Hi there friends!! HAPPY NEW YEAR! OMG! How is it 2018 ALREADY?!? Freaking insane that Yale and I will be getting married THIS YEAR! WAAAAAT?! I'm pumped. With the wedding coming up, I wanted to talk about hair health, since I want my hair to be as luscious and long as possible our wedding day.

For those of you that have been following me for awhile, you probably know that I have been working on growing my hair longer and stronger. Having dealt with an eating disorder in the past, I suffered from some hair thinning and loss in my late teens. It has taken YEARS to get my hair back to its original state, but I can say that the products below have made a drastic improvement in my hair health. So much so, that you all have noticed and ASKED what I do for my hair! Crazy!

While I am always looking for new and exciting products to try to boost my hair growth, I have loved most of the products below for YEARS. They are my tried and true secrets and I swear by them at this point. Of course, please let me know if you've tried any products or have any practices that you swear by for your own hair growth. I'm definitely not a hair expert, but have noticed a crazy difference in my hair since implementing the following products/tips. I hope they help you too!!

Collagen Peptides: Not sure HOW much I need to talk about my love affair with collagen peptides, but all I can say is they've completely changed my hair. I went from having scraggly hair that refused to grow after getting a foot cut off Summer 2015, to long locks that grow incredibly fast. I can't get enough of the stuff. HERE is what I use for plain unflavored collagen. It fits within my budget and works great for me. Use my code "HEALTHMASON" for 5% off you order of Further Food collagen. I use THIS protein powder from Vital Proteins in my smoothies. I love that it contains collagen and is vanilla flavored. Both are great in my opinion.
J Beverly Hills Clarifier Shampoo : Ok so this stuff is NOT natural by any means. I am just going to say that now. As I've mentioned in the past, I am transitioning my traditional (toxic) products to natural ones, so its a process to say the least. As far as this shampoo goes, I don't worry about it as much as other products since I only use it once a month. Basically, it is a shampoo that clarifies your hair and reduces product buildup. If you have thinner hair, it can tend to hold onto product/buildup more than other hair textures. I find I need to clarify once a month to get my hair feeling silky smooth and normal. Product buildup is normal if you use dry shampoos, hair oils, various treatment products, etc. Get rid of that junk with this shampoo!
Mother Dirt Shampoo: I get a fair amount of questions about whether or not I use natural shampoo. THANKFULLY, Jasmina President of Mother Dirt, introduced me to this amazing shampoo. It is natural and will not disrupt your microbiome. It's both good for you and the environment, which makes me happy! It is pretty much scentless, so it would work great for those who are sensitive to fragrance. I think it makes my hair silky soft without stripping the natural oils like other traditional shampoos do.
Tangle Teezer Hairbrush & Wide-Toothed Comb: For those who have known me since childhood, you know that I have always HATED having my hair brushed. I have an extremely sensitive scalp (queue memories of my mom holding me down to brush the rats nests out from my hair...ugh the horror), and dislike abrasive hairbrushes. UNTIL I stumbled upon the INCREDIBLE Tangle Teezer hairbrush when I was studying abroad in London in 2013. These brushes have CHANGED MY LIFE and are so gentle on the scalp. Yale uses it and loves it as well. It somehow glides through the hair, without ripping hair from the scalp. I use the Tangle Teezer on wet or dry hair, and use the comb on my hair when it is wet. I use both everyday and will not go back to a regular brush anytime soon.
Wash AT LEAST Every-Other Day: Ok so this is obviously not a product, but I was inspired by my friend Katie (who has the most incredibly thick and beautiful red hair you have EVER seen) who washes her hair 1-2x per week (at most). She claimed that washing her hair less frequently helped keep it long and luscious. While I used to go back and forth with my washing schedule, I am now adamant about washing at least every-other, to every-third day. I find that when I do wash my hair, it is much more silky compared to when I was washing it daily. Of course, I still wash my body 1-2x a day, but the hair stays dry! Highly recommend this tip. Thanks, Katie (Katty).