Few things elevate your self-confidence the way a good hair day does; when your hair looks good you just feel better about yourself. Having healthy and beautiful hair enhances your appearance and is often the first thing people might notice about you. The health and condition of your hair can also be viewed as a sign of how well you do (or don’t) take care of yourself. Although hair can be a confidence boosting attribute, the sad truth is many men and women are self-conscious about their hair. It’s no wonder that so many people turn to wigs and hair extensions to solve their hair issues. Hair loss, damage and undesirable texture can affect people of all ages due to a variety of factors such as chemical processing, heat styling, stress, poor nutrition, pregnancy, and aging.
My hair health journey began several months ago when I became frustrated with the condition and appearance of my hair. The increase in damage, fizziness and dullness of my hair stemmed from a combination of stress, chemical processing, heat styling and not enough healthy fats in my diet. As I’ve gotten older, my hair hasn’t been able to hold up to the abuse the same way it did when I was younger. Overtime, my hair became broken, brittle, and dry and I was also unable to grow my hair long because of continual breakage. I started to feel unhappy and self-conscious about my hair and decided it was time to delve deep into the world of hair care. Regardless of what factors might be contributing to your bad hair days, I’m here to tell you that there are ways to bring your locks back to life. My hair health journey began about four months ago, and I am already seeing such amazing gains that I wanted to share what is working for me. If you struggle with your hair or want to keep having good hair days, then read on.
When starting a hair health journey, remember that healthy hair starts from within. A balanced diet, including nutrients that support hair growth and natural oils in your diet, plus hydration, will help ensure your hair looks its best. Some of the best foods for hair health include berries, spinach, avocado, nuts, seed, sweet potatoes, beans, and healthy fats. With higher quality nutrition, more hydration and better lifestyle choices, we can get back to good hair days and hair confidence by being mindful of what we put into our bodies. While nutrition is a good place to start, sometimes we need a little more help, especially as we get older, and that is where the holy grail hair products come in.
In addition to these products, one further suggestion is to wash your hair a little less frequently…wash less and condition more. Using deep conditioners and hair masks regularly, with a focus on the ends can help add moisture to dry and damaged hair. This is especially important if your issues stem from aging and/or menopause. With age, hair starts to feel and look different due to graying and hormonal changes. As you get older, your production of sebum, an oil your skin naturally produces, decreases. Less sebum often means coarser, brittle, dull and frizzy hair. While beautiful skin and hair starts from the inside out, the age-related frizz that is linked to a lack of sebum can be improved by adding masks, hair oils and other hydrating hair products to your routine. Pay close attention to the ingredients in your hair care products and avoid any that include harmful chemicals like sulfates, parabens, and phthalates. As we age, our body becomes less resilient to chemicals and as a result, our hair strength can diminish and start to feel totally different.
Wellbel
Developed by fellow Cornell graduate Dr. Dan Yadegar, this supplement is next level for improving hair health for both men and women. To fight the impact of oxidative stress from chemical, hormonal and lifestyle factors, Wellbel women and men formulas include MSM. In short, MSM helps support the bond between the hair follicle and hair fibers, for stronger, more resilient hair. This helps people to stabilize hair health and fight off thinning hair and/or frizzy hair. With an all-natural and vegan formula, Wellbel can reclaim a healthy scalp and a healthy growth cycle with powerful ingredients that stimulate hair growth, produce hair strengthening oils and balance your hormonal health.
I have been taking Wellbel for three months now and I am already blown away with the improvement. I tried Nutrafol for a year and didn’t see the kind of results that I’ve experienced with Welbel in three months. The fragile bleached blonde pieces that frame my face literally broke off several years ago and never grew any longer. What use to be long strands of hair framing my face became one inch long due to breakage. I was horrified. It was bad enough that my hair stylist wanted to put some hair extensions in the front to hide the breakage, but the thought of that was defeating to me. Instead, I wanted my hair to regain its once healthy condition and that is what set me off on this hair health journey. Since taking Wellbel, the broken pieces framing my face have grown four inches. Instead of looking like broken pieces, these strands now look like intentional layers. The top layer on the back of my hair, which also broke off, has almost caught up to the rest of the longer pieces underneath. I am excited to see what my hair will look like with continued use of these supplements because I am already getting there!
