The Hair Experiments, concluded!

A completely unsolicited, unsponsored post about my hair, as a follow up to my original Hair Post from over 6 months ago.

Even at this length, I couldn't get any moisture down into the ends.

I've been obsessed with my hair ever since we moved to Vegas. I don't know what started it, whether it was pregnancy, the water, or just moving to the super dry climate, but either way, I've been obsessed with it. I cared about my hair when we lived in Chicago, but I was never concerned about it. I used shampoo, conditioner, sometimes a 2 in 1, blow-dried it, whatever, normal stuff. When we moved here, all that "normal stuff" was over. My hair was so dry and crunchy, I just cut it in a short bob and pretended I didn't want to have long hair. (but I did!)

I've tried moisturizing product after product, shampoos, conditioners, everything. Only conditioning the ends, blasting my hair with cold water at the end of a shampoo. I tried NOT shampooing my hair, and using baking soda and vinegar instead. I asked my hair stylist, her instructions were just not to wash it every day. And yes, that's what everybody always says, but my hair would get so oily at the roots while staying so dry at the ends that it wasn't much of an option. So on it went, but I didn't stop googling shampoo alternatives.

February 2013, in the process of growing out my hair. Pic was originally published in my inexplicably popular post, House of Cards and Hair. I think I was still using Wen at this point.

I decided to try cleansing conditioners. First, Wen (from the infomercials and QVC). It was great, actually. I really liked the scents and it definitely softened up my brittle ends, it was costing me like $50 a month, which... is not in my hair budget. I found a pretty great, much cheaper alternative in L'Oreal Evercreme, and I've had a bottle of it ever since. I used it religiously, daily, for a few months, when I finally found that my scalp's oil production was under control enough to skip shampoos. SKIP THEM!

Day 3 Hair! Granted, it's up in a top knot, but I assure you that it is not oily.

Now, in order to actually skip a shampoo is still have a "style" (aka anything other than limp, slept on hair), I need to use dry shampoo. I tried a bunch (I was obsessed for a while), until I finally settled on Batiste Dry Shampoo. Batiste is not expensive (like $8 at Ulta) and has been the only product to allow me to skip more than one shampoo. Seriously, I'll go two days in a row without washing my hair and still be able to wear it down on the 3rd day if I want to. Now, the longer I go between Shampoos, the more I end up going back to a regular plain old shampoo (it's hard for the cleansing conditioner to really get all the product from 3 days o styling out), but only twice a week. If it's only been a day or two since my last wash and I need to wash my hair for whatever reason, I'll still use the Evercreme.

Day 1, Blow Dried Straight.

Now, I'll generally do a routine of Day 1: Wash and Blow Dry Straight, using just a paddle brush and anti-frizz serum. Day 2: Dry Shampoo, them curl it wavy (pictured below), with a bit of volumizing powder (I use Powder Play from Big Sexy Hair) at the roots and hair spray to finish. Day 3: Up in a styled ponytail, or half up, or on days when I'm feeling ambitious, I'll try a style from The Small Things Blog (pictured above - incidentally, I also follow her recommendations on how to curl one's hair. It turns out, I was doing it all wrong. AWAY FROM THE FACE, FOLKS!).

 On Day 3, typically there is more Powder Play, and even more hairspray to hold the style. Incidentally, I think it's important that you use a nice tight brush and really brush your hair out at the end of the day. You know how on the Brady Bunch, Marcia would count to 100 brush strokes? Well, now that I'm not washing my hair everyday, I get it. I use a boar bristle brush that I got from Target.

 

Day 2 hair, curled.

So now, it's long, it's healthy, and it's not oily. I'm pretty happy with it! I'm not sure how much longer I'll go with it, though this is probably as long as it's ever been!