Gina: Quitting the blowdrier
In addition to the usual fitness questions I receive for the blog, I also get a lot of hair questions and dating/relationship questions. I can’t really help much with the dating stuff -I’ve been out of the game for.. 8 years? haha- but for the hair stuff I have a better idea of what to do 😉
My hair routine has changed quite a bit over the years. Since madre is a hair stylist, she’s always hooked a girl up with whatever color or cut I was craving at the time. When she became a Keratin educator, it was pretty life-changing. The treatment took my unruly mane into a manageable, less-poufy version of itself, and I could still wear it curly if I wanted to. I haven’t had a treatment in quite a while- it’s not advised while pregnant and I didn’t feel comfortable doing it while I was breastfeeding- but since I had Liv, my hair routine has become pretty simple. It’s a huge change from the blow-drying, straightening, styling days of yore.
First major change: I stopped blowdrying it for the most part, and my hair is so much healthier.
Now, I’ll wash my hair, let it air dry, and will curl it into messy waves using this technique.
Some current favorite products:
Moroccan Oil
(it smells heavenly and a little goes a long way)
Whatever shampoo/conditioner I’m currently using (I like to switch it up but my favorite brands are Pureology, 2 Chic, Nexxus, and Bumble & Bumble). My only requirement is that the conditioner has to be THICK to coat my hair. If it’s watery, I’m not a fan.
this styling wand
(it used to be $180 and is now $70 on Amazon. Killer!)
This hair spray (The mini version is awesome
)
That’s it!
The good news is that it usually lasts a few days, even if I work out (just save the gym hair). If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll use a deep conditioning treatment… or get a trim 😉
What’s your hair care routine like? What’s your everyday, go-to style? Mine is either down and wavy, or in a messy bun with a thick headband.
xoxo
Gina
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I should send you a couple of the fold over elastic hair ties I make. I’ve got some new fun patterns of elastic on their way to me right now (flowers, polka dots, animal print, and lots of Zumba fabulous colours too!).
I think I had your old address, but I don’t think I have your new one since you moved. Shoot me an email with your mailing address and I’ll throw some in the mail to you! suzi@confessionsofafitnessinstructor.com
P.S. I’d be sending them just for fun, not for any blog related purpose 😉
I wish I didn’t have to blow dry my hair but I have stick-straight fine hair so I MUST blow dry my hair with a large round brush for body. If I didn’t, it would be gross limp very sad hair. I use a heat protectant before I blow dry and thank goodness my hair is shiny and healthy 🙂
Since I’m growing it out I wear it down but when I workout I use BicBands 🙂
I have been getting my hair Japanese straightened for the past 6 years now! Obviously it is a treatment so not the best for your hair however – hair dries (air dry) stick straight so for a few months after I am not bothered with any sort of hot tool. Plus I knew if I did this I would never color it. I try to wait 6-9 month in between (although just waited a full year) so no blow dryer or flat iron until it is noticeable growing in. And my hair is all the way down my back so I can get away with a long time.
My hair is pretty much down unless I am working out, I seriously love it!
I can’t imagine not blow-drying my hair! When I’m in Hawaii it’s easy to let it go, the humidity gives it a nice curl. It’s far too dry here… maybe I just need to move somewhere more tropical 😉 I LOVE Lululemon headbands when I workout and when I’m schlepping about on the weekends.
Oh… how I long for thick hair! 🙂 I have super baby-fine hair that absolutely needs to be washed every day or else I’m grease city. It’s sort of ridiculous. I love not blow-drying in the warmer months because then I get a little more body. My hair basically falls flat after an hour and then I’m left with limp and lifeless locks. So I typically wear it up in a barrette or the ponytail.
I love talking hair! I’m also a fan of air drying and then using the curling iron. But most days I just air dry before bed and use some of Kiehl’s Grooming Aid 133 to help smooth things out a bit. I also like Moroccon oil before blow drying, it smells so good!
