How I Took My Hair From Brittle & Breaking to Long & Strong: Part II

In Part I of this post I discussed how for years I struggled with hair loss that eventually progressed into hair loss combined with brittle and broken hair.  I then explained that I became committed to healing my hair and in about nine months I was able to take my hair from falling out and breaking to quickly growing and the healthiest it has ever been.  In that post I detailed each step I took to rehab my hair and explained how I got it to grow and get to the point I'm at now (you can read that post here).  Now that I've shared all of that information, today I will be sharing with you how I now take care of my hair to keep it healthy and continuing to grow.  Below I'm breaking it all down for you!

SULFATE FREE SHAMPOO

I don't like using sulfates in my shampoos for numerous reasons, they can irritate skin (which they do to mine), completely strip your hair of its natural oils, dry out your hair, and more.  Sulfate free options are better for the overall health and condition of your hair and skin as they are much more gentle at cleansing.  As I mentioned in my last post I make an effort to really "baby" my hair and be as gentle on it as possible to keep it at its healthiest and sulfate free shampoos really help me to do that.  A few of my favorite sulfate free shampoos are this, this, this, this, and this.

ONLY SHAMPOO YOUR ROOTS

In addition to using a sulfate free shampoo another way to gently wash your hair is to only shampoo your roots.  When you shampoo only your roots you are cleansing the source of the oil (your scalp) and leaving alone the drier part of your hair, the ends.  Your ends will still get cleaned too when you rinse the shampoo from your roots and it washes out down through your ends, they are just cleaned in a way that is much easier on them and less drying.

QUALITY CONDITIONER

After shampooing your hair you absolutely need to replenish the moisture you just removed by using conditioner.  You need to find a quality conditioner that fits your hair's needs - fine, thick, curly, straight, etc., as this will supply your hair with the correct nutrients to keep it healthy and looking its best.  Some of my favorite conditioners are this, this, and this.

COMB THROUGH CONDITIONER WITH WIDE TOOTH COMB

When you condition your hair you want to only apply conditioner to the bottom two-thirds of your hair, avoiding the roots.  After you apply the conditioner then use a wide tooth comb to brush through your hair and evenly distribute the conditioner.  By doing this you're ensuring that the ends of your hair are being evenly conditioned and nourished.  You absolutely have to use a wide tooth comb or Wet Brush when doing this though because as I explained last week, when your hair is wet it is in its most fragile state and very prone to breakage and if you use a regular brush on it it will definitely cause damage to your hair.

COLOR CARE
Whether you color your hair or not it's important to take care of your hair color so that it looks its best, especially when you're blonde.  I don't dye my hair, but when I started this journey I also started using purple shampoo once every one or two weeks and I could not believe how much better my hair looked.  I didn't realize that the water in my shower had been making my hair look very brassy and I love how much brighter it looks after washing with the purple shampoo.  I really love the dpHue Cool Blonde Shampoo (c/o) and dpHue Cool Blonde Conditioner (c/o), and they make shampoos and glosses for other colors too.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR RINSE

Try switching out your shampoo and conditioner for an apple cider vinegar rinse.  An apple cider vinegar rinse is a very, very gentle way to wash and condition your hair and it also saves time!  I am completely obsessed with dpHue Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Rinse (c/o) because it cleanses and conditions my hair in one step; it also calms down any scalp irritation I might be having and leaves my hair incredibly soft.

DEEP CONDITIONING

Using deep conditioner, hair masks, and oil treatments is so important to the overall health of your hair.  I aim to use one of these at least once a week.  These go beyond your normal conditioner to deeply nourish and hydrate your hair.  They also help to prevent further damage, strengthen your hair, soften it, and improve its overall appearance.  Deep conditioners I love include this, this, and this.  I'm also a huge fan of natural oils, like coconut oil, jojoba oil, and DIY treatments, like this and this.

LIMIT PRODUCTS WITH ALCOHOL AND SILICONES

Both alcohol and silicone are bad for and cause damage to your hair and should therefore be used only in moderation.  Alcohol is very drying, which can lead to breakage, so I try to limit or not use products that contain it.  Silicones make your hair look healthier, but in actuality are damaging it.  Silicone creates a buildup on hair strands that isn't broken down by shampoo, and conditioner cannot penetrate this buildup.  Conditioner instead sits on the surface of you hair, which makes hair brittle and can cause frizz and breakage.  I avoid all products with silicones on my hair and have seen a major improvement since I began doing this.  You can learn more about silicone in hair products here.

