How I Heat Style My Hair!

          I know, I literally just submitted a post on why you SHOULDN'T heat style your hair. However, after nearly 3 months of no heat I decided my hair could withstand a bit of damage, as I was getting a little bored! However, I still used caution when heat styling to minimize the damage as much as possible. I use the same process whether I`m styling it straight, wavy or curly for the most part. Here is my process below!

I am a big believer in products as we know, and if you use the right ones they WILL prevent a significant amount of damage. It all comes down to what you're using and what you're using it for. I started fresh today by cleansing my hair with Neutrogena's Anti-Residue Shampoo, (not pictured above) which I use every 2-3 weeks to get rid of any buildup from heavy conditioners and styling products. I then followed up with Alba Botanica's Natural Hawaiian Conditioner, Drink It Up Coconut Milk. Alba Botanica is actually a cruelty free, natural, 100% vegetarian Canadian brand that not many people know about. Check out their website here! 

On my freshly cleansed and conditioned hair, I then spray LÒreal Paris' Everstrong Thickening Tonic onto my roots. This is meant to encourage thicker hair growth and promote the hair you already have to appear thicker and fuller. This has a nice minty smell to it, which I love. After massaging it in, I apply 3 pumps of my lovely Dove Nourishing Oil Care Anti-Frizz Serum to the length of my hair, making sure to avoid the roots. Then, I leave my hair to dry naturally as long as I have time to before blow drying!

Right before blow drying, I spray my CHI Keratin Mist just onto my ends, to make sure they are strong and don`t go anywhere! I've had this bottle for a long time, and I`m not sure they even make the same one anymore, but you can still find it at various places online. The blow dryer I use is one of Conair's Ion Shine ones, although this model is definitely discontinued as it is quite old! I use both my John Frieda Full Volume Medium Porcupine Round Brush and my thermal round brush (not sure which brand) to blow dry and smooth out my hair. 

After my hair is completely dry, I spray the length with CHI's 44 Iron Guard to protect it from my flat iron. I generally use my CHI Original 1" Ceramic Hair Styling Iron to straighten and curl my hair. I've actually had this flat iron since I was 14, so it's crazy that it's lasted this long. I have others, but I keep going back to this one! I use a small comb while straightening or curling to get more of a smooth finish, and separate it with a clip so I can work in sections. During this process, I sometimes add Marc Anthony`s 2nd Day Clear Dry Shampoo to my roots, to give them more volume.

And here is a peak at what my hair looked like when I was finished styling today! I decided to go for a slightly wavy look, as I find that it looks much better then when I just do my hair pin straight. I applied 2 more pumps of my Dove Anti-Frizz Serum to the ends, and sprayed my hair with my favourite hairspray, which is Pantene's Satin Hold Hairspray in their Curly Hair Series. I LOVE this stuff, as it really defines and adds shine to waves or curls and lets your hair move. And that`s it!

HAVE A GOOD NIGHT! xx

Growing out Bleached Blonde Hair (Things I wish I had done a long time ago!)

           If you have bleached blonde hair like me, you'll know that it's nearly impossible to grow out long, thick hair. It's no secret that bleach damages your hair, along with heat styling and frequent washing. So if you REALLY want long hair, you're going to have to put in the work. And by put in the work, I really mean significantly reduce the work you're putting into styling your hair, and let it be.

This is easier said than done, and it took forever for me to be willing to stop using heat on my hair and to not wash it every day. The primary reason I was washing my hair every day, is that when I would sleep on it it wouldn't hold it's shape at all no matter what I did to it, and it wouldn't look the same if I tried to restyle it. This was especially true if I slept on my naturally wavy hair.

I decided months ago to take a look at what I was doing to my hair and what I was using on it, and make some serious changes if I really wanted to grow out my hair. Here are 3 tips to get your hair in better condition and start seeing it grow longer!

1) USE PRODUCTS THAT HELP REPAIR YOUR HAIR

From left to right: L'Oreal Everstrong Thickening Tonic, CHI Keratin Mist, Dove Colour Care Leave-On Conditioner, Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum, TIGI Bed Head Colour Combat Dumb Blonde Shampoo, Rusk Sensories Bright Chamomile and Lavender Colour Shampoo, L'Oreal Vitamino Colour Masque, Body Shop Rainforest Radiance Conditioner

Bleached hair needs tons of moisture in order look healthy and shiny, as well as keratin to put protein back into your hair. In it's natural condition, your hair contains about 10% moisture and 90% keratin. When we bleach our hair, it affects both our natural amounts of moisture and keratin, which often results in our hair becoming brittle and breaking off.

Each of the products shown above are products that I alternate using every time I wash my hair. These are all products that benefit bleached blonde hair in some way. In terms of both moisture and protein, the top 3 products I would recommend are the Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum, the TIGI Bed Head Colour Combat Dumb Blonde Shampoo and the L'Oreal Vitamino Colour Masque. However, all of these  products work for me and are definitely work taking a look at. With the exception of the Body Shop Rainforest Radiance Conditioner, these can be found in your local drugstore and occasionally Winners or

TK Maxx 

2) GO LONGER IN BETWEEN BLEACHING

This was hard for me to do in the beginning, as I used to get my hair dyed a solid blonde colour, and then was convinced to start letting some of my natural colour grow through. I'm glad I finally listened, as not only does the colour suit me a million times more, but I can go longer in between getting my hair done. I used to have to get my hair bleached every 5 weeks in order to keep my colour maintained. Now, I go every 3 to 4 months and that works fine for me. Get some headbands to cover up those roots in the last few weeks before you get your hair done, and you'll look fine! Make sure you get the tiniest bit cut off each time you do get it done, as split ends do not work when growing long, thick hair.

3) CUT OUT HEAT STYLING ALTOGETHER

I won't pretend that I NEVER use a curling iron or straightening iron on my hair anymore, but it is very rare. I really don't feel the need to unless it's a special occasion. This is because I have started to realize that my natural wavy hair looks much healthier and nicer than when I heat styled it on a daily basis. Also, I was completely behind on discovering how to do a top knot with my hair, which is now a style I constantly use, especially on second day hair. If you don't think you can cut out heat styling altogether, only use heat tools every other time you wash your hair. Scrunch it with a curling product, use a beach spray or just let your hair completely do it's own thing. Honestly, it probably looks a lot better than you think it does, and it definitely looks healthier. 

My hair after scrunching it with Organix Coconut Anti-Breakage Serum and letting it dry naturally

HAVE A GREAT NIGHT! xx