About a year ago I went abroad for a semester and forgot to bring my blow dryer and flat iron, so instead of buying new ones, I just totally gave up heat styling. It was like rehab for styling tools! When I got back to the states I started doing it again occasionally, but my hair looked so healthy from not heat styling it that I hardly ever need to. But then again, I’m not working in a corporate environment. If I were, I’d prob need to look more presentable.
Do you worry about silicones and sulfates in hair products?
i do, but worry more about products that go directly on my body. animal testing is something i usually check for
Your hair is beautiful! I am so jealous that one wash lasts that long – even though workouts. I have super curly hair which I straighten almost every day with a blowdryer and round brush. I’ve tried long and short styles and short is so much easier to straighten but means I actually have to do it all the time. I also work out every day at lunch so that’s always a challenge…Ladies and their hair…
I have thick, curly hair that I like to wear straight. I have no clue how to wear it curly without looking like Diana Ross or a rocker chick from the 80s. I wash and let it air dry once a week, than go over it with my flat iron (and always use a heat protecting spray!!). Lucky for me, I suck at using a hair dryer so I don’t use one. It normally last a week with touch ups around the crown if I’ve been to the gym or yoga.
I recently went blonde (think Rihanna at the Grammys) so I’ve been extra careful with using heat tools and trying every deep conditioner I see. L’Oreal has a new Damage Repair balm thingy I’m loving and its only 7 bucks!
I love love love when you do hair posts! I am forever grateful to you for teaching me how to do a waterfall braid:)
It actually encourages me that you don’t blow dry. I know how bad it is for my hair (and I’m lazy :)) but I do feel more pulled together when I do.
I could not, not, not give up blowdrying my hair. It’s flat and straight, the blowdryer is the only thing that can give it any volume, and that’s with copious amounts of volumizer and a round brush. I’ve worked for years trying to figure out the right technique! But I wish I could style without it; it is a pain in the morning. Plus damaging.
Thanks so much for the hair tips. I always love seeing other girls’ hair techniques.
I also quit the keratin treatments while I was pregnant, and even though my baby is now 5 months old, I haven’t gone back to them. I just wonder if they are safe for me if they aren’t safe for the baby. They are incredible though as far as getting rid of frizz and unruly curls. Cutting down on hairdryer use is definitely a lifesaver. I need to be better about using mine less often.
the only thing i blow dry is my bangs! a quick 1 min otherwise i get the groovy bangs, i do pretty much same things u do.. wash my hair every other day…on days i don’t wash, i use accure dry shampoo, rub it in to get the oil out.. that’s it.. i’m pretty low maintenance when it comes to my hair. the only time my hair gets full blow dry is when i go out.. lol
Hey Gina!! I also gave up blow drying, at least for the most part, and that really has helped my hair to be so much healthier! I’ve never been big into cosmetic stuff, so I’ve never had an exceptionally long hair routine, but recently I stopped using typical shampoo/conditioners and started using some I actually got at Whole Foods made specifically for everyday use with coconut oil and lavender- first of all, smells AMAZING and stays in my hair! And has helped me tame my mane. I also try to do a revitalizing shampoo once a week that takes all the crap out of my hair- I have to wear it up for work, so that does some damage. I try and be “nice” to it, even if it is an insanely crazy thick frizzy mane. 🙂 On the days I get REALLY frustrated if I’m trying to do something my hair keeps fighting me on, I try to say a quick prayer for the health that allows me to have my hair.
Btw, you look gorgeous in your pictures! 🙂
I love Aveda shampure and argan oil. It makes my hair so happy!
This has nothing to do with hair…
The first thing I thought when I saw that last photo of you was “I love Gina’s nose! I want her nose.” And then I remembered a post you wrote ages ago about how you were self conscious about your nose. That was you, right?
…so random! I know.
shut the front door! well, thank you. it was definitely me- i have a hard time with my honker 😉
I’ve always been too nervous to try a keratin treatment. My go-to style is side part, pulled back into a low ponytail. If I twist the bottom while wet, it’ll actually curl and stay curled as it dries. It’s especially helpful in the summer heat!
