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I’m not gonna pretend like I have this whole perfect hair thing figured out. If you follow me on Snapchat then you know my hair can be a bit of a rat’s nest when I don’t take care of it.
I’m not someone who was blessed with the perfect natural wave even after a night of tossing and turning on it. I have thick, dry, curly hair than is kind of a bitch to deal with.
I’m working on getting more comfortable with wearing it curly (I’m sure you guys have seen a few pics every now and then), but if I’m going out into public it’s almost always straight or curled with a curling wand.
After years of dying it blonde and straightening it far too often, my hair entered it’s mid-20s in a bit of a crisis. I’ve spent the last 2-3 years trying to help it recover. My hair is now healthier, more nourished and just all-around less dead looking.
Here’s what I’ve done to establish my healthy haircare routine:
HAIR MASK
I swear that a once-a-month hair mask is what totally saved my hair. I used to do it every other week but these days it doesn’t need such an intensive intervention. I’ve tried every hair mask under the sun, but they either made my hair too greasy (I’m looking at you coconut oil), too dirty (defeats the purpose of a hair mask when you have to wash it 3 times to get the egg out…) or just didn’t work at all. That is until I discovered the avocado + banana hair mask that has totally changed the game.
Watch this video to learn how I make it and the benefits of avocado and banana for your hair!
ONCE A WEEK WASH
I know this might sound gross or unattainable to some of you, but I only wash my hair once a week. Unless I have a super sweaty workout, I’m pretty consistent about sticking to this. It took me about a year to train my hair to last this long, but if you’re committed to the process you will both save time, money and your hair sticking to this method.
Start slow by washing it every other day, then every three days, five days etc…In time your hair won’t be nearly as greasy as it used to be, and the natural oils will actually help nourish your hair!
USE A NATURAL SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER
Some people swear by the “no-poo” method, but I found it dried my hair out. Instead I use a natural shampoo and conditioner from my favorite local company, Sudsatorium. They’re made without sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, DEA, TEA or parabens. They’re all-natural, made from organic, vegan, cruelty-free ingredients that are cleansing and nourishing for your hair. When shopping for S & C, lookout for the ingredients I listed above.
MINIMIZE HEAT
I used to straighten my hair everyday. No joke. My hair was completely fried at the ends and everytime I went to get it cut they would tell me they needed to take off like 6 inches. I would cry. It was a mess.
Now that I wash my hair once a week, I ONLY use heat once a week. Unless I have a random fancy event, I wont’ even go near the hot tools for the rest of the week. It’s challenging to not iron that one rogue strand or curl that one straight piece, but I found that once I started I suddenly was ironing or curling my whole head. The heat from your tools can be so damaging so try to use them as little as possible.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
Want shiny, long, voluminous hair? Then eat a healthy diet rich with leafy greens, nourishing fats and LOTS of water. It’s not just what you do on the outside, but what you do on the inside. Some foods that are especially rich for your hair include:
-avocados!!!
-nuts, seeds, oils
-salmon and other omega fatty fish
-eggs
-lentils
-spinach and dark leafy greens
Many of these foods are rich in biotin and keratin, which help promote healthy hair growth along with iron, folate and a whole slew of other vitamins that help support cell regeneration. Don’t forget to load up on water to keep your hair hydrated!
There are lots of other ways you can support your hair, like removing dead-ends, hair rinses, and oils but these are the few I’ve found to be the most helpful.
I’d love to hear your healthy hair tips so feel free to drop them in the comments below!
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Avocados from Mexico – Canada. I’m so excited to continue our collaboration in 2016 as a Canadian Ambassador. Looking forward to bringing you more avotastic posts!
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Wow, I haven’t heard of using avocado and banana for a mask before! I think coconut oil would be too greasy as well, so I’ll have to try this. Thanks for sharing!
My hair are very dry and rough, i don’t know whats the causes behind it. Anyways thanks for sharing, i am going to buy a lot of Avocado. 😀
Hi Davida,
I have been following your DIY tutorial and trying your advocado hair mask. I am really satisfied by the result, would be perfect if it took a little less time to prepare.
Anyway, thanks for the tips.
Koumba
I wager that every one of the four of these works anyplace for your skin. This is such an amazing kind of hair care schedule that utilizations just the best normal fixings but at the same time is not very troublesome!
i used this avocado formula for sometime, it was around 6 months, the results were really expressive!
Hi Davida, thanks for sharing your haircare routine! I LOVE avocados (love to eat them 😉
This is the first time I’ve heard of an avocado + banana hair mask. I’ve heard of egg masks before, and those utilizing oils, but NOT fruits. LOL
My hair care routine primarily consists of argan oil, with the occasional coconut oil for deep conditioning.
We have kinda similar hair – wavy and a bit frizzy (it’s because of new hair growth since I’m prone to hair fall), so I’m gonna give these tips a try.
definitely give it a try! I find the oil-based masks to be a bit too conditioning on my hair – I end up having to wash my hair three-times to get the oils out, which defeats the purpose! The fruit masks are equally as nourishing without having greasy hair for days 😉 Enjoy, lovely!
I used to use egg yolks and honey on my hair and avocados and oats on my face, actually! LOL! I bet that all four of these work anywhere for your skin. This is such a phenomenal type of hair care routine that uses only the best natural ingredients but is also not too difficult!
It’s becoming very difficult for me to do diet controlling and so my hair is losing its natural shine. Please tell me what to do.
I just started only washing my hair every 2-3 days since its been short. I’m using dry shampoo to tide myself over! I used to wash it every day because I sweat so much during workouts. But my workouts have been less, and with shorter hair it seems like it dries less greasy when I do sweat. I need to try a hair mask like this! I’ve never done one, ever.
Davida I loved this! We have a really similar routine – I also have crazy curly hair that I wash/use heat on about once per week. I got a traumatizing haircut in college, so while growing it back out I really learned the importance of simple, natural hair care and the benefits good nutrition has on your hair. I usually do the coconut oil mask but it’s a little heavy for summer – I will definitely give this a try! Thanks for sharing!