So, since I posted a picture of the oil I use on my hair in the Gillio Facebook group, I had a few people asking how I look after my hair. Which is lax but also quite intense. Over the years I have been anything but kind to my hair and trust me - straw was softer than my hair at one point. There are not many colours that I haven't dyed my hair. It's been,
Orange:
Black:
Red:
Blue:
Purple:
It was blue again and a few browns and it's been bleached a few times too. So not too fun for it. I had it cut really short to help manage the damage, but I hated having short hair. So now I am on a quest, repair my hair and grow it longer and wow. My new regime has helped it grow three inches in just 2 months! Sounds a bit unbelievable but very true none the less. When ever I wear my hair down I feel myself go, jezz it's getting long (finally)!
But anyway, back to my routine. Truth be told I don't do very much to my hair. I've spent a lot of time afraid to touch it due to the onslaught of "don't do that, it's bad for your hair!" "Thats going to make your hair worse" "Is that really a good idea when your hair is already damaged?" But now is the time to fight back people!
WASHING!
When I was my hair - which is two or three times a week depending on how it's feeling to me. My hair is very dry and brittle and breaks really easily because of the dyes it's had, so I use Herbal Essence 'Beautiful Ends' shampoo and condition which says on the bottle it's for split end protection but I find it really nourishing for my hair. Each time I buy a new bottle of shampoo I add about 10-15 drops of 100% Peppermint essential oil and give the bottle a good shake. When it comes to the actually washing of the hair, I'll use a tiny amount of shampoo and give it a good massage with my fingertips and nail, into my scalp for 2 or 3 minutes and rinse it out. This lifts all the dirt and oil from your hair. Then I'll wash it a second time with more shampoo and for longer, concentrating on really massaging and stimulating my scalp. The second wash will really clean your hair and you should really start to feel your head go cold and tingly from the peppermint oil, which is good, because it brings a lot of blood to your scalp which promotes growth! Once thats rinsed out, I follow with the 'Beautiful ends' conditioner, starting from the ends of my hair where all of my damage is and working my way up to my roots. Then I get on with my shower or bath or whatever I'm doing and let the conditioner sit on my hair for as long as possible.
COCONUT TREATMENT!
Now this I do once a week and I swear it is the most heavenly smelling and amazing thing I have ever put on my hair. It's so easy to make and honestly there are no words for how amazing I think this is. All you need to do to make it is put a couple of table spoons of unrefined virgin coconut oil into a heatproof bowl with 5 or 6 drops of peppermint. Now the coconut oil will be solid so if you pop it into a microwave for 15 seconds it should all melt, if not, do another 15 seconds until it's all melted. Now you want to apply this to damp hair, so what I do is lightly use a spray bottle and spray my hair with warm water that has a 10-15 drops of rosemary essential oil in. So I section my hair, and starting with the bottom layer closes to my neck, I spray with the water and then dip my fingers in the coconut oil mix and start to massage it into the roots of my hair. You really want to make your scalp feel excited so all the blood rushes to the skin and hair follicles. Once I feel like theres enough oil on my roots I'll use more oil and start working my way down the length of my hair all the way to the end. I keep doing this, layer by layer until my whole head is done. Then just for good measure, add a little more oil to my scalp and give another massage all over. You can leave this treatment on overnight or a few hours, it's up to you. I like to leave it on overnight so it has a nice long time to soak into my hair. Then you can simply wash out with your normal routine :)
STYLING
When it comes to styling my hair I am horrendous, I really can't do much with it, I an plait it, straighten it and tie it up in a pony tail and thats about it. (It's a good thing I have a hair stylist for a sister). But whenever I straighten my hair, I always put on Macadamia oil. It is my go to hair product without fail.
It is a little pricey, I paid £29.95 for mine at a hair dressing supply wholesalers. But it lasts
forever because you only need a tiny bit each time you use it. I have hair thats about two inches longer than my shoulders and half a pump of this before I style my hair and tiny dot after, is more than enough. So after I've washed my hair I just put a pea sized amount into the palm of my hand, rub my hands together and then comb the oil through my hair with my fingers. It acts as a good heat protector without all the nasty chemicals too away you go.
I know this has been a crazy long post but I hope it helps with anyone else who is struggling with dry and damaged hair. The coconut oil treatment is really good, in my opinion for anyone who has Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome like I do and suffers from extreme hair loss. The peppermint oil does a really good job of helping hair grow faster and thicker, while the coconut oil is good for moisturising. Since I've been doing this routine with regular treatments, my hair hasn't been falling out as much :).
Bye Bye for now!
because it's Starbucks coffee, so who cares?
