Thursday, 17 March 2016

Is it a Bush or is That My Hair?

In my previous posts, I have mentioned how much I love to look after my hair a. This is something that has always been a part of my life but increasingly more over the past few years.

When I was younger, absolutely hated my hair because it was so bushy, so frizzy and I just had SO MUCH hair! It would take me around 3 hours to straighten my hair and at most times this was just not practical so I would often just tie my hair up.

With such a big family, I was always envious of all of the women/girls in my family with manageable hair and I grew up watching my mum straighten her hair with such little effort. As I grew older and started experimenting with my hair, I realised how much of a blessing it was to have so much hair but now, it takes me a maximum of 30 minutes to straighten my hair.

I have seen my hair beginning to thin out over the years because, in my first year of university, it took me at least an hour to straighten my hair. I do begin to wonder whether I should lay off the straightening, given that I straighten my hair at least once a day. My worries about having any hair left by the time I am 30, led me to experiment with heatless hairstyles and to use less harsh chemicals on my hair.

I quite often find that I have breakouts of dandruff (I think most people do) particularly when it is cold. I used to use head and shoulders in my hair but one year, when I went to the glorious T4 On The Beach, being in the sun for an entire day meant that I burned my scalp. As a result, I had to pay a visit to my GP who prescribed the most disgusting cream she could find. Since these events, I have never managed to get rid of my dandruff and have been through various shampoos, including T-Gel (which smells awful too).

I soon began to gave up with my hair and reverted back to the Pantene Pro-V my mum used. Then I switched to L’oreal Elvive Triple Resist and 4 years later, I am still recommending it to everyone! I use both the shampoo and conditioner of this range and believe that it has worked absolute wonders in my hair! Not only does it smell great (and the smell lasts after blow-drying and straightening) but it makes my hair feels so soft and it tames it too! I can now happily leave my hair to dry naturally and be happy with the curls I have!

Like I said, I try not to use too many harsh chemicals on my hair and so, to keep my hair nourished, I use baby oil in the ends of my hair at least twice a week, applying it before bed so that it is nicely soaked in and grease free by the morning. Coconut oil is also another great thing to use in your hair. I find that coconut oil works best when it is massaged into the scalp for at least 5 minutes and then left over night or at least for one hour. Olive oil, slightly warmed up, is also another great source of nutrient for your hair however I personally find olive oil to be too greasy on my hair.

Another huge point about keeping your hair healthy, which I think is often understated by too many people, is regular haircuts. I know some people who leave their hair for about a year before they get it cut but I personally can never leave my hair that long. I don’t say this because I have some moral objection to leaving your hair for that long, but rather because the ends of my hair simply cannot withstand such an amount of time. I used to get my hair cut every 3 months but after watching a load of youtube videos and plucking up my own courage, I got hold of a comb, some scissors and a towel, and went in for the chop myself. I explicitly remember the first time I cut my hair; it was last year (2015) before my criminal law exam! I remember my friends telling me how stressed out they were and my response being ‘I was so stressed I couldn’t revise so I cut my hair instead’ needless to say, they thought I was crazy.

Now, I cut my hair as and when I need to, because I have all the tools to do it myself. I have definitely seen that cutting my hair myself and using various oils on my hair has helped my hair stay healthy and it has also allowed me to maintain it at the length I want. I absolutely hated going to the hairdressers and coming out with 10 inches off my hair when I had told them to only take off 2 inches.

I wouldn’t ever recommend that we all ditch the hairdressers and start cutting our own hair, but I would say that you should not be afraid of trying. If you are in the awkward months of waiting to get your hair cut and you think your ends could do with a little trim, just go ahead and try it if you feel confident enough. I would definitely suggest watching some youtube videos beforehand; the beauty guru I learned from was Carli Bybel.

I think the golden rule to remember is that your hair is as precious as your skin and everyone’s hair, just like their skin, if different. Your scalp is sensitive to different things than those your best friend’s scalp is sensitive to. Try out different shampoos/conditioners before you settle for one that you love. One discovery I recently made was the Manuka Honey Rescue Mask (link below) which has honey, coconut oil and other ingredients in. It was so incredibly easy to use, you simply wash your hair (I shampooed mine), put the contents of the packet onto your hair just as you would a face mask, and after about 5 minutes, rinse the mask out! My hair felt incredible and has felt great even after I have washed my hair. It felt soft, nourished and lovely and thick and considering I had been going through a patch of badly damaged hair due to the blistering cold winds, I was very pleased to see that my hair had been rescued!!

If you have any questions about hair care or anything else, comment below or tweet me at @_Inayahh or message me on Instagram @inayahhhh

All love xoxo



***Disclaimer: I think big hair is beautiful but I just hated it on me and I was unable to handle it! My comments are a preference as to how I prefer my own hair and by no means represent a preference of hair type in general***

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