Ready, Set, Platinum!

That’s why her hair is so big, it’s full of secrets… The million dollar question: How do you do your hair? I have been asked a lot of questions about my hair, the color, how I style it, etc., so I have decided to create this novel of a post to share all of my hair secrets. Although, they never really ever were secrets… Anywho, I’m spilling the beans!

First of all, to achieve the cool purple tint that I have finally accomplished, has been quite the process! I had been inching my way toward a platinum hairdo, for a long time before I finally got the end result that I wanted. Finally, (halleluiah) the heavens have opened and I have silvery toned hair! Why such a long journey? Well, because hair is fragile. The more bleach you throw on it, the more brittle, stretchy, and cotton candy like your hair becomes. You have to do things step by step, so that you don’t completely fry off your hair to the point where it falls out. What a nightmare, right? So, my number one piece of advice is to be patient. I might take a few, or ten appointments to get your hair silvery white, depending on your current color, and the cooperation of your hair.

Products:

This is literally everything that I put in my hair. If it’s not on the list, it doesn’t go on my head. I’ve shopped around and I really like all of the products listed below. I’ll explain more about how I use them in my Routine section.

• Redkin Extreme Strength Builder Plus (essentially a deep conditioner)
• Redkin Powder Grip
• Suave Dry Shampoo (the cheap stuff! woohoo!)
• Big Sexy Hair Root Pump
• Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Oil
• Redkin Extreme Anti-Snap Leave-In Fortifier
• Tigi Catwalk Fashionista Violet Shampoo
• Tigi Catwalk Fashionista Violet Conditioner
• Sebastian Trilliant (heat protectant)

Routine:

I have always had naturally oily skin and hair (bleh), but a while back, after much trial and error, I perfected the art of only having to wash my hair every three days–hallelujah! It took about a month of my hair being greasy pretty much all of the time for my hair to adjust, but it did and I love not having to wash it everyday. On days when I do wash my hair, I use Catwalk Fashionista Violet Shampoo with every wash to achieve my blue/purple/silvery tint. Because my hair has been a little damaged from bleaching it, I use Redkin Extreme Strength Builder Plus, which is essentially a deep conditioner. For best results, I leave it in for about 10 minutes before rinsing. It makes my hair SO soft. To switch things up a bit, and to keep my hair the desired tone, I use Tigi Catwalk Fashionista Violet Conditioner in place of the Redkin one about once a month.

I also do a nightly lather as I like to call it. After I wash my hair (I take showers at night), I put in a few different products to keep my hair healthy and to give it some texture. First, I get a nice handful of Big Sexy Hair Root Pump (it’s like a foamy mousse) and I spread it around my whole head just like you would if you were using a mousse. Next, I spray some Sebastian Trilliant, which protects my hair from the heat when I blow dry. After that, I put both Redkin Extreme Anti-Snap Leave-In Fortifier and Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Oil only on the ends of my hair. Like I said, I have a naturally oily scalp, so I only put the oil on my ends because that’s where my hair dries out the most. Also, the Extreme Anti-Snap gets a little sticky, that’s why I only put it on the ends of my hair. Then, I blow dry. Vuala! By lathering up with my nightly moisturizing concoction, I’ve avoided having super fried hair, which tends to happen when you’re as platinum as I am.

How To Style:

So, I previously used a $100 Chi flat iron, but let me tell you my friends, it sucked. If I wanted to wear my hair straight, it was fantastic, but if I wanted to curl it, it was a nightmare. Not only did it make my curls all weird and kinky, but my hair would get stuck and it would rip my hair out. Never again, Chi. Never again. I now use a $20 Remington Flat Iron from Target and it has made a world of difference. Best. Purchase. Ever. I love it. I have had mine for over a year and it’s never let me down!

To achieve my “do”, I have a few tricks.

• First day hair, I always wear straight.
• I don’t like when hair looks too “perfect”, so when I straighten my hair, I only straighten the ends (so that they aren’t poofy).
•  Second day hair makes for the best waves. You don’t want to straighten it and then curl it (that’s too much heat all at one time). I usually only curl it when it’s second day hair so that the ends are nice and straight from when I straightened it the previous day.
• Don’t pull your hair all the way through the bottom when you are trying to get waves. Leave some hair at the end. It makes the waves a lot softer.
• I wash my hair at night so that I don’t have to blow dry it in the morning. It helps to save time in the morning and helps to preserve a ton of heat at once on my hair.
• I don’t blow dry my hair all the way. Like I said, I don’t like when hair looks to “perfect”. I like it to do its thang.
• Naturally my hair has zero volume (it will seriously lay flat on my head), but I use Suave Dry Shampoo like it’s going out of style. The dry shampoo along with Redkin Powder Grip help give my hair some needed volume and texture.
• I honestly don’t remember the last time that I used hairspray. I avoid using it so that my hair is never crunchy. Plus, it looks a little more natural and soft.

How to get waves:

From super straight, to beachy waves….

First, use a clip to pin up the bulk of your hair. I do it in 3 sections. Then, grab your handy dandy Remington Flat Iron, a small chunk of hair (about an inch wide) and twist.

Keep doing about 1 inch pieces around your whole head in this section. Once you’re done with the first section, let a little more hair down.

Curl away!

On the last section, I am really careful around my face.1. That’s where my most fragile hair is. 2. That’s where people will be looking (for the most part).

Again, CAREFUL around your face!

Just to reiterate…

Grab a 1inch wide chunk of hair. Hold the flat iron about 3 inches from your scalp.

Clamp down, but don’t hold too long or you’ll end up with a line.

Carefully start to twist the flat iron in your hand.

Your hair should be wrapped around the flat iron like this.

Gently pull your hair through the flat iron, but don’t go all the way to the end, as to keep your ends straight. Then, BAM, perfect beach waves.

And that’s all folks! If you have any other questions, don’t be afraid to holler at me!