If there’s one thing about myself that I thank the gods for each winter, it’s my naturally blonde hair. In those bitterly cold Penn State winters where it felt like the sun wouldn’t come out for weeks at a time, my hair maintained the consistent blonde color it’s always been, sparing me from having to scramble to find a hair stylist in State College to touch up my roots.
With that being said, getting my hair colored was never on my agenda. In fact, each time I got a haircut, I took great pride when being asked by my stylist if my hair color was natural, and being able to reply with a fat, proud YES! Then, of course, after every haircut, I’d get the whole spiel as to how I should use more product on my thin hair to protect it from irons, chlorine, the sun and … well, from the title of this article, you could assume I stopped listening at that point.
The thought of rubbing a baking ingredient like coconut oil in my hair was puzzling to me. Or hair masks? I barely have the maturity level to sit still and do a face mask, let alone one for my hair. Any hair product that was not in the shampoo and conditioner realm was practically foreign to me. (Let it also be known that I still base my shampoo and conditioner choices based off what smells best.)
You know those little rubber bands that are meant for small pony tails or braids that kind of look like the bands you used to shift your bite when you had braces? The ones that CLAIM they won’t break your hair? Well I have a strongly worded email already written in my head to whoever came up with this false advertisement.
One day, as I’m trying to rip one of these little workings of the devil out of my hair, I noticed this rubber band came out particularly easy …
almost too easy.
The next few moments were filled with both horror and tears, as I realized I had successfully ripped out not a strand or two, but a chunk of hair at the top of my head. As I sat in my bathroom traumatized while brainstorming ways as to how to glue my hair back together without it looking noticeable, I came to terms that the damage was done. I took to the internet and began my hair care homework, which was probably a few years overdue.
Luckily, I learned both I and that girl on YouTube who accidentally burnt her hair off with a curling iron were not the only people to fall victim to such an atrocity. In fact, there were actually ways to not only conceal this botched layer of hair I now had, but actually strengthen it and prevent it from ever happening again.
So to move on to the “Now What?” portion of this article, here are some products that will help rejuvenate your damaged hair and protect it this summer:
- Nexxus Keraphix Shampoo and Conditioner – These products that can be found at CVS or Ulta not only smell great, but will visibly heal severe signs of hair damage.
- Nexxus Keraphix Masque – Use this hair masque following the use of Nexxuss shampoo and conditioner, continued use of this system enables restorative agents to increase the resilience of your hair.
- Neon & Co. Hair and Scalp Mask – This product focuses on treating your scalp, which most of the time is the root of the problem when it comes to unhealthy and weak hair. Using this mask post-shower, will strengthen the cuticles of your hair and will restore your scalp’s microflora balance, ultimately making your hair resistant to damage.
- Pureology Serious Colour Care Spray – Listed on the back of the bottle, there are 21 known benefits to using this spray. These perks range from detangling, preventing color fade and protecting against heat damage to reducing dryness and even adding shine. With priming, protecting and perfecting benefits, this spray is a jack of all trades.
- Ouai Sun of a Beach Ombré Spray – Still looking to lighten your hair but are afraid to worsen the damage? This mixture of lemon, pineapple juice and coconut water will give you color you want without the unwanted side effects products like Sun-In will give you. The lemon and pineapple juice citric acids will gradually lighten your hair while the coconut water will nourish and hydrate your hair for more natural-looking highlights.
- It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product – This spray is a nourishing treatment that can be used alone or as a restorative styling product. Made from sunflower seed extract and green tea leaf extract, this can be used on wet hair for extra shine or dry hair in place of a styling cream.
Do you have any hair horror stories or products that saved you from having a full blown ‘Britney in 2007’ moment? Share them with @VALLEYmag on Twitter!
