Rule No.3
Rock your natural you!
I try really hard to avoid hot tools at all cost. As much as these hot tools make our hair look “oh so pretty” its not necessarily good for your hair. I mean they are hot tools that get very hot & if your not careful, you can actually burn your hair off. I’ve done it once before, not gonna lie & its not so pretty! Not to mention, I’ve also burned my forehead a couple of times. Stupid senior pictures! The pressure was on that day lol …
So i'm not saying that your not allowed to use hot tools at all, but the least you use them the better, obviously.
My recommendation, 1 to 2 times a week MAX! No more then that. Please give your hair a break, throw it up into a top knot, high pony, or a braid and call it a day. I promise you will get through it. But if your still clueless, your minds racing, and your trying to figure out a game plan, well take a chill pill & listen up because I got you covered.
Before I give you a play by play, I want you to understand the rules. Twice a week means twice a week, so pick and choose your days wisely. SIDE NOTE: I only wash my hair twice a week, on Tuesday mornings & Friday nights to be exact, SO I wind up using a hot tool only twice week. ANOTHER SIDE NOTE: I wash my hair on Tuesday mornings so I’m Fresh for my work week & on Fridays, so I’m Super Fresh for the weekends.
I ALWAYS, GET A CASE OF THE MONDAYS(office space anyone?!), idk what it is, but its so fu*king true, so I wait untill Tuesday’s to wash my hair, & on Monday Ill rock either a baseball cap or beanie w/ a side braid (hair tutorial here) or that really easy low bun (hair tutorial here). AKA EFFORTLESSLY CHIC.
I also like to blow out my hair straight, earlier on in the week and then ill use my curling iron at the end of the week for my weekend hairstyle (more on this below). I consider a blow dryer a hot tool if you noticed, but if you cut down the amount of times you wash your hair, that will definitely help limit the use of HOT TOOLS. But if you wash your hair more then twice a week, I would still only recommend using a hot tool twice a week. The other days you wash your hair, you will have to learn to LOVE YOUR NATURAL HAIR!!! You know why?, because HEALTHY HAIR RULES & by doing this, your that much closer to a healthier, happier you.
TUESDAY MORNING OR NIGHT PLAY BY PLAY:
After I wash my hair, I LET IT AIR DRY!! I repeat, I AIR DRY MY HAIR. Weather it's during the day or at night, I leave my hair down & I don't use a clip or scrunchie because I don't want to rough up my hair & CREATE FRIZZ, make an indent, or have it take forever to dry. If I'm in a rush & don't have time to air dry my hair, then I finger dry my hair. This is where you use a dryer & your fingers to get most of the moisture out before you pick up a brush. If I decide to sleep with my hair wet at night, I use a silk pillow case of course, (I'm about 99% sure you just rolled your eyes lol). I swear this really helps prevent frizz, not to mention that your pillow also stays cold through out the night & feels f**king amazing to sleep on. Its so good that my oldest son Aiden actually stole mine, so I had to purchase one just for him & then shortly after, the hubby & my youngest needed one as well. Im getting off topic here but you get my point. It's not 100% frizz preventative but you know that second day silky, shiny, soft, buttery, smooth, oh so good, that I have to rub my hair all over my face all day long, type of feeling? lol yeah well, that's how it feels after I sleep on a silk pillow case. I REST MY CASE.
So if I'm planning on blowing out my hair, then ill either finger dry or wait hours later or the very next morning, because you want your hair almost dry or even all the way dry before your pick up your brush. And depending on your hair type, determines how dry you want your hair to be before you blow it out. For example,
if you have a lot of frizz and curl, then you want your hair to be about 85% dry & if you have less frizz and curl then it can be about 95% or even bone dry & still achieve an awesome in salon blow out. This is key, because less time is spent blowing out your hair, so there is less damaged & frizz caused.
And trust me your frizz & curls will smooth out way better, shiner, and faster when your hair is more dry. I also highly reccomend a T3micro blow dryer or the double & single shot blow dryers by The Dry Bar. I've been around the block and tried many different brands. T3 is one of the only dryers that has lasted the longest & gave me no problems. So quick story, I first bought one for my mom back in 2008 at a beauty expo at the Jacob Javits Center in NYC. Im not sure why I didn't grab one for myself, but about 10 years later, being used 4-5 times a week, hers broke, and I bought her the newest edition of the T3Micro blow dryer instantly. No questions asked! And by the way, I am not being paid for this nor am an ambassador for T3micro, I mean one day that would be nice, you know a dream come true, but moving on... Now if you have issues with your arms like me, (nerve damage anyone?!?) the double or single shot dryer by The Dry Bar will be the way to go. It's a brush & blowdryer all in one making it very user friendly. You still get the body & volume w/o your arms going numb, if you know what I mean, & you don't work up a sweat because it takes you way less time. The double shot is a bigger barrel in the shape of an oval & is meant for someone with medium to long hair. The single shot is for shorter hair styles, because the barrel is smaller & rounder. My main tips would be to make sure your hair is pretty dry, (what I've discussed before), use small & neat sections, & to hold your ends with the empty hand to help apply tension on your hair so you can smooth out any frizz & waves easily.
FRIDAY OR SATURDAY PLAY BY PLAY:
So I wait to use a curling iron for the weekend or for special events, dinner plans, hanging with friends, which all usually happen on the weekend. I also like to wait until the day after I wash it, because
the curls will last longer and hold better when your hair is a little bit dirty. You Dirty Bird You!
Weather your curling your hair when its super fresh or dirty , I would also recommend using a texturizing spray, setting spray or light hair spray on your hair Before & After, to ROUGH it up, dirty it up, add texture & some hold. I also recommend the 1.25" ceramic blend curling iron made by T3Micro. This size to me is very versatile and universal. I can do 3 different types of waves/curls, smaller and bigger, all with this one curling iron. Things I look out for when buying a curling iron are, very easy to use, well made material where your hair glides off easily & no product gets stuck on, heats up fast with multiple heat settings, because you never need the hottest heat setting, & a reparably brand. And I know for a fact that T3Micro is one of them. Quick and easy hair options are endless when your going to curl your hair.
I can get a good 4 days out of my beach waves.
For Example, the first day I leave my hair all down & try not to play with it as much, & trust me, I know its very challenging because I got 99 problems & this is one! The second day ill use either some dry shampoo & a baseball cap, if work lets you. But if not, a headband, jumbo hair clips with a side twist, or little braid clipped back will do the trick. (& I prefer dry shampoo on the second day as a preventative. In my opinion this little trick is more efficient then waiting days to try & cover up build up!) The third day is perfect for a high pony tail or high top knot bun, cause lets face it, HAIR IS GETTING DIRTY. The last day is perfect for braids & a hat or slick back low ponytail or bun. Use those oils to your benefit. DONE SON!
Did you see what I did there?! You can stretch out your hairstyles to help get you thru the week, & throw in some dry shampoo & cute hair accessories to steal the spot light, because who doesn’t want healthy hair. & if your more like me, well, I just love to brag …. because DIRTY HAIR RULES!!! WHO WANTS DIRTY HAIR?!?! I WANT DIRTY HAIR!!! Dirty hair is like cheating the system, receiving your package from amazon for free even though you canceled it, finding $ on the floor, pulling into the parking lot and getting the first spot, getting a free starbucks drink because they didn’t make it right the first time (their rules not mine!!! lol) & it’s all for a good cause, because healthy hair rules!
Embrace your natural hair, own it and get creative, because your hair will thank you!
xxoo mm