My Haircare Routine...

Ello!

I am shattered. Well and truly exhausted, fatigued, 10 out of 10 shattered. I slept till 5pm.

And now I've wasted my day so I'm going to get productive and make the most of my remaining evening off.

I'm here to tell you all about my current hair care routine.

Although I don't have 'hair goals'...it is something I get asked about a lot. 

Questions like 'What hair dye do you use?'

 'What's the best shampoo you've used?' 

'How do you curl your hair like that?' 

And the most commonly asked question 'Urgh, why would you choose to be ginger?'.

Well today I am going to spill all!

How I wash, cut, colour, dry and style my hair along with all the products that I use and also my review on OGX hair care products, I know a lot of you have been excited to see what I thought.

Unfortunately I didn't think to take pictures along the way (bad blogger) so I shall just include some selfies where my hair is as described.

Enjoy!

Colouring my hair

I have been dyeing my hair copper since 14th February 2014. The reason I decided to go ginger was because whenever I was at my hairdressers (Karina Hair...go check her out) and I was having a big colour change, usually from dark to light, I would go through the changing period where it would be ginger then slowly the dye would turn it blonde but everytime it was in that transition ginger phase I would always think 'should I try it'?

I had always been bleach blonde from the age of 16 and then when I was around 20 I dyed it brunette for a while and slowly but surely I started adding more and more red into it.

Then one day I decided I wanted a huge change and took the plunge into ginger life.

I started noticing ginger people nodding at me as I walked past, a whole new community opened up, Alas! Hello fellow gingers! But seriously I friggin loved my new hair! So much so that I have not changed it since.

I have used Loreal Majirel hair dye in Copper 7.45 ever since. (You can buy it here)

A few times I've gone brighter in summer and slightly darker in winter but still copper and only one shade difference.

7.45 is my ultimate favourite copper hair dye. I find this hair dye doesn't cause as much colour damage as home kits in Boots or Superdrug. In fact my hair actually feels better because it is a conditioning cream hair dye.

It's not available to buy in shops as far as I am aware. I get mine off Amazon and you also have to buy the peroxide to go with it but that bottle of peroxide is huge and lasts a lifetime. On average I spend about £10 every time I dye my hair.

I do it myself since moving to Devon as Karina is from Wolverhampton and I don't trust anyone else to do my hair. 

I do it every 8 weeks, I like to leave it as long as possible to save money and eventual hair damage.

I start with my roots at the front of my head and work backwards to the roots at the back and underneath. I then leave that on for 20 minutes before adding the rest of the hair dye to the middle section and ends. I leave that for a further 20 minutes and then massage it all into my head for 5 minutes with a splash of water and then wash it out and I'm always really happy with it. For the bits that I cannot see, Elliot does.

I really like being ginger, I think it looks natural on me as I have my dads ginger skin. A lot of people are surprised when they find out it's not natural and I just think it suits me more than any other colour and I have no intention of changing it anytime soon.

Cutting my hair

Not cutting my hair is something I am very guilty of. I very rarely cut my hair, the only time I do is to trim the very ends when I find it hard to style or limp and drab.

I have been trying to grow my hair for sooo long and it's only recently I've noticed it's getting somewhere!

I tend to leave cutting my hair to Karina because she doesn't take too much off but since moving to Devon I've had to do it myself.

Quite a few times I've cut a fringe in and done an alright job. But I'm trying to grow it out now as I always get fed up of styling fringes.

I just use a pair of hairdressing scissors and very gently follow the bottom round slightly trimming away any dead ends. My hair could probably do with a really good cut but I refuse. 

I also only cut it after dying my hair so it feels super good and refreshed.

Fun fact: Older people will tell you that cutting your hair will actually make it grow quicker. This is not true. The past few months that you have been growing your hair will now be a waste of time and your hair will be shorter than when you started. Don't listen to them! They are just saying it because they think your hair looks ratty! But you rock those ratty locks girl, just throw some beads in it and call it boho! That's what I do.

