Holistically Katie

How did I get into natural hair care?

Once upon a time, I became obsessed with dying my hair blonde before the summertime. I loved the look of having light streaks in my hair, and these streaks lightened up even more with the sunshine during the warm months. Unfortunately, I started to notice that my hair was becoming quite weak, and the ends would break off. My hair was also frizzy all of the time, and nearly impossible to brush through after a shower.

I did some research and realized that the reason my hair was so damaged and weak, was because I was getting it colored. Keep in mind, I was only getting the procedure done once a year, but it was still enough to create a damaging cycle to my hair that would cause it to be frizzy and brittle.

Before dying my hair, it was long, shiny and very healthy.

I knew that I could not keep doing what I was doing and expect to have beautiful, healthy hair. So, I started looking into alternatives. Lucky for me, a new salon called Sky Salon opened just a few minutes from where I live. This place gets a 10 out of 10 from me. It is beautiful, modern, peaceful and has the most amazing people working there. I am often there for 2+ hours and don’t want to leave because I get in the best conversations with all the lovely ladies. It was just me and Michelle in the salon Friday afternoon and I had such a great time chatting with her.

Sky Salon does not use traditional chemicals, but rather they use organic hair brands such as Organic Way which uses biodynamic extracts, plants, and essential oils to design their products. Conventional hair products contain cheap fillers, glycols, as well as toxic chemicals which damage your hair. These products however, contain organic and raw materials, and as an added bonus, are cruelty free. The products are gluten free, sulfate free, paraben free and contain no heavy metals or pesticides. It is so important to become chemically cautious, because as I discussed on my post about natural skincare, everything we put on our skin, hair, etc can seep into our bodies and alter our hormones and functioning. It is so scary that traditional chemicals in hair products used in salons can cause allergic reactions, alter the immune system, disrupt endocrine functioning, are terrible for the environment, and yet so many people go and get their hair colored without even considering this.

Now, I get balayage done on my hair once a year at Sky Salon, and while my hair is definently not perfect, it is much healthier than it was before. Here is the after shot of my recent hair experience at Sky Salon (Michelle did my hair-she is INCREDIBLE!):

Other things I do to keep my hair nice and healthy, are to incorporate these wonderful products which I buy every time I visit Sky:

The neuSmooth illuminating mist is sprayed to the hair after a shower. The mask is left on the hair for at least thirty minutes once a week to add moisture back in and replenish dead ends. I definitely notice a difference to the texture, fullness, and body of my hair when I use these products! They are also natural, and sulfate-free which is very important to me.

Other tips I recommend for hair health are:

• Maintain a healthy diet that supports hair growth. Foods such as organic eggs, wild-caught salmon, spinach, walnuts, sweet potatoes, blueberries and almonds are fantastic for healthy hair. Protein, iron, vitamin c, omega-3, and vitamin A are all found in these foods and are critical for supporting healthy hair.
• Do NOT wash your hair every day. This one is hard for me because since I am so active, I find I am tempted to wash my hair every night to get out all the sweat and grease that may have accumulated during my workout. After hot yoga especially when I am dripping in sweat, I am much more tempted to wash my hair. However,  it is very important to not wash your hair everyday as this will strip the nutrients away from your hair and cause frizziness and dead ends. This is why Dry Shampoo is my best friend. I love the Acure Dry Shampoo because it is vegan, gluten free, paraben and sulfate free.
• Treat your hair to a mask at least once a week. Hair masks are a fantastic way to add some moisture back to your hair and replenish dry ends. If you do not want to buy a hair mask, you can use coconut oil, olive oil, honey or even egg yolks!
• Other habits to pay attention to…Don’t brush your hair in the shower, as this can damage your hair greatly. Use a wetbrush or comb to gently comb your hair after getting out of the shower. Try to wear your hair down or in a braid, as this will prevent damage. Lastly, be mindful of how much heat you are using on your hair. Curling and straightening your hair often has extremely negative impacts on the overall appearance of your locks.

I could not be happier with my blonde highlights! I’m now officially ready for summer-all I need is a tan. 🙂

The best part is, I didn’t have to sacrifice the integrity of my hair to achieve the look I wanted. I would highly encourage you all to look into natural, organic haircare if you are still using conventional treatments! It is so worth it.