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I’m a true aries through and through, which means I’m one that gets bored easily and would change my look on impulse (you feel me, fellow aries). Though changing my look might do good to my psyche, it is taking a toll on my scalp, and maintaining hair with ever-changing color is a whole bunch of work too.
Being an intern in amika while keeping up with my study at college, there is simply no time left for a full hair care routine everyday, so products that do a huge different but take less of your morning are my bathroom staples. My go-to for moisturized and smooth hair are #flawless Multi-Benefit Primer, Velveteen Dream Smoothing Balm, and Vault Leave-In Conditioner. Each of these products takes only 60s, this 3-minute hair care routine makes your “I’m too busy excuse” sounds lame.
Want to know why you can never be too busy to take care of your hair? Here’s my brief hair history:
terrible highlights
Puberty is confusing. This is how I justify my old emo period. To help you picture it. Imagine having brown hair but with two face-framing stipes of blonde. Yep, I was quite the style pioneer at the time.
After that we moved on to a more sophisticated style of balayage, it had been awesome until my friend/colorist-in-training decided to test out a new trend and dip dye my tips purple at home. My hairdresser was in complete shock when he saw it and we had to chop off the ends at the end. What’s more is that I was a student athlete then and had to workout 6 days a week. I hadn’t been blessed by Phantom Foaming Dry Shampoo then, and had no option but to wash my mane every single day, and the talc-based products I used did not stand a chance against my sweat glands.
When I did not deep conditioned my hair for a year
The desire to be taken more seriously had me go dark at the beginning of my college years. Silly enough, I wanted to prove that I wasn’t naive and young anymore by leaving behind my blonde tresses. 5 days per week, I commuted from New Jersey to NYC and back again. I woke at 6am and when I got home after my 6pm class, the last thing I wanted was to use another 15 minutes on hair masking in the shower…I needed sleep. This never-ending vicious cycle could have ended if my 18-year-old self had discovered #flawless Multi-Benefit Primer. Just a few spritz on your damp hair, it immediately de-frizzes and nourishes your dry ends.
color experiment
photo via @styledbyvybes
The color experiment I was going for next was red. I was convinced I was meant to be ginger, so I made it last as long as possible but after half a year, the upkeep had become too much for me. Mind you, red is a color that fades easily, so 6 months really meant something. Despite Vault Color Lock Shampoo and Conditioner really helped extending the color lifespan, I am extremely impatient and inconsistent with my salon appointment, and as a result my red faded eventually and guess what! I ended up dying my hair pink in my bathroom every week. Trust me when I say this, blondes don’t have the most fun, people with fantasy hair do.
the hair care regimen I wish I had discovered earlier
You must be wondering what my hair looks like now. You’ll never guess it. I’m back to my natural brunette locks! For the first time in 8 years, I decided to start fresh. I’m now taking a break from all the crazy colors and getting regular trim to bring my hair back to its healthiest state. Thanks to the 3-product routine I mentioned earlier, it is amazing how fast my hair bounced back! After washing my hair, I simply use #flawless Multi-Benefit Primer to detangle and cut drying time because prolonged heat exposure could really damage your color treated hair. Then I apply Vault Color-Lock Leave-In Conditioner to soften. After it’s 70% dry, I distribute a pea-sized amount of Velveteen Dream Smoothing Balm throughout the hair to prevent frizz all day long.
Like many of my beloved Brooklynites, I don’t settle. Before finding my signature look, these products will help to care for my hair at every (mis)step.
Adapted from article written by Dayna Lawrence, amika US social media intern