Just kidding, you really should cut your hair often, not too help it grow, but to keep it looking and feeling healthy! I'm just a rascal.

Washing my hair

I wash my hair every other day. Although a lot of people think washing their hair every single day is better and more hygienic, it's not necessarily the best thing to do.

Washing your hair daily will keep your hair out of balance. You're not giving the essential oils that naturally occur time to moisturise it.

You might find if you're washing it every day that it's quite dry from not having enough oil. You might even find the opposite, it's too greasy and that's why you're washing it daily. Trust me, get into the routine of washing it every other day. At first it will be more greasy but eventually it will come back into balance and will become greasy towards the second day as opposed to the first.

Also if you have coloured hair, washing it daily is just going to fade it twice as quick, make the most of your colour and wash it only when you need it! I never leave the house with greasy hair but I don't feel the need to wash it if I'm not going out.

Use some dry hair shampoo to freshen up between washes! It's a must-have product for me, especially when I'm working and don't have time in between shifts to wash my hair. Keeps it going for at least another day and smells wonderful too! You can even get coloured ones to cover your roots!

Another little tip is for when it comes to shampooing your hair. I know a lot of people shampoo it once and a lot of people shampoo it twice. Neither is wrong but I do know some pros and cons of these methods.

Washing it once means that you use less product which works out more money efficient. 

However, washing it once makes the shampoo harder to lather. If you try washing it twice, you'll notice it lathers much better on the second time round.

Washing it twice means the first wash will get any hair product out and the second will do what it says on the bottle.

But washing it twice means coloured hair will fade twice as fast.

I am a little bit of both. Generally I tend to wash it once as I have coloured hair and rarely use hair products such as serums or powders. I feel like dry hair shampoo absorbs and any excess gets brushed out so I don't feel the need to wash it twice.

However if my hair really needs some TLC or if I have used a load of hairspray or volume enhancing powder for a special occasion then I will wash it twice and can definitely see the benefit.

My hairdresser once advised that I should buy a cheap one for the first wash to remove product and then use my normal one for the proper wash.

Tip: When you want to deep condition your hair don't be enticed by all these deep conditioners that cost a fortune unless you've heard amazing reviews because your regular conditioner can double up as a deep conditioner. Smother your hair in lots of conditioner, wrap it in a towel for at least an hour but even longer if possible, when you wash it out it will feel AMAZING.

Products I use when washing my hair

I currently use the OGX Biotin and Collagen collection. This includes shampoo, conditioner, an oil mist and a root boost spray. I use all of these with wet/damp hair so it never feels like I have product in which is a bonus!

OGX very kindly sent me these items to try out and make my hair happy and so far I am very impressed!  

The collection all contain vitamin B7, biotin, collagen and hydrolyzed wheat protein that helps to infuse each and every strand and creates thicker, fuller, healthier looking hair!

The shampoo and conditioner are very rich, luxurious and quite heavy but I don't find they weigh my hair down. When I blow dry it, it looks so glossy and great condition and completely full of volume!

The bottles are large bottles and I feel that they are worth the money and will last a long time as you don't need a massive amount of the product. I do recommend using them on really wet hair (if that makes sense) as it lathers much better. Sometimes I squeeze the water out of my hair so the shampoo doesn't just slide off but don't do that for this one lol!

I did find my stupid limp wrists hurt to squeeze the bottles because they are quite wide and I have tiny hands so I think towards the end of the bottles I might need Elliots help getting the product out!

Usually my go to hair care brand is Aussie because it always does what it says on the bottle but I have been excited to try out the OGX brand and I'm really impressed! My hair really does feel different! Nice and thick, yet silky and sleek. Thanks OGX!!

 I always like to use a leave in conditioner too. If you find your hair impossible to comb through and all luggy after a shower then you NEED leave in conditioner, your comb will just glide through.

Tip: Rubbing your hair furiously when towel drying seriously damages your hair! You should always squeeze it between the towel instead, the towel will still absorb the water and you haven't ragged your hair around causing it to break!

