how I style my hair

I’ve talked about my hair a lot, a lot, a lot on the blog. Really, the main ~thing~ about my hair is the color, I’m not ashamed to admit nothing else too impressive is going on. Genetics have “blessed” me with fine hair is insanely straight. While lots of people would probably kill for my straight hair, I’d gladly trade it without a second thought. (I know, I know, you always want whatever you don’t have when it comes to hair!) I’ve never really been a fan of my hair other than the colors I pizazz it up with so when I get comments or emails asking how I style my hair it feels like a real victory!  I thought it’d be fun to share a little bit about how I achieve my looks.

My daily hair products + a little bit about what they do…
▴ Sparks Color Care Sulfate-Free Shampoo + Conditioner – My shampoo and conditioner for the last few months. It doesn’t lather as much as I’m used to with shampoos but still leaves my hair feeling clean.
▴ Pantene Pro-V Serious Repair Detangler  – I only recently started using this since deciding to grow my hair out. It makes my hair sooo easy to brush out when it’s wet. If I only use one product for the day after washing, it’s this!
▴ Hask Placenta – My all time favorite hair product. It’s a leave in conditioning treatment. I apply generously to wet hair.
▴ Pantene Pro-V Smooth Heat Protecting Spray – A must if you’re doing any kind of heat styling.
▴ Evo Love Touch – This just goes on the ends of my hair on days I feel like it could use a little extra shine. It smells SO good.
▴ Sparks Color Care Protecting Spray – Think of it as sunscreen for your hair. Helps fight fading and makes a world of difference if you’re going to be out in the sun. I apply one spray to the top of my head when my hair is wet and brush through. A little goes a very long way, too much and my hair is greasy.
▴ Pantene Pro-V Non-Aerosol Hairspray – Nothing too special, just my current hairspray of choice. I normally only use it on my bangs to help keep them in place.

curls from foam rollers taken out the previous hour.

Spoiler alert: my long hair styling is nothing more than the result of foam rollers!

Right now I’m rocking the longest hair I’ve had in quite a few years which means I’m having to figure out what in the world to do with it. Blow drying it with the round brush everyday is out of the question. It takes up too much time. My hair isn’t even that long but once it gets past a certain point I swear, the amount of time it takes to blow dry doubles. I can’t even imagine what it’s like for you ladies with actual long hair. I prefer to use my blow dryer as little as possible, that heat isn’t good for your hair.

After towel drying my hair, I apply the products listed near the beginning of this post. I brush it out and then scrunch it up with my fingers. From there I go about my business as normal. I make breakfast, drink coffee, sit down and answer some emails. By the time I’m done doing all my morning things my hair is nearly dry so I will blow dry upside down just to get a little bit more volume and toss in some foam rollers. I’ve had this set since 2013, and they’re still going strong. I use the largest size, the pink ones, for my whole head of hair once it’s around shoulder length. If it’s shorter I’ll use a mix of the largest, pink, and the next size down, green.

How long I leave them in depends on what I’m doing that day / what time I need to be ready. On days I work at the flower shop and have to be out of the house relatively early they only stay in an hour or so. On days that I don’t have anywhere to be and my errands aren’t urgent, the rollers might stay in two hours or longer. If I have to run outside I toss a scarf of my head. After I take them out I’ll shake my hair out and run my fingers through the curls. It’s usually pretty crazy for the first half an hour but since my hair just looooves to be straight the curls settle down quickly. TA-DA!

above: curls from foam rollers after a full day.

below:  foam roller curls with shorter hair. More photos of this hair here.

No matter the length of my hair or what I’m planning to do with it, I always curl my bangs with a curling iron. I own this one. It heats up quickly, and on a low setting does exactly what I’d like
for my bangs – a tiny bit of volume so they’re not stuck to my forehead!

I had this post finished and ready to go live when I got a curling wand from NuMe in the mail. Isn’t it just like a curling iron? NO! It’s safe to say I’m obsessed. I’m still not super stoked about using heat styling on my hair. But the cuuuuurls! My goodness, y’all! Can you say dream hair?! I can’t wait to share photos soon. I’ll be back with a full report on how I like this thing oh so soon.
xoxo

Psst. If you have any hair questions or are looking for some tips, check out my hair masterpost!