K18 Leave In Hair Repair Mask
I started using K18 to help address the breakage I was experiencing at the suggestion of my hair stylist. This stuff is some kind of magic because even after one use, my ends were noticeably more hydrated and healthier looking. Since I wear black clothing, it was easy to see all the broken blond hair scattered on my shirt after brushing and styling my hair. Since using K18, I rarely see any breakage! The K18 works at the innermost layer of hair, reconnecting polypeptide chains and disulfide bonds broken during bleaching, chemical services, and through heat damage. By addressing these damage sites at the innermost layer of hair, core strength and elasticity are renewed for strong, smooth, bouncy hair—even after the most extreme damage done in the salon or at home. I love the fact that you get immediate results from this product, its vegan, color safe, good for all hair types and is cruelty free. To avoid common misapplication of the K18, here are some dos and don’ts to make it more effective for you! I also like to use their Peptide Prep PH maintenance shampoo every other week. It is a clarifying shampoo that helps prepare your hair for a more effective absorption of the K18 mask.
- DO wait the full 4 minutes before combing or styling.
- DO add whatever styling products you love after the 4 minutes.
- DO use for 4-6 shampoos consecutively for progressive results.
- DON’T use conditioner before applying K18 Mask (you can apply after the 4 min, but most find they don’t need it)
- DON’T overdo it—less is more!
- DON’T rinse it out!
Sisley Restructuring Nourishing Balm for Hair
Every product in the Sisley hair care line is incredible and luxurious. When you use anything from this line, your hair feels instantly hydrated and healthier. The Sisley products are definitely a splurge, so if you were going to pick only one, the balm is the bomb. I highly recommend this one if your hair is dry, brittle, or frizzy.
The balm is meant to be used as a pre-shampoo to deeply nourish damaged, dry, and brittle hair. The balm is enriched with a beautiful combination of botanical oils that act on the hair fibers to intensely nourish, restore, and restructure. For an intense restorative result, you can apply this balm and leave it on overnight. After using this product, the texture of my hair was visibly transformed and it felt more glossy, silky, and shiny. I use the balm once a week and it has helped bring my hair back to life. It smells amazing too! It’s no wonder this balm is a cult favorite and has won many beauty awards.
Hair Ritual Oil by Sisley
Hair Ritual is an oil that provides nutrition, radiance, and softness to your hair. It’s made from a blend of passion fruit oil, shea oil, cotton oil and moringa oil; a combination that gives smoothness, hydration and shine without weighing your hair down. I use this oil on my damp hair before styling, and then also when my hair is dry to give it a little extra shine and help keep my frizz away. Since I only wash my hair every 5 or 6 days, I use the oil when I am freshening up my style in between washes. This oil smells amazing and is one of their best sellers; having won all sorts of beauty awards. I highly recommend adding Hair Ritual to your hair ritual; it’s well worth it.
Regenerating Hair Care Mask by Sisley
I have tried over 50 hair masks in search of one that actually delivers some results and the regenerating hair mask with four botanical oils by Sisley delivers what it promises. This mask is enriched with botanical oils, highly concentrated plant-based extracts, proteins, vitamins, and minerals that specifically target the scalp to address damaged hair. This mask smells amazing and after one use, your hair will immediately feel softer and look shinier. With each application, your hair will look even more radiant and vibrant. This mask is a cult favorite and has won major beauty awards for excellence.
GRO Revitalizing Scalp Massager
Vegamour has a substantial hair care line that promotes healthy hair and while I’ve tried a few of their products, the scalp massager was the only product that made an impact for me. I use the massager with the Briogeo Scalp Revival which I discuss next, but you can use the scalp massager on its own. It can be used on both wet or dry hair to stimulate hair growth and a healthy scalp. Massaging your scalp with this tool feels really good and is a nice addition to your self-care routine.
