How to achieve your dream hair?

Sponsored collaboration: AQUIS Finland

 

I’ve always wanted long blonde hair, but I struggled for many years trying to achieve that. I made the mistake of bleaching my hair, using too much heat and not having the best tools to treat my hair. It’s not a coincidence my hair now looks better than ever, after using Aquis hair towels for a year.

As funny as it might sound, I’ve actually managed to achieve my dream hair!

A big thing is obviously the fact, that I’ve decided to be more content with myself and with what I got. I’ve learned to love both my natural hair color and my natural hair texture, which is wavy curly.

I know I’m not the only one wanting healthier and longer hair, so in this post I’m giving you some hair care tips.

 

Hair care tips for healthier and longer hair

 

  1. Give your natural hair color a chance.
    Instead of bleaching or dyeing your hair totally, try highlights or balayage and give your own hair color a chance. You might be surprised how nice your natural color looks! I know I was, because I always thought my hair was grey and colorless. But I’ve actually gotten tons of compliments on my hair color. Spoiler alert: your natural hair color probably suits you really well too.
  2. Pay attention to your diet and lifestyle.
    I don’t claim to be an expert on diet or lifestyle, but I try to live healthily.  I eat nutrition rich foods, I take food supplements and I exercise and sleep well.  Most of the time. Humans are complex and your lifestyle affects your looks, your skin and your hair. I’ve also tried biotin for hair growth a few times with good results. So biotin is also a good option for a little hair growth boost.
  3.  Try the curly girl method – or at least a few changes in your hair routine.
    I would at least stop heat styling (except diffuser or blow dryer on low heat) and switch to gentle moisturizing products. I’d also like to encourage you to start rocking and appreciating your natural hair look – be it curly, wavy or straight!
  4. Switch to hair towels that dry your hair fast and gentle.
    I actually use very little product in my hair nowadays. I just usually use curl gel instead of a million products. And more importantly, I really value the towels I use to dry my hair, because those I use daily. I also find the turban helpful in bringing out my curls.
  5. Use scrunchies made from soft fabrics.
    I only ever use scrunchies. My favorite scrunchies are made from silk so you can only imagine my excitement when I saw Aquis come out with silk scrunchies. Silk truly is the ultimate fabric for your hair. It’s luxurious and soft on the hair and especially helpful for curly hair, which can easily get frizzy.

 

Read also: How I managed to grow out my natural hair color
blue silk scrunchie aquis

How you dry your hair makes a difference in your hair’s condition

A simple thing, like how you dry your hair, can have a huge effect on the quality of your hair. I’ve written about Aquis towels multiple times here already, but here’s the important things in a nutshell:

Why AQUIS fast dry towels are the best option for your hair

  • They cut down the drying time even 50%
  • They are gentle on the hair – wet hair is fragile and you have to take good care of it
  • They give your hair shine, rather than making them frizzy, like regular towels do
  • They suit naturally curly hair perfectly and help to bring out the curl

As I mentioned, it’s not a coincidence that my hair has grown this long and healthy during a year where I only used Aquis towels. I use the towel first when I come out the shower and then I tie my hair in the turban. When I travel, I just pack the turban, because you can also use it as a towel first and then tie it up. Aquis towels are made from a special fabric that really soak up the water quickly from the hair, making your every day life a bit easier. With long hair comes the dreading of wash days – and these help!

My hair dried with Aquis towels. In the first photo I used no styling products (naked curls). The sunlight really captures the shine these towels give my hair! In the second photo I had added curl gel and mousse.

Travel set from Aquis

Aquis recently came out with this handy new set containing a beautiful blue turban and two silk scrunchies.

The turban is a bit smaller in size so it’s perfect for travelling (and yes, sleepovers or going to the gym count as travelling these days). I find the size perfect for my hair. Especially since I don’t wrap my hair inside the long part of the turban, but I gather my hair up to make the best out of my natural curls. The blue color is inspired by Pantone’s color of the year 2020. I love blue and find it very calming. I’m actually dreaming of painting our bedroom wall blue some day.

The turban comes in a handy sealed travel bag.

The size difference between Aquis travel set turban and the normal sized turban.

The silk scrunchies that come in the set are just perfect. I couldn’t have asked for better colors! I adore navy blue and I think that it’s a perfect color for the season. And the lighter beige silk one fits all seasons and all outfits. The fabric is amazingly soft and these instantly elevate your look – even if it’s just a simple ponytail!

