Before you read this, the title of this is not me going “omg look at me i’m such hair goals” because i’m not. I will never be happy with the length of my hair until it’s nearly at my waist, but this doesn’t mean you can’t be happy with your current hair.
I’ve been on a pretty mammoth journey with my hair over the last few years. From having a bleach blonde home hair dye nightmare a few weeks before I started Uni, to going dark brown and much shorter, and i’ve learnt a lot about my hair since. I never used to be one for hair products, my hair is so thick that I usually notice any products in it. However, I realised that this way wasn’t getting me any closer to having the mermaid hair I so desire.
Since January, i’ve been on a real mission with my hair, but I wanted to get it in really good condition before it grew. There’s no point having long hair if a third of it is dry split ends. Once I acknowledged this and stopped fighting a haircut, I bit the bullet and Matt’s mum cut off an inch or so for me. (She is a stylist, I didn’t just let anyone do it aha). I HATE cutting my hair, but if I want it to be nice and long, I had to start again.
Nioxin Treatment:
I heard of Nioxin years ago, and I read somewhere that brides use it to grow their hair before their wedding. After years of lusting, I took the plunge. It’s not the cheapest stuff, and mine came with instructions in German (helpful). I bought the Phase 3 shampoo, conditioner, and scalp treatment and the Diaboost intensive treatment.
Verdict? It did make my hair feel longer, but I think that was a slight placebo effect. The shampoo is nice, both that and the conditioner have an incredibly minty scent and tingle on your scalp. The conditioner bottle says “scalp renewing”, so you put it on your roots. This might work for some, but I never condition my roots as it makes my hair feel flat and lank after a few hours.
What probably happened is that I only thought it felt longer because it wasn’t as voluminous at the top as it usually is after it’s been dried. I noticed that my hair felt weighed down with product. After I washed it, I used the Diaboost. You section your hair off and put little pumps in your parting, then rub it in. It’s a bit of a faff to do, and I didn’t notice an instant difference.
I’m determined not to give up with Nioxin (mainly because it was expensive), but I also think that I should have started using it after i’d had a haircut and didn’t have any split ends. I won’t use the conditioner anymore, I can’t stand the feeling of my roots having product in them. It doesn’t help that I also touch my hair loads during the day. After I’d washed my hair and used the Nioxin products, my hair felt really nice and swishy. However, the fact that it didn’t last the couple of days I usually leave in-between washes put me off a bit.
Coconut Oil:
One of the things I could never really get when I was blonde, was shiny hair. My hair is quite a dark brown now. Nearly a year ago, I noticed that it had lost the shine I got when I first joined the dark side.
I asked Matt’s mum what the best hair mask, and she said not to waste my money because coconut oil is the best! I haven’t tried a hair mask since, but coconut oil definitely does the job. Once every couple of weeks I like to whack my hair into a ponytail and put some coconut oil through the lengths. Make sure you have a vest or a zip top on, it probably wouldn’t come out of clothes when you pull them over your head. I leave it on for at least 10 minutes, but if you can manage it, sleep with it in. It makes my hair super soft and shiny, but it still feels really clean and bouncy after a wash.
Now my hair is all shiny and bluntly cut, I’ve been focusing on reducing split ends. When I last had a haircut, Sharon (Matt’s lovely mum) told me that I had some noticeable breakage. Probably because I am really rough when brushing and it always gets tangled in with my necklace at the back. I’ve been really trying to keep my hair detangled and prevent split ends as much as I can.
Dream Lengths:
Since the Easter holidays I have been using the new L’Oreal Elvive Dream Lengths range, and I really like it. Weirdly, the shampoo and conditioner smell different, the shampoo smells like sweets. I was apprehensive about trying the cream because I hate products in my hair. Not gonna lie, I’m still shocked. Once you’ve put a bit through the lengths and ends of your hair, it’s like there’s nothing in it. My hair didn’t feel greasy at all, still really soft, so hopefully it is working and keeping my hair strong. You can put it in your hair wet or dry. I will probably put it in wet hair from now on because that is when I use heat protectant spray.
Heat protectant is a big part of keeping your hair in good condition, shiny and not looking dry. For years it would be in my drawer but I’d never use it, but I have used it religiously since Christmas. I use one from Urban Fudge and I really like it, but I don’t think the brand matters much. Once it’s dry, you can’t tell you’ve put anything in your hair. I only apply it to the ends of my hair and avoid my scalp. I just hate my hair feeling unclean and product-y, I don’t quite think I’ve said it enough yet aha.
Learn to love it:
A big part of achieving your hair goals is working with what you have rather than wishing it was different. Pretty much like I have done for years. When I was blonde in sixth form, I wished my hair was longer and thought it was really short. Now I look at photos of me and can’t believe my hair was that long. I can’t quite figure out why it isn’t that length any more since I rarely get a haircut. Even though I want really long hair, I want it to remain thick, shiny and healthy more.
I’d definitely recommend these products, I don’t think you get instant results with any hair product. They all need time to work. The only one I didn’t like was the Nioxin conditioner. However you can’t buy the shampoo alone as you are recommended a phase of treatments to suit your hair. You use the consultation tool on their website to find out which one you need, then i’d just buy it off a cheaper website. Nioxin is recommended for people with thinning hair, not technically my hair type. Maybe it would be more noticeable on those with thin hair.
I work closely with the charity Hair Heals supporting hair loss, so I am very aware of how lucky I am to have my hair. Therefore i’m not in a major rush to grow my hair, anything worth doing takes time. Eventually i’ve learnt the simplest lesson of all. Treat your hair nicely, and it will thank you. Don’t yank at it with brushes, and use invisibobbles! They’re also a pretty cool wrist accessory aha. Check out the links!
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