Any girl can tell you that a good hair day can instantly lift your mood. I was blessed to be born with thick and shiny hair that grew quickly. For years, I not only took my genetics for granted, but I despised them. I resented my heavy ponytail, and I dreaded blow drying my hair. I’d ask my hair stylist to thin my hair, and I spent hours each day flat ironing my hair into thin oblivion. And then everything changed. I had a horrific hair appointment that burned my scalp and left my hair thin and broken. It was incredibly painful to brush my hair each day, and my hair fell out in clumps. I no longer had my normal hair, and I felt like a different person. I honestly had never realized how much of a positive impact my hair had on my personal appearance. Of course, inner beauty and confidence is far more important than external beauty, but let’s be real- I’d rather be confident AND have nice hair!
After my hair horror story, my hair didn’t grow for months. I babied my hair and lovingly tried every hair trick in the book. With years of TLC, my hair has come back to life, but it’s never returned to its former glory. I’ve been tempted to try Viviscal Extra Strength hair growth supplements for years because I’d seen them recommended time and time again by celebrity hair stylists, so I decided now was the perfect time to try them out. My hair was pretty healthy, but it just wasn’t growing. Keep reading to see if I think the supplements actually work AND the easy tips that helped me grow back long and healthy hair!
How to Help Your Hair from The Inside
Live a Healthy Life: This tip might be obvious, but I’ll mention it anyways. Your hair growth can be a reflection of your health, so it’s important to ensure that you’re taking care of your physical and mental health. If you make a conscious effort to monitor your sleep, diet, exercise, and stress levels, you’ll see a positive change in your mood, energy level, and the health of your skin, nails, and hair!
Add a Hair Growth Supplement into Your Diet: If you want thick, lustrous hair, you need to make sure you’re ingesting all of the nutrients that your hair needs to grow. While it’s important to add healthy fats, fruits, vegetables, and water into your diet, I also like to add a hair growth supplement into the mix. I’ve been taking Viviscal Extra Strength twice a day, every day (ok, ok I did skip a day or two, but I’ve been REALLY good about it) for the past 90-ish days, and I’ve already seen results. Viviscal Extra Strength is a clinically proven hair growth supplement that’s scientifically formulated to promote hair growth, and it’s backed by 25 years of research and development. Viviscal works by supplying nutrients to the hair follice to promote existing hair growth, and it nourishes thin hair with its exclusive AminoMar® complex featuring Biotin, Vitamin C, Zinc, Iron, and Millet Seed Extract. I’d seen celebrity hair stylists recommend Viviscal in my favorite fashion magazines for years, and I’ve literally had Viviscal on my Christmas list for 3 years running. When I had the opportunity to try out this supplement, I jumped on the opportunity! Has my hair magically transformed into a Kardashian mane of perfection in 90 days? No, but my hair seems to be a little thicker, a little longer, and a little shinier. So how do I know it’s working? Well, my hair hasn’t grown down to my waist or anything, but I’ve noticed quite a lot of little things that make me believe my hair has changed for the better:
1. I’m less tempted to wear my extensions, and when I do wear them I notice that they’re not much longer than my real hair!
2. I’ve had to switch back to the extra-strong elastics that I used when I was longer.
3. My ponytail falls lower on my back.
4. I’ve had three separate hair stylists at photo shoots tell me that my hair looks really healthy.
5. I’ve had several people tell me that my hair looks much thicker and longer!
6. I don’t need to use as many styling products each day to achieve my desired look.
How to Help Your Hair from The Outside
Choose Tools That Are Gentle on Your Hair: It’s important to protect your hair from external damage, so I recommend using hair tools that are gentle on your hair. The Tangle Teezer and The Wet Brush are by far the best brushes to remove tangles. Both brushes smooth your hair in seconds, and they’re both affordable and easy to clean. You should also be selective with the heat tools that you use. I swear by the affordable One ‘n Only Argan Heat curling irons, but it’s important to choose flat irons or curling irons with a ceramic coating to prevent excess damage to your hair.
Protect Your Hair from The Heat: Don’t forget to use a heat protectant spray to your hair before any exposure to heat whether it’s from a blow dryer, curling iron, or even a hot day at the beach! If you’re headed to the beach, it’s also important to apply SPF to your scalp. There are quite a few hair care products that feature SPF, but you can also add a dollop of your favorite sunblock in with a heat protectant or a bit of water to spritz on the roots of your hair before sun exposure!
Use Moisturizing Hair Products: When you’re looking for a new shampoo or conditioner, look for products that feature moisturizing ingredients like oils and botanical extracts. You’ll have to experiment with the amount of moisture that your hair needs to thrive, but as a general rule, the more moisture the better.
Don’t Wash Your Hair Too Often: Seriously, embrace your dirty hair. Unless you have incredibly oily roots, or you’re exercising intensely every day, you shouldn’t need to wash your hair on a daily basis. I try to wash my hair 2-3x a week, and I always use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. After my hair is washed and conditioned, I’ll add a hair mask to the lower half of my hair (below the ears) to keep the ends of my hair moisturized without sacrificing body at my roots! If you’re looking for an easy way to extend the life of your washed hair, try supplementing with a dry shampoo or baby powder on non-washing days. If all else fails, you can always rock a cool braid on dirty hair days!
Be Kind to Your Scalp: If your scalp isn’t healthy, your hair won’t grow properly. That’s why it’s so important to be kind to your scalp! I like to use a clarifying shampoo once a week to clean out the excess oil and hair product gunk from my hair follicles, and I follow up with a nourishing shampoo and hair mask that’s specifically designed to promote a healthy scalp. This weekly routine has made a huge difference in the health of my hair, and it also gives my hair an extra boost of body!
Choose Hair-Friendly Dyes: If you’re getting your hair colored, try to avoid bleach if you can. Ask your stylist for non-damaging hair dyes, and if possible, opt for coloring processes that don’t start at the root of your hair! You can also ask your hair stylist to add Olaplex into the hair dye to protect your hair from excess damage!
Be Gentle with Hair Styling: I know this tip might sound obvious, but it’s so commonly forgotten. Whether you’re brushing your hair or removing a hair tie, have patience and go slowly. Rough movements can break your hair and cause unnecessary damage. I also recommend investing in no damage hair elastics that are specifically designed not to tangle in your hair.
Follow these easy tips, and you’ll see your hair getting healthier over time. With enhanced health, you’ll start seeing your hair grow long and strong with minimal damage! Hair growth doesn’t happen overnight, but you can expect to see some results after 90 days from Viviscal Extra Strength and the hair care tips I’ve mentioned above. If you have any extra tips, please leave a comment so that we can all learn new ways to improve the health of our hair!
Viviscal is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year, they’re kindly offering a Lifetime Giveaway Contest where they’re giving away a LIFETIME SUPPLY of Viviscal Extra Strength! You definitely want to enter this giveaway if you’re looking for a way to maintain your long and healthy hair, so head over to the Lifetime Giveaway Contest and be sure to share this awesome opportunity with your friends!
What’s your #1 tip for growing long and healthy hair?
To celebrate their 25th birthday, Viviscal is offering a lifetime supply of Viviscal supplements. Visit https://goo.gl/1kK8aV for a chance to win.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Viviscal ®. The opinions and text are all mine.
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