Beauty Expert Weslie Christensen: Hair, Hair, & More Hair

Yay! I have Weslie ( find her here, here, & here too ) on the blog today…& guess what guys?! She’s talking about…

HAIR!!!!

Def one of my favorite subjects ; ).

I mean, since I don’t really wash my hair ( read more on that dirty, lil secret here ), I could probably use some extra tips!

Enjoy:

Hi babes.

It’s me again, Weslie, from LoveChugs.

Today I am talking hair— my hair that is, & I seem to take a different approach than most when it comes to my mop top. I’ve been reluctant to openly share about my hair habits, but Lauryn asked, & when Lauryn asks- she receives!

So, I’ve broken my hair have-to’s down into five basic categories:

1.} Washing

2.} Conditioning

3.} Hot tools

4.} Weekly moisture masks

5.} Styling

Why have I been a bit reluctant to dish all my hair secrets? Truthfully, because I’m scared to have you guys running for the hills once you find out about #1…but here it is.

1.} The dirty secret when it comes to my hair?

I don’t shampoo it.

Ever.

I try stay away from shampoo like the plague.

This idea to stop washing my hair came to me over months of hair envy of my husband. He decided to grow out his hair and he noticed when he washed it with shampoo it became dryer and poofier… So he simply stopped using shampoo.

I hinted, then urged, then I was vocally grossed out by this…but, after time his hair just kept getting more and more awesome. I couldn’t deny what I was seeing everyday. It was shiny, thick, and never ever greasy or smelly. In fact, it smelled good. How?!!

I hopped on the inter-web and found a whole community of ‘no-poo shampooers’ ( no-poo shampooers are people who choose to not use shampoo…you think they could have come up with a better name, right? ) & I was astounded by the mass amount of information out there that points to shampoo being the culprit of a lot of modern day hair issues.

In short, it all boils down to this: the detergent in shampoo strips your hair of its precious natural oils…like the ones we’re paying an arm and a leg to put back in ( i.e.: MoroccanOil & Argan Oil ). The more you wash with shampoo, the more your follicles are stripped of everything good, & the more oil your scalp has to produce to fill the oil deficiency you’re creating each day.

Enter the ugly revolving door of nasty, greasy roots with overly dry hair shafts here.

So I stopped. I just stopped shampooing. I found a product called Wen, which is a cleansing conditioner, and replaced my shampoo with that. It cleans your hair while simultaneously conditioning, and it uses no detergents, sulfates or harsh chemicals. In fact, Wen doesn’t even lather while its in your hair.

Immediately I noticed results. And even better- I found that after using Wen for a few weeks I could go longer in between washes. My hair wasn’t producing too much oil anymore, thus, no need to wash it as often, so I went from every other day washings to once a week over the span of two months.

After this, it was only natural that I started to tap into other forms of ‘no-pooing shampooing’ and I found the baking soda method. I tried that & loved it, too!

The deets:

SHAMPOO:

I ‘no-poo shampoo’ once a week. I’ll wash with Wen one week, lets say on Thursday, then the following Thursday I would wash using the baking soda method. The Thursday after that, I would go back to washing with Wen. I like to switch it up to keep my hair guessing.

2.} CONDITIONING:

– Wen is an awesome conditioner on its own, but when I feel like I need to repair any damage I’ve created to my hair by bleaching, or by using hot tools then I use Kerastase Nutritive Masque Nutri-Thermique. It’s the best restorative conditioner I’ve found yet. I apply it after I wash and let it sit for 10 minutes, then rinse.

– ITs A 10 Leave-In

Leave-in Conditioner’s are a must, & ITs A 10 Leave-In is my favorite because it does ten things in one. I put this in my hair after each shower whether I ‘no-poo shampoo’ or not.

3.} HOT TOOLS:

Its so, so important to invest it quality hot tools. I fought this for a long time, but when I finally retired my old hair dryer out for my Hana professional blow-dryer…..GUYS, it was LIFE CHANGING! Ok, so that might be slightly dramatic, but it takes me half the time to dry my hair and when I’m finished drying, my hair feels silkier and healthier than before.

