Hi everyone!

Today, I decided to talk about one of the things I'm most insecure about: my hair. I have been every color on the spectrum from chocolate brown to lavender purple and all the hues and shades in between. My relationship with my hair has been a tumultuous one, but I learned some things I think might help you.

I'm a natural brunette. Most people collectively gasp when I utter this sentence in disbelief. But it's true. My hair when I was 16 was dark, dark brown, almost black. Since then, I've been regularly dying my hair different colors and have convinced almost everyone in my life that I am a natural blonde.

After I began dying my hair, I knew what the ultimate goal was. I wanted to be platinum blonde. I remember when Lauren Conrad got married and her pretty face was on the cover of US Weekly. I brought the copy of the magazine with me to my hairdresser and pointed, "this! This is what I want!"

But platinum doesn't happen overnight. It takes a long (long, long, long) time! My hair suffered damage from the bleach and from chlorine (I was a competitive swimmer for over 13 years). I had a hard time getting it to grow and keeping it healthy, no matter how many vitamins I took or new (and expensive) hair products I tried.

After I started dressing up as a princess, I had to start dying my hair more regularly, to avoid unsightly roots. So I started box dying at home every three weeks. And that's where my nightmare hit.

I'm not sure if I left the bleach on too long, if it was too much damage, or if it really matters. But in the Summer of 2016, I lost more than half of my hair.

I remember showering and clumps of my hair falling out. I remember brushing it and entire strands coming out in the brush. I remember sobbing to Matt, terrified I would lose all of my hair.

Since then I've come a long way. While I'm still not even close with where I want to be with my hair length, my hair volume has gotten even thicker than it was before I lost a lot of it. Here are some quick and easy tips for growing your hair, without giving up your color from me, and my favorite hair stylist, Ranea.

1. Don't dye your hair at home

Take a cue from me. Never, ever dye your hair at home. Bond building technology is huge, and needs to be used during and after lightening services to maintain healthy hair.

2. Seek out a good stylist

All stylists are not created equal. Ranae says, "As my hair dresser points out, when you want white blonde hair, you need to seek out a stylist that will have the integrity of your hair as her first priority."   

3. Take vitamins
Not only are vitamins good for your overall health, but it can help take care of your skin and hair. I take these vitamins every single day and have definitely noticed a difference in my hair.

4. Get a brush that works for you
Some brushes rip out your hair and do more damage than good. This is my favorite brush, made specifically for wet hair, which means it's super gentle. This is my favorite brush to use when my hair is dry.

5. Don't wash your hair everyday
For my girls with particular thin hair, skip some days between washing. I now wash my hair three or four times a week, which has helped preserve the color and keep my hair looking healthy.

6. Less is more when it comes to product
I used to put an entire handful of conditioner in my hair everyday. This totally weighed down my hair and didn't give it a chance to breathe. When it comes to product always use less than you think you do.

7. Get regular trims
You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again. But healthy hair actually grows and you can't get rid of unhealthy hair until you cut it. Get regular trims and it will start growing like a weed.

8. Ask questions
When you're in the hair salon, ask your hair dresser questions! Ask her what she uses, what she likes, and what she doesn't. Ask her questions and pick her brain. I've learned so many useful tips from my hairdresser and some of my favorite products, listed below.

9. Give your hair some natural TLC
Coconut oil is your BEST friend! Once a week, I lather on coconut oil in my hair and leave it in for literally 12+ hours. Coconut oil helps repair damaged hair and prevent damage in the future, which means it's quicker to grow!

10. Use products like these

Here are my favorite hair products that have helped me keep my hair healthy while dying it, and helped me grow my hair out more than 10 inches in the last year, that's at least four inches more than normal!




So there you have it! Those are my tips!

 Do you have any?