The natural hair texture movement has been around for a couple years now but lately it feels like the chemical-free (and even heat-free!) trend is growing stronger than ever.  In fact, yesterday I caught celebrity hair stylist Ken Paves on a TV show saying he now no longer blow dries his clients…saying it’s all about lots of texture these days.  Yep — although chemical relaxers equal sleek straight hair, it looks as though the tide is shifting toward a less invasive approach to hair care.

Music to my ears!  Over the years, I’ve tried all types of salon procedures to tame this mane:

• Japanese Thermal Straightening:  stick-straight & permanent results but it absolutely fried my strands.
• Brazilian Blowout:  my favorite but unfortunately –in my experience– you have to go with a modified version of the original one that has still SOME formaldehyde in it for the procedure to be worth your money. The ones that are formaldehyde-free are widely marketed (and safer, presumably) but in my opinion, are just not as effective.
• Keratin Smoothing Treatments:  chemicals involved aren’t as scary but results just aren’t as successful & long lasting.
• Blow-outs:  who doesn’t love to be pampered with a professional blow-out?!  I love visiting blow-dry bars like blo or drybar and walking out with sleek, voluminous, bouncy hair.  BUT $40 a pop can really add up over time and results only last until your next wash.

So, after years of chemically straightening my hair, I’m exploring how manage my locks with air drying, new products, and styling techniques.  There are a few reasons I’m going this route:  I’m still breastfeeding my baby and am scared of harsh chemicals seeping into my scalp, I have less time to heat-style in the mornings (due to said baby), and because I like to be a part of a movement:  embracing the natural texture of your hair is a huge beauty trend right now.

I’ve found that air-drying my hair in braids or buns overnight really helps set a more tame tone for the next day.  Also, “plopping” is a thing…have you heard of it???  I’ve done it overnight three times now and my technique is improving with each try!  There are YouTube videos online that can take ya step-by-step better than I can, but here’s the result:  

These are the new products I’m trying out to help enhance and maintain a more natural, textured look:

DESSANGE PARIS Purifying Clay Balancing Shampoo:  A symbol of French luxury and arbiter of the covetable ‘French Girl’ style, hair care brand DESSANGE Paris is the creator of some of most recognizable hair styles in history including the iconic “Coiffé-Décoiffé” – Brigitte Bardot’s signature tousled undone look.  This shampoo manages to moisturize ends while balancing a healthy scalp with natural green clay.  A pro-vitamin b5 enhanced formula helps to minimize oily roots and produce soft, perfectly balanced hair. 

Unwash Dry Cleanser:  Part of the success to this process is not washing your hair everyday…my curls tend to look better on the second day, actually.  When I don’t want to get my head wet, I can refresh & revive my style on the fly with this next-gen dry shampoo.  This superior, lightweight performance formula leaves no residue on tresses and features natural Volcanic Ash to absorb excess oil for second-day fresh hair perfection. Vitamin E and Panthenol provide conditioning and strengthening while plant extracts nurture hair for beautiful bounce, body and healthy shine.

Invisibobble:  Another tool for keeping a naturally curly texture in tact for a few days in between washes are hair accessories that don’t leave indentions!  Invisibobble is the only traceless hair ring that does not kink or crease hair. The magic trick lies in its peculiar telephone cord shape.  Wrapped around the hair, the invisibobble® places uneven pressure around the ponytail, allowing it to be held strongly without being too tight.  This gives individual hairs more space within the ponytail and leads to a traceless result.