My Hair Care Routine: How I Keep My Long Hair Healthy

Today I'm very excited to share my hair care routine with you! As someone with very long, thick, frizzy hair, I haven't always had the easiest time achieving the style I want.

In fact, throughout the years I've tried TONS of products and come close to giving up the quest for long, manageable hair many times. Through this trial and error I've come to rely on a few great products and tips that not only keep my hair frizz free year round, but also keep it healthy and long, with minimal breakage. 

Below, I've outlined this routine and the products I use along the way for you. My hope is that all of my time and energy can help at least one of you get one step closer to the hair you've always dreamed of. 

Step 1: Wash & Condition

One of the first things I did to improve the health of my hair was to not wash it every day. Instead, I only wash and condition my hair every 2-3 days depending on how active I am. On the days I do wash my hair, I love 2 shampoos.

The first one by Kerastase, really helps to smooth my hair and help fight frizz and I use it whenever the humidity is crazy high - which is just about every day in the spring and summer here in South Carolina. The second shampoo I love is better during the cooler months and not only helps smooth my hair, but is also really gentle to my scalp which is essential when the air is dry. 

For conditioner, I use the the same one year round and love how it helps repair split ends while also leaving my hair super soft and manageable. 

Step 2: Brush & Blow Dry

After my hair is freshly washed and conditioned, I brush through it gently to remove any tangles. For this step I love the Wet Brush because it's super gentle on my hair and never causes breakage. I used to comb through my hair with a wide tooth comb but have found a huge improvement in the condition of my hair since switching to the Wet Brush.

Next, I let my hair air dry until it's about 80-90% dry before going in with a blow dryer. The blow dryer that I love is the Twin Turbo 3200 and I can't say enough good things about it. Both ionic and ceramic, this wonder tool not only cuts my blow dry time but also helps maintain the health of hair by being less damaging than some others on the market.

I could go on and on but instead I'll just leave you with my recommendation to try this one out if you're on the hunt for a great blow dryer. 

Step 3: Style & Curl

Before I jump into the styling and curling part of my routine, I want to say that if it's super humid outside I will do one more thing before blow drying and that is to apply a styling cream. The one I love is by Alterna and it does a phenomenal job of extending the longevity of my style while also fighting frizz. A little goes a long way with this one and when used sparingly it gives me locks that even Rapunzel would envy.

With that sidebar out of the way, let's jump into styling and curling. On days that I want my style to be a little more polished I will go in with my GHD eclipse. This tool is a total game changer for me and since picking one up I have cut my style time in half! With a traditional curling iron, it would take me anywhere from 15-25 minutes to curl my entire head of hair but since switching to the GHD, it only takes me 5-10 minutes. Not only is my style so much faster to achieve, but the even heat of the GHD has really helped minimize overall heat damage. 

Step 4: Stretch Your Style

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I only wash and completely style my hair every 2-3 days so stretching my style is essential. To do this, and keep my locks looking fresh for the long stretch I rely on four additional products. The first, is my go-to, game changing hair brush - The Mason Pearson. When I first heard about this brush I thought it had to be mostly hype (it's just a hair brush!) but after reading tons and tons of reviews from people and sources I trust, I decided to take the plunge and couldn't be happier that I did!

After I've washed, blowdried and styled my hair (usually at night because the whole process is a bit too much for the morning), I will inevitably have to sleep on my freshly styled locks. To do this, I will clip up my hair using my J. Crew claw clip (you can hear more about why I love this particular one in the corresponding video below) and sleep on my freshly done hair. Now, until I discovered the Mason Pearson, that would often mean that my style would never look as great on day 2 or 3 as it did on day 1, but with this wonder brush my hair only gets better with each day. Somehow inexplicably when I take my hair out of the clip each morning and brush through it my roots are lifted, the ends re-curled and my style refreshed for at least a few more days. I can't explain why or how it works but can only say that it does, so if you're on the fence about this one I recommend taking the plunge.

Once I've done that each morning I will add a bit of oil if the humidity is especially fierce that day. For this I love the Alterna Omega Nourishing Oil because it's lightweight, smells great and is the only product I've found that actually does fight frizz.

Lastly, on day 2 or 3 of my style I will turn to dry shampoo to buy some time before my next wash. The dry shampoo I love right now is by Living Proof and it does a wonderful job of soaking up oil without weighing down my roots like a lot of aerosol dry shampoos tend to do. For optimal results, I apply mine to the roots of my hair at night to give the product ample time to work. Then in the morning I simple shake out my locks and brush through them and I'm left with no residue or white cast - just a revived do that lasts. 

That's my entire routine from start to finish! I hope you found this helpful and I'd love to hear what your routine looks like in the comments below. Let me know if you use and love any of these products or if you have any new product recommendations that you swear by - I'd love to hear from you!  

Until next time,

Audrey