I'm also really excited about the OGX oil mist and root boost spray, I use these once I am out of the shower and have patted my hair so it's damp and not wet.

The OGX root boost is a spray that you put on the roots, I spray it quite close to my scalp and then massage it in for a minute or so and then I get the oil mist, I hold that quite far away and spray just once at my forehead, then once at the ends on the left side of my head, once on the right then one at the back and that is it.

The first time I used the oil mist I put far too much on and my hair was super shiny but not in a good way. 

This product will last me a long time and now that I am using it correctly I think it's fab!! 

The whole collection smells beautiful too!! Was anybody else OBSESSED with 'So Sinful' the body spray? It smells just like that! A very powerful scent but not at all overpowering. Elliot always compliments the smell of my hair when I use OGX. 

The ONLY negative thing I could say about the biotin and collagen collection for me personally is that it faded my hair colour quite a lot. I only dyed it a few weeks ago and already the colour has gone really light and I wanted it dark for the autumn but never mind! I didn't mention to OGX that my hair was coloured so it's entirely my fault and all the other benefits made it worth it anyway.

I still LOVE the brand OGX and would maybe try something different next time I buy a new supply, maybe one aimed at colour damaged hair instead :) but I am still a fan of the effects of the Biotin and Collagen.

Styling my hair

When it comes to styling my hair I'm pretty lazy. I don't like anything that takes too much time as I am always in a hurry.

I cant do many fancy braids and when I do updos they tend to give me a headache so I just have a few go-to hairstyles that I think are quick and easy.

The Blowdry: 

I never used to blow dry my hair at all, I always let it dry naturally. It wasn't until I discovered the blowdry that I fully understood why people do it. Whenever I blow dry my hair I don't use a fancy brush to make it accentuate my layers or anything fancy. I literally tip my head upside down after spraying in my OGX root boost and oil mist and dry it using my Babyliss hairdryer and fingers.

When it's all dry and I let all the blood rush back into my body then my hair is so big and voluminous and soft and sleek, I feel like a goddess. My layers show really well and I find it sits nicely and is easier to style should I wish to do anything else to it.

This has being my main hairstyle for the past month or so as I find my hair hasn't being curling very well for about 6 months, I think it's because it is growing!

Natural curls: 

I very rarely use a curler as mine really heat damage my hair so I use my Babyliss hair straighteners instead. It's really hard to explain in writing (I should do a Youtube video next time) but I kind of do the same thing that you do when curling gift ribbon at Christmas. I put my hair in between the straighteners, turn them once so they are wrapped around and then pull down until the hair springs off and then I am left with a lovely natural looking ringlet.

I do this in layers starting from the bottom and then when it's all done my hair is nice and big. This usually takes me around 15 minutes and is a very easy hairstyle indeed.

The Updo: 

(I couldn't find a picture, ahhhh!)

I don't really like putting my hair up but sometimes it is just convenient so when I do I put it in a high ponytail then go to loop my bobble again but I don't pull my hair all the way through so it looks like a bun. i then tighten the hair in the bobble by pulling at it which make the ponytail higher and then I have a nice big bun on the top of my lil head. Takes less than a minute and people always say it looks lovely at the back.

Styling products: I rarely use product in my hair but my favourites if I do are Batiste Dry Hair Shampoo, Got 2 B Volumising powder to really boost my roots and any old hairspray to keep it in place. That's about it, if there are any products you swear by that you think I would like please do let me know!

Little tip: Dry Shampoo is great for spraying on your roots as an alternative root booster. I find it really volumises my hair so sometimes I use dry hair shampoo even when my hair is freshly clean.

That's pretty much everything for my hair care routine, if you have any questions or I've missed something, let me know! I am more than happy to answer any questions you have and would love to hear your tip, tricks and hair life hacks!

Much love,

Disclaimer: I was sent the OGX collection free of charge, however I was not asked to feature the products on my blog, I chose to do so as I really do love the products.

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