My Hair Routine

I just got my hair dyed by a friend who is studying to be a hairdresser (thanks Anniina, you did an awesome job!), so hair has been on my mind a lot. I have very long, thick hair, so people often ask what kind of products I use. I think the length and thickness are mainly due to genetics, but I do try to take good care of my locks and have gone through a lot of products to find the ones that works for me.

I would describe my hair as straight, thick and mildly coarse and dry. The single hairs are quite thick and there much of them. My scalp tends to be dry. My hair is naturally wavy in some spots, but it's so inconsistent that it just looks messy if it dries naturally.

Four Reasons Deep Cleanse Shampoo, Goldwell Dualsenses Ultra volume Boost Shampoo and a cheap-o
de-tangling brush.

My hairs needs a very cleansing shampoo and lots of rinsing to get all of the shampoo out when it's washed. I used to go for conditioning shampoos, as my hair tends to be dry, but a friend studying to be a hairdresser did my hair and suggested that a cleansing type shampoo would be better. She was very right, my hair felt much heavier and I had to wash it more often with the conditioning shampoos. Goldwell Ultra Volume is what I use for regular washes about twice a week, and the Deep Cleanse Shampoo by Four Reasons is what I use if I have lots of products in my hair, or just every couple of weeks to be sure the hair really is clean.

I noticed my nails tend to break often when I'm washing my hair, so after some online investigation, I found that using a de-tangling brush or something similar could help. The brush gets the shampoo to the scalp and roots easily and does a very good job. It's sometimes hard to get fingers through the thick hair all the way to the scalp and that's what the brush is great for. And since my nails don't snag on my hair when washing it, they grow longer.

Conditioning. Joico Color Endure Conditioner, Sebastian Potion 9, Kevin Murphy Un.Tangled leave-in conditioner and Joico K-Pak Deep-Penerating Reconstructor.

My hair type needs a lot of moisture. Silicones also work very well on it, smoothing the hair. I've tried silicone free shampoos but they made my hair feel coarse. The main thing fot my hair is that I have a keratin conditioner (the Joico K-Pak) for the ends and use very moisturizing leave-in conditioners. Sebastian Potion 9 is a very nice, it makes hair smooth and soft. I use it after washing my hair, when hair is still moist. The Kevin Murphy leave-in conditioner is what I use almost daily, when ever my hair feels dry or if I keep it loose, if it's frizzy. Joico Color Endure has been very good for a basic conditioner in the shower. I haven't found a perfect one yet, but most are fine.

Tangle Teezer.

Tangle Teezer type brushes are what I like to use. They penetrate the hair to get to the deeper layers and still don't snag or pull. I used to have bristle brushes, but they only brushed the top layers, and I found them hard to clean. The Tangle Teezer I just toss in the dishwashers when it starts looking dirty.

I use a lot of hairspray and often use flatirons and curling wands. The favourite products for hair do's are heat protecting sprays that give medium hold and hair spray. A weak hairspray for teasing hair and a strong one for finishing a do.

Generally my coarse, thick hair can stand a lot, but it needs lots of moisture and silicone, which is a challenge.