I was browsing old photos the other day and saw a picture from when I was pregnant with my oldest. Oh, my gosh. My hair looked so stinking healthy! It was long and lush. I have no idea what I did to get healthy hair like that, but I am on a mission to recreate it. I don’t think I will ever achieve Mermaid Hair status, but I am going to do my damndest to try to get as close as I can! Or at the very least, back to my pregnancy locks.
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Before I tell you what the game plan is, let’s chat hair for a hot minute. I have pretty thin hair. It has always been fine and lacking in the volume department. Before pregnancy, I had wild and crazy curls, but my oldest sucked the life out of my hair and took the curls for his. Now it is just these not so cute waves that are about as limp as… You know! My main goals are to get some length going and strengthen my hair up so that I can at least fake some thickness. I have done a ton of research, and other than go full on curly girl method, I haven’t ever given the tips out there a good go. Here is what is going to go down!
Hair Cut Every 8 Weeks
Everyone talks about how you have to get a hair cut on the regular trims to grow your hair. I just can’t wrap my head around this one. It just seems so backwards, but I am willing to get my butt to the hair dresser every other month for the foreseeable future and see if it really does make a difference. The hardest part about this is justifying the cost and time of actually getting to the salon. Hair cuts are a lot easier said than done for me!
Supplements
I did a serious amount of research on what vitamins, minerals, potions and lotions actually help stimulate growth. Let me say it for the people in the back, MERMAID HAIR!! There is a little conflicting evidence out there as to what actually works, but I am going to start with what seems to be the general consensus.
Prenatal Vitamin – You can’t look up hair growth without running into this one. Maybe it is part of the reason that my ‘do was so fabulous while I was pregnant. I finally found a prenatal that I don’t have to gag down, so I stocked up and plan to take it every morning.- Fish Oil – The reason fish oil is supposed to be amazing for your hair (and skin!) is the Omega-3 fats that it provides. We don’t eat nearly enough fish in our house, so I know that I will see some benefits from taking this. And if it gives a little more glow to my skin at the same time, I won’t complain.
- Iron – I should be taking this on a regular basis, but iron is always the first vitamin I push to the back of the cabinet. I’m going to try to boost up my iron by adding in some dark greens every morning instead of taking a supplement.
- Vitamin D – Most people are lacking in Vitamin D in the winter months. I for sure haven’t spent nearly as much time basking in the suns rays while it is freezing cold. Throwing this in since it is supposed to help regulate your follicle cycle.
Hair Mask
I remember doing weird, homemade masks as a kid. My sisters and I would raid our fridge for avocados and mayonnaise and make a complete mess of the bathroom, all in the name of making a DIY spa night. I have been way too obsessed with keeping things clean to even consider slathering my mane in olive oil, but I am going to do a hair mask once a week! I may try a few “natural ones” (not sure I am brave enough for egg yolks in my hair yet), but I also snagged this one from MORROCANOIL that has amazing reviews! Just making sure I take the time on days that I do wash to a mask will be a feat for me.
Wash Your Hair Less
This one will be easy for me, because I am the queen of dry shampoo. There are weeks that I plan out my days according to if I will have to wash my hair or not. No joke! If you are washing your locks less, you are heating it less, stripping it with shampoo less and letting it do it’s thing! When I went from shampooing every other day to washing twice a week max, I noticed a lot less fall out. My goal is to get down to once a week! Here are a few tips to reduce oil build up and extending day between washes.
- Put your hair up – The minute I walk in the door, my hair is up in a loose messy bun. This helps me touch my hair less, which means less grease building up. It also keeps the style lasting a little bit longer by playing with it less. I also don’t need to brush it as often, since it doesn’t have as much time down to get tangled!
- One Day at a Time – If you usually wash your hair every day, try going a week shampooing every other day. The next week, every third day, and so on until you are going a few days in between washes. It takes time for your scalp to adjust to not needing to produce so much oil. Give yourself a little grace and make a sleek pony tail your best friend for a while.
- Dry Shampoo – Dry Shampoo is a total life saver! I can easily go three or four days without washing when I use dry shampoo. And that is keeping it styled! By the fourth or fifth day, I may have to put it up. My biggest secret to using dry shampoo successfully is to put it in at night. Then just throw your tresses up in a bun with a soft scrunchie. It gives maximum amount of time to absorb excess oils. When you wake up, just brush it out.
Avoid Towels and Hair Dyers
Lastly, I am determined to not use a towel on my hair for the next few months. Instead, I grabbed this awesome microfiber head wrap to put my hair in after I shower. The fabric of a towel can damage the shaft of your strands and add some serious frizz. Which in turn, means using heat to smooth it out! I have let my hair dry overnight in a twist a few times now, and the outcome isn’t too bad! At the very least, I only have to wrap it a few times around a curling wand in the morning and I am good for a few days without heat!
I will update you in a few months to my progress. Join me in #operationmermaidhair! It will be a fun little experiment. Do you have super healthy hair? Have you ever made changes to get your hair to grow faster? Share all of your tips with me! I am pretty much willing to try anything at this point.
