The past 10 years of my life I’ve been dying my hair blonde. That amount of bleach over the years has definitely left my hair feeling dull, dried out, and coarse. In the last year or so I have been focusing on making my hair feeling healthy and happy again after all the damage I’ve put it through! And I will say they have been paying off! Feels nice to get compliments about your hair looking like a Pantene commercial 😉
I have put together some tips to make your hair look and feel it’s best while still maintaining a level of put-togetherness.
Expensive Shampoo and Conditioner Do Wonders
For the longest time, I would always buy drugstore shampoo and conditioner for my hair and think it was doing a sufficient job. I spend $500+ on my hair each year to dye and style it and half of it ends up going to waste by not sustaining or working towards helping my hair get stronger or retain colour.
I have recently discovered Redken All Soft Shampoo & Conditioner and my hair has never felt softer or looked shinier!
Only Use Purple Shampoo Every 4-5 Washes
Ladies, I know how addicting this shampoo is! It’s so trendy in the last couple years that everyone thinks it’s okay to use all the time. It is a toning SHAMPOO made to make your hair ashier blonde/silver but it dries your hair out! Try to use it no more than once a week when washing often because your hair is getting stripped of its natural oils.
Cheapest Hair Mask Of All
COCONUT OIL
Replenish the oils that are being taken out of your hair and soak your hair tips in coconut oil and leave overnight. Wrap your head in a hair wrap or plastic bag to avoid a mess on your pillow but your hair will be thanking me! Make sure to only do this on days where you have time to wash your hair in the morning or else you will be stuck with a hot mess.
The Less Heat The Better
This tip may be easier said than done but it is really beneficial for your hair to use less hot tools to style your hair. I have been blow drying my hair straight after I wash it and then leaving it like that to style it. I typically use a round brush to blow dry it to get a smoothing effect.
Towel Dry Hair Until Semi-Damp
Most of you ladies know that it takes forever to blow-dry sopping wet hair. The less amount of time you can spend with heat on your hair, the better. I personally like to put my hair up into a towel-bun as soon as I get out of the shower and then start doing my makeup. Halfway through my makeup I will stop and take my hair down and brush it and whip it around, then position the driest part of the towel to put it back up so you are able to absorb as much water out of your hair as you can before you begin the drying process.
Use A Heat Protectant
Bleach and heat are two key factors that damage your hair and make it look less shiny. Post-shower, you can apply a heat protectant to your damp hair before you blow dry.
Buy one of my faves here: Chi Iron Guard
Apply Smoothing Oil / Leave-In Conditioner
This will be the final step to ensure your hair stays healthy and moisturized. Adding this extra moisture to your hair leaves it shiny and luscious all day long!
My favourite smoothing oil is by Chi Silk Infusion oil. You can purchase it online through my link here!
I hope these tips and products help you achieve the Pantene commercial Princess that everyone deserves to feel! I live in a dry climate so I don’t have to worry too much about humidity in the summer.
Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments about any tips for shiny smooth hair on different hair types than my own!
