Hair Care Essentials
For the longest time, I had an estranged relationship with my hair. That may sound silly, but as a biracial woman with frizzy hair in a smooth-hair-praising society, it makes a lot of sense. My hair was dubbed messy by my family, and I had to have friends help me detangle it in college because the back of my head was actually ridiculous.
The thing is, I never learned how to have a healthy relationship with my hair. I was always frustrated with the time and effort it took to get my hair to look like everyone else’s— “good,” I thought. All that, plus damage to my hair with hot tools, and it only lasted less than a day? No thanks.
I no longer own a flat iron or curling iron, although I would LOVE a Dyson air wrap (obviously). Sometimes I blow my hair out with a hot-air hair brush so my arms don’t fall off using both a brush and a blow dryer. To that point— maybe I could use some more styling skills, but my time is precious.
So until I become a hair-care pro, here are some things that have helped me find more love and appreciation for my voluminous mane:
Silk pillow from Quince— helps keep my hair a little less tangled while I sleep & helps with frizz (bonus that it’s soft and pretty to look at)
Crown Affair products— all of them; I love them because they advocate for hair-care as a ritual that you should take your time with (game changer for shifting my mindset from it being a chore to something I now enjoy)
Shower filter— I just got one at my local Home Depot; it was inexpensive (less than $30) & highly recommend before trying one of the brand names on the market to test if you will get your desired results from it (I live in LA with hard water & using a filter has done wonders for the health of my scalp)
Kitsch satin heat-less curler set— I have naturally wavy hair that’s unpredictable, but I can keep it relatively tamed/consistent by using this overnight after a shower; it’s not terribly uncomfortable & the best results really come from using it overnight
Find a hairstylist that works for you— after testing out a few different stylists, I found one that specializes in wavy & curly hair; she knows my hair so well now after dry cutting it to work with my natural waves (another thing I highly recommend for those with waves/curls)
Honorable mention to Act + Acre— their scalp detox and stem cell serum helped me balance my scalp’s pH during extremely dry seasons & when I was having issues with flaking; now that it’s back to normal, I only use these products when I notice something a little off
A favorite outfit of mine: Mate the Label cotton canvas chore coat and pants, black turtleneck from Big Bud Press, cashmere beanie from Everlane, sunnies from Crap Eyewear.
