I really enjoyed how low maintenance this style was though I think I missed a lot of opportunity for awesome styling because at the time I didn’t have a curler or a straightener or even a hair dryer so this was the extend of my styling:

This was when I started experimenting with bigger hair too, though I didn’t have much hair to do it with haha!

After that I started to grow it out more and started dyeing red over the top. The black was very unmovable so I ended up with a nice red>black gradient. And so the love of gradients began 😉

I started getting more adventurous with my hair at this point too so started teasing and blow drying my fringe  sometimes too. Up until around now I didn’t really wear any make up either unless it was for work but I started experimenting with different looks too.

It was around now that I also discovered my love of hair extensions 😀

That lasted for a while and then on a whim one day I bought some blonde dye and went for it. I started lightening it in stages. Again the black didn’t budge and I concentrated the bleach at the top to form a gradient.

The next stage of lightening:

This was the time I started using hot rollers too and I alternated between them and pin curls. We started having to travel more often so I became the master of restyling pin curls over several days XD

This was taken in Singapore after I had such a late night I ended up sleeping in the pouf as well as the pin curls hahaha!

Eventually I stopped lightening at around this shade. And through all of this time my hair was steadily growing out. When I started growing my hair I wasn’t too sure how long I actually wanted it but it never really got to a point where I said “Ugh my hair is too long, I want to cut it off!” so I just kept going.

I played around with a lot of different styles too.

I bought my mini straightener and learned to make curls, this is probably one of the best things I did as fas a styling versatility goes. And while I’m sure it’s contributed to the damage a bit, I wouldn’t give it up!

When we moved to Melbourne I started to be more adventurous with my hair extensions.

I thought a lot about dying my hair pink but didn’t have the courage to try it for a long time.

Instead I played with wigs a lot more so I could completely change my look every day.

When I finally did go pink it was in the form of a gradient again and had a couple of shades of pink/orange mixed in. I absolutely adored it and finally found a style I thought was actually me 😀

Totally even had one of those blowing in the wind moments in the middle of a shop too 😉

While the shade of pink has changed and the styling changes regularly I still love my hair this colour. Above all I think it suits my personality well 😀

Over the last few years my hair has been through a lot, teasing, spraying, bleaching, dying, curling, straightening, