Good Morning Friends! As you are reading this I am spending a rainy Tuesday in Newport with my mother and sister. My sister is going to College next year (omg!) and is highly considering Salve Regina in Newport as her home for the next four years. Can we just talk about how exciting it would be to have my little sister living up here in the Ocean State? I know she is going to love it as much as I do. Newport is one of my favorite places in the world, and if you are not from the East Coast or are not familiar with the little Ocean Town then you are missing out. But I will share some pictures and places with you another time. Today I am talking about another subject – hair.

My hair journey has been an interesting one. When I was little my hair was pin straight. When I transitioned into those awkward teenage years my hair was curly. However, that did not fit into my punk rock vibe and I straightened the life out of it. Literally. Not to mention I bleached it and dyed it pink and blue. Through high school I decided to try the dark on top bleach blonde underneath trend. Then when I was about to move up to Rhode island for college I got rid of the blonde and went back to my brunette roots. By my Junior year of College my hair was long, thick, and beautiful. So naturally I decided I should bleach it again and go for the oh so popular ombre look. (For the record, I have never dyed the top of my head before. It is all natural up there and I plan on keeping it that way until the eventual grey hairs of old age creep up on me). I kept that going until a year or so after I had graduated from college. I had been promoted to my first Event Manager job and I wanted to look a little more professional. So back to brunette it was. During this hair appointment the very persistent hair stylist told me that my hair was dead and she needed to cut it off. I told her I did not want to cut that much length off of my mid-section length hair. Needless to say she did not listen to my request and cut it just below shoulder length. I was furious.

This is where my frustrations began. Currently my hair has not grown back to it’s former glory, and has been stuck in this weird mid length for over two years. Also, the back of my hair is way shorter than the front of my hair. I admit this is my fault – using so much heat on my hair has caused it to break and has been stunting it’s growth for quite some time. Add in my lack of water consumption and there you have it. Dry/Dull hair. And frankly I am sick of it. So I came up with a plan.

As of today, I have gone three weeks with little to no heat on my hair whatsoever. I have not taken out the hair dryer or curling wand once. The only time I have used my hair straightener is to fix the flyaways that frame my face – and ONLY after spraying on a heat protection spray. Once a week I use a hydrating hair mask (usually on Sunday’s) and let it sit for a couple of minutes. When I get out of the shower I spray my hair with a strengthening and detangling spray and brush it with a wide tooth comb or wet brush. Then I separate the hair into two pieces. I take each side, lightly twist it, and pin it to the top of my head. I then wrap my head in a headband to keep it in place while I sleep. The next morning I take it down, brush it out, spray it with a heat protector, fix any flyaways in the front of my hair, and smooth with a styling cream. And that’s it. I can already feel a HUGE difference. My hair feels softer, looks shinier, doesn’t smell like burnt hair, and lastly *fingers crossed* is growing. Especially the back, which is what I really need. I plan on getting a trim very soon to get rid of the dead ends, and continue this process for the rest of the winter.

My hope is by May my hair will continue to get healthier, stronger, and longer. At that point I might toy around with the idea of lightening the ends a bit – not bleach blond, and not ombre.. just some lighter brown layers to add some dimension and life to my hair. But that is down the road. I still have a long way to go on this journey.

Do any of you have some hair tips to promote growth in your hair? Would you guys like an update in a couple months on my progress? Let me know, I would love to hear from you!

xx Casey