Like I said, I’m not good at taking selfies. And I don’t have the patience to keep taking them but this was the best I could capture of my hair on my own before I walked outside and melted on my way to an event last night.
This is the third update about my hair since “the incident” and to know where I’m coming from you need to go back and read the initial post, and then you can see a little progress in update No.1 and No.2 (which were done in collaboration with Living Proof).
But after yesterday, I thought it was time for another hair update. Yesterday was the first time I’ve been able to color my hair since the fall.
I knew I needed to find someone who was obsessed with hair on a deep level to help me get my hair back to healthy. Someone who cares about my hair more than I do, talks about hair, researches hair, dreams about hair. So I started seeing Winston in February.
Winston adopted me and my hot mess of a head of hair. He has done everything he can to help my hair grow faster, and look as good as possible in the process. Trims, masks, deep conditioning, etc. But yesterday my hair was finally in a place where we could color it again. The color turned out GREAT. I can’t go super light yet — still have to protect my hair — but I love it.
When I told Winston I had worn my hair in a bun for 18 months, he was on a mission to get me to wear it down. Even though I was skeptical, I let him give me waves with a flat iron after my color, and I finally liked it and wore it down for the first time in a year and half. So kind of a big night for me and my hair. I doubt I can recreate it as good as he did, but I’ll try.
My hair is still in the grow-out process. It will probably be another 6 to 9 months before it’s in a place that I’m happy with, and another year before it’s where I want it to be, but in the meantime I have to work with what I have so I’m dealing with it.
The one good thing about this hair fiasco is that now I actually know how to take care of my hair and I know its limits. I’m much nicer to my hair now.
Here’s what I’m doing and the products I’m using to help grow it out, restore the damaged parts, and keep the new growth extra healthy:
WHAT I’M DOING
+ Started seeing Winston at PR at Partners on K Street.
+ Letting my hair air dry as much as possible. Basically trying to not use my blowdryer as much as I can.
+ Using a hair mask 2x week.
+ Using Olaplex 1x week.
+ Using more conditioner (I never used much before).
+ Using oil in my hair.
+ Taking pills/vitamins to aid in growth and eating a lot of protein.
WHAT PRODUCTS I’M USING
+ Kérastase Bain Thérapiste Shampoo
+ Kérastase Son Premier Thérapiste Conditioner
+ Kérastase Initialiste — Advanced Scalp & Hair Concentrate
+ Kérastase Elixir Ultime Hair Oil
+ Living Proof Restore Mask Treatment
+ Living Proof Restore Shampoo & Conditioner
+ Living Proof Satin Hair Serum
+ Viviscal (although I’m not taking very religiously and I should)
*Once I’m done with the Kérastase Résistance Thérapiste I’ll start using the Kérastase Résistance Force Architecte line. And no, this post is not sponsored by Kérastase or Living Proof — it’s just what I’m using.
WHAT I NEED TO DO MORE OF/START DOING
+ Get a silk pillowcase
+ Taking biotin and fish oil
So there you have it. I think my hair is over the hump of terrible, and on it’s way to getting much much better and I am getting happier with it. It just takes time to grow, and all I can do is eat healthy, take extra vitamins, and treat the hair I do have with as much love as I can.
Do you have a nightmare hair story? Favorite hair product? Tell me!
IN THE PHOTO: Black Halo 2 Piece Dress; Lizzie Fortunato Totem Earrings, similar black lamp
Using Living Proof and Phyto products have really changed my hair for the better! For masks, I either use coconut oil or olive oil, braid my hair and sleep with it over night. I’m curious to know if using a silk pillow case makes a difference. Let us know if you try it!
I’m so sorry you inherited my thin, fine hair…. I think your guy is worthy of the work “MIRACLE”! Your hair looks great and I like it down 🙂
It’s ok mom 🙂 There are some upsides! Doesn’t take long to dry, holds curl really well, easy to do quickly.
Meg, stop right there! This hair looks fabulous!!!! I LOVE this length on you. And your selfie skills are waaaay better than mine. I love you and your openness. Thanks for being a fearless friend full of strength and dignity.
