About three years ago I developed Idiopathic Angioedema where my eye lids would randomly swell all the time (another post, another day). Long story short, I started to pay attention and care more about what I was putting on my body. Make-up, shampoo, lotion, deodorant…all this stuff was being slathered all over my body every single day! So when it came to shampoo, I turned to the ones that had “sulfate-free (SF)” and “paraben-free (PF)” labeled on the front of their bottles. Let me tell you, friends, that this was not as easy a transition as I thought it would be.
First, my hair started looking dull, greasy and extremely flat. So I would switch to a different SF & PF kind, but kept having the same results. Then, I turned to my bff Google and found out that your hair not only goes through withdraws from this stuff but that it’s important to look at silicones if you’re switching to the natural stuff. You see, silicones place a rubber-like seal around your beautiful locks to act as a protectant and help it look shiny. The problem of using SF/PF shampoo/conditioner is when you take away all the other non-natural crap that works well with silicones and you’re left with natural, gentle products that can’t really clean your hair because the silicones are in the way. (Read more about silicones here and here). So if you’re going to switch, make sure you switch to a product that is silicone free!
See the picture on the left? That’s me before I stepped up my hair game.
I was always a natural blonde and absolutely refused to dye my hair (too expensive). But as I grew older, my platinum locks slowly became duller and duller. I’d use lemon juice to try and enhance and lighten my tones, but it just wasn’t cuttin’ it. So in 2018 I finally started to look for a solution. I missed being a goldie locks! I turned to Amazon because there were so many reviews and real customer photos for me to consider.
After weeks of research, I decided on these products:
1. Sun Bum Hair Lightening Spray
A mixture of honey, pineapple juice, lemon juice & a lil hydrogen peroxide. After each shower I spray down my roots while my hair is still wet. (Works even if I shower at night). I use this spray every time I wash my hair (1-2x per week). I also love the Sun Bum purple tone-enhancing spray, too. I use it every other week whenever I notice my hair is getting a little brassy/yellow-ish. It really prolongs the life of the purple shampoo I use (as seen below).
*Tips:
- ❌**The lightening spray is NOT recommended for dark/brunette hair**❌
- If you’re just starting off, spray your whole head, not just your roots. If you only want to lighten your roots, just spray them down. Now that my hair is light enough all around, I only spray my roots each time.
- Don’t reapply the spray more than once a day.
- Use even when not directly in sun! You’d be surprised with how much sun your hair really gets, even in the winter! I use this spray all year long as part of my regular hair-washing routine.
2. Pravana Perfect Blonde Shampoo and Masque.
This is a MUST have! Without it my hair is very yellow instead of platinum. I use the purple shampoo and masque every time I wash my hair. Here are the exact steps that I follow:
Step 1: Wash hair with normal shampoo
Step 2: Wash hair with Pravana purple shampoo (just a quick wash–rinse out quickly)
Step 3: Wash hair with 2nd coat of Pravana purple shampoo (again…rinse out quickly)
Step 4: Apply Pravana masque and let sit at least 10 minutes
Step 5: Rinse off masque and apply regular conditioner to medial ends of hair (no roots)!
I know this might seem like a lot, but I only wash my hair 1-2 times per week!
Here are the links to purchase these products:
*Tips:
- First off, when it’s hair washing day, I start my shower with this hair routine since the masque is more effective the longer its sits on my hair. This way I can conclude the rest of my shower while the masque sits and does its work.
- Apply and rinse the shampoo 2x, as directed, not letting it sit in your hair for too long (I rinse it out right away). This purple shampoo’s purpose is to strip/prep your hair to absorb the masque, so it can irritate your scalp if kept on too long).
- Apply the masque all over, even your roots. This masque is what really gives your hair the ultra-violet color, which is what you need to ditch the brassy yellow tones. It also acts as the conditioner, and leaves my hair so soft, unlike regular purple conditioners. Let the masque sit in your hair for at least 5 minutes, 10 for more purple saturation.
- Do not apply your regular conditioner to your roots. This will weigh your hair down and make it look greasy.
- If you have light hair, sometimes you can see the purple hues a little TOO much, lol. I fixed this problem by simply using my regular Maui Moisture conditioner after I rinsed the purple masque out.
3. Maui Moisture Nourish & Moisture w/ Coconut Milk Shampoo, Conditioner, & Weightless Oil Mist
I use the oil mist on my ends only while my hair is still damp. It really helps with the appearance of split ends, and since only get my hair cut 1-2x a year this is a must! *Just 1-2 sprays on the ends only is all you need or it can get too oily.
Here are the links to purchase these products:
After months of trying different natural shampoos, Maui Moisture was the BEST! Lightweight and doesn’t weigh my fine hair down. My favorite part is that the conditioner is silicone free, which is hard to find!
Here’s my routine, once a week:
- Wash hair with Maui Moisture shampoo.
- Apply and rinse purple shampoo 2x.
- Apply purple masque and let it set 10 minutes. Rinse.
- Apply Maui Moisture conditioner as normal and rinse.
Dry Shampoo:
This is IT. The BEST dry shampoo everrrrrr. I am super sensitive to smells and can’t stand strong perfumes. This one is barely scented and gives my hair so much volume without drying it out. (I’ve heard horror stories about other dry shampoos drying people’s hair out so bad that it started breaking).
How do I use it? In between hair washing as-needed. If my hair looks greasy, I spray it. Pretty simple. I get multiple bottles and keep them everywhere (bathroom, bedroom, at work, etc.) so that I have it on hand if needed.
Shop below:
My Daily Multi-Vitamin:
Did you know that my hair stopped growing for 2 years?! Ask my hair dresser–I didn’t need to get a trim for two. whole. years. My sweet friend Dana told me about Smarty Pants vitamins and my world was changed. You see…I had already been taking a daily multi-vitamin for years with no results. I didn’t even know that my hair would start growing again after taking these–it was a hidden blessing!
What makes Smarty Pants different? They never use any synthetic colors, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, preservatives or GMOs. Their prenatal vitamins use folate refined into the form of methylfolate (more info on that here).
I specifically take the prenatal ones (long story but I’ve been trying to get pregnant for like 10 years) and I chose the yummy gummies (bottle with teal cap below). I chew 4 gummies per day, as prescribed.
My Favorite Brush:
While we’re on the subject of hair…I own 5 of these brushes (to have on hand literally everywhere–the car, my teacher desk, my travel bag, my bathroom, & my bedroom, lol). This is what fine-haired chicas like me have to do or my hair looks like a WRECK!
I really like these brushes for two reasons:
- They are gentle on my hair and don’t pull it.
- THEY DON’T GROW MOLD! It only took me 25 years to realize that regular brushes grow fuzzy mold on them, especially if you brush your hair while it’s still wet. Yuck !
Please let me know if you have any questions! Send me a DM over on Instagram.
I live by these products! People at work have come up to me over the year asking if I’ve dyed my hair, or telling me that they’re so glad I went “back to blonde!”?
It really makes a difference!
*Statements in this post regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition.