Haircare Routine for Healthy & Hydrated Hair

I’ve always been the girl with flyaways. Frizziness I can’t tame, stemming from hair which feels dehydrated and undernourished. But after having two kids, and all the postpartum hair loss (and regrowth) associated with it, I made a note to put an effort into caring for my hair. My goals were simple. I wanted shiny, healthy looking hair. Bonus points if I could get it looking smooth too (without the intervention of a keratin treatment!).

After a bit of trial and error, I’ve finally come up with a routine that works for me. And I thought I’d share a breakdown of what I’ve been using (and why).

But first it’s probably worth noting a couple of things about my routine and hair type.

My hair type

I’m Greek on my mum’s side, and would definitely say I’ve inherited my hair typing from her side of the family. It’s reasonably thick (both in terms of volume and strand circumference), has a natural wave to it when left to air dry, and I’ve always been prone to baby hairs and flyaways.

Perhaps the biggest game changer for me was understanding that my hair is high porosity. This means that it’s incredibly sensitive to moisture (humidity is not my friend!), as water passes through it like a sponge. The cuticles are open, which make it prone to dryness and it’s more challenging to achieve that natural shine to the hair. If I was to run my fingers over a strand of hair, I’d be greeted by raised bumps all along the length. So clearly, hydration is a huge focal point for me.

Also, as far as washing goes; I wash my hair once a week. This has been something that stretched out over the course of my pregnancies quite naturally, and I like as I usually have to dedicate a good chunk of time to the process of washing/drying/styling to get it looking just right. I’ll usually use a dry shampoo on day 5 or 6 just to freshen up the front a little.

Shampoo & Condition

My typical once-a-week wash generally just involves my go-to combo of the moment, with the added step of a hair mask monthly for an additional hydration boost. I’ve become fairly picky with what I do use to wash my hair, as if it’s not nourishing enough, it’ll end up a frizzy mess.

Currently I’m using the Vegamour HYDR-8 Shampoo and Conditioner Kit, a combination which I’ve found really suits my hair type. It feels soft after every wash (I’ve been using it the past two months’ now), and for the first time in a long time I’ve been able to achieve that sleek, frizz-free look (with the help of my styling tools!). Above you’ll see pics of my hair the day after washing; it has a nice amount of volume, and a beautiful shine. I’ve given myself an at-home blow wave here, but with a hair straightener there isn’t a single strand out of place. This hair wash duo has an ingredient called Karmatin™, which is Vegamour’s vegan silk alternative to keratin and silicone.

Then once a month I’ll also use the Vegamour HYDR-8 Deep Moisture Repair Mask (after shampooing, before conditioning). This adds another layer of softness and shininess – plus smells lovely!

Another one of my favourites that I’ll rotate through is the Klorane Shampoo & Conditioner with Cupuacu. This is twice as nourishing as shea butter, and I notice a visible difference in my hair. The conditioner in particular is very heavily hydrating – a little goes a long way. This is my go-to when I have especially dehydrated hair.

Prep & Prime

Next step, once I’ve towel-dried my hair, is to layer all of my favourite oils, serums and sprays (in that order).

I’ll start by mixing a pump of the ghd Sleek Talker Styling Oil with a few drops of the Olaplex No.7 Bonding Oil. Truth be told, I think you only need one. The ghd styling oil is next level. I notice a dramatic difference in how soft, shiny, and sleek my hair is when using it which I think is down to the weight of the oil itself. If you have a thicker hair type, you may find it more effective. For thinner hair types, I think the Olaplex would be a great option. A little goes a long way and this is one of those products you’ll have in your beauty cabinet for 12 months plus.

Next step is the Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment, and the Larry King My Nanna’s Mousse. Again, these both serve the same purpose of adding some hold and body to the hair. I like to think that by layering these, I’m dialling up their effectiveness. The Larry King Mousse isn’t like the hair mousse I remember – it’s the first one I’ve tried in a while. It’s not crunchy or overly sticky, but instead has a soft foamy texture. This adds a subtle body and doesn’t leave any residue in your hair. I swear these have been a bit of a game changer for lasting volume for most of the week.

Finally, I’ll spritz my damp hair all over with the Redken All-in-one Multi-Benefit Treatment. This is one of those magic products that kind of does it all. It acts as a heat protectant, detangles, reduces dryness, helps the appearance of porous hair, it’s anti-static, prevents split ends… the list goes on. I feel like when I use this as part of my routine, my hair is less likely to react if I get caught momentarily in some light drizzle.

As a little add-on bonus, I’ve also started the nightly ritual of using the Vegamour GRO AGELESS Anti-Gray Hair Serum. I’ve been getting greys since I was 21, but since having kids and hitting my mid-thirties, they are now out of control. Scattered throughout my hair and heavily concentrated in my hair line – it’s something I can’t really avoid and I’d like to be able to dye my roots less if I can. I’m not quite 90 days into the treatment yet, but it’s something that has been easy to add into my routine as it takes less than 30 seconds to apply as I’m getting ready for bed.

Styling tools

There are two key styling tools I use to round out my haircare routine. One of the things I absolutely swear by is my Dyson Supersonic, but have been starting to alternate this with the Dyson Airwrap (also here) as it adds extra lift and volume into my hair. I’m planning an in-depth review on this soon as I have a lot of thoughts.

With the Airwrap, I’ll begin with the hairdryer attachment, paying careful attention to the roots. This is the part of my hair that takes the longest to dry, and if I leave it even 1% damp, it’ll affect the way my hair looks for the entire week. Frizzy hair problems. I’ve then taken to switching to the thicker brush attachment, in order to brush through and guide my hair inward like a typical blow-dry. To finish, I like using the thinner of the two styling barrels as this is really how you whip a lot of volume into your hair. I’ve since conceded that my hair type will just never hold an Airwrapped curl (or any kind of curl – unless I soak it in hair spray), but the volume is just chef’s kiss. Plus I appreciate that the technology means that I’m doing a lot less heat damage to my hair – one of the main benefits of using the Dyson.

If I really want to style my hair, a curling wand is currently it. Usually I would use my ghd Hair Straightener, but on a bit of a whim, I chopped off a few inches over the long weekend, and have found that the ghd Curve Creative Curl Wand gives a much tighter, bouncier curl which I’m currently loving. It has a 28mm – 23mm tapered barrel which results in a perfect, tousled beach wave. The only thing I haven’t nailed is how to avoid burning my fingers – while the results are foolproof, the method takes a little more getting used to.