STYLE WHILE AIR DRYING

Since a big part of rehabbing my hair was using less heat on it I needed to learn to style my hair while air drying it.  There are so many great air drying products on the market now and you can get them anywhere from Sephora to the drugstore.  I use this product to smooth and nourish my hair, this one to help my hair grow and also smooth it, and this to add waves and texture to my hair.

EXTEND YOUR STYLE

Another big part of rehabbing my hair was washing my hair less and in order to do that I needed to be able to extend my hairstyle.  To extend my style I use a combination of baby powder and this dry shampoo.  To learn more about how I use them read the post I did on it here.

This is how I take care of and continue to rehab my hair!  You can find Part I of this post here.

                    

Today I'm linking up with Friday Favorites, Friday Favorites, and Fab Favorites.

How I Took My Hair From Brittle & Breaking to Long & Strong: Part I

For years I struggled with hair loss that eventually progressed into hair loss combined with brittle and broken hair.  I have never dyed my hair or had any chemical treatments done to it and I thought that I was taking good care of my hair so I could not understand why it was falling out and increasingly getting worse.  My hairdresser also noticed its declining condition and could not understand what was happening to it because my hair had changed so much.  In retrospect we now know that my hair issues stemmed from several health problems, medications, vitamin deficiency, stress, and over heat styling.

I knew that in order to heal my hair and get it in better condition I needed to make some changes and figure some things out.  The go to treatment for brittle and falling out hair is biotin, however, I have Crohn's disease and everytime I tried biotin it would flare up my Crohn's making it a nonviable option for me.  Once I finally accepted that (I tried it and subsequently made myself sick way too many times before I got to that point) I slowly started making other changes, I sort of figured out more things that would help as I went along, and in about nine months I was able to take my hair from falling out and breaking to quickly growing and the healthiest it has ever been.

The most important thing to understand about this process is that there really is no quick fix to rehab your hair and get it to grow longer.  This will take time, but  don't let that deter you because in my opinion it is very worth the time.  It also takes a combination of things to get your hair healthy and growing quickly.  Prior to doing all of this my hair was actually falling out in large clumps when I touched it and constantly breaking.  Now my hair is so strong and has gotten crazy thick; it's also growing quickly and my Mom, my hairdresser, and I cannot get over how much better it is doing!

I was going to write everything I've been doing to get to this point all in one post, but honestly there is just too much information so I decided to break it into two parts.  Today I'm sharing the steps I took to rehab my hair and get it to grow and then next week I will be sharing how I take care of my hair to keep it healthy and continuing to grow.  Below I'm breaking down what worked for me in a hope that it can help someone else who's struggling with their hair like I was!

VITAMIN B12

So I am (very obviously) not a doctor and I want to pretense this by saying that you need to speak with your doctor before adding any vitamins to your life.  With that said during my bi-yearly blood work my gastroenterologist found that I was severely Vitamin B12 deficient.  She explained to me that for the amount of Vitamin B12 I needed it would not absorb well when taken orally and gave me the option to take it via daily prescription nose spray or monthly prescription injections.  Well I hate nose spray and don't mind shots so the monthly injections it was.  These have helped with my hair growth so, so much and I think when I started taking these is when my hair health journey really took a turn for the better.  I would highly recommend asking your doctor if you can take an oral Vitamin B12 or finding out from him or her if you need a higher dose and can get a prescription for Vitamin B12.

REGULAR HAIRCUTS

So I know this is the most frustrating advice to get when you're trying to grow your hair because it seems like an oxymoron.  However, this really is one of the best things you can do for your hair.  Since I had a lot of breakage this has been so important for me both for the health of my hair and for growing it.  The only way to treat split ends and breakage is to cut it off so that it does not go further up the hair shaft and cause more problems and because of this regular trims are a necessity.  I now religiously get my haircut (just a trim!) every 8-10 weeks to get off all of the dead ends and prevent breakage and I think this has been so important in my hair journey.

LESS HEAT STYLING

So prior to this journey to rehab my hair if you had ever told me that I would go without blow drying and flat ironing or curling my hair I would've thought you were absolutely crazy.  Well that right there was a big problem.  I tried to use heat as little as possible, but was still using it way more then my hair could handle.  I embarked on a mission to learn how to air dry my hair so that I thought it looked presentable because I was convinced it could not be done.  Thankfully I was very wrong!  It took some trial and error, but I finally found a way to air dry it where I like the way it turns out.  Now I let my hair air dry the majority of the time and only use heat styling products for "special occasions."  In my next post I'll share the products I use to air dry my hair, but if you take away one thing from this post please let it be that you need to step away from the heat stylers!

