WINTER HAIR REMEDIES - DAY 5: FLAT HAIR

Let’s start with the c a u s e of flat hair.

I know how annoying flat hair can be, given that my hair is naturally extremely flat and straight. Now, obviously that’s a biological thing. If you put those type of reasons aside, we get back to the seasonal reasons. Unfortunately, the cold air is a leading cause of flat hair. This is because when the air removes the moisture out of your hair, it can leave your locks looking dull and lifeless. Now, my curly hair girls are probably thinking, my god, take the humidity away - it makes my hair expand! But, if you naturally have hair like me, you want a little of that moisture. This is why hair is so unique - it’s so different for everyone. And, that’s why this blog isn’t just for girls who have fine straight hair like me, this is for everyone - because big volume curly hair gals, you can have flat curls, right? So, this is for all hair types. Weather you are curly and straight, voluminous or lifeless- Your hair can still have a deflation moment. Product build up can leave your hair matted to your head, not blowdrying your hair correctly or leaving it air dried sticking to your scalp, etc. So many reasons and most can be solved with a little style coaching or product detox! SO, let’s get to it.

INVESTIGATE & REMEDY

What to look for: Look for lightweight conditioners that won’t weigh down your hair, and volume-enhancing shampoo designed to give your hair some life. Now, if you have been a product junkie all season like me - it may be even just as simple as a clarifying treatment to strip your scalp and/or hair of those heavy products or minerals from hard water.

When in doubt- c l a r i f y: Like I said in the first section, sometimes besides weather, the leading cause of flat hair can be product build up. The thing about product build up, is that most of the time it’s invisible! It’s usually matted to your scalp or your hair strands and causes your hair itself to be heavy and weighed down. Best thing to do if you are unsure is ask your hairstylist to do a product build-up test (if that’s something they offer, everyone is different.) I lightly take my freshly sharpened scissors and skim a section of your hair and see if any product comes off of it, usually it’ll look like a white chalky substance that will be left on my scissors. That means- time for a detox and time to start intograding new goodies into your routine that have less harsh build up ingredients and better quality substance. My fav clarifying shampoo is Davines SOLU. I also carry and LOVE the SOLU salt scrub cleanser, I like to say it’s the SOLU reset duo. Another brand I love is the MAXI.WASH by Kevin Murphy.

Don’t do the following: It’s also important to not over-wash. Shampoo your hair AT LEAST every other day because shampooing too often will dry your hair of the moisture it was able to retain. But, don’t wait too long - I have said it before and i’ll say it again, I am NOT one to recommend just waiting an entire week and using dry shampoo - no, no, please no! Clean your scalp and hair, it’s important to keep up on hygiene, k? That dry shampoo phase everyone thinks is cool, well, it’s not. Okay, phew - needed to rant that out again.

Styling tip to avoid flat roots: While blowdrying, flip your hair upside down and push your roots upward. This will dry your roots away from your scalp and encourage them to have more volume as opposed to sticking and drying flat to your scalp. Next, take a round brush and round brush away from the normal direction the hair would fall. This confused any cowlicks or whirls that can be super annoying and never lay down, this motion tames them perfectly. If you don’t own a round brush or don’t know how - I have been loving the blow-dry brush craze that has come back. It’s a round brush and dryer all in one so you don’t have to coordinate both hands to get the job done, it’s fool proof. Of course, you can also use a regular paddle or vent brush to get that blow-dry volume, also.

Second suggestion is to use a root spray to go along with that blow-dry motion. What a root lift spray usually does is just that- LIFT. But also, generally it has a little plumping and hold. You can over use these products very easily so take it slow at first and just target the areas you want- usually the most common areas is around the crown of our hair. If you don’t like the idea of blowdrying in a product, I am obsessed with texture root powders… same idea as the spray, except this is almost like a dry shampoo texture but loose powder that you can lightly sprinkle at your roots or throughout your curls and LET. ME. TELL. YOU. they are the bomb for volume. My last suggestion as far as products is (especially if you’re using powders and sprays I just mentioned) - don’t be afraid of moisture! THE RIGHT moisture that is. If you have fine hair - use a lightweight leave in conditioner spray right after the shower BEFORE you brush your hair. Same if you have heavier, course hair - use a regular or more saturated leave-in product - then after go in with your lift products.