from about a few months ago, and I am so happy to be finally sharing it with you guys! One random Sunday I spent a few hours on Pinterest and Youtube looking into healthy hair tips, and how to get my hair to grow. I have done a lot of research on hair, so I am going to be sharing that all with you today. I’m going to be walking you through my haircare routine: explaining my daily, weekly and monthly routine along with products that I consistently use and re-purchase.

Throughout the post I will be answering FAQ that I get from you guys about my hair, and how I go so long in between washes. Since I do get a ton of questions, I’m going to focus solely on my routine in this post! But, I am working on a post dedicated to dry shampoo and tips on only washing your hair once a week! So, make sure you stick around for that and subscribe so you are notified when it goes live.

I did a full hair tips post about a year ago, and most of those tips are still relevant if you want to check that post out too : How To Grow Long Healthy Hair

 HAIR CARE ROUTINE :

1.Washing schedule

I wash my hair 1 to 2 x a week depending on my plans, or if I have anything special going on. I typically wash my hair on Monday and go until the next Monday. This isn’t always the case, but definitely what I try to push for! Sometimes my hair just needs to be washed in the middle of the week, so I will go ahead and wash it! Again, it totally depends on my week and what I have going on, and when I need my hair to be extra clean or extra dirty!

Either way, I try to go 5-7 days in between each wash!

Why do you go so long without washing your hair?
When you clean your hair you are stripping away all of your natural oils. Your natural oils are actually a good thing for your hair, and keep it healthy and growing! The less you wash the healthier it will be! Once I started washing my hair less is when I noticed how healthy and long it was growing!

Shampoo and conditioners are actually adding oil to you hair, if you can believe it. They build a wax ontop of your hair, so that it appears oily. You end up using more shampoo because you think your hair needs it, and end up in an on-going cycle.

How do I start washing my hair only 1 or 2 times a week?
It will definitely take time, and you’re going to have to train your hair at first. Yes, train your hair. Some people like to call it oil training. The first few weeks are going to be the hardest, but I promise it will be so worth it. Try to gradually cut down your washes at first.

You won’t be able to cut your washes down from 7 to 1, so start small. Go from every other day, to every 2 days and etc. You get it. The longer you push your washes the easier it will get! This all totally depends on your hair. If you have pin straight thin hair, you probably won’t be able to go 7 days in between washes.

I have medium-thick wavy hair, so I have more hair for natural oils to distribute out on. This makes it easier for me to only wash once a week. 

Tip: Look at your weekly schedule and figure out what days are better for dirty hair, and when you know you’ll want it to be clean. If you have a wedding on Saturday and know your hair curls better clean make sure you schedule out your wash on Friday, so that you won’t be tempted later to add in another wash. My hair works better dirty, so if I know I will want it curled for a blog shoot on Saturday, I will typically wash it mid week.

It might seem silly to schedule out your hair washes, but it really will help!

2. Shower routine

Weekly.

Every time I wash my hair I use shampoo and conditioner. I am a strong believer in sulfate free products, so that is definitely a must for healthy hair. Sulfate is found in most hair products, and is really harsh on your hair. Sulfate strips your hair of the natural oils, which will slow down the growth process and leave you with dry and dull strands. No one wants that!

Sulfate is actually the ingredient that makes shampoo sudsy, so using sulfate-free shampoo is going to be a bit weird at first! I like to move it around in my hands for a bit before applying it to my scalp to give it a little suds. It’s not going to be like your normal sulfate shampoo, but it is still working! Promise.

SHAMPOO + CONDITIONER 

I only apply shampoo to my scalp and the top half of my head, and only apply conditioner to my ends. While rinsing your hair the shampoo will distribute to your ends so you don’t actually need to apply it. Also, conditioner can build up on your scalp so keep it to the bottom half of your hair! At first this might be hard if you have really knotty hair, but I brush my hair right before I get in the shower and that has helped!

Rinse your hair with cold water to keep it looking extra shiny and healthy! Cold water opens your hair shaft, and allows your conditioner to really sink in!

