FAQ: All About My Hair

This post has been a long time coming! It’s always kind of shocking to me how many questions I get about my hair. Real talk: I never really thought I had that great of hair. For starters, it’s very, very thin. That might surprise some of you – but it’s true! I have super thin hair, just a ton of it! And I’ll be honest – I don’t love my hair because of this. I just kind of work with what I have. I’m constantly in awe of people who can pull off these adorable hairstyles and braids and are just naturally good at doing their hair – I am not one of those people. I have to work really, really hard to get my hair to look halfway decent. I have been getting a ton of questions lately about my locks over on Instagram so I figured I should do a FAQ post dedicated solely to hair! A few things to know before we begin…First a foremost, I don’t wash it very often, but I brush it multiple times per day. I rarely blow it dry and usually let it air dry on its own these days. I have naturally curly/wavy hair, so it’s got some texture that is nice to play around with. Now that we’ve covered that – let’s talk specifics!

FAQ: All About My Hair

Do you take supplements?

Yes and no. In terms of taking a multi-vitamin (and I need to get better about this) – no I do not. What I do use is this. It is Whole30, Paleo, Gluten Free and Keto friendly. What it is not, is vegan. I forget where I first heard about it, but I just put it in my coffee in the mornings and am on my merry way. It has no flavor and can be added to nearly anything you might be able to think of, but I put it in my coffee, because if I waited until some other point in the day, I would probably forget.

What are your favorite hot tools?

I used to be a slave to my straightener, because I hated my natural waves (middle right and bottom left). These days, I only really use the straightener sparingly, but when I do, this is the one I use. I love that it gets hot enough to get the job done with a single passover and I’m not constantly putting a mega hot tool onto my hair. I just realized I didn’t use any straight hair photos above, so I put one below. That iron is a magic maker! When I want to curl my hair, there only one thing I trust and that’s my curling rod. I was always under the impression that my hair fell flat, there was nothing I could do, blah blah blah. Not with this magic maker! I can curl my hair one day and easily keep that same curl for several days. I attribute this to the mega hot temperatures and the quality of the rod. I understand it’s a bit of an investment, but for me it’s worth it since I don’t use other hot tools. I have both the cone and the 1-inch wand.

What shampoo and conditioner do you use?

First a foremost, everyone reading should know that I don’t wash it very often and this is something that either really grosses people out or intrigues them beyond belief. Whichever side you fall on – that’s the truth. I average 8-10 days between each wash and once in February I went 12 days between washes, just because things were still looking and feeling pretty good and honestly – this mane is a bitch to wrangle with the washing, detangling, brushing, styling, yadda yadda yadda. It’s kind of like a competition with myself with how long I can go. Obviously there are exceptions to this, like if my head starts to itch, I’ve been in the ocean, etc., but I do try to let my hair go as long as possible. When I do give it a good scrub, I use whatever is on sale. Probably THE WORST ANSWER I could ever give you, but I’m not loyal (at this point) to a certain brand. Some I have really liked include this duo for moisture, this duo for smell and if I was made of money I would 100% never buy anything other than this for both smell, volume + EVERYTHING ELSE. Sadly, I am not rich, but it’s worth the treat every now and then. Full disclosure: I used it at a friend’s house ONCE and then picked it as a sample ONCE, so it’s truly only every now and then around these parts LOL

What dry shampoo do you use?

Any that I can get my hands on! No, but really…LOL! I have two stand-alone favorites right now. The first is Hair Food, because the smell is intoxicating and it doesn’t leave my hair looking ashy. The second is Rockaholic (stock up now since it’s on sale!), but we don’t have Ulta here in Hawaii, so if I run out and don’t have an order to place then I just use what I’ve got, which is usually Batiste (love the multipack and great for brown hair), Keratin Suave (it’s mega affordable) or Garnier (gives some volume if you want to get rid of the teasing comb). Before bed, I use good ‘ol baby powder on my part!

What is the deal with baby powder?

I have always been an advocate of using baby powder, because isn’t that essentially what dry shampoo is? Spray powder to soak up all the oil and dirt? Maybe not, LOL, but that’s how I envision it. Regardless, I use baby powder at night and when traveling. You can’t carry on aerosols, so it’s especially good for those girls who are always on the go. At night, I part my hair to the left, powder, part middle, powder, part right, powder. Then I take my fingers and rub it in really well, then brush my hair. In the morning, it has absorbed nearly every oily bit an it’s not ashy looking! I use this kind (it smells good) and have never had an issue. Sidenote: someone once told me that baby powder in your hair that contains talc will cause hair loss, but I’ve been doing this for over 10 years without an issue, so I’m not sure how true that is.

Have you done hair masks? If so, which are your favorite?

Indeed I have! I try to do hair masks as often as possible the day I’m going to wash my hair. Nothing fancy here – just coconut oil and a shower cap. I leave it on as long as I can tolerate (usually 2 hours or so) and then wash it really well. Honestly – this is my favorite way to go just based on cost alone, because I always have coconut oil on hand and I feel like it does a pretty good job. If you’re not quite ready for the DIY route, I’ve tried Whole Blends + Briogeo…both are FAB!

Is there a particular brush you swear by?

No, but if you have one – let me know! I fail in the brush department, because I have used the same paddle brush from Target (it’s less than $5, haha) for something crazy like 7 years (or maybe even longer, I’m not quite sure). Whenever the bristles start getting weird, I throw it out and go replace it. I would love to invest in a better one, so if you have a favorite – pass it along, please 🙂

Any favorite products?

I do! In fact, I have a ton and what I use is completely dependent upon the day. I also try not to use a ton of product right after I wash my hair, because it gets weighed down and gross. In no particular order, some of my favorites include: Sea Salt Spray, Dove Non-Aerosol Extra Hold Hairspray (incredible for taming fly-aways if you spray on your hands first then smooth over hair), Big Spornette (best teasing brush ever), Powder Play , Girl Powder or Rock On for volume (they all rock, I buy what is cheapest!) and detangler (yep, it’s made for kids and it’s the best ever).
Okay, if you are still reading – bless you! But I have gotten a ton of questions over on Instagram and I really wanted to put a full post together to answer as many questions as I could. I hope I got everything, but if I missed yours, be sure to let me know below and I’ll get you an answer ASAP!