I know, I know, the title completely makes it seem like I’ve got professional-smooth-criminal type moves to give advice to others about hair, when in reality my professional hair resume is worse than a beauty school dropout’s. 

But wait, hear me out.

Growing up tubby I’ve always put a lot of thought and effort in prettifying my hair. During my heaviest weight my hair was pretty much the only thing that would give me a sliver of confidence most days to face the world.  If it was just curled, styled, and shiny enough people wouldn’t notice I was fat, right?  And so my hair became my secret obsession; long, glossy, hair-commercial-approved hair I wanted.

But.

But despite staying up way-too-late most working nights to curl my hair, I am just your average gal, with no technical salon/styling skillz whatsoever. I’m really lazy, impatient, cheap and get 99% of my hair knowledge from the Interwebs, notably youtube and pinterest.

So, the facts? I used to (Toronto working days) have smooth, shiny, thick hair which I was (secretly) super proud of, but then after eight plus months of traveling my hair became brittle, straw-like, flat, broken extensions on my head. It was awful. I didn’t even like getting too close to people because I swear my split ends were visible from a meter away.

And so I declared, on a night of despair, Operation Sexy Hair (remember? man, that feels like a long time ago). My plan was simple —> to get my shiny, sexy, hair back as quickly as possible, and as cheaply as possible.

The Results? One billion percent it worked. I have different hair on my head than I did 3 months ago.  (To be honest, I’m shocked everything worked this well!!)

The below is a list of all the things I changed. Unfortunately it’s hard to say which exact thing changed my hair the most (or the least), as I went from zero to hero when I declared Operation Sexy Hair, but the below list is listed from what I *think* was *most important to meh-may-not-have-made-a-difference.

Hope this helps!

A Haircut.

I love long hair, like, a lot, and as I know one day I’ll have be forced by my age (sigh) to cut my hair, I figure I’ll enjoy it while I can. This, of course, means I was very reluctant to chop a chunk of my hair off, but the reality of the situation was my hair was damaged, dry and dead on the ends. Cutting a good few inches off was vital, despite it slightly making my heart hurt.

I’ve also never been one to opt for fancy hair cuts. I’ve always figured hair cuts have nothing to do with the salon, but everything to do with the person who cuts it. So my advice? read reviews online about the hair stylist, not the salon - I scored a great hair cut from a lady that came with GREAT reviews, and an average salon.

Conditioner & Shampoo

“Oh hello there conditioner & shampoo that’s on sale, you’re coming home with me. Yes you are!” <— Me Before

“Fine! I’ll spend a little more money on a better product” <— now

And? I’ve found the price really represents the product. I was stunned at how ah-mazing and soft my hair felt like from switching to a more formal conditioner & shampoo

Old brand: Whatever was on sale usually Pantene (which I found really dried out my hair)

New Brand: Lush (I HIGHLY recommend it esp their R & B Hair Moisturizer, which is pretty cheap and smells like freshly cut grass / turned soil. But it’s magic!)

New Blow Dryer + New Hair Straightener

Ok, *as I look to the side* I have to admit I spent some mega bucks on a new (Australian) blow dryer and straightener.  I sucked it up and purchased myself a GHD Hair Straightener and Blow Dryer. 

The verdict? I don’t know why, but compared to my CHI (North American one) ones back home, meh. GHD had great reviews from Australian girls, but I was really disappointed with both the prodcuts. 

Ps. My tips for buying a straightener would be: Find one with a temperature dial, a cord that swivels, a light so you know it’s on, sleep mode (incase you forget to turn it off) and obviously one that’s ceramic covered (although even the cheaper ones are now ceramic)

Patience

I realize this is an odd point, but having patience with my hair was key to getting the shine back.  I would never wrap my in a towel after my shower any more, or turn the blow-dryer up on high and fast, I would patiently let it air dry at least a few times a week (giving it a break from the appliances), and I would let my conditioner sit on my head for a long, long time. 