My favorite shampoo (rotate them about every month)

BRUSHING + OILS

After I get out of the shower, I brush my hair out with my handy Wet Brush. I’ve been wanting to purchase a wooden brush because I’ve heard amazing things about it. Once my hair is brushed, and about 50% dry I use a small amount of hair oil and put it on my ends. I use this oil every day on my ends, even when I don’t wash my hair. It helps to keep my ends looking healthy, and prevents breakage! This is a huge help with going so long in between washes!

Note: I always let my hair air dry. I couldn’t tell you the last time I even used a blow dryer.

Bi-weekly.

About twice a month I will do an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse. I pour a little bit of ACV to the bottom of a tall cup, and then add about a cup of water and rinse this throughout my hair after I have used both shampoo and conditioner! I leave this in my hair for about 5 minutes while I’m shaving, and then rinse it out with cold water. You could tie up your hair and leave the rinse in while you’re out of the shower, but that seems like more work to me.

Warning, your hair will smell like vinegar but once it dries the smell goes away completely! I absolutely hate the smell of ACV, but it isn’t too overwhelming in your hair. If I can do it, you can do it!

What is the reason you rinse your hair with apple cider vinegar? 
There are so many reasons to use ACV on your hair! (1.) It is a natural cleanser for your hair, meaning it’s going to help strip away all of the build-up from products (gels, serums, spray, etc.) (2.) If you have natural wavy or curly hair using ACV will help bring back your natural curls or waves! (3.) Adds shine (4.) Can replace your conditioner (5.) Stimulates hair growth

Honestly, the list goes on and on!

Monthly. 

Once a month I do a hair mask! I mix 2 tbs of coconut oil, 2 tbs olive oil, 2 tbs castor oil and then one egg. It sounds really weird, and you will definitely feel funny pouring this mixture on your hair, but trust me it’s great for your hair!

Whisk together all of the ingredients, and pop it in the microwave for about 10 seconds to melt all the ingredients.  Pour the mixture over your scalp while massaging it in, and get the ends of your hair too! (You’re going to want to do this over your tub so that you aren’t making a mess) I leave this mask in anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Then, rinse it all out! Make sure you get it all out and shampoo your hair once or twice.

3. Styling + Dry Shampoo

I try my best to not use hot tools weekly, but of course, sometimes things happen where I want curled hair!

Styling with no heat.

After getting out of the shower, and applying my oil I will split my hair into two sections and french braid it then secure it with a scrunchie. Scrunchies are key here, because they will not break the ends of your hair and are comfortable to sleep in! I braid my hair before bed to add waves into my hair, and help with styling for the week.

When I wake up I will un-do the braid, but make sure you don’t run your fingers through the braid. This will make your hair look stringy and frizzy! Not the look we’re going for.

I don’t use dry shampoo until three full days of not washing. If I washed my hair on Monday, I will apply dry shampoo to my hair Thursday night. The key to dry shampoo is to apply it at night! It gives the product more time to work and absorb your hair’s oil! Plus, sleeping will naturally work the product around your scalp for better application.

Day 5 and Day 6 I gravitate towards a side braid or messy top knot. Either style is really great at hiding your oil! Also, changing your part is going to help immensely! I usually rock a middle part for most of the week, and then go to a side part for the later half and into the weekend.

Changing up your part is a big help if your hair is looking really oily!

Styling with heat. 

Luckily, when my hair is curled it tends to stay looking clean longer than when it’s down. I try to schedule out my styling in accordance to when I’m washing it next, so will usually curl it the day after I wash it. So, if you’re looking to wash your hair less styling your hair early in the week will help!

When it comes to curling my hair and dry shampoo, I tend to use dry shampoo the second day of having styled hair! Since my curls tend to hide the oil, I can usually go longer without applying dry shampoo! So if I curled my hair on Monday I will apply dry shampoo Wednesday night.

BONUS ** since I go so long in between washes that means I’m not constantly curling my hair every day, so we are using less heat while also keeping our natural oils!

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I hope this post was helpful for you guys, and answered most of the questions you had! Like I said earlier, this is just my routine, and giving you guys what I do to help my hair grow and stay healthy!

I am working on a separate post all about dry shampoo and dirty hair – so will have more information about that soon!