I am feeling so ‘whaleish’ at the moment, I really can not deal with this North Queensland humidity rubbish! So to change my whole mindset, I booked an appointment to get my hair done with my neighbour and friend, Erin Giliberto from Hair by Erin who operates out of Heaven Scent – a florist shop in Ingham.
Erin is passionate about hair and she was telling me her story about why she absolutely loves what she does. I love hearing people’s stories, however – it’s not my story to tell. I have never had a bad experience with my hair, I get on really well with all my past hairdressers but I was absolutely AMAZED with Erin’s end product. For the last year, she has been working away at a balayage look – but this time I just couldn’t believe my hair ended up looking like it did. I was over the moon!
After I had my first child, I lost so much hair – it was super scary! I told Erin – I was completely freaking out! She explained to me why it happens – it all has to do with postpartum hormonal balances. Those who have researched it recommend not to worry, as it’s temporary and the hair grows back. As many women are breastfeeding at six months and sometimes beyond, checking in with your GP can help determine if the hair loss goes beyond the effects of pregnancy and childbirth. While your baby becomes your priority, ensure you are also eating a balanced diet that is rich in protein and vitamins, this will help eliminate other possible factors of hair loss like vitamin and iron deficiency.
I have always had reasonably healthy hair, until I had my accident. Then it was always so oily I had to wash it everyday just to keep it clean – which damaged it more. Over the years I have learn’t different tips and tricks to make sure I don’t wreck my hair with too much colour, not enough love, etc. The following list is what I’ve learnt over the years:-
- Use a salon quality shampoo and conditioner – This ensures there’s no nasties that will damage your hair.
- Only condition the ends – because the scalp produces a natural oil, there is no need to condition the entire head – just the ends. I found since I started only washing my ends my hair looks cleaner for longer.
- Get it trimmed regularly – This helps to keep it healthy as it grows. Hair begins to split somewhere between 3-4 months so getting it trimmed around then will help you maintain healthy hair.
- Use a wide tooth comb before you wash conditioner out – doing so means less split ends and you don’t have to brush it while it’s wet (which means less split ends).
- Do not use Pantene – Pantene contains silicone which can build-up on the hair with repeated use, and one of the active ingredients will dry your hair out leaving it more prone to damage.
As I have had some education when it comes to looking after my hair, and as my hair now has a few different shades of blonde through it – I want to be able to keep it healthy. When it comes to basic care it all starts with a good washing routine – here is the system I follow:-
- Get it soaking wet – This means you save $$ on shampoo as you only have to use a minute amount.
- Use a small amount of shampoo – A small blob is plenty, I then repeat this process.
- Massage the shampoo into your scalp – Don’t scrub the scalp too hard – remember those salon head massages? Yeah… like that.
- Rinse really well – until you don’t see any more bubbles or suds on your head or going down the drain. I do this by feel – when it feels like it does when you first wet it.
- Gently dry your hair with a towel – I use a hair towel, I leave it on for a while then I let it air dry.
- Comb it out carefully – with a wide-tooth comb, especially if it’s curly. Don’t yank or tug on it, because that can break the hair or pull it out.
- Try to use heating devices as last as possible – these devices will cause damage to your hair, limiting usage will reduce the severity of damage.
I have been using TreSemmè until my last hair appointment, I have since asked Erin to order me in some of the blonde shampoo & conditioner she uses – Base Blonde, it smells like marshmallows! I also just ordered salon quality moisturising shampoo & conditioner off eBay – Oasis natural look hydrating. When it comes to buying your shampoo & conditioner, buying the most expensive products isn’t the right way to go about it. You can buy products that keep your hair in tip top shape that are actually quite reasonably priced. It’s all about marketing for the big hair companies, a lot of the time your paying for bells and whistles you don’t really need.
“I think that the most important thing a woman can have- next to talent, of course- is her hairdresser.”
Heaven Scent Flowers & Gifts
P.S:- I had another healthy little boy on the 3rd May 2019.
Aquo Xx