5 Ways to Avoid Damaging Your Hair

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Warm Mocha Eye
Over the years I’ve had many conversations with clients about how to keep their hair in great condition between trims. I learned that some of them didn’t know the basics of keeping hair healthy so we’d spend some time chatting about how to change their habits to avoid excess damage.

 photo damage.jpg


No matter what your texture is, these little tips will help keep your hair healthy in the long run! And healthy hair always styles better (and looks better!).

Looking for a deep conditioner? Click here

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Christina Storm says · 02.24.14

Great tips! Thanks for this!

The Style Storm
<3, Christina

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The Grits Blog says · 02.24.14

These are fabulous tips!! Thanks Kate!!

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Courtney Gaver says · 02.24.14

What deep conditioner for a budget can you recommend?

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Mary H says · 02.24.14

I love Aussie 3 Minute Miracle…..just a few bucks at the drug store. Google it and you will see it gets great reviews πŸ™‚

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cherie panter says · 03.15.14

aussies r good that way πŸ˜‰

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Theresa says · 02.24.14

First, I love your picture! It is great to see you (who has perfect hair) having an annoyed look with your hair πŸ™‚ Second, I never thought that I shouldn’t brush my hair while wet… I always brush it while wet…ooops πŸ™
Thanks for the great ideas… I really just wish I was in NC so you could be my stylist πŸ™‚

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Erin Ferraro says · 02.24.14

Thanks Kate! I wasn’t born with the best head of hair so I have to work harder to make it look nice and be healthy – I appreciate the tips. Also unrelated, have you ever considered doing a blog post on thoughtful things you can buy for your pregnant/new mommy girlfriends? So many times for both showers and after birth I want to get something nice for just mom to enjoy, since most other gifts she receives specifically pertain to the baby. My apologies if you have already covered this in a previous post.

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Nichole Josey says · 02.24.14

I love all these tips! Being a dancer I put my hair through a lot and I can’t wait to try some of these!

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Jane Doe says · 02.24.14

What about partial air drying? I’ve been doing that for years and then I started doing more regular wet blowouts. I’ve noticed a huge decline in my hair’s shine. Blowouts can be brutal! I usually let my hair air dry most of the way first. Great tips!!

Life+1
New Post: Anatomy of a Friend Infographic

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Liz Ann says · 02.24.14

Great tips!

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Ashley says · 02.24.14

Ah loved this post!!! It’s nice to have a reminder once in a while πŸ™‚

Xo Ash
Sincerely Miss Ash

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Rebecca says · 02.24.14

I used to brush my hair while it was wet, and recently started to just lightly run my fingers through my wet hair to loosen any knots. I’ve noticed a difference!

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Christy says · 02.24.14

Great post. I always use a bush on my wet hair but had no idea I was harming it. Now that I think about it, the girl who does my hair never uses a brush on my wet hair, she uses a comb. Thanks!

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Andrea Schreiber says · 02.24.14

If you’re “desperately growing your hair out” (as I am), trim on the new moon! It helps hair grow longer. Trims on full moons are for short cuts that you don’t want much grow (esp for boys). The best new moons for quicker hair growth are Pisces and Virgo (pisces new moon is March 1st).

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Evan ChengChos says · 02.24.14

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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Crumbs and Curls says · 02.24.14

I love this! I definitely need to turn my hair dryer heat setting down. I’m always looking for ways to make my hair healthier!

Kristin
Crumbs & Curls

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Steph says · 02.24.14

I’m pretty sure I have very healthy hair and it styles terribly! It’s so slippery that a gazillion bobby pins and a can if spray won’t hold it in place. Curls straighten out after an hour. Sometimes I wish my hair wasn’t so healthy! (That’s bad though!) ha, maybe I’ll just break all these rules. πŸ™‚

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Katie says · 02.24.14

I love love love Amika’s deep conditioner! Got a sample of it in my Birchbox and ordered the large tub that next week!

Katie @ macarthurlately.blogspot.com

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misshotmessexpress says · 02.24.14

I needed to hear these! I always feel like my hair is so damaged!
Miss Hot Mess Express
I am new to blogging (literally, I just started today!) so please feel free (everyone) to stop by and let me know how i am doing! πŸ™‚

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misshotmessexpress says · 02.24.14

I see my link didn’t work! ^^^
Like I said, I’m NEW!!
http://www.misshotmessexpress.blogspot.com

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Tori says · 02.24.14

Thank you! I needed to hear this πŸ™‚ Question: I recently got a new curling wand and it gets up to like 400-450 degree. Is this damaging to my hair? Should I try to keep it at a lower temp? I have medium to thick hair but I’m just not sure it can handle this high heat. I’d appreciate a response! Thanks! πŸ™‚

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MyBluePeacock says · 02.24.14

Amen!

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Courtney Williams says · 02.24.14

What about naturally curly hair or ethnic hair? I’m mixed with curly hair and I always take a wide tooth comb to it while wet.

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Steph says · 02.24.14

My daughter has curly hair and we’ve had good success with the book Curly Girl. There’s a section for each degree of curliness

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Small Town Sisters says · 02.24.14

Thanks for the great tips! I will now set my blow dryer to the medium setting!
-Meg
http://www.dillandscout.etsy.com
http://www.smalltownsisters.blogspot.com

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Allison Uhl says · 02.24.14

Every time I do a deep conditioning treatment my hair gets very staticy. How can I prevent that? Thanks!

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Cortney says · 02.24.14

I’ve read about the “wet brush”: http://www.ts2products.com/wetbrush-store/wetbrush_ps.html. I know you shouldn’t brush through wet hair, but have you heard any reviews about this? Thanks for your awesome blog!