Cold water explosion at the end of my shower

I am a sucka for hot, hot, steamy, sexy, hot showers. The hotter the better. Like, we’re talking the water is so hot it’s THISCLOSE to burning my skin. But in the process, I think it was also burning my hair, which means, I sucked it up, and washed my hair with cooler/luke warm water and rinsed it was cold water (oh yes, I would hover against the glass and lean my hair in - I’m such a chicken!), but believe it or not, I think this helped.

Hair Masks

Remember? Remember? Remember my hair masks? I did a total of four, but was too cheap to buy store ones, so I used all natural products. AND? <— you. Yes! They worked, but only temporarily. Like the next day my hair was all soft n’ sexy, but I don’t think they did anything long term. But I suppose I should have done them once or twice a week consistently.

Before

After

I don’t think I’m back to where I was, but still, I’ve come a long way from a 3 months ago.

What are your hair tips? Do tell!!

Ps.

So, You Wanna…
Lose Weight?
Start Running?
Run Races?
Hike Everest!!?
Start a Blog?
Adopt A Pet?

Being overweight nearly my entire life I found other ways, besides clothes/ma-bod, to make myself feel good about myself; other ways to give me confidence, feel bad-ass, make me walk the walk of a boss.  My hair always fell at the top of that list.

I’ve always put effort and time into my hair, because y’know, if my hair was just curled or placed in the perfect position, nobody would notice I was fat. Am I Right? OR AM I RIGHT?! Anywho, yes, my hair has always been very important to me.

Well. Well as you may or may not have noticed my hair has recently really lost its soul, shine, bod-ay and va-va-voom, not to mention how nearly every single strand has a split end. Ugh. Cue Operation: Shiny Hair!

I am sick and tired of washing and styling my hair only to have it be stiff, non-shiny, straw-like and dare I say it? brittle.

MY HAIR TODAY | AKA BAD HAIR

My Notes: Brittle, dry and coarse looking. No desire to run fingers through my hair here. It would not make the cut for a hair commercial. It’s also too long for comfort, or as my sister would say ‘witchy.’

HAIR BEFORE | GOAL HAIR | GOOD HEALTHY HAIR

My Notes: It’s shiny, and smooth, and looks like it would flow nicely in the wind. Plus, a certain boy could run his fingers through it no problem. It looks healthy and hearty and ready for a commercial!

REASONS WHY MY HAIR HAS LOST ITS VA-VA-VOOM!

• Without a doubt it’s because for the last 6+ months I’ve been using a travel blow dryer and hair straightener. The voltage in Canada is 110, the voltage everywhere else is 230, which meant I couldn’t bring my beloved, very expensive, but worth it, blow dryer and straightener with me.  I had to buy cheap, sucked-the-life-out-my-hair tools. LAME.
• When I was rich and famous had a regular pay check I would always buy Brilliant Brunette shampoo/conditioner - which I swear by, but now I buy super-cheap-whatever-is-on-sale shampoos and conditioners.
• I’ve also been too cheap to get a proper hair cut.

THE GOAL

To get smooth, silky, glossy hair. Hair I can dance around in the wind with and pretend I’m on a Pantene commercial with.

And? all on a budget!

THE PLAN (ON A BUDGET)

1. Get a hair cut - my split ends are breaking records over here. I’ve signed up for Groupon Australia to see if any hair deals come up, and will be keeping an eye out for $15 hair cuts
2. Buy a real Australian Blow Dryer (I’m coming for you eBay)
3. Buy a real Australian Straightener (I’m coming for you eBay. Again)
4. Do cheap, online, can-buy-ingredients-at-the-supermarket hair masks. Avocado oil |Mayonnaise | eggs etc.
   
5. Buy a decent shampoo/conditioner (I’m thinking of finding a hair salon outlet).
6. Buy a swimming cap to protect it from chlorine (Swimmers!! Thank you for your comments!!!)
7. Avoid brushing hair while wet (although this will be hard as my hair gets so tangled)
8. Avoid putting hair on top of head in towel when wet. 

OTHER

I’ll keep you guys updated on my progress…. I’m thinking I’ll slap a 3 month deadline on this goal.

Any other tips for me? How do you keep your hair glow-a-lowing? Smooth? Sexy?