I have always gotten comments on the condition of my hair—ever since I was little.

It was always something about my hair that people would randomly notice, like I didn't have split ends or my hair was soft or they wanted to know how my hair was so straight or even how I handled how thick my hair was. Well, you are about to learn all of my secrets--about my hair, anyway.

Hair: the initial frontier. These are the many ways I handle mine and maintain its health. My daily mission: to explore strange new styles, to seek out new life and new ways to strengthen the strands, to boldly do what others have only dreamed.

Hair Cuts

Obviously getting a haircut is a need, but did you know that it makes your hair healthier? When you get a trim or a haircut, you make a commitment to your hair—you commit to take care of it and you commit to respect it. You can choose any haircut, any style, but the main factor you need to remember is that some haircuts are more of a time commitment (longer hairstyles) and some are less of a time commitment (shorter styles).

Hair Products

When you purchase products for your hair what do you look for? Quality or Quantity? I look at quality and then look at quantity. Because my hair is so heavy and thick I often have to purchase a shampoo and conditioner combo that focuses on rehydrating my hair and maintaining a smooth and tangle-less effect. The brands I often purchase are Herbal Essences: Hello Hydration, Aussie: Moist and Garnier Fructis: Hydra Recharge. If I ever use hairspray I always use the Got2B: 24 Hour Laminating Shine.

Washing My Hair

When I wash my hair, I try to make sure I have enough shampoo/conditioner—depending on which one I am using at that point—in my hand to ensure complete coverage of my hair. I spend a good amount of time rubbing the shampoo/conditioner into my hair and then I spend even longer rinsing it out. I never want to leave soap in my hair because it can cause irritation to my scalp and even create those dandruff flakes that people are often so grossed out over. Believe it or not, I wash my hair every night. I know people say it’s not good for your hair, but my hair gets way too gross for me if I leave it for two days without cleaning it.

Drying My Hair

When I dry my hair, I don’t use heat. I can’t emphasize this enough. I know so many people who do, but heat just hurts my hair when I use it. For me, I have to squeeze as much water as I can out of it before I even leave the shower. Once the water is off, I squeeze all that I can out of it. Then I place a towel on my hair and squeeze even more water into the towel. Finally, I brush through my hair peacefully and slowly—I don’t want to pull my hair out if I run into a knot—and then I pull it up into a ponytail or braids or some sort of away-from-my-face hairstyle.

Doing My Hair

When I do my hair, I don’t use any products unless absolutely called for. My everyday process is to pull out my ponytail or braids from the night before and brush through it. This usually ends in a very straight and soft hairstyle, I will then part my hair on the left side and continue to brush through it. My hair is so straight by this point that I have to decide what I want to do with it. I can do one of three or four things: leave it down with barrettes holding my bangs away from my face, pull it up into a ponytail, pull it up into a bun or put it into one braid or two braids. On the off-chance that I curl my hair I typically have to use a lot of hairspray in order to keep my hair exactly the way I want—when I do this I often have to use twice as much shampoo and conditioner to get my hair back to its natural state after curling it.

As I go throughout my day my hair stays nice and neat and if not, I have a brush in my bag in case of an emergency. I also always have ponytail holders with me—you never know when you will need to pull your hair up or away from your face.

As you can see I don’t use heat, or mousse, or hair gel etc. Instead I go for the longer more time consuming ways of taking care of my hair. I use curlers if I want curled hair, I braid my hair if I want it wavy and I let my hair air dry at night in a ponytail when I want straight hair. The only products I use in my hair are my shampoos and conditioners (which I rotate every 3-4 months) and the occasional and very rare hairspray. When I say my hair is a commitment, I mean it. I love my hair and as a result, it stays beautiful for me. I don’t do this for others, I do this for myself. When you love yourself, you love your hair. Take some time for yourself. It’s honestly the best thing you can do for you and your hair.

“First, I eat healthy; it comes from the inside out. If you eat right, your skin, hair, nails will look good. The same if you have negative thoughts - they can give you a bad look, too; we reflect what we eat and think. We also taste and smell what we eat. Being happy and doing what I love really reflects.” – Kate del Castillo

Eat correctly, think nice thoughts, have a good attitude about life and live it to the fullest—your hair will thank you and you, too, will be getting compliments in no time.