Before and After: Siobhan’s Hair Story
Okydoke, it’s time for the “what our hair was like before we switched to naturals” post. It explains why we launched the Summer Hair Challenge, it’s related to why we wrote the book, and it speaks to one of our core messages, which is: Less is freaking more. Translation: So many of our products bite us in the ass.
I used to be a four-or-five-hair-products-a-day person and I didn’t think that was particularly high-maintenance. It was just that I had poodle hair sometimes, especially in the summer. I live in New York and grew up in Montreal, islands both, frizzy-hair-makers both. And frizz, every girl knows, sucks eggs. And so I used products.
I used to wake up, hop in the shower, use Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine shampoo and conditioner, or if I was feeling rich I’d use Rene Furterer’s stuff. Then I’d load Phytodefrisant onto my wet hair, and once blow-dried (and sometimes also ironed), I would use one or two finishing serums that probably had silicone or some other garbage in it.
My hair looked how I wanted it to look, but do the math: that’s expensive, and a pain. I was also unwittingly exposing myself to 11 of the 20 ingredients on our Black List—daily. (For more on what’s in shampoo, check this out.)
Anyway, eventually I realized the unmanageableness (?) of my hair was squarely the fault of the products I was using, and when I made the switch, my hair chilled out. Ever seen a baby with decimated ends? Do we think Pocanhontas had flyaways?
But as we have said in the past: if you’ve made the switch to clean products and are still beefing with some frizz, here are my two favorite tricks: spritz with pure aloe juice in a spray bottle before drying, and for a finisher, argan oil—just a dab, smoothed over the top layer of dry hair.
You got any tricks you like?
I’m lucky in that my hair is straight. Stick straight. As in: “won’t hold curl to save its life” straight. So, frizz hasn’t been an issue for me. Fly-aways from breakage (rough brushing, or uncovered when I stopped using -cones) have been. Honestly, headbands, braids, buns, and non-daily washing have helped me.
i have coarse curly hair and aubrey organics honeysuckle rose conditioner has made a world of difference! sometimes i treat myself to a coconut oil treatmeant before shampooing. a boar bristle brush has also helped. i don’t use it often but when i need to coax my curls into a ‘do, i just say no to non-boar brushes and enemy #1: COMBS.
Ohhh I always wondered about brushes. Can you explain why it matters? Perhaps I should investigate for a future post. My hair is thick as hell, and wavy when air-dried, but not curly and not terribly coarse. Still, I’ve often wondered what the deal with a good brush is. It would be awesome (and verrrry on brand :) if a switch as easy as a brush, which lasts forever, can help our hair.
I’m not exactly sure why it works so well, but I’ve noticed that the soft bristles make my hair smoother. Unlike combs and regular brushes, the bristles don’t separate my curls too much, make it frizzy, or pull on my thick hair. It’s terribly nerdy but I first bought a boar brush after watching loads of old movies :) I saw a guy use 2 oval paddles with bristles to smooth his 40s ‘do and something clicked. I had always wondered what in the world those lovely ladies’ silver antique brushes were made of, and how the heck they could run them over pin curls without creating frizz. Now i saw that guys’ brushes were similar! An old styling book showed boar type bristles for styles like Bacall, Monroe etc and I was intrigued. I bought a soft boar bristle brush, made some flaxseed hair gel, and tried my best at pin curls and it worked brilliantly! I don’t maintain that everyday, though, it is great to know how to manage my curls and style them without heat and synthetic gels. Normally, I just shampoo, condition, air dry and brush if my bedhead is too unruly.
I used Moroccan Oil, which has Argan Oil in it. So far I love it for shine and frizz, but doesn’t help define my curls.
anyone got any advice on that?
Siobhan, From what I remember, the boar bristle brushes help distribute the natural oils in your hair. When I decided to grow my hair out in college someone recommended this kind of brush. I have oily hair naturally and it helped keep my end in good condition along with a few trims here and there. I still use it sometimes and should probably switch back to it, but I love the brush I now use to blow out my hair:)
OK sold. I’m getting one!
I have been shampooing less (way less, even though my hairdresser says my scalp needs to be cleaned every few days, I do not agree that it is akin to my armpits in that if not cleaned, it will smell), and brushing way more. I use a regular brush but am considering boar bristles after reading what you all have said. I feel the brushing really helps to spread the oils and make my hair look naturally better. I brush two or three times a night, fairly vigorously, and at least once in the a.m., if not twice. At night, I smooth pure argan oil on the tips, but just the tips. If I get it anywhere near the crown it is a sticky mess. As for those argan oil products, I have looked at what’s in most of them, and argan is usually pretty far down the list, superceded by things like dimethicone and other silicones. Blech.
My issue is not frizz but oil. I have switched to all natural alternatives and I love it but my hair feel really heavy, looks greasy and will not hold any style. I wash my hair with either a baking soda water mix or apple cider vinegar water mix. Before I dry it I put a bit of aloe at my roots and I use lemon vodka hairspray. Sometimes if my hair looks really oily I will use a small amount of corn starch but that makes my hair look dull. I have found that the products listed in the book I can’t find in my local stores or they are too expensive for my income. Any ideas?
I feel like the type of brush really depends on your hair type. I have curly/wavy thick but fine hair and hairdressers always recommend boar bristle brushes and “picks” for some reason, but everytime I use them, my hair turns into a super tangled mess when wet, and is frizzier when it drys. I stay away from those! For frizz, I use a little Alaffia hair lotion once my hair is dry – if needed (depends on the day) – and that’s about it!
I don’t think you’re ever supposed to use a boar’s hair brush on wet hair. When your hair is wet is does have more stretch to it than when dry, but using a brush instead of a wide toothed comb tugs more and causes way more breakage. You should use a wide toothed comb on wet hair – start at the ends to detangle and work your way up to the roots. Then, when it’s dry use the boar’s hair brush to help distribute the natural oils from your roots down to the ends. The boar’s hair helps to “carry” the oils better as opposed to a synthetic bristle brush.