Very long Hair in September - 108 cm

Hello Lovelies!

Back this month with a monthly hair length update. My hair is now about 108 cm! I did neglect my hair a little and have curled it too often with heatless waves - so my hair is very very dry at the moment. This month you see a good natural hair state - after rain, uncombed curls with too little coconut oil! I am trying to pamper my hair and have been using coconut oil several times a day because of the dryness. If I can't get a hold of it I might need to cut a little or a little more. We will see :) Thanks for all your support on my FB page! 

The mountains are calling - and I must follow!

Follow Zoey's board Love of my Life on Pinterest.

Hello Lovelies,

Did you ever ask yourself what is Zoey doing when she is not writing about hair care? Well I love to travel, be outdoors and hike. I do not only pin down every braid I come across on Pinterest but I also pin down every forrest or hiking trail I see :) Have a look at my Pinterest Board, it is called Love of my Life and that it is! Nature is so calming, relaxing and roots you when you are stressed. I recently started to learn how to climb. I love it! I am still indoors in climbing centres but I can't wait to get good enough to climb on a real mountain wall! I love to visit national parcs, on on my bucket list is the Yosemite National Parc among thousand others! I miss Canada's woods as well, somehow my work got me stuck for a while in Germany. But even here we have really lovely forests down in Bavaria. 

If you have any recommendations for hiking trails in Germany, I would love to hear them!

Flechtwerk - Round Braids

Hello Lovelies!

I hope you are all enjoying autumn and the turning of the leaves :) I love autumn, it is my favourite season! Drinking pumpkin spice latte, chai tea, staying home and starting to wear big sweaters and cozy scarfs is just lovely! Today's little hairstyle idea is very simple - a crown braid based on the round 4 strand braid. I gathered my hair to one side, braided it like Lilith is showing us in her very clear and simple video  and pinned the finished braid up to my crown with small bobby pins. By the way, if your like the autumn colours as clothing I have a Pinterest Board with lots of colours that I love to wear. Have a look :) !

How to 

• Divide your hair into 4 equal parts
• Nr your hair beginning on your ear into 1, 2, 3, 4
• Starting at the right side: bring strand no. 1 under 2 and 3 and twist it forward so that is lies between 2 und 3
• take strand no. 4 and bring it behind 2 and 3, twist it once around 2
• Repeat the steps :)

Have a look on how the other girls are interpreting their round braids,Wuscheline Nessa, Heike, Bobby , und Lenja. I am super excited to see Nessa's Idea :D The is truly the braiding queen! Our next topic will be up on the 15th October and about our favourite hair jewellery. Difficult to chose I think!

With Pumpkin Love for you and This Wonderful Autumn Season!

5 Basic Natural Hair Care Steps - for long hair

Hello Lovelies!

I know it is hard to establish a long hair care routine. Once I started to take care of my hair I was really overwhelmed with the range of products methods recipes and philosophies. I have been following my hair care routine for over two years now, whenever I skip a step I immediately see negative side effects like more frizz, dry hair or an irritated scalp. I am happy to share my holy grail routine with you and hope you can adapt my routine to your hair needs. All products are replaceable with brands and choices of your own as long as you follow these basic 5 steps for long hair care :) If your hair is shorted you may get away with a minimal routine, my hair is up to my thighs now so no skipping any of these steps for me now. 

1. Deep Condition 
This step is absolutely mandatory for me, I never skip the deep conditioning. At the moment I am using extra virgin coconut oil. You can replace this oil with any oil of your choice. During the winter time I use sheabutter occasionally with very good results as well. Apply the oil from your ears down all the way to your ends to your dry hair and let it sit 30 min. For best results do an overnight treatment. Lately I have been loving hot oil treatments with olive oil as well - just heat half a cup for 20 sec. in your microwave and apply - cover with a towel.

2. Cleanse
Step into the shower wet your hair and gently use a mild diluted shampoo of your choice. Only shampoo your crown never your ends. Let the shampoo water mix sit for 2 mins. I am using the Balea Glossy Brown Shampoo and Alverde Birke Salbei at the moment. I am really loving the Balea Glossy Brown! It is silicone free and smells like caramel. Great for autumn!

3. Condition
Remember all the oil for your deep conditioning? You will remove the oil now with your favourite conditioner! The oil emollients with conditioner and gently rinses away while leaving your hair soft and shiny. I use lots of conditioner and also just from the ears down. I like the formulae of the Alverde Birke Salbei Conditioner because it is really easy to apply and smells very fresh and herbal. If I need extra detangling I will be using the Balea Glossy Brown Conditioner (again silicone free!). 

4. Rinse
Now it is time for your apple cider vinegar rinse! It will close your hair's cuticle and increase your shine to the max! I have a whole blogpost about the how's and why - keep reading! I am using 2 tablespoons with 2 l of cold water. Cold water is an extra bonus because it also increases the shine. It is also good for your scalp. And don't worry the apple vinegar smell goes away while your hair is air drying.

5. Seal 
Now it is time to seal the moisture in your hair prevent dryness. I am using my favourite hair serum that I have been raving about ever since I got it. Sadly there is little left but as I said before a few drops go a long way. I am using 5 drops on my soaking wet hair ends. I let my hair dry naturally without heat and after my hair is totally dry I will use again about 5 drops in all my length and again my ends. It kills frizz, gives shine and protects your ends. If you don't have a hair serum you can use a high quality hair care oil like argan oil. 

Do you have a basic routine? I would love to hear about your routine! I know that a lot of you are using soap to wash your hair - something that has never worked for me - my hair never got clean!