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Stacey says · 02.24.14

I have a question. I only wash my hair 3-ish times a week. Is it still better to deep condition twice a week? My hair is VERY thin and fine and very hard to style because it doesn’t have the body (even with products and teasing), especially up. I’ve always heard that more than once a week weighs the hair down. What are your thoughts?

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Rebecca Nelson says · 02.24.14

How do you feel about virgin coconut oil for a deep conditioner? My hair is long and only has a few highlights left on the ends since I have been growing my hair out (uncolored) for 2 years. I have used coconut oil a few times and have got good results, but I just wondered what your thoughts were about it.

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Anna @ IHOD says · 02.25.14

You are the cutest! Fantastic tips.
I am losing on the split ends front;)
Thanks for the reminder!

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Amanda @ Marry Mint says · 02.25.14

Oh I used to be so guilty of skipping trims! After chemo I wanted my long curly hair back in a hurry…turns out all you hair people were right about getting regular trims πŸ˜‰

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Aerin Downs says · 02.25.14

These are such good tips! Thank you xx

Berrie-Blogs |Beauty Blog

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Tammy says · 02.25.14

I am guilty of using my blow dryer on high heat. I know I need to turn it down. Thanks so much for the reminders πŸ™‚
Again, I love visiting your blog for all things beauty πŸ™‚

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Cindy Quero says · 02.25.14

Excellent post!! I love these kinds of tips for beauty!

http://www.cindyslittleblackbook.com

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Jillian Dolberry says · 02.25.14

SOOO Helpful! I am guilty of almost all of them… ha! Plus, I had no idea that wet hair could break easier than dry hair! thanks for the tips!

http://hazelberrypaper.blogspot.com

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Erin says · 02.25.14

I just clicked on your deep conditioner post and am dying laughing at all the spam comments – so nuts!

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Kimberley Perkins says · 02.25.14

I have broken many of these rules, and I’m currently giving my hair a break from heat tools due to the damage that I had caused (I’m going on about a month of repairing shampoo/conditioner plus no blow drying and no irons). Do you have a heat protectant that you would recommend?

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Tommy Clark says · 02.26.14

Maintaining a healthy hair looks like an easy task, but it’s not. You need to be careful with applying dyes, chemicals, and treatments to make sure it won’t be ruined. If you want to add some style and volume to your hair without involving damaging treatments, you can consider getting hair extensions. Anyway, thanks for sharing these awesome tips! πŸ™‚

Tommy Clark

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Unknown says · 02.26.14

What do you think about shampoos? is it not necessary to buy a costly shampoo? A cheapy will not ruin the hair? i’ve always heard that pantene is not so good for the hair? but i like it…what is your opinion?

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Gabrielle Crystal β„›oseℬonniee says · 02.28.14

Nice and helpful tips. Thank you very much πŸ™‚

ℓα ℒιcσrηe – ℒa vie est ℓa petite ℓicorne.

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Charlotte J says · 03.01.14

Good post! My main tip is not to use any heat at all – as soon as I break out the straighteners, I can tell the difference in my hair quality before and after!

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Sarah-Louise B says · 03.03.14

I always brush my hair wet, I literally have to or I can’t brush it at all – it gets soo tatty. Now that I’m living in Oz my hair gets super dry (at ends, oily roots – super frustrating)) and I’ve been paying a lot more attention to what I use in it. I use L’oreal sulphate free range with the conditioning mask inbetween. And and organix argan oil. I really noticed the difference with the sulphate-free, my hair feels much cleaner.

My hairdresser recommended brushing it in the shower whilst I still have conditioner in which helps get the brush through it, but is this only going to damage it more? I was also told to sleep with talc in my roots (only roots) for the oiliness which helps but again is this only going to damage my hair more?

One thing I also realised was that I didn’t brush my hair enough. Because it was so hard to get a brush through I avoided it which made it worse. I now brush morning and night and sometimes when I get home from work too

Is there anything you would recommend?

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Jessica says · 03.05.14

Wow these are amazing tips! I’m always stubborn on getting haircuts because I’m trying to grow it out, so it’s good to know that trims are important! I also didn’t know that you should turn down the temperature on the hairdryer. Great to know! πŸ™‚

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Irene Jennings says · 03.08.14

Also if you wear braids, remove them prior to going to sleep. Massage your scalp after removing the rubber bands.
top penguin proof one way links

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jamal tasmamat says · 03.08.14

Loads of thanks kate for all the great tips learn more

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Alexis says · 05.02.14

I can’t read the post with the new web design, I can only pin it and I don’t use Pinterest! How can I read the actual words?

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Morgan Shiell says · 05.02.14

I can’t read it either. It just pins it to pinterest but you still can’t read it. Any ideas?

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Tosca says · 05.12.14

Wish I could read these posts on my mobile phone. Some writing very light. Need the hair help. πŸ™

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Claudia says · 03.12.15

Would this help to grow hair? Because i cut my hair really short and i wanna it go grow out already any tips to make my hair grow faster and healthier?
By the way great tips

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Shana says · 12.05.16

Hi, I just found your blog while trying to find some tutorials for my daughter to play around with and I LOVE IT!!! Great stuff! You got yourself some new fans πŸ™‚
Here’s a question for you, cuz it looks like you’re the guru… My daughter’s hair suddenly developed a mind of its own. After 16 years of being DD’s BFF, it’s suddenly oily and dandruff-y. We tried changing shampoos but most shampoos on the market are moisturizing or for dry hair. She’s ready to shave it all off and go the hat route. Ok, not really, but she’s totally frustrated! Especially since she’s the hair stylist of her crowd- they all come to her to do their hair for every event and party, and she’s mortified that her own hair is giving her such grief. Any ideas on what she can try?

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