Hair. They say it isn’t everything, but we know that secretly, it is. Just ask Fleabag.
When your hair isn’t making you feel fabulous, it can affect you in a lot of different ways. From your self-confidence to your mood, when you’re unhappy with your hair, it shows. Which means it’s time for a change. And the good news is that the haircare industry today is so big, there are a lot of different solutions to help you get your dream hair. So how do you begin your hair transformation journey? Take a look at the following suggestions and get ready to finally embrace healthy, beautiful hair that fills you with confidence.
Assess your current situation
If you’re going to transform your hair, the first thing you need to do is assess its current state to work out what needs to change.
First, start by working out your hair type. This will help you establish your hair’s texture and density, giving you a much better idea of what your hair should look like and how to care for it. The ‘curly girl’ method, in particular, has shown a lot of women (and men!) that their natural hair type is actually curly:
You should then look at your hair to determine whether it’s dry/damaged, lacks volume, is oily, dry scalp, etc. You can also assess what’s got you there, such as over-processing your hair with bleach or chemicals, using too much heat or over-styling your hair.
Work out your hair goals
Next, you need to think about how you’d like your hair to be. Do you want it fuller? Better condition? Do you want to add length? Working out your hair goals will give you something to work towards, and help you create a plan to help you get there. It might take an adjustment to your current habits, and an investment in some new products, but it will be worth it to help you finally love your hair.
Say goodbye to bad habits
No matter what your hair goals are, health should be the most important element. Healthy hair is strong and looks in great condition, transforming the overall appearance of your hair. But to help you achieve healthier hair, you’ll need to say goodbye to some bad habits first, including:
Use heat tools sparingly
Heat tools can damage even the strongest of hair, especially when you use them frequently. To help give your hair the best chance of recovery, you should try to limit your use of heat tools and look for alternatives (more on this below). For the days when heat styling is inevitable, make sure you use a suitable heat protection spray – it can make a big difference to how much damage is caused.
Try to overcome your blondarexia
Yes, blondarexia is really a thing. If you’re someone who likes to dye their hair blonde, you may be familiar with the feeling of ‘never feeling blonde enough’. This can lead to you dyeing your hair more and more as you try to lighten it, leaving hair incredibly dry and brittle.
As difficult as it may be, the best thing you can do for your hair is to give it a break. If you can, try to embrace darker tones to help you give your hair some rest from the bleach. Lived-in colour is very popular right now, and allows you to go longer between colour sessions to help your hair recover. It looks fantastic, and is a simple way to enjoy low-maintenance hair colour.
Take care when styling
It’s not just heat and bleach you need to worry about – the way you style your hair can also damage it. Tying your hair too tightly or using certain types of hair bands can all cause damage, leading to tension and breakage that can take time to recover from. If you love to backcomb your hair, consider giving that a bit of a break too – it may add some temporary volume, but it can also cause damage to your hair.
Take care not to style your hair when wet, as hair can be at its most fragile at this point.
Don’t ignore your nutrition
Healthy hair isn’t just about cutting back on styling and chemical treatments, it’s about building health from within too. Taking hair-friendly supplements and eating a protein-rich diet are just two things you can do to help improve your hair. You’ll also notice a difference in your skin and nails too!
Work with your stylist
It never hurts to seek some professional advice from a hair stylist to help you understand any hair issues you might have, and what can be done to improve your hair. A good stylist will provide you with a consultation before any treatments take place, allowing them to assess your hair and make suitable recommendations. While you may have big ambitions of going from black to blonde in a matter of hours, the right stylist will always advise on the safest way to help you get your hair to where you want it to be, even if it takes multiple sessions.
Visit your stylist regularly for trims to help keep your ends healthy. Leaving it too long between cuts could mean you need more cut off than you’d like.
Look beyond heat tools
While heat tools offer some of the easiest ways to style your hair, regular curling or straightening could leave you with very damaged hair. But there are some alternative ways to style your hair, including:
- Heatless curls using specially-designed tools (or a dressing gown belt as a cheap alternative!).
- Embrace updos that require a little more natural texture.
- Use tools that use less heat, like the Dyson Airwrap or the Shark Flex.
- Use styling sprays and products that will refresh an existing style to help you get more wear out of it.
Once you get into the habit of using heatless alternatives, you’ll soon start to find you don’t miss your heat tools. Save your heated tools for special occasions so that your hair truly dazzles.
Embrace treatments safely
Transforming your hair doesn’t have to mean a total ban on the things you love. If you want to colour your hair or give perm styles a try, you can still do these things – you just need to take a safe approach.
Talk to your stylist about what they can do to protect your hair during treatment, and remember to seek aftercare advice too. You can also use conditioning treatments to help give your hair some extra nourishment, especially if you’ve had it treated with chemicals or coloured.
Document your progress
Hair grows at different rates for different people, and it may feel as though you’re not making much progress at all! But documenting your hair journey (even if it’s just for yourself) can show you how far your hair has come from where you started. Take photos, measure inches and take a look at the health of your hair – if you’re putting the work into getting it healthy, the results will come.
Achieving your dream hair can take some time, but it’s a journey that will teach you a lot about your hair and how to look after it properly. Focusing on improving your hair’s health and condition will help you see a big difference, giving you a good foundation to achieve the styles and look that you want. Start taking better care of your hair today and watch your confidence grow alongside those strands.
We’re very proud to bring you this feature in association with Cloud Nine. For more features, please pay a visit to our lifestyle page.