HEAT PROTECTANT

Whenever you do use heat stylers you absolutely must use a heat protectant before!  A heat protectant will minimize the damage done to your hair when you're using a blow dryer, flat iron, etc., which will in turn help with your hair's health.  I use this heat protectant spray both before I blow dry my hair and then again before using a flat iron or curling iron.

WASH YOUR HAIR LESS

I am a big believer that you should not wash your hair everyday.  I think that washing it everyday strips your hair of its natural oils and causes damage.  I wash my hair one to three times a week so that it gets a break on the days in between washes.  In next week's post I'm going to share the products I use to extend my style on days I don't wash my hair, but in the meantime check out this post for an idea of how you can do it.

GROW IT GIRL

About halfway through my hair journey I was sent this hair growth spray from I Heart Mimi (c/o).  I think that using this was a huge turning point in going from focusing on rehabbing my hair to focusing on really growing it longer.  Grow It Girl is a 100% natural product that promotes fast and healthy hair growth.  On their website they explain, "It balances the PH levels of the scalp and eliminates dandruff, flakes, and itchiness. It works by replacing dead cells with yummy nutrients to encourage cell renewal and feeds each follicle those nutrients needed to stimulate new growth."  After washing my hair I make little parts along my scalp, spritz this at the roots of my damp hair and then massage it in.  I've seen great growth since I started using this and I also love the way it smells and how it adds shine to my hair!

TOWEL TURBAN

In an effort to treat my hair as gently as possible I switched from using a normal terry cloth towel to this microfiber towel turban.  Microfiber helps your hair to dry a lot faster and is much more gentle on your hair then a regular towel.  This step is especially important if your hair is damaged as microfiber will essentially "baby" your hair and cause less breakage.  Additionally, it will help to reduce both frizz and drying time (which is helpful whether you'll be blow drying your hair or not!).

BLOT YOUR HAIR WITH PAPER TOWEL

This is both the most recent thing I've learned and the one that saves me the most time.  After I shower I put my hair up in the towel turban and leave it on while I put on my facial products and body lotion, I then gently brush my hair and apply products, after this I take paper towel and blot my hair with it.  I start at the ends of my hair and go upwards blotting with the paper towel; I typically break my hair into four sections to do this.  By doing this I get out a ton of extra moisture that even the microfiber towel couldn't get (my hair holds a lot of water anytime I get it wet).  In turn this lets my hair dry faster, which like I mentioned above is helpful whether you're blow drying (less time drying equals less damage) or air drying your hair (less time with wet hair is always a win).

WET BRUSH

When your hair is wet it is in its most fragile state and very prone to breakage.  Therefore, when your hair is wet it's important to never use a regular brush as it will definitely cause damage to your hair.  With its special bristles a Wet Brush easily detangles your hair without pulling, tugging, or causing damage.  To take the ultimate care of your hair and be as gentle on your strands as possible a Wet Brush is a must have!

BRUSH FROM YOUR ENDS TO ROOTS

This was something my Mom taught me as a child that always confused me at the time, but I'm so thankful that I learned.  When your hair is wet it is important to brush your hair starting at the ends and working your way up to your roots to avoid damaging it.  If you start brushing the ends of you hair you can work out any knots or tangles more easily or gently and further avoid causing damage to your hair.

INVISIBOBBLE

Typical hair ties (especially ones with metal fastenings) can damage your hair follicle and cause breakage (check out this post from Marie Claire to see all the ways pulling up your hair can cause issues).  In an effort to be more gentle on my hair I switched to Invisibobble to put my hair up.  Invisibobble's unique telephone cord shape places uneven pressure around a ponytail, allowing hair to be held strongly in place without causing kinks and the smooth surface and spiral shape help to prevent split ends.  Now anytime I put my hair up I don't have to worry about causing damage to my hair and as a bonus I never get a headache from wearing my hair up!

Check back next week for the second part of this post!  I will be divulging all the information and products that I use to keep my hair healthy and growing.  Also let me know below if you have any questions or if there's anything specific you want me to put in Part II!

                    

Today I'm linking up with Friday Favorites, Friday Favorites, and Fab Favorites.

7 Days of Pinterest Hairstyles (And Not Washing Your Hair)

It can get boring wearing the same hairstyle day-in and day-out.  I know this from personal experience since it's something I'm guilty of.  You get into a routine and it makes it easier just to keep doing the same thing.  What if I told you though that you could do a full week of different, easy hairstyles AND be able to skip washing your hair during that week?  It sounds almost too good to be true, but today I'm showing how to do just that.

