Hair Journey
Hi Everyone!
Once again I have been MIA for the best part of a year but I am back and I am going to start posting consistently again! I am going to start with a different sort of post to my usual nails/fashion content as this one is going to be talking you through my hair journey!
Let’s start at the beginning! I have always been lucky in that I have had really naturally long and thick hair as you can see from the picture above taken around 4 or 5 years ago. I never took the best care of my hair and in a way took it for granted but still it remained really healthy and continued to grow really rapidly. I washed it every single day (mental!) and used heat on it daily, I box dyed it and generally didn’t take care of it at all and probably got it cut once or twice a year, but still it was in the best condition it’s ever been in, annoying right?! I would kill for hair like this now and wish I didn’t take it for granted as much as I did.
Fast forward a couple of years like most girls I began getting bored of my one-toned brown hair and decided to get some blonde put in. I got balayage done by the hairdresser and had to get quite a lot trimmed off at the same time because the bleach had caused some damage so after this my hair was in quite good condition still but just a lot shorter.
As you may know if you have highlights or balayage it can get quite addictive and you want to keep adding more and more blonde to your hair, this was me. And after 2 years of getting balayage done higher and higher and with more and more bleach I ended up with completely blonde hair which was never my initial plan!
I hadn’t realised at the time but my hair had become really quite damaged, as you can see from the pictures above, and had started to actually snap off. I remember the last time I got it bleached I asked my hairdresser to ‘make it as light as possible’, despite her advice not to, and so she added a lot more bleach and I remember clumps literally falling out as she combed it after bleaching it – it was horrifying! I remember after this my hair was in such a bad state and was just breaking off whenever I brushed it and I didn’t dare use any heat on it. I was really down about my hair and it really affected my confidence as obviously I had went from long thick healthy hair to this dry damaged short hair that I couldn’t really style or do anything with. This was when I decided I needed to get rid of the bleach entirely and start fresh with my hair.
In July 2019 I decided to take the plunge and see a different hairdresser and get it dyed back brown in the hope it would make it healthier. Instantly my hair looked soo much healthier and had more life to it but the hairdresser made me get a good couple of inches of the dead split ends taken off so I felt even more disheartened and upset and didn’t feel myself as this was the shortest my hair had ever been in my life. I know it sounds so silly but hair really is a huge thing to a lot of women and can be the difference between feeling great about yourself or feeling rubbish!
From this point on I really started to consciously take better care of my hair. I started washing it every 3 days instead of every 1 or 2 and I started using masks and conditioning sprays. I stopped using straighteners entirely (still haven’t touched them a year and a half later!) and I dried my hair for only 5 mins when it was 90% dry. I got regular hair cuts every 8 weeks which at the time seemed so counter-productive as every time my hair grew a little bit I’d get the ends cut off and be back to square one. But I had so many split ends from the bleach damage I needed to get it cut regularly in order to get my hair to much better place. Unfortunately split ends can’t be repaired they need to be removed before they travel further up your hair strand. so although at the time I thought it was just taking me back to where I started, I see now how important those regular cuts were in order to get my hair back to a much healthier place.
I started to see a difference quite quickly and now I swear by these 3 products:
I have tried quite a few different products over the months in the mission to make my hair healthier and start to grow again but these 3 are definitely the best! Milk Shake Incredible Milk is a leave in conditioning spray with 12 different effects including heat protection, adding smoothness and shine, works as a leave in conditioner and also helps reduce breakage. And the best part is it leaves your hair smelling like vanilla milkshake! It is quite expensive at around £15 but the bottle lasts ages and it is so worth it!
Redken Exteme Anti-Snap is my next holy grail product. This does exactly what it says on the bottle, when applied to wet hair it helps to reduce breakage and prevent split ends and I have really started to notice the difference in my hair since using this! Again it is a bit pricier at around £15 but it really does work and the bottle is huge and will last ages as you only need to use it sparingly.
The third and final product which I am sure you are all aware of is the Olaplex no.3. The Olplaex range is usually used by hairdressers and salons and I can see why! This claims to repair and strengthen all hair types and I can confirm it really does! I use this as a mask once or twice a week and I will sleep in it before washing it off on a morning and my hair instantly feels healthier and even thicker. You can use it for as little as 10 minutes or you can leave it on for a few hours like I do. This again (sorry!) is pricey at around £25 but honestly it is beyond worth it and as you are using it on wet hair a little goes a long way.
I also take biotin supplements daily which I also think has contributed to my hair growth as well!
Fast forward 18 months and I think you will agree the before and afters are really quite amazing! This is by no means a quick fix and hair takes a long time to repair and grow after bleach damage but give it time and you will get there! My hair is by no means as long as it once was or even as healthy but it’s slowly getting there and I’m so happy with how it looks and feels right now after months of being so down about it!
And despite bleach almost ruining my hair I really can’t resist a few highlights so I now get a few natural warm highlights through my hair to add a bit of dimension but I will never become a bleach addict again!
So my top tips for getting healthier/longer hair are:
- Stop using heat on your hair, or if you do need to, make sure you use a heat protectant spray and limit the amount of heat you do use e.g. only use a hairdryer when hair is 90% dry.
- Get regular haircuts. It may seem so counter-productive at the time but trust me it really helps!
- Take biotin supplements, I have definitely noticed a difference since taking these and they are so cheap and easy to get hold of.
- Try sleeping in hair masks once or twice a week. I really recommend Olaplex no.3 or for a cheaper alternative the Garnier Hair Foods masks are great and smell incredible!
- Stop over-bleaching your hair! it is sooo damaging and sometimes it’s irreversible.
- Silk pillows, I switched a year or so ago and they really do help your hair to not get knotty whilst you sleep and help to reduce hair breakage.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about my hair transfomration and have hopefully taken some advice or tips from it!
I have recently started using the Bondi Boost hair growth shampoo and conditioner so I will keep you updated with whether or not that works!
Please check out my Instagram below for more pictures!
Products mentioned:
milk_shake Conditioner Leave-In Incredible Milk 150ml – Haircare (allbeauty.com)
Redken Extreme Anti-Snap Treatment 240ml – Free Delivery – Justmylook
OLAPLEX | No 3 Hair Perfector | Cult Beauty
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