I was pleasantly surprised when one of my students told me recently that she was looking forward to more hair care updates. Just when you think nobody cares unless you talk about training 😂 so here I am for a new update!

I’ve done a lot of trial and error on what works best for my hair since January, the last time I got highlights. Reminder: my hair is fine, lightened and wavy, so a perfect recipe for breakage and knots.

I’ve stuck to a pretty simple routine for the past three months. As usual, simple works best because it’s easy to keep up with and repeat over and over.

Here are the 5 habits that I developed that really made these locks grow and gain a lot more health!

1. DAILY SCALP MASSAGES

I’ve been massaging my scalp religiously every night. I even bought a scalp massager (I thought it was so extra at first… now I can’t live without it and bring it with me on trips).

This thing is SO ENJOYABLE and has a built in 10 min timer, plus red LED light as well.

Fact about scalp massages (and red light therapy): proven to be the best way to promote blood flow to the scalp and help all the nutrients get to your follicles more effectively. Plus it’s so relaxing.

2. SCALP SERUM

Before I do my scalp massages, I apply a scalp serum about 3-4 times a week. If you’re looking to shed less hair like me (I was shedding a lot before I started using scalp serums) you’ll need one that has at least caffeine in it (caffeine is like an energizer for your follicle). I’ve been really liking Nioxin Hair Fall Defense Serum which contains Sandalore, a substance which seems to “anchor” the hair and prolong its anagen (growth) phase. I also used Genesis scalp serum from Kerastase with good results. Having included scalp serums in my routine I noticed a lot of less hair in my brush, from 150-200 at times to around 30-60.

3. OILING THE ENDS AT NIGHT (NOT THE SCALP)

This has been MAJOR for length retention. It’s imperative you oil your ends at night though, not in the morning or when your hair will just be left loose. After you – lightly – oil the ends, you gotta put it in a braid or two, so the oil sits there and does its thing. I like Jojoba oil because is very light and gives hair a great shine the following day as well! I’ll never do coconut oil again, it’s way too heavy for my hair. I don’t oil my scalp at all, don’t ask me why but I feel I just shed more hair and don’t enjoy clogging with my follicles, they produce their own oil anyway.

4. PROTECTIVE STYLES

As much as I enjoy my hair down, the longer it gets the more knots it gets😆 I noticed if I leave my hair down all day, it’s a lot harder to brush it at night and I shed more. So if I’m training or just do chores around the house I’m sticking to braids (1,2, sometimes I do even 4). I was a fan of hair claws but now it’s starting to hurt my head after a while. So yeah, I prefer to be a braid, knots free girl.

5. GENTLY DAILY BRUSHING

Let’s emphasize GENTLYYYYYY. I used not to be gently, I would actually get pretty frustrated and go hard on brushing. Now it’s like … my head is the one of an infant😂 I’m very careful. Every wrong pull is unnecessary hair loss, think about it!

Take your time (I allow about 15 min to section my hair in 4 parts, brush each from the ends and work my way up) and use a good brush (I love the Tangle teezer brush and a boar brush also to use after detangling, to distribute hair oils evenly).

All these together have made the biggest difference, beside using products from mostly Kerastase, Oribe and Redken. I also do masks weekly, wash my hair about twice a week, use bond building products (recently went back to K18). I still don’t know how much of a difference bond builders really do on my hair but I believe it’s all a combination of stuff I do. I also still supplement with Marine Collagen and Viviscal (half dose for maintenance).

If you’re struggling with your hair, you can too find what works best for you! It’s definitely a combination of things and I do believe that we need to help our body as well as our hair sometimes to regain their original strength or even improve it altogether. We are living in an era where there is access to great products thankfully and so don’t feel weird to go all out like I did. One think I learned in life is when you see someone with either a great body or hair or nails or anything (and they’re natural) they’re either partially genetically gifted or put a LOT OF WORK to achieve those results!