Some of you have been asking me about my hair care routine and I’m actually very excited with this post, because it’s one I’ve been wanting to write for a little while. Why? Because if you’re a woman, you know the special relationship we all develop with our hair along our lives, who can’t relate to the experience of leaving the salon feeling you can conquer the world with just a simple (but gorgeous) hairstyle? Or who hasn’t thought that the cut you’ve just asked your stylist to do, just ruined your life?
Sometimes your relationship with your hair can be a complicated one, especially if you don’t understand what your hair requires, and I consider this the foundation: to know your hair type. Is it fine, medium or coarse? Is it thin or thick? Curly or straight? So, if you want to find out which is your hair type, here’s what you can do to find out:
- Wash your hair with a shampoo designed for “normal” hair but don’t use conditioner.
- Let your hair dry naturally without using a dryer or toweling too roughly.
- Once you hair is dry, you can see its natural texture: is it totally straight or does it have waves? Perhaps you have curls, or perhaps you have a mixture of textures.
- Can you see frizz in your hair? Does it have natural shine or does it seem dry and dull?
- To measure the thickness pull out a single hair and look at it in front of a white paper. If the hair is barely visible and feels soft, it’s fine. If it’s easy to see but still feels soft, your hair is medium. If it looks thick and feels wiry, your hair is coarse.
- To measure the thickness, pull it back as if you were creating a ponytail and measure its circumference, if the circumference is five centimeters or less, you have fine hair. If it is between five and ten centimeters your hair is of medium thickness, if it’s more than ten centimeters, your hair is thick.
Having this information will allow you to narrow your choices in hair care products because you’ll know exactly what your hair requires to look healthy and shiny! And talking about shiny hair, I also want to share with you some tips to increase your hair’s shine:
- When you wash your hair, finish with a cold rinse to close down the cuticles.
- Blow dry with a large, natural bristle barrel brush, pointing the nozzle down your hair as you dry.
- Use a hair mask once a week, look for ingredients such as jojoba, olive or coconut oil.
- Boost your intake of vitamin E and drink plenty of water to prevent your hair from becoming dehydrated, brittle and dull,
- Use a serum for your hair type avoiding the roots and when your hair is still wet.