Here I have for you seven easy to do hairstyles from Pinterest (one for each day of the week) and my tips on how to not wash your hair for one week, but still keep it looking good and feeling fresh.  Each look will work with your hair based on the texture you gain each day from not washing it, which will allow your hair to hold the style better.  In addition to helping you with your hairstyle and saving you time, not washing your hair is a great way to help keep it healthier, which is definitely a win-win!

MONDAY

Hairstyle: Simple Blowout

Tutorial: A Clean Canvas from The Beauty Department

My Tips: To start off your week of not washing make sure to really clean your hair by shampooing twice before conditioning when in the shower.  You're going to kick off the week with this simple blowout, which will serve as the foundation for the styles you'll do during the rest of the week.  After completing your blow dry sprinkle a little hair or baby powder onto your roots, for added volume and to start extending your style, rub in and brush powder through your hair.

via

TUESDAY

Hairstyle: Cross My Heart Braid

Tutorial: Cross My Heart Braid from Barefoot Blonde

My Tips: For the second day you'll work with the blowout you did yesterday and create an easy half up look.  Then on Tuesday night before bed spray dry shampoo at your roots and brush it through well so it is fully absorbed for Wednesday.

via

WEDNESDAY

Hairstyle: Pull Through Braid

Tutorial: Pull Through Braid from Dash of Darling

My Tips: This look allows you to continue to build off that blowout and work with the texture your hair is getting from not washing it.  On Wednesday night sprinkle hair or baby powder onto your roots, brush through well to absorb any oil and prolong your style, also spritz with texture spray to prep for Thursday.

via

THURSDAY

Hairstyle: Big Easy Loose Curls

Tutorial: Easy 5 Step Big Loose Curl Tutorial from Topknots and Pearls

My Tips: At this point your hair will have the perfect texture to hold curls, make sure to spray your hair with a heat protectant before curling though.  On Thursday night, use dry shampoo and rub in with hands at the roots to preserve your curls.  To sleep on Friday night wear your hair in a really high ponytail to help keep your curls intact.

via

FRIDAY

Hairstyle: Side French Braid Ponytail

Tutorial: Side French Braid Ponytail from Missy Sue

My Tips: Your curls should still be intact from yesterday, however if you want you can touch them up once you've put your hair in the ponytail.  Friday night use dry shampoo and rub in with hands like you did on Thursday or rub in and then brush through, this will extend your style and prep your hair for Saturday.

via

SATURDAY

Hairstyle: Messy Knotted Ponytail

Tutorial: Messy Knotted Ponytail from The Beauty Department

My Tips: There's no need to curl hair your hair in the tutorial as it will already have the messy waves you need from your previous styles.

via

SUNDAY

Hairstyle: Messy Bun

Tutorial: 3 Messy Buns from Missy Sue

My Tips: On Sunday night apply a deep conditioning or oil treatment to dry hair, allow it to absorb overnight and wash out in the morning for a really intense treatment.

via

Which day is your favorite look?

                    

Today I'm linking up with Midweek Inspo, Oh Hey Girl!, I Feel Pretty, and Trendy Wednesday.

Your Best Hair & Skin With DermOrganic

DermOrganic is a line of hair and skin care products with formulas based around naturally derived ingredients that replicate the elements hair and skin use inside to replenish, refresh, and maintain their beauty from the outside.  Their products also feature argan oil, which contains vitamin E and linoleic acid that protects and moisturizes the hair and skin.  The DermOrganic simple philosophy is "less is more" and only the best, most essential and fully researched ingredients go into their formulas with the result being youthful looking hair and skin.

If you've seen some of my beauty posts then you know that I love using natural ingredients as much as I can and that I really value high quality products.  It should come as no surprise then that my personal beauty philosophies strongly align with DermOrganic brand philosophy.  I had seen DermOrganic a few times at Ulta before and was very excited to try their products!  I can honestly say that since I started using them they've changed my hair and skin for the better.  While I really like all of the products I've tried from DermOrganic, I do have one in particular that is my favorite; keep reading to learn about the products, what I think of them, and see which one is my favorite!

DermOrganic Daily Conditioning Shampoo

This shampoo is sulfate free, which I think is very important because sulfates can dry out hair and irritate the scalp.  The thing about this I think is really cool is that it is made with facial cleansers derived from lipids and amino acids that moisturize and strengthen hair, moreover it makes this even more gentle on the hair and scalp.  It is also super safe for salon treated and colored hair!  

