5 easy steps to naturally beautiful hair
Just think of how much time you would save throughout your life if you only washed, dried and styled your hair once a week. Imagine all the things you could knit! Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating you forego all basic personal hygiene, but most people can definitely cut back on their hair-washing regimen. Since I only wash my hair every 7-8 days, I don't mind taking the time to style it when I do. And since I'm not constantly stripping my hair of its own natural oils, it's healthy and able to stand up to heat treatments. Although I try to avoid blow drying my hair, I often use a curling wand. Unfortunately, I do NOT wake up with these soft "beachy" waves (*sigh*).
But my hair wasn't always so easy, breezy and beautiful. I used to wash my hair every other day and balked at my hair stylist's suggestion that I wait longer between washes ("Was he out of his mind?!"). But I soon grew weary of trying to tame my frizzy unmanageable hair and decided to go for it. After a few months of waiting an extra day or two here and there between washes, I was able to extend it to 4 days, then 6 days, and today I easily make it to 8 days between washes. So, with a little patience (and some dry shampoo), you too can easily adopt a lower maintenance hair care regimen.
In an effort to save YOU time and increase your knitting productivity, I'm sharing 5 easy steps to super low maintenance hair. Prepare to have your life changed!
1. Buy a clarifying shampoo and conditioner
My favorites are Aveda shampure™ and Paul Mitchell's Tea Tree Special Shampoo and Conditioner. Both of these brands are a little pricey, so I alternate washing with Clear Scalp & Hair Damage & Color Repair Shampoo & Conditioner which is less expensive and can be found in any pharmacy or grocery store. Be sure to scrub your scalp very thoroughly when shampooing and when applying the conditioner, start at the ends of your hair and work your way up. Let the conditioner sit in your hair as long as possible; 5 or 10 minutes should do the trick.
2. Skip the harsh styling products
The only products I use in my hair are natural oils. Of course, if I'm going out for a night on the town or sporting an updo, I have no qualms busting out the hairspray (I'm only human). But for day-to-day use, I keep it simple. After washing my hair, I towel dry it and then apply a couple pumps of Moroccan Oil Hair Treatment - again, focusing on the ends. This oil isn't cheap, but one bottle of it lasted me over 4 years! Which is another perk of washing your hair less frequently - think of all the money you will save on hair products! Which obviously means... more money to spend on yarn!
3. Cleanse your scalp with essential oils
Perhaps this seems counterintuitive, "why would I add oil to my hair if it's already oily from not washing it?". I get it. But trust me. It just works. Dab the oil to the tips of 3 or 4 fingers and vigorously massage your scalp as though you were washing it. I recommend spending 2 or 3 minutes cleansing your scalp at night so it is fully absorbed by the next morning. Scalp cleansing with essential oils will also help any dandruff sufferers. Dandruff is caused by several factors, including oily skin, stress, and a common fungus called Malassezia. The following oils are naturally cleansing and have antimicrobial or antifungal properties and make a lovely smelling hair treatment alone or blended together: tea tree, eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender and peppermint. There are several other cleansing essential oils, but I don't think they smell nearly as nice. Like citronella, which has great antibacterial and antifungal properties, but it also makes you smell like a tiki torch and I am NOT about that life. I'm currently using a blend of tea tree, rosemary and eucalyptus and it leaves my hair and scalp feeling and smelling wonderful. I usually do an oil cleanse on around the 4th day after washing and again two or three days later.
4. Keep some dry shampoo on stand by
While you're working towards extending time between washes, you might have a few days here or there where you feel like your hair is gross and oily. But that's why God gave us dry shampoo. My favorite is Bamboo Dry Shampoo. It dries translucent and smells great. Word of caution: only use dry shampoo if you plan on washing your hair the next day. It seems to always clump up and look flaky the day after. And that's not a good look for anyone!
5. Find some easy updos
We all have those days where we plan on waking up early to wash our hair, go to the gym, or shave our legs, but after hitting the snooze button a couple times (ok, a dozen times) our big plans go out the window. It helps to have a quick 'do' up your sleeve, like a high ponytail or a sleek chignon. I camouflage my bad hair days by using a bun maker to make a high Chignon and my colleagues are none the wiser. Another trick is to find some cute headbands, or, better yet, knit one like this!
I hope this blog post inspires you to put down the shampoo and try some of our hair care tips. Please leave a comment and let us know how it works!
