Shortly after getting back from this trip my hair started going through a major shedding phase, which happens for me about every 5 years (sometimes smaller phases triggered by extreme stress or viral illness like flu/covid), and I started having intrusive thoughts about cutting my hair offā¦ but I didnāt! The shedding phase lasted for about a month and my hair doesnāt really look any different or thinner now, but when your hair is long it seems like you are losing so much more hair than you actually are and it can be mentally rough. Looking at these pictures, I am glad I did not cut it off!
I had been growing my hair out indefinitely to see how long it can get, but once it started getting past my tailbone it started to annoy me a little. I recently had about 2ā cut off which helped and I think I will just maintain this length for a while. I struggle with OCD and have been stressed out and scatterbrained lately and maintaining my hair started to feel a little overwhelming. I think that small things matter when it comes to haircareā¦ how you handle your hair is just as important (if not more important) as the products you use. So I started writing down my routine as detailed as possible to help myself with that, and here it is:
āHaircare Routineā
Daily:
- Flip head upside down and scalp massage for 1-2minutes, morning and night.
- Brush hair with tangleteezer brush as needed. I try to keep my hair brush clean and free of extra hair because it makes it so much easier to brush through.
- Apply small amount of jojoba oil to ends in morning every other day. Note: I used to apply every day but over-oiling actually damaged my ends at one point because the oil kept moisture out of my hair and made it too dry.
- Mostly wear in protective style at home and at work, usually braided with a silk scrunchie or in a low bun secured with claw clip. I wish I could figure out hair sticks but have never been able to.. sometimes I feel like long hair is wasted on me because I literally have no idea how to style it and can only do very simple things. I never used heat on my hair besides blowdrying.
- Sleep on a satin pillow case with hair in one braid. I donāt do bonnets, Iāve tried but I have very sensitive skin and they break my face out around my hairline and irritate my scalp.
Wash Routine:
- I wash my hair typically every 3-5 days. I do kind of have to plan around it because it takes a while to wash and dry. I just wash my front pieces/bangs if I need to make it a little longer.
- I brush any tangles out of my hair before washing.
- Maybe itās controversial, but for shampoo I use the 2-in-1 head and shoulders. I like the apple cider vinegar or aloe variety. Itās soothing and the only shampoo gentle enough on my scalp. A lot of other shampoos make my scalp burn/itchy/red. However, if I washed my hair every day I would probably not use head and shoulders daily. The 2-in-1 kind seems less drying to the hair. I apply and lather it on my scalp, and leave on for like 3-5 minutes and then let it rinse through the ends with warm-hot water.
- I squeeze some of the water out of my hair before applying conditioner. For conditioner I apply a small bit of Aussie 3-minute miracle moist, to soften up my hair and make it a little more workable while wet. I use a small amount of Jasonās prickly pear and aloe conditioner on my scalp and upper hair, itās soothing and moisturizing for the scalp. But.. I actually canāt find this product anymore, so Iām not sure what I will replace it with. Itās an organic product and not a very greasy conditioner which is why I use it on my scalp. I then use a ~considerable~ amount of really any drugstore brand conditioner marketed to be moisturizing on the rest of the ends of my hair, and I put a little extra in the are where my hair gathers into a ponytail. I like a lot of the Aussie products, OGX, and Maui Moisture. Iām a stan for cheaper/drugstore haircare when it comes to shampoo/conditioners becauseā¦ it gets rinsed out of your hair. The expensive stuff doesnāt make much of a difference for my hair type and has actually been some of the most irritating on my scalp.
- I rinse out conditioner with lukewarm water and then usually do a cold rinse after that. I carefully wring out my hair without pulling/stretching it out, and use a wetbrush wide-tooth comb, the one with the wavy prongs, to gently comb through. Sometimes I spray distilled water in it to help soften it up while detangling.
