Name: Naina Sharma
Age: 24
Location: New Delhi
Occupation: Senior Writer, POPxo
I joined POPxo about a month ago and I must say I am loving it here. As someone who likes to work and be on a constant learning curve, I give the most to my professional and social life, but unfortunately, that is often how haircare goes for a toss. Juggling deadlines at a new job, looking after chores because I now live on my own, and the daily commute leaves me little time. The result: Self-care is all the way down on my list of priorities — along with learning a new language and figuring out how to do my taxes!
Let me give you a quick peek of what a regular day in my life looks like. I usually have just about 30 minutes to get ready and leave for office in the morning, of which I dedicate about 15 minutes to haircare. Being an early bird, I wake up at around 6 am, take a quick shower, blow-dry my hair, grab a bite and reach the office by 8 am. I work till 5 pm and reach home by 8 pm. Then it is pretty much eat, sleep and repeat for 5 days of the week.
I have been working since I was 20, so I’ve developed some shortcuts to adulting and looking put-together. I have long, thick hair with soft curls and even on a good day, my hair is frizzy with tons of little flyaways. I wash my hair twice or thrice a week but it’s the blow-dry that I count on to make my hair look presentable. In winter, as the temperature dips in Delhi, a regular blow-dry is anyway inevitable.
How I Minimize Any Heat Damage From The Frequent Blow-Drying
Subjecting our hair to heat so frequently harms it, but you already knew that, right? If you have hair like mine, unless you decide to trade in your regular blow-drys for chemically-laden hair smoothening treatments, realistically speaking, there’s no avoiding a bad hair day. Given our addiction to heat styling tools, how do we minimize hair damage? The answer lies in your routine.
Step 1: Know Your Hair
Pay a little attention to your hair, is it oily, dry, damaged? Some hair types call for hydration while others might require deep-cleansing. Understand your hair type to figure out what your hair needs. I can get away by shampooing my hair twice a week but some people might need more frequent washes to stay clean, try to find YOUR perfect balance.
Step 2: Use The Right Products
Use the right shampoo for your hair type, it will make all the difference in your haircare routine. My hair needs a little hydration and repair so I have been using the Hair Me Roar, Coconut Milk & Green Apple Shampoo. It cleanses my scalp, reduces frizz and moisturises my curls so I can get by without oiling my hair — a ritual I don’t usually have the time for anyway.
Step 3: Power Up With Some Hydration
While most of us think it’s okay to skip conditioner, it actually isn’t. If you are going to use hair styling tools, make it a point to spend 2 minutes in the shower conditioning your hair. The Power Up Your Mane, Coconut & Jojoba Creme Conditioner is perfect for me, it strengthens my damaged hair and makes it manageable. The Jojoba and Coconut in the formula lend the required nourishment to my hair without weighing it down.
My haircare routine, however, doesn’t end here. There is one final step that locks it all in – a heat protectant. I use a hair serum or a heat-protectant spray right before I’m about to blow-dry my hair. This creates a protective barrier between my hair and the styling tools and reduces the heat-induced damage caused to my locks. If you skip this step, over time your hair will show signs of damage.
I still remember the first time I used the Hair Me Roar Shampoo and the Power Up My Mane conditioner! My hair felt different, I could feel my tresses breathing, shining and dancing with the wind. The frizz had settled to quite an extent and all I needed was a few drops of serum to make my hair look picture perfect. Being a day off, I had the time to click this picture before the blow-dry and couldn’t help but share.
Who doesn’t like beautiful, silky locks? This is my mane routine and if you blow-dry your hair frequently or use hair styling tools, I definitely recommend that you try it too!
Images: Writer’s own
POPxo is now available in six languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Bangla.