I stopped using my hairdryer ages ago too and it makes such a difference! I used to have the driest, brittle hair and now it’s usually soft and well hydrated (as long as I have a good conditioner like you said). I also stopped fighting nature by trying to make my hair light blonde several years ago, ha ha. I still do color occasionally but stick to browns and reds.
I let my hair air dry and either do the ponytail thing, throw a little gel on there to enhance my waves or once it’s dry, use my CHI to straighten it, but that’s usually only for special occasions as it takes quite a while 😉
Has eliminating the blow drying affected how you do your post workout hair?
Hair has been such a huge struggle for me. My goal with hair is to treat it well enough that I can wash and wear. I hate fussing with it. I have a lot of hair (thick) but the strands themselves are fine so tend to get frizzy when treated poorly.
I am finally happy with my hair routine (after years of experimenting) except I still have crazy crown baby hair growing out after using some cheap shampoo a few months ago that broke my hair. My hair is also very prone to breaking.
My current routine is once a week I shampoo with Purelogy Shampoo. Daily I condition with Wen. I shower at night and just let it air dry. It’s doing very well! Finally!
If anyone has any experience with crown hair devil horns, let me know your advice! Thanks!
LOVE Wen! With it I can blow dry, air dry or a mix (dry bangs or touch up later) and my hair remains SO healthy, strong & full. And the scents are like relaxing aromatherapy!!
I always hated my thick wavy hair growing up (when stick straight was super in style), but now I embrace it! I blow dry and do a quick once over of the top with the straightener to smooth the frizzies during the cold weather months, but in the summer it’s just not worth it, so my hair is either up or curly! I also only wash my hair every 3 or 4 days, yay for long thick hair!
I must have resilient hair, cause I blow dry it everyday, yet I’ve gotten a few comments from hair stylists about how healthy and soft my hair is.
If I didn’t work outside and I wouldn’t freeze with wet hair, I’d definitely blow dry it less. Though living in Canada with at least 6 or 7 months of cold weather makes that difficult.
I alternate a lot of tools– blow dryer, Instyler, hot rollers, mostly. Some days it’s air dried and left curly but pulled back. I bought your curling iron when you recommended it in Jan. and I haven’t really found a way to use it much yet.
Count me in the baby-fine hair group. I MUST wash my hair every day if I am going out in public or else I look like a dirtball. My hair needs the hairdryer like The Real Housewives need drama or else it looks completely lifeless. If I am staying put on a Sunday, I will take the day off from washing it but will rinse it out in the shower so it’s not too gross.
Pureology is awesome for those with colored hair. I also love huge velcro rollers for volume. I really wish I could have thick pretty hair that I just get up and go but I know that will never happen for me.
I remember reading a quote about the late Texas Gov. Ann Richards. Her stylist said “We basically beat the tar out of it to get it to do anything”. That’s what I have to do to to my hair too! I dry it (always using heat protectant) and then put in my HUGE rollers and let it set while I have some breakfast and put makeup on. My only enemy is humidity after that.
I feel lucky though–it must be strong because it’s been a lot of colors and hasn’t fallen out or broken off.
Try Lavender or Tea Tree (smell isn’t great but so effective on fine hair!) Wen. Will change your life!
whoops – lavender smell is terrific; tea tree not so much
Both excellent for fine hair in my experience
Love Moroccan Oil – it adds so much moisture to my hair and saves it from damage caused by blow-drying. My hair is naturally curly and a bit unruly, so I usually wear it pulled back in a bun or ponytail for work (don’t have lots of time to spend styling!). On my days off, I usually wear it curly or in loose waves. Thanks for sharing your advice – gonna try to do your loose waves routine on my hair!
I hate blow drying my hair but during the cold winter months I feel like I have to because going outside with wet hair is just not fun. I wish I had more time to let my hair completely air dry on winter mornings before work. What do you do when its really cold out?? Do you just let it completely dry before going outside?