In the fall of my sixth grade year, my hair was getting more and more unruly. I didn’t know that puberty was changing its texture. I had always had thick hair with a slight wave, but something was changing and I was tired of having “bad hair” days. I asked my sister to trim my hair. As she snipped a little from the sides and top, my hair behaved as if it had a mind of its own. So, she snipped some more. What was to be a trim, became a very short haircut, followed by the two of us sitting and crying on the bathroom floor. My sister was not a professional hairstylist; she was only sixteen. I was in that horrible early, middle-school stage where the whole world seemed to be laughing, and I was the joke. And the new issues was that my hair was hardly there. It would be months before I would see much of it again. As it grew out, it got curlier and coarser. I didn’t realize my bad hair days were caused by hormonal changes, but it makes sense now.
Since that dramatic haircut, hair care has been a priority for me. Puberty is no longer a worry, but I do live in Minnesota where the summers are hot and humid and winters are long and dry. Winter is supposed to be nearing its end, according to Punxsutawney’s groundhog. But, Minnesotans have heard that before, and we know to believe his forcasts only if we see it! In the meantime, my hair is starting to feel a little weather damaged. So I asked a few professionals for helpful hints that I could use and pass onto you too.
Sarah Scholta of Lakeville’s Pizazz Salon and Boutique told me to wash and condition my hair, without rinsing the conditioner out. Next, towel wrap the hair overnight. In the morning, rinse the conditioner out. I tried it, and my hair felt great afterwards!
Erin Shea, hairstylist in Cannon Falls, advised trying to avoid washing hair every day and suggested using a masque once a week, along with a leave-in product like Moroccan oil.
Sam Jamieson of Sola Salon in Burnsville gave me a number of fantastic suggestions.
1. After shampooing (don’t condition), towel dry your hair and then apply your favorite deep
conditioner. Comb through it with a wide tooth comb, and then clip your hair up. Get a towel wet, ring
out the excess water, and put in the microwave until it’s very warm. Wrap the towel around your hair
and leave it on your head for 30-45 minutes or more. Rinse with tepid water and dry on medium
heat.
2. Back off the HOT water in the shower! He says to shower in COOL to tepid water – it will close your
cuticles (hair shafts) and give hair a more sleek look.
3. Get your hair trimmed every 4-6 weeks.
4. Read labels and become an ingredient diva. We’ve come a long way baby, and so have the products
that are available to us. You really do get what you pay for.
Hopefully spring showers will arrive early this year and chase the dry air away. But even if they don’t, we can try these helpful suggestions and possibly find a solution to the dreary dry hair days of winter. I’m wishing you healthy hair!
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