8 Tips for the Best Hair of Your Life

Lately, I have been getting so many questions about my hair and decided I should write a blog post about it. I’ve always had what people consider “good hair” and have received lots of compliments throughout my life. Good hair seems to run in my family. It seems that within the last year or so the compliments and questions have skyrocketed! I mainly attribute this to my stylist, but I figured I would share all my hair secrets so everyone can have the best hair of their life.

1. Find the Best Stylist in Your Area

If you live in Chicago, I HIGHLY recommend you go see Jen Roskey at Asha Salon in the Gold Coast. After my previous stylist left the salon, I was basically assigned to Jen. Jen is a Men’s Cuts and Fading Expert, Award Winning Hair Colorist – Top 5 Ranking in the USA, and was the Director of Hair Color at Civello. With credentials like that, how can you not just trust her? [Update: Civello closed it’s doors after five amazing years. Jen is now at Asha, which is linked above.]

Fun fact about me (not) – I have a lot of gray hair. Like A LOT. This requires me to get my hair colored every 4 weeks now. It’s the worst because it really adds up having to go into the salon that often… but it’s the best because it forces me to keep up on my hair. I get my hair trimmed every other time and change my hair color slightly with the seasons. I like to keep it fresh.

2. Use High Quality Shampoo & Conditioner

My favorite shampoo and conditioner is Color Conserve by Aveda. I buy the monster size jugs that last me forever – like 8 months or so. When I shower, the first thing I do is wash my hair and then slather conditioner on it from my ears down. I leave the conditioner on my hair for the rest of my shower and rinse it out at the very end.

3. Spray It’s A 10 with Keratin on Your Ends

I discovered this product about five or six years ago when I was given a free sample and have purchased it over and over again. I spray it generously in my hair from my ears down after I towel dry it.

4. Spray Your Roots with Aveda Thickening Tonic

To get extra volume, I spray Aveda Thickening Tonic at my roots before I start my blowout. I use this somewhat generously.

5. Smoothing Serums are Key

While my hair is still damp, I typically apply a smoothing serum from my ears down. I don’t do this every time, but I will do this a lot in the summer or in tropical locations to minimize frizz. My favorite serums are Smooth Infusion from Aveda and The Chaser from DryBar.

6. Give Yourself a Complete Blowout Every Time

Don’t be lazy when blow drying your hair. I rough dry my hair until it is about 50% dry. At that point, I section off my hair and start blow drying it with a round brush with a metal base. Make sure each section is completely dry before moving on to the next section. For a straighter look, just pull the round brush through the ends as you are blow drying. For a curled look, wrap your hair in 2″ sections around the round brush as you are drying. After the section is dry, wrap it all the way up to your scalp (like you would with a curling iron) and hold it there for a few seconds. If you are in a rush, you could hit it with the cool setting on your blow dryer to set the curl.

7. Only Wash Your Hair 3x a Week

This might sound crazy to some people. I used to wash my hair every day – I get it. It sounds impossible. However, once you start stretching out your shampoos, your hair will start adjusting. I don’t know how or why – it just does. To extend your blowout, I swear by DryBar’s Dry Shampoo. It is the absolute best. Under no circumstances should you buy the brunette version of their dry shampoo. It’s awful. Stick to the original.

Separate your hair into 1″ strips from your face to the back of your head. Spray the dry shampoo on your roots. Make sure to vigorously shake the bottle before your first spray. Work your way around your entire head, but avoid your part. I like to spray a little to the left and right of my actual part. If you spray in your part line, it will make your hair look funky. Trust me.

Massage the product into your scalp and then flip your head over to shake excess product out. I prefer to do this right before I go to bed, so that I naturally work the product into my hair even more while I’m tossing and turning in bed. I’m not even joking, I wake up with amazing hair. Try it.

8. Avoid Hot Tools as Much as Possible

I rarely use straighteners or curling irons on my hair. I try to save hot tools for special occasions only. You really shouldn’t need to use these if you invest in a good round brush and take your time blowing out your hair.

Hope all my tips and tricks help! Let me know if you try any of these and how they work for you or if you have a trick I need to try!

XO, Lauren