Sunday, August 09, 2020

Cominica's Hair Care Routine

Hi guys, before we start, I want to notify you that this post is a bit long. However, please read thoroughly to the end so you'll get the ideas. 

The reason why I compose this post is that I got a lot of questions regarding my hair. I realise that I never really talk about how I take care of my hair completely. Please be aware that my routine is probably not suitable for you as we might have different hair texture/type. Besides that, our hair records are different as well. 


purple hair pastel violet lavender lilac

Without further ado, I'm going to share some notes about my hair journey so you'll get the concept of my whole routine. It is important to record my hair story before I've found the one that works for me.




2005
I bleached my hair for the first time and then coloured it with three shades of blonde. I didn't do it by my self; I went to a hair salon. At that time, my hair's condition was okay after the first bleach. I was happy with the result – too bad I don't have the photo so I can't share it with you.

2006
I decided to stop colouring my hair for a while because my mom dislikes it. 

2007
I was stressed during my final year in the Uni and went to a hair salon to have my hair permed and coloured to a dark purple-brown.

2010
I was into Gyaru-style and since that, I repeatedly colour my hair. My hair's condition gradually turned bad, but still fairly tough to handle some bleaching powder every 2 - 3 months.

2016-2018
I tried to give my hair a break, but I couldn't let that happen completely because I was obsessed with my pastel hair.

2018
I bleached my hair and it melted with the chemicals. I lost half of my hair length, and so you've seen this hairstyle on my Instagram (below). 

At that time, I was too naive. I shouldn't have bleached my hair because I just have it tinted to black a few months before. I thought my hair will be alright. LOL


purple ombre

Yes, that lovely shoulder-length hair with milk tea blonde-violet ombre was an accident, lol.




Presently, my hair condition is far from healthy as from the middle to the end is prone to breakage. That's why I'm still contemplating whether I should lighten my hair, or just stick to hair dye for now. It's a healing time, so I'm gonna let them breathe for a while.


If you've seen my hair story, you would expect that my hair condition is super problematic. Yes, it is. My hair is dry, damaged – with weak strands, and split to the stage that it makes my hair grows slowly.

My hair is heavily abused by chemicals, and also heat-damaged due to my regular use of curling iron. But, at least, it's still growing.


This was from last year.

I know that I rarely talk about my hair care routine/products in my blog, mainly because I never think about them since I use them almost every day! However, this time, I'm gonna tell you all the rituals that keep my hair survives so many chemical processes. Every hair routine shares a few basic manners like cleansing, conditioning, and the list goes on. But mine are below:



1. Use a special shampoo for coloured hair/damaged hair/dry hair


The cleansing step is important because I need to cleanse my hair from the build-up hair sebum without stripping my hair's natural oils. My hair needs a moisturising shampoo that could maintain the softness of my hair while cleans my scalp.



2. I wash my hair every two days


This might be too greasy for some people but for me, this was the best way to take care of my hair. People with dyed hair are advised not to wash it every day to prevent premature colour fading and dryness. My bleached hair was really dry to the stage that it would break and tangled. If I wash my hair every day, it'll ruin the colour fastly.




3. Use a comb for tangled hair

My damaged hair is getting tangled easily, every single day. When I wake up, my hair always looks like a mess. I have to be very careful when I comb my hair because the strands are prone to breakage. I need to use a large comb with soft pins and foam, or anything that could reduce the breakage when I brush my hair.

Below are some good examples of the hair combs:

here and here


4. Condition! Condition! Condition!

Conditioner is my hair saver. It has myriad benefits like moisturizing, detangling, shininess, and frizz reduction. It helps me to manage my dry hair, and my life becomes so much easier, lol. When I run out of conditioner, I would opt to use coconut oil to save my hair at the very least.



5. Hair Treatment is a must!

My damaged hair tends to get frizzy as it needs an extra dose of protein. This is why I choose my hair masks carefully. Most hair masks for damaged hair usually contains protein to strengthen and smoothen hair strands. I always pick hair masks with nourishing ingredients to deeply replenish my hair, also remedy dryness and split ends.


I use the hair treatment two to three times per week.


6. Protect hair from the heat

You might not realise, but all the hair styling tools are slowly damaging our hair. My hair was heavily damaged with heated tools, like a hairdryer and curling iron. That's why I think a heat protection spray is important. I always try to keep these kinds of spray in stock. They're really helpful and shield my hair from the excessive heat from heated tools.





7. Praise the oil

I normally use hair oil before and/or after I use my hairdryer. When it comes to oil, a little goes a long way. Don't use too much or your hair will turn greasy and oily. Hair oil helps lock in moisture and strengthens strands. It also gives a healthy shine to my hair.



8. Lock with some vitamin spray or texturizer

After finished with my hair styling, I'll add some vitamin spray/oil/texturizer to make my hair appears healthier.


I usually use the hair oil if I leave my hair straight, it gives shine to my hair and nourishes it. If I curl my hair (which is what I do most), I opt to use a vitamin spray/texturizer to hold the curls longer. I love curling my hair to make it looks more three-dimensional because the breakage makes my hair looks thinner.


Here's the summarize of my hair care routine, follow in order for the best result:


At home = 
Shampoo, hair mask and/or conditioner, hair oil, heat protection, drying, hair oil, and combing. Sometimes, I add leave on conditioner when I just bleach my hair. 

Now, I don't use 'leave-on' treatment anymore because my hair condition is better.

Going-out = Shampoo, conditioner, heat protection, drying, heat protection, styling, and vitamin spray/texturizer if I use a curling iron – hair oil if I use a flat iron to add shine.




ash ombre brown blonde

Last year, my hair started to fall badly and I don't know why. I was frustrated to the point that the breakage was making my anxiety worst. I guess it was because of the hard water. 

I can achieve this long hair with self-discipline – remember, consistency is the key. The order of a hair routine matters, so if you think your hair is at its worst condition, follow my rituals and you should be fine. 

Since I live in the UK, I also need to change my routine in certain parts of the year. When the winter months hit, I need to opt for products with extra hydrating properties. But in the warmer summer season, I choose more lightweight formulas to help my hair stays bouncy in the face of humidity.


Remember, you're not going to notice dramatic results overnight — although the effects of hair masks and certain hair oils can be immediately noticeable. It takes time for your hair to get used to new products and reap the benefits. In some cases, this may be a week or maybe a month. As for my damaged hair, it takes at least a month to feel the difference.

Good luck with finding your rituals! I might give some recommendations for hair products on my next posts.

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