Professional styling tools like Hana are equipped with:

~ Ion-Technology– which condition hair & reduces static electricity.

~ Tourmaline & Titanium Oxide Technology– these are natural ions that promote healthier hair.

~ Silver Nanotechnology- for anti-bacterial protection.

Heat that is good for your hair…it’s a must.

4.} WEEKLY MOISTURE MASKS:

Once a week I make one of two different homemade masks to restore and moisturize my hair. I switch off between a ‘Raw Coconut Oil Mask’ & an ‘Avocado/Mayo Mask.’

1.} Organic Raw Coconut Oil Mask

What does coconut oil do? Well, because of its chemical structure, coconut oil can actually penetrate the cortex ( the inner part of hair ) which can help improve its strength and flexibility. I buy mine from Trader Joe’s.

* The coconut oil is solid at room temp, so I run the jar of it under warm water to soften it up and make the application process easy-peasy. When the oil is softened, I slather it from root to tip of my dry or damp hair, then massage it in. From here, I wrap my hair up in Saran Wrap really tight, then go on a cleaning frenzy in my house. After sixty minutes, I rinse the coconut oil out in the shower with hot water and the Wen method of washing. Sometime I will have to do two rounds of washings to get all the oil out. Dry as usual.

2.} Avocado Mayo Mask Ingredients:

1/4 cup full fat mayo, to add shine and moisture.

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, to balance the pH of your hair and remove product buildup.

1 egg yolk, vitamins in the yolk help with hair loss, dandruff, dry scalp, shine, and elasticity.

1/4 cup olive oil, to create shine & moisturize.

1/2 an avocado( smashed ), to moisturize and aid in hair growth.

1/4 cup raw honey, to restore dull looking hair.

* Mix the above ingredients together until it is in a smooth, creamy consistency, then apply it from root to tip of your dry or damp hair using an old paint brush. Wrap your hair tightly up in Saran Wrap, or use a shower cap, then leave this mask on for thirty-sixty minutes to reach maximum moisture benefits. Rinse with hot water in the shower and the Wen method of washing. Dry as usual.

** I suggest investing in a removable shower head if your ready to embark on the no-poo shampooing/home made hair mask journey. With a removable shower head, you can get the water right to your scalp with great water pressure which helps a lot when rinsing out heavy masks like these.

5.} STYLING:

– First styling trick up is cornstarch.

I use good ole’ regular cornstarch in place of dry shampoo and styling products. It works better, trust me…And I know, I know…right now you’re saying, “But! I have dark hair-that wont work for me.” I’m hear to tell you YES IT WILL!

If you have dark hair, just add a little cocoa powder to the corn starch before you toss it around your roots and you have will the world best dry shampoo/volumizer/ texturizer out that matches your hair. The cornstarch helps to hold your style while soaking up any excessive oil throughout the day.

– Styling trick numero dos: Bellami clip-in hair extensions.

I recently came across these guys and they have quickly become what I consider to be the holy grail of hair styling.

These clip in hair extensions are not to be compared to any other beauty shop clip in extensions out-they’re truly in a league of their own. Bellami uses real hair that is so soft and actually stays that way. There are no nasty ends with these guys, and the hair holds it style so well. You see, I have learned my lesson the hard way when it comes to non-clip in hair extensions, and never will I ever have any form of hair semi-permanently attached to my head again—and you shouldn’t either.

Why?

Because they’re too damaging ( plus annoying ), and to me, its not worth six weeks of long, luscious, awesome hair for one whole year of repairing the damage semi-permanent extensions create….So, thank the good lord above for Bellami coming out with theeeee most amazing clip in extensions everrrr. Guys, ever…I mean it, ever.

And to be clear, they are not paying me to say a this..in fact, no brand I have named is. All of my opinions are my own, but, Bellami’s really are just that amazing. These clip-ins allow me to have the style I want without having to do my daily– I just throw them in, and voila! I’m done.

So my advice to you in a nut shell is this:

Less really is more.

Simplify your hair routine, and invest in fewer products that are of a higher quality– your hair &!wallet will thank you in the end.