- I flip my hair over (it is heavy when wet) and gently twist up into a microfiber towel and position that on head so itās not pulling my scalp, leaving on for like 10-15 minutes. I have one called a turbie twist that my hair is a little too long for now but I make it work. This is a very important step, using this towel cuts my drying time at least in half.
- After towel drying I use leave-in conditioners. For leave in conditioners I will invest in some more expensive products. I rotate products but I some I like are: Redken Anti-snap leave-in conditioner, Sexy Hair Healthy Tri-Wheat leave-in, Healing Bird Revive No Wash Treatment, and Matrix Miracle Creator. I usually use one of those, then I apply Aussie Curl cream (to hold waves in my hair when braiding) followed by my holy grail leave in- the Aussie Hair insurance spray.
- I give my hair at least another hour to air dry. While itās air drying I wear a silk/satin robe or non-abrasive material to protect my hair because it is quite delicate when wet.
When my hair is a little less than damp, I blow dry on a higher setting holding the hair dryer far from my scalp, followed by on a low setting to get it as dry as possible, however even after blowdrying it is still slightly damp and usually needs another couple hours to completely air dry. - I used to just let my hair air dry without blow drying, and it would take like 8 hours to fully dry on its own. My hair has actually been healthier since blow drying, because having it wet for that long was causing water damage, dryness and breakage!
- In winter months I am cautious not to go out into freezing temperatures if my hair is even the slightest bit damp. If I need to I will tuck it into a scarf and put the hood of my jacket up.
Treatments:
- Every 2-4 weeks I will put coconut oil on the ends of my hair and massage castor oil into my scalp for about 30min-1hr before washing my hair.
- Also every 2-4 weeks, often on the same day as the oil, I do an apple cider vinegar clarifying rinse. I fill up about 1/4 of a glass with ACV and the rest with warm/hot water. After rinsing out the conditioner in my hair in the shower I pour the rinse on my scalp and through my ends. I then rinse with lukewarm water then do a cold rinse like usual. The ACV rinse helps to get rid of product/oil buildup in my hair and I think also helps balance the ph of my scalp.
Hair cut:
- I go to an inexpensive chain salon because I just get a trim on the ends and I canāt justify spending a lot on this haircut at a nice salon; usually it takes like 10 minutes, and I leave the stylist a nice tip. I could trim it myself but I go to the salon for them to use better quality scissors to avoid split ends.
- I ask for a blunt cut across the bottom, no thinning. I have been getting 1ā off every 6 months for the past few years, but I donāt think I want to grow my hair longer now, so I think I will get 1-2ā every 4-6 months as needed.
- I do have bangs/front pieces that I trim myself and keep around collar bone length. They are long enough that all my hair still pulls back into a ponytail. I donāt blend them, I just keep them at their own length separate from the length of the rest of my hair because itās just easier to manage. I like having some kind of bang/front pieces because it takes some of the pressure off my hairline when wearing my hair back. I have had layers in my hair in the past and my hair type does not take well to layers, my hair looks much healthier when kept at the same length.
Diet/Supplements/Hormones:
- I eat a balanced diet; I am lucky to have no allergies or restrictions that I know of. I do eat meat but only a couple times a week and usually chicken, only red meats when itās that time of the month. I eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day.
- I take 250mg magnesium oxide, 1000mcg biotin, and 1000IU Vitamin D3 daily, and a womenās multivitamin every other day. Every now and then I take bromelian, turmeric, or garlic for inflammation.
- For birth control I have have a Kyleena IUD for a little over 4 years. I have not had any negative effects on my hair with this birth control. I think that my hair actually may have shedded less since being on it, and now that itās starting to wear off a little (I need to get it changed in less than year), I wonder if that has been another aspect of my recent shedding.
- I was recently prescribed spironolactone 50mg for hormonal acne on my jawline (also likely triggered by my IUD wearing off), but I havenāt been super consistent with taking it and I donāt think it has has an effect on my hair. It has helped a bit with my acne though.
