Hair care basics

I get SO many hair care questions through the blog, IG, snapchat and Facebook, I figured I’d finally (long overdue) create a post answering all of the FAQs about my hair. Also, let me make it clear that nothing in this post is sponsored, it’s all stuff that I genuinely love and use day-to-day.

Hot tools:

I used the T3 wand for the past year or so and LOVED the results. The wand gets extremely hot, which is great for holding curl, but if you curl your hair as much as I do it can really take a toll on your hair quality. Side note: I always used it on the full heat setting so that may have been my problem, there are 5 heat settings total. The T3 is perfect for the person that curls their hair 1-4 times a month. I will eventually go back to using my wand, but I really needed to get my hair healthy again, so for now I’m using this cheapo depo curling iron I picked up for under $22- linked below. I saw one of my favorite bloggers, SomethingNavy, using this product and thought what do I really have to lose by trying it.. I mean it cost less than a dinner out. I’m shocked by how much I ended up loving! This iron is definitely a little harder to get the hang of because of the clamp (using a wand is SO much easier) but I like how these curls come out and it’s a fun change.

I NEVER use a blow dryer… don’t even own one. I really think one of the reasons my hair is so long and grows so quickly is the lack of another hot tool in my daily routine. I usually shower before bed and go to sleep with wet hair.

Products:

HEAT

One thing I’ve learned this year is the importance of heat protectants for your hair!!! I never used protectants in the past, but when my I woke up one day to a million broken baby hairs around my hairline I knew I had to start taking better care of my hair. I spray the Style Sexy Hair product all over my dry hair before curling. At first it’ll feel like your hair is oily and wet but be patient and let it dry before you use your hot tool and it’ll work like a dream!

**I love all of Big Sexy Hair’s products so if you’re ever looking for a new hair product they are a great go-to brand you know you’ll always love and can trust.

HAIRSPRAY

As far as post curling goes, I like to use a sheer hold hairspray to fight the Florida humidity and keep my curls going for an extra day or two. After my hair is all curled I lightly brush through everything with my wet brush (linked below- best brush for wet or dry hair) and then flip my head over and lightly spray my hairspray all around. Don’t put the hairspray too close to your roots, focus most of the product from the middle of your hair to the ends. Once I’m all sprayed up and it’s dry I go through again with my wet brush to keep the curls from looking too curly Q.

DRY SHAMPOO

 I have two dry shampoos I switch between, Oribe and Batiste (not the blonde version, the original). Batiste is more of my everyday dry shampoo because it’s cheap and gets the job done, also comes in yummy fragrances. Oribe is the product I go to when I’m trying a little harder because it’s AMAZING but more expensive so I like to save it if I can.

SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER

 For this I truly don’t have a huge preference. I don’t ever re-buy the same brand back-to-back because it’s good to change product periodically. Right now I’m using Pantene, but last month I used Finesse.

SEA SPRAY

 The last product, which also happens to be my absolute FAVORITE, is the salt spray below- purple bottle. You guys, I swear by this stuff!!! This product doesn’t just work great for beachy curls, but it really works for any hairstyle. My pet peeve is flat hair and this stuff is great for adding a little ummph to your look. The price is a little more than I normally like to spend on product, but I promise you it’s so worth it. All Oribe products are great, but they tend to be on the pricier end of things.

Extensions:

Here’s the brand I wear. Color: Sandy Blonde #18.

This is something entirely new for me, so let’s just go into this section knowing I’m by no means an expert on extensions. I first got this idea in my head thanks to Amber Fillerup, one of my idols in the blogging world, and also the creator the extensions I wear. If you’ve been following me for a while, I only started wearing extensions about a month or so ago. My natural hair is the same length as the extensions, but I wear them for volume and to allow me to do fun braids/new styles.

The extension pack comes with more than enough hair, here’s what you get:

Length: 21″

Each set contains 10 wefts (160 grams):

1 x 8″ weft (4 clips)
1 x 7″ weft (4 clips)
2 x 6″ wefts (3 clips)
2 x 4″ wefts (2 clips)
4 x 1.5″ wefts (1 clips)

For my everyday look I wear 2x of the 4 clips (7″) and 1x of the 3 clips.

Putting them in is super easy and only takes me a minute or two. I start at the bottom of my head and work my way up.

I do my first row of clips 1″ above the bottom of my hair line, then I put down another layer of hair, about a 1/2″ above the clips and add another row, and so on.

Here’s the final look!

Extension Q&A:

Do I wash my extensions?

Like I said, this is new for me, so I haven’t washed them yet, but I found out there are shampoo and conditioners that are made specifically for extensions, so when I do wash I’ll use those.

Can you swim in them?

You can, and Amber Fillerup is known for wearing hers all day everyday so if you ever want tips on swimming in them I would go to her blog. I haven’t yet, and honestly I don’t plan too. My hair is fine without extensions so I won’t wear them in unnecessary places like the ocean.

Did they match my hair?

I was lucky that the first color I ordered matched my color almost exactly. The best thing about Barefoot Blonde Hair is that they send you a little mini strip of hair that you can take out of the box to test against your own and if it doesn’t match you can return the entire package.

I’m going to do another post solely for my extensions once I’ve had more time to use and know them.

Final hair care tips!

I only wash my hair 2 times a week. Your natural oils are so healthy for your hair and if you wash it too much you’ll never get those great nutrients and moisture.

Dry shampoo is what keeps me going from wash to wash.

I trim and highlight my hair every 8-10 weeks (only highlighting the top half of my head).

I don’t take any hair growth vitamins and honestly don’t really buy that they even work.

My stylist always tones my hair to be an ashy blonde in order to better blend with my natural hair tones. Toner is key at the salon!

Purple shampoos are great and I try to use it 3-4 times a month to keep the brassiness away.

I’ve had longer hair for about 8 years now, but it definitely wasn’t always this long, I rocked a serious bob in middle school.

ALWAYS curl away from your face and don’t curl too close to your roots.

Sleep in a scrunchy to keep your hair curled but fight tangles.