An array of colour treated and overly processed hair :)

I wanted to show a glimpse of how much chemical processing my hair has gone through over the years. The above image is a good representation. Lots of smiles crossed my face as I was looking through old photographs on social media. Seeing the menagerie of colours and styles I've put my hair through was a nice little trip down memory lane. Especially when looking at all the peroxide blonde I'm amazed I've got any hair left! I clearly remember the extreme burning sensations and the painful scalp oh so well. Every THREE WEEKS I did this. My poor hair follicles.

As I was approaching the momentous age of 30 I noticed my hair seemed to be getting a bit thinner, and I began to hunt for ways to take care of my hair from the inside out. I love hair, and styling hair, so the idea of not having very much of it really scared me. I really feel for guys in this regard.

Also, importantly, twice in my life I have had huge moments or chapters where I was like “EFF IT, I need a giant change and I'm going to shave it all off and start over”. I have included a picture of one of these phases in the layout in this post.

So each of these “EFF IT” times I have been happy for a short while, and then pretty miserable as I tried everything I could to get it to grow through that weird in the middle phase. A lot of my old photos show me sporting quite a collection of hats and beanies. The vitamins I take truly helped the hair grow so much faster when I last shaved it all off about 8 years ago.

So here are a few recommendations I have personally discovered over the years, which have helped me to preserve, maintain, and improve the quality of my hair. Okay onto the vitamins and tips and tricks:

1. Instead of buying an expensive ” hair, skin & nails” pill that most likely have a huge price tag while at the same time having plenty bulking agents and not as much of the good stuff, get yourself this trio and take them every day:

BIOTIN

SELENIUM

VITAMIN C

I notice a huge difference when I'm taking them vs when I decide not to buy them for awhile. I also notice when I can get my husband to take them habitually, the thinning patch on the back of his head really seems to become less sparse. Im curious to watch the back of his head over the next year if I keep the vitamin stock replenished. God help me if he reads this post ;)

So this vitamin trio is all around good for hair skin and nails. You won't notice a difference overnight but you'll notice within a couple months. Myself, I noticed in a few weeks.

I highly recommend getting a good quality brand that has plenty of trusted reviews. I don't always go for the most expensive brands, but I go for product testimonials and 4 stars.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure to do a little research on appropriate doses, follow the recommended doses, and dont overdo it. Take one of each, once a day.

2. DON'T wash your hair every single day. Try washing your hair only once or twice a week. Daily washing with often chemical laden shampoos can really strip your hair and scalp of necessary moisture balance. I know a lot of people who insist on washing daily feeling they have oily looking hair if not.

If this is you, I would suggest at least alternating days between using the shampoo and not. If you feel you need to involve water then wet it, give your hair a really good rinse, get in there with your fingers and give your scalp a good massage, then rinse it out, Follow with conditioning the ends on these alternate rinse days. But leave out the shampoo. Just try it. Your scalp and hair will thank you.

3. And for me, I had to finally let go of my white blonde Marilyn Monroe locks, and embrace blackest Bettie Page locks.

Yes there are still chemicals in the darker colours like Bettie Page black. And I tried other fun colours besides black. The thing is all the fun vibrant super expressive colours need a bleach process first, if they are going to be the vibrant fun colours you are wanting.

It's the bleach, I’m telling you. It fries the f*@k out of your hair and im convinced people like Gwen Stefani have ultra super powers or a supreme amount of hair extensions because she's been bleaching for decades and she still has these lustrous long tresses. Amazing. And also NOT realistic for us mere mortals walking around.

Ultimately, what has worked for me has been to take my vitamins regularly, wash my hair LESS, usually once or twice a week, and get back to a basic darker colour, letting go of blonde or extreme colours.

One final important note: If you are noticing extreme hair loss, I would consider going to the doctor to make sure it is not a symptom of a health issue or condition.

Okay hope some of this info helps. Thank you for reading and have a lovely day out there.

Tara xx