3 tips to improve your hair

I was inspired to write this post after reading an excellent post on hair tips from my gorgeous cousin Caitlin over at Fry Sauce and Grits. 

I too struggle with the joy of curly hair. After years of straightening it (which, is a stage I believe every curly-haired girl goes through), I finally found my own way to love my curls.  I've faded in and out of taking the time to curl my hair, and although using a curling iron is still my favorite way to get the curls I want, I've found a few tips on what's best for my hair and how to style it without spending 20 minutes with a curling iron in my hair. These are my words of wisdom when it comes to hair care.

1. Invest in good shampoo. 

I never really thought that shampoo and conditioner varied among the different brands. Oh boy was I wrong. One of my best friends is a cosmetologist and she introduced me to the benefits of good shampoo. She almost died when I told her I just used Garnier Fructis. She told me to invest in nice shampoo and she was right. I now use Paul Mitchell's Tea Tree Special shampoo and conditioner and it is AMAZING! A lot of people are turned off by good shampoo because of the price, but I can buy the huge pump bottles at JC Penny and I usually spent $20-30  for the shampoo and conditioner, and it lasts me 6-9 months. I was buying a $2-4 bottle of shampoo and conditioner every month before I switched. I will never ever, ever go back to cheap store brand shampoos. 

Photo Cred: Paul Mitchell

2. Stop brushing your hair. 

It never occurred to me that I didn't need to brush my hair daily. I suffered through 23 years of brushing  my long snarly curly hair until one day two weeks ago I was too tired to brush my hair and just went to bed with it wet and unbrushed. The next morning I woke up to perfect beach waves and no snarls whatsoever. If you do want to brush your hair it's best to use a wide tooth comb, or so I've heard. 

This is the first day I didn't brush my hair!
Also sorry for the horrible bathroom pic.

3. Find an easy way to do your hair. 

Like I mentioned above, curling my hair with a curling rod will always produce the curls I want, but I don't always have the time or energy to curl my hair. I've had to play around with different things to produce nice curls in a short amount of time. My new way has been to not brush my hair because my curls are intact when I wake up, but I have also played around with mousse and gel to get nice curls. As long as you find the right brand (I like Herbal Essence mousse) you really don't have too many problems with "crunchy" curls. I've also found that simply pulling my hair into a low pony and wrapping my hair around my finger and letting it dry creates pretty cute curls. Find what works for you and your hair! I've found that just because someone else can create perfect curls one way doesn't mean that it works for my hair.

BONUS TIP!
Try not to touch your hair! I've noticed no matter how good my hair looks when I leave in the morning when I come home it's a bazillion times frizzier becuase I touch it all day long. I twist it around my finger to get it out of my way or I pull on it and it just creates frizz. If my hair is in the way the best thing I can do is pull it up in a messy bun and take it out when I'm ready for my hair to be down again. 

Let me know what works for you! What are your secrets to having a good hair day?