Briogeo Scalp Revival
The Briogeo Scalp Revival Treatment uses charcoal to draw impurities from the scalp and hair follicle to provide the foundation for optimal scalp health. Many people don’t realize that the health of your hair starts with the scalp. Briogeo helps eliminate irritation and inflammation, while keeping the scalp balanced and hydrated. Scalp Revival has Biotin and other vitamins that repair the hair follicle to encourage healthy hair growth. I put a few drops of the treatment onto my scalp and then massage with the GRO Vegamour massager. It is excellent!!
Hairbeauron by Lumielina
Heat styling tools are a major factor when it comes to hair damage. While I am not likely to give up using them, I’ve come to realize that not all heat styling tools are created equal in the damage department. All the Dyson styling tools are excellent at delivering heat without the damage and I am a huge fan of the Dyson AirWrap and their flat iron. I think many people know of and use their styling tools, so I didn’t specifically include them on the list. I think replacing my heat styling tools with the less damaging Dyson products has made a big difference in preventing further damage to my hair and I have been hoping they would design a curling iron. After doing some research to find a curling iron that wouldn’t destroy my hair, I found an amazing one from a Japanese hair care company called Hairbeauron by Lumielina. Like the Dyson heat styling tools, it is pricy but delivers heat in a way that doesn’t damage your hair or cause breakage. Given the fragility of my hair and my love of heat styling tools, I went all on the Dyson AirWrap and the Hairbeauron so that I could continue to style my hair without damage. I don’t know how they do it, but the Hairbuearon by Lumielina actually makes my hair feel moisturized and soft after using it, instead of brittle and dried out like other curling irons. It’s definitely a splurge but in my opinion, it is totally worth it if you like to use a curling iron to style your hair. Your hair will thank you.
Silk Pillowcase
I love sleeping on my ride side or my back, and guess what? All the breakage that I experienced was on my right side and the back of my hair from the friction of my fragile hair rubbing on a cotton pillowcase. As part of my hair health makeover, I switched to a silk pillowcase. Silk’s frictionless surface helps to mitigate breakage and helps to keep your hair moisturized. It also helps prolong your blowout and prevents snarls/tangles. Silk pillowcases are also good for your skin and prevents fine lines and promotes hydration, smoothness, and radiance.
Silk Sleeping Cap
Much like the silk pillowcase, a silk sleeping cap prevents breakage and helps your hair retain moisture. Although you might have to endure some teasing from the person sleeping next to you, it is a game changer in helping preserve your blowout/style and eliminates breakage. I mean, who cares what you like with the lights off. The results are worth it.
Shu Uemura Restorative Shampoo & Conditioner
I found this hair care line when I was traveling in France last summer and I have been buying it ever since. Shu Uemura makes a beautiful shampoo, conditioner, and hair oil that is amazing. This line is very restorative and repairs the structure of the hair fibers. It is enriched with argan oil, making it smell like heaven. The Shu Uemura restorative line is a daily shampoo and conditioner that I use if I’m washing my hair more than once a week. The K18 and the Sisley treatments are a once weekly treatment. If you are looking for a high quality daily shampoo and conditioner that is restorative and hydrating, this is it.
Dyson Detangling Paddle Brush
Finally, everyone needs a good detangling brush that doesn’t hurt the scalp. It’s important to find one that is effective at detangling while minimizing friction and breakage. This is especially important when hair is wet because it is more susceptible to damage. There are many choices out there, but my favorite is the Dyson Designed Paddle Brush. Dyson just gets it. Every hair tool that they have is designed to minimize damage to your hair and their brush is no exception. I have a drawer full of brushes and this is the only one I reach for now.
One Response
This blog came at just the right time! Thanks Steph!! xo