How to get healthy and long hair: How I got my hair back to being silky and shiny again

For the past couple of months I have dyed my hair a few times and I was also indulging on a lot of heat and tons of hair products that caused a tremendous amount of damage to my hair.

I started seeing my hair fall out quite a bit and it wasn't having the same shine and growth as I was used to. My ends were also very split and the best way I can put it, they looked fried and lifeless.

With that being said, I decided it was time for a hair detox and unlike what you may have heard, this detox doesn't require much effort and weird ingredients you have never heard before.

My hair detox is pretty simple:

# 1 Stop using products that contain harsh chemicals such as silicone, parabens and sulfate

# 2 Add a couple of essential oils to your hair diet

# 3 Tone it down on the heat and hair styling products

The Actual Detox Process

To satisfy the first step, I actually had to go out and purchase new products as the hair items I had at home all contained the big three chemicals I mentioned earlier (Silicone, Parabens and Sulfate)

I found this brand called Raw Sugar and decided to give it a try. I bought the The Bounce Back Mango Butter + Agave + Carrot Oil shampoo, The Bounce Back Mango Butter + Agave + Carrot Oil Conditioner and Power Avocado + Banana Oil + Coconut Milk + Honey Hair Masque.

For the second step, I added ten drops of Frankincense Essential Oil to the shampoo. I chose the Frankincense oil because it is excellent at promoting a healthy scalp, moisturizing existing hair follicles and hair loss treatment. It also prevents dandruff when used on a regular basis

As for the conditioner I added a tablespoon and half of Jamaican Black Castor Oil. I like to use castor oil in conjunction with my conditioner because although it is pretty thick, it also has natural antibacterial and anti-fungal properties and abundant in vitamin E, minerals, proteins, and omega-6 and -9 beneficial fatty acids. Its unusually high ricinoleic acid ratio makes it beneficial to skin and hair.

Furthermore, I did not add anything to the hair masque because I have to order more oils but here are some essential oils to consider that will help with recovery even faster:

Rosemary essential Oil - Improves Hair thickness and growth

Peppermint Essential Oil - Promotes hair growth during the hair anagen phase

Lavender Essential Oil - Generate growth of hair cells and reduces hair stress

Tea Tree Essential Oil - With cleansing, anti bacterial and anti microbial properties, this oil helps unplug hair follicles and increase hair growth

Thyme Essential Oil - Helps with hair growth by both stimulating the scalp and actively preventing hair loss. Also found to helpful as a treatment for alopecia areata

Finally we have arrived at the final step and in my opinion the hardest one: Staying away from the blow dryer and hair straightener as well as styling products.

If you are like me, you probably use your hair straightener on a daily basis and that, my friend, is one of the biggest sources of hair damage.

Nevertheless, in order to stay away from heat but still have my hair looking presentable, I started braiding my hair at night before going to sleep. When I take the braid out the next morning, it gives my hair beautiful beach waves without any heat. One thing I noticed is that the results last longer if you use a leave in conditioner before braiding your hair at night.

How am I using the products and what are the final results?

First and foremost, I do not wash my hair everyday. I live in Florida and you may not know this but we have one of the worse public water systems in the United States. The bleach and chlorine levels are absolutely of the chart and that alone can do tons of the damage to anybody's hair.

So, if you live in Florida like me I would advise you to stay away from washing your hair everyday. Even if you don't live in Florida, your hair produces natural oils that are good for the protection and growth of new hair and too much shampoo and conditioner can strip those oils right away!

Now, here's how I use the products I mentioned earlier:

Once a week - Apply the hair masque all over hair and leave it for about an hour or longer if possible. Wash the masque off with shampoo and finalize it with conditioner.

Once a week (Usually done 2-3 days after the hair masque procedure) - Rinse hair with water and apply conditioner ONLY, wash it off and your are done! Wait another 2 to 3 days to repeat the masque procedure along with shampoo and conditioner.

This method has been working for me really great. I already see new growth and less damage, my hair is also silkier and shinier, which is one of the things I missed the most about my hair!

I also believe the essential oils make a huge difference as they are constantly detoxifying my hair and scalp without much of my effort.

Although, I have heard that is actually good to change hair products every now again, so if you have used anything that was great for your, please don't hold back on valuable information and be sure to share it in the comments what helped you get your hair back to being healthy.

Stay Strong and Sweet!

Juju Gurgel

#beautyproducts #essentialoil