Hiustenkasvatusvinkkejä - pitkät ja hyväkuntoiset hiukset

Aquis face cloth for makeup removal

Another travel essential from Aquis is their face cloth. I usually remove my makeup with a cloth – just because it’s so quick and effortless. It’s handy for travelling, because I don’t need a makeup remover, I can just swipe off my makeup. Because the fabric is so absorbent, it takes away the makeup easily. It also exfoliates the skin gently, so it doubles as an exfoliator. Again, great for on the go. Especially since you can carry it in the package it comes – even if it was a bit damp.

If you’re shopping from US or some other country, you’ll find links to the stores and products here.

Lightweight & coconut oil free hair products for wavy curly hair

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If you’ve been on the curly girl method, you’ve probably bumped into coconut oil, when it comes to ingredients. Somehow it’s super popular in curly hair products. Too bad it’s not for everyone. Wavy hair can easily be weighed down by heavy oils and therefore the curl gets ruined.

My curl type is wavy and I definitely need lightweight products. The last time I shopped for hair products, I chose to look for coconut oil free conditioners and gels. Luckily I found the perfect products! I might as well go as far as to say these are the products for me and my curls. (At the very least they’re the best for me at the moment.)

In this post I’ll share quick reviews of the products I’ve used, as well as a list for some coconut-free hair products.

Björn Axen Organic Conditioner Review Wavy Curly Hair

Björn Axèn Organic Moisturizing Conditioner (lightweight, coconut oil free conditioner for wavy hair)

Björn Axen’s Organic Conditioner is made with 86% of natural ingredients. It has natural subtle scent from bergamot oil, which is nice. My hair loves aloe vera juice and this one contains a lot of that. It also has some natural oils, that are not too heavy on wavy hair. It gives enough slip so that I can untangle my hair in the shower with it.

This also works nice in the squish to condish method. I can leave a lot of it in my hair and my curls actually seem to love it.

Another bonus is that you can buy refills to this. The shampoo in the Organic line is also curly girl approved.

Björn Axen is a Swedish brand and I’m not sure about its availability worldwide. But you can check out my coconut-free listing below to find brands that are available in your country.

Björn Axen Organic Moisturizing Conditioner

Zenz Styling Gel Sweet Orange Review Wavy hair

Zenz Organic Styling Gel Sweet Orange (lightweight gel for wavy hair)

It’s probably no surprise that I prefer organic products in haircare as well. I was looking for a natural gel and I found this. One of the things I don’t usually like about curl gels is their scent. But this I love! It has a subtle orange scent and since it comes from natural ingredients, it’s nothing too overwhelming and it evaporates quite quickly.

This one also contains aloe leaf extract (20% of it!), some protein and silk amino acids. It gives a good cast, which helps to hold the curl better.

I had never heard of the brand before and the packaging is peculiar, but this gel really works for my hair.

Zenz Organic Styling Gel Sweet Orange

Coconut oil free products for naturally wavy hair

The products in this list I’ve either tried, used something from the brand or I want to try. I’ll update it as I try new products!

CONDITIONERS

*Schwarzkopf Mad About Waves, Windswept Conditioner
I like this – and not only because it has the best packaging (so handy). It doesn’t give much slip, but still manages to untangle my hair and doesn’t weigh down my curls. I have written about this before here!

*Briogeo Be Gentle Be Kind Conditioner

*Briogeo Curl Charisma Conditioner
This one doesn’t contain coconut oil, but it’s still more on the heavier side when it comes to conditioners. Super nourishing, gives a good slip. I used this a lot when I first started, but nowadays it’s a bit too much for my hair.

Björn Axen Organic Conditioner

GELS
*Innersense Organic I Create Hold Gel
This one I’ve tried and I really like it! Gives a solid hold and doesn’t have a scent, other than what comes from the ingredients.

*Briogeo Curl Charisma Gel
This is one of my favorites, because it’s so lightweight. Doesn’t give a super strong hold, but sometimes softer curls are what I’m after.

Zenz Organic Styling Gel Sweet Orange

LEAVE INS
*Innersense Sweet Spirit Leave In Conditioner

OTHER CURLY WAVY HAIR RECOMMENDATIONS

*Aquis hair towels
As a bonus, I have to recommend the Aquis towels. They really cut down the drying time and help to define the curl! (If you shop from Finland here, you’ll get -10% with code CHARLOTTA.)
*Silk scrunchies
Soft fabrics are gentle on the hair and therefore silk is the number one fabric for curly hair.

 

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