This has to be the thickest shampoo that I have ever tried, so thick that it wouldn't work with the pump bottle it came in and I had to remove the pump and squeeze out the shampoo.  It requires as much product to get a nice lather as other sulfate free shampoos I've tried and easily rinses out of hair.  I can definitely tell that it is made from facial cleansers as it has a different texture than most shampoos, but it is different in a good way.  After using this my hair felt very clean and incredibly soft, which is a often a hard combination to find in a shampoo.  Furthermore, this doesn't irritate my very sensitive scalp and actually leaves it feeling soothed.

DermOrganic Intensive Hair Repair Masque

This mask is rich in rice amino acids that replicate the keratin structure of human hair.  It works to seal cuticles, repair damage, balance pH, and restore resilience.  It also smoothes hair and helps to make it more manageable.  It works to strengthen hair from the inside out and since it doesn't contain harsh ingredients like silicone and glycerin it is safe for everyday use.

For me this has become a holy grail hair mask!  I love very thick conditioner and this is just that.  It makes my hair probably the smoothest it's ever been and repairs any damage I have, but never leaves my hair greasy, which has happened with other masks.  I typically use this once a week while I'm in the shower and try to use it on a day when I'm shaving my legs so that it is in for longer.  I really want to wash my hair, then apply this in the shower, put on a shower cap, and leave it on for an hour or so, so it will give my hair a very deep conditioning.

DermOrganic Leave-In Treatment with Argan Oil

This treatment is meant to protect, repair, and improve shine in hair.  Moreover, it restores optimal moisture balance, smoothes and softens, and protects hair from thermal styling.  It also speeds drying time by up to 40% and is filled with Omega-6, lipids, antioxidants, vitamin E, and more.

I love how this not only moisturizes my hair, but helps to protect it from heat styling too.  It also smells really good and makes my hair extra silky smooth.  This is meant to be used on clean, damp hair and while I do use it for that I also like to use it on dry hair as a styling aid and to moisturize my hair.

DermOrganic Fast Dry Shaping Spray Plus Hold

This hairspray contains a blend of three eco friendly polymers designed to dry fast and keep hair in place.  It helps hair to maintain its shape even after brushing and is never sticky or heavy.  Furthermore, it holds all day, is resistant to humidity, and contains anti-fade extracts to protect colored hair.

I don't really use hair spray, but gave this a try and really like it.  I also had my Mom who is a hairspray aficionado try this and she loves it!  We both love that this contains argan oil because it makes it less harsh on our hair then other hairsprays.  Additionally, it smells amazing and leaves that lovely scent on our hair all day long!

DermOrganic Pure Argan Oil

This organic argan oil can be used for both hair and skin.  It is rich in lipids and vitamin E and is intensely moisturizing.  This is hands down my favorite product in the bunch.  I love it for my super dry skin and it even made the list for my September Must Haves.  I put this on my face almost every night after cleansing and I have seen a serious improvement in moisture levels and the condition of my skin.  I think that since it is so moisturizing this will be especially great in the winter when my skin gets extra dry.  I'm also dying to try adding some of this to my hair when my ends get a little dry.  If you haven't tried argan oil, I recommend trying this one ASAP - your skin will love you!

If you're wanting to try some DermOrganic products for yourself the best time to do that is now because Ulta is giving away a free Argan Oil (my favorite product!) with any $20 DermOrganic purchase through September 25th, both in stores and online!

Have you tried any DermOrganic products before?

*I was given the DermOrganic products mentioned in this post by BXX Media Influencer Network to facilitate my review, however opinions of these products are all my own.

  

                

Make sure to add me on Snapchat - @kthomp22!

Today I'm linking up with Tutu Tuesdays, Style Sessions, and Confident Twosday.

Welcome to Tutu Tuesdays a linkup with The Blush Blonde and The Fairy Princess Diaries!  Linkup whatever you'd like and make sure to do a little mingling - our goal here is to create a community of bloggers where we can all connect, find new blogs, and support one another.  We love new friends, supporting other blogs, and meeting fellow girl bosses!

There are just a few rules we ask you follow to join in on Tutu Tuesdays:

1. Please follow both Jordyn and me, your lovely hosts, on Instagram and/or Bloglovin.

Kristin: The Blush Blonde  |  Bloglovin'  |  Instagram

Jordyn: The Fairy Princess Diaries  |  Bloglovin'  |  Instagram

2. Link to your specific post, not your blog's main page.

3. Grab our super cute button or share a link to Tutu Tuesdays in the post you are linking up so everyone can know about the party!

4. Have fun and mingle with other bloggers that have linked up!  Like I said we want everyone to make new friends!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.theblushblonde.com/" title=“Tutu Tuesday"><img src="http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab203/blondi52145/button250_zpsnqtszhlp.png" alt=“Tutu Tuesday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>