I must start off with a confession. In my Black Friday post, I forgot to mention I bought some hair care from Calia Natural. I bought two bottles of shampoo and four bottles of conditioner because this stuff is the juice I need to survive. It’s even cooler when it’s 15% off, which was the Black Friday deal. My package just arrived to me (get it together Canada Post) and inspired me to do a haircare tell-all. A lot of people ask how I grow my hair out and what I use, so, without further ado….
Say what you will, but organic stuff is just better. Organic chicken? Perfecto. Organic bread? Gimme. Organic lip balm? Slather it all over my body. The best organic thing of all, though, would have to be hair care products. Long hair has been a part of my identity for most of my life, but I certainly haven’t always taken the best care of it. I remember in middle school thinking I NEEDED to use dandruff shampoo when the only thing it did was strip my hair of natural oils and make it stringy. I’ve tried a million and one things for my hair and none of them compare to the magic that is a scalp treatment from Blue Beautifly, Calia Natural’s shampoo and conditioner, a light oil from the Innate Life, and an intoxicating product from Innersense. All of these products are organic, sulfate and silicone-free. Sulfates deplete your hair of essential nutrients and silicones create a buildup of a dirt-trapping film around your hair. Below, you’ll find a tried and true hair care routine that just works.
Blue Beautifly Organic Amalaki Scalp Oil Serum or The Innate Life Scalp Treatment for a Normal Scalp
Before you start thinking this haircare routine is way too hard to maintain and I’m the most high-maintenance woman in the world, let me say I only use scalp treatments whenever I have time to incorporate one into my schedule, which is once a week if I’m lucky. The dropper packaging of the Blue Beautifly Oil makes this easier to use than the Innate Life one and even though it’s an oil, it doesn’t require fifteen sudsy washes to get out, unlike the Innate Life product. I like to leave both overnight to reap full benefits but any amount of time is better than nothing. Bonus: I put manuka honey in the lengths of my hair for extra silkiness and shine. My scalp and overall hair health improve when I use scalp treatments. I prefer the Blue Beautifly one, but ran out and decided to buy the Innate Life treatment and even though I still like it, I’m not as impressed.
Calia Natural’s Hydrating Shampoo
Shampooing is tricky. How many days should I wait until I wash again? Why are sulfates so bad? What is THAT ingredient? The first question depends all on you. I wash my hair about every three days so I don’t strip all my natural oils away. It’s a common thing in the beauty community to love second-day hair, but to me, there’s nothing like freshly washed and good-smelling hair. This shampoo only has natural ingredients (that you can actually pronounce) and still manages to suds up and sufficiently clean my hair. It’s simple.
Calia Natural’s Hydrating Conditioner
Similar to the shampoo, this conditioner is packed with hearty oils that make my hair silky and smooth. The label calls it “hydrating” and that’s exactly what it is. I’ll take four, thank you.
Right after I hop out of the shower and seal in moisture with a body lotion, I ring all the excess water out of my hair and apply a few drops of this elixir to calm frizziness and help prevent split ends. This goes hand-in-hand with my next step which is the...
I talked about getting this in my Sephora sale post and OMG. I love this thing. It soaks up so much more water than a regular towel and is actually long enough for my hip-length hair. I used to have a Turbie Twist and she could never!!! I use this for about an hour and then take my hair down to detangle and dry.
I asked for this for Christmas after being pressured by an Into the Gloss article. At first, I thought I was just being my bougie self, but when my grandparents gifted me this a year ago and I started using it as my main (or mane tehe) mode of detangling, I fell in love. I take this thing everywhere and it’s still in perfect condition due to the virtually indestructible resin. Run, don’t walk.
Innersense Sweet Spirit Leave-In Conditioner
It was a regular ole day visiting my favorite beauty store, Aillea, which I mentioned in my Best of Beauty in Raleigh article when I met someone with probably the most beautiful hair I had ever seen. Emily, from Flourish Hair Boutique in Wilmington, NC, was singing the praises of Innersense, a sustainable and natural line of hair care. I decided to try the Leave-In Conditioner and oh boy; I’m so glad I did. It smells like the ingredients actually come from the earth (because they do!!!) instead of a lab and is lightweight enough to use on dry hair as well as wet. I use this in conjunction with my Yves Durif Comb for tangle-free and healthy hair.
I know it’s expensive, but I’ve already talked about how much I love this thing. To be honest, I don’t use it that much because I never put heat on my hair unless I absolutely have to, which is when I don’t have time to air dry. In those moments, though, I’m so thankful I have it in my beauty stash. All other heat tools seem to give my fine hair tons of damage except for this.
Mason Pearson Handy Mixture Hair Brush
I got my first Mason Pearson two years ago and I must say, it really is worth the investment. The look it gives your hair is really not duplicated by any other tool. Celebrity hairstylist Jawara Wauchope described the effect this brush gives the best when he said it makes hair look “angelic.” I use this as my last step on completely dry hair. Et violà!