I’m so glad you posted about this. I have a very similar hair story. My hair has been through a lot of trauma and I ended up moving from the whitest blonde to pink, to purple so that I don’t have to dye it AS much (still bleaching and dyeing, but not like I was). I love what Olaplex No.3 has done for my hair so far and I’ve only been using it for a month. I also use Verb ghost oil every day and love it. Need to mix in some of the above suggestions as well. Oh, and I barely wash my hair. Like once a week. Which is hard, but it’s made a huge improvement.
I’ve heard of that oil, might have to try it. I try to not wash my hair as much as possible, but I workout and sweat a lot, and I’m like ewwwww…. Also I use Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray when I’m trying to get volume and I just find that I can’t sleep on it after using that and have good hair the next day.
Oh, and I meant to say your hair looks great! 🙂
Your hair is looking great!
I’ve started using the Living Proof Full range and for reasons I don’t quite understand, my hair fall has reduced significantly after using this, but on the downside, I’ve seen that it leaves my scalp very dry and flaky. Gonna give the PHD range a try, otherwise I am calling it quits.
Hi Meg, your hair is looking beautiful!!
I am glad that I found your blog when searching for damaged hair. I never had my hair dyed on the roots. I’ve been doing baby highlights on the ends and ombre for at least 8 years on a beige creamy ash blonde very natural. My natural hair colour is dark ash blonde and turns out 1 week ago going to the highlights maintenance I had the bad idea to do the highlights higher and golden. It didn’t last 1 day when I got crazy and went for a dye box to cover the golden to my natural hair colour and so started another nightmare my hair turned green and horrible during the week so I went back to the salon. My hair’s colourist tried her best to bring it back to blonde without much damaged but now I have lots of shades, white, orange, yellow and those purple or blue shampoos just don’t work. My hair is totally damaged with many colours (horrible colours) and I don’t know if I am lucky or not to still have my natural colour on the root to be able to tie my hair. My hair is really fine and medium length just little below the shoulders and even if I have a haircut won’t go away the horrible colour is now. So I think I need to settle down as you did and work on bringing the hair back to a good state and cut it shorter when it grow a little more. This is a nightmare week for me. I wish I could dye it darker again to get ride of the horrible shades it turned into it but I am afraid will get lot worse so I will try my best to give some time to it for now.
I use Kerastase products and Olaplex n.3 is very good too. I know that Biotin 5000mcg and Centrum do a good job growing the hair a little bit faster.
So sorry to hear about your hair! Going on 2 years of growing mine out and I’m finally wearing it down in public. I still don’t like it in photos (too thin) but don’t mind in person. It’s a long road but you can’t change the past, so just try to take really good care of what you have. I wouldn’t touch it with any more color for a while, and if you do only darker.
So sweet from you replying to me.
Your hair is looking very good and has a nice colour too!!!
I would like to ask you, what is the difference you feel between the Kerastase Resistance Masque Force Architect and the Living Proof?
Have you been using both? I am keen to buy the Living Proof to give it a try since my hair is really fine. I am from New Zealand so I will have a look if I can find it here.
My hair colour was very poor orange and yellow, I was stressed the whole day so I ended up going to salon (agaaaain) for a re-colour and did it darker so now the colour is ok but the condition is a bit worse. I think the reason why my hair is still on my head is because I have been using Kerastase products for many years but of course my hair is gone now. There’s another hair here that makes me feel really depressed 🙁
Hi Meg,
How is your hair doing? This is an old thread so I was wondering if you are enjoying healthier hair since incorporating all these changes and TLC.
– Deborah
It’s much better. It was even better last year because I was barely styling it, letting it air dry, etc. but then I started working out all the time and I have to pull it back so I have more breakage but it’s still so much better than it was a few years ago.
I want to let my hair air dry but it looks awful. How do you let it air dry? Mine is gum-like now and I’m dying; I had beautiful hair before bleach
You might have to let it grow out first unfortunately. I usually just get out of the shower, sometimes I’ll lightly spray a detangler on my hair, brush it out, leave it pretty wet, you can towel dry a little but not too much. Then I put a little Kerastase Elixir Ultime Lhuile Original Hair Oil in (not close to the root), and then just let it dry. That works for me, but the ends get a little too curly so sometimes I’ll straighten them out a little bit after my hair is dry.