my hair has always been immensely thick and, for the most part, healthy. through the years i have learned what haircuts/styles work best for my head shape and what color i feel the most comfortable in. for the new year i wanted to take some length off and brighten everything up. i really only go to people i know and admire their work with natural-looking blonde hair & when i get it done (which is usually like twice/three times a year) it entails taking a few inches off and balayage. katelin is my go-to blonde guru but this time i went to my friend kelsey, who works at an aveda salon & also does amazing work. to change it up i went quite a bit more white blonde than i have before & i love the result…chopped, lightened and fresh! the color is just getting better and better everyday.
i wanted to share 3 of my latest hair steps and a few of my most recent favorite products, if you’re interested:
1. shampoo & conditioner: i usually use drugstore stuff but since having gone to the salon i came home with ‘color conserve‘ shampoo and ‘damage remedy intensive reconstructing treatment.’ i’m also using pravana ‘the perfect blonde‘ purple toning shampoo & conditioner every other wash and it’s keeping the white from turning too yellow/golden. at first it literally turned my hair lavender because the stuff is actually purple- i really liked it but it washed out and the whole balayage job is now blending together so well. love keeping my hair looking naturally light and dimensional.
2. damage control: i use a heat tool a few times a week on my hair so i really need to protect my strands. i am currently using ‘brilliant damage control spray,’ ‘damage remedy daily hair repair‘ creme & ‘HSI argan oil heat protectant‘ spray…all in that order, every time i get out of the shower.
3. styling my hair: i typically wash my hair 2-3 times a week and i will either let it air dry, sleep on it damp or immediately blow dry it. either way, once it’s dry i style it by creating soft beachy waves with my straightener and running either john frieda oil elixir with argan oil or bed head ‘after party‘ through the ends. between washes, i will spritz garnier fructis ‘texture tease’ at the roots to give them some lift and fresh smell. i recently got this curling iron & am loving playing around with it, it was my first time using it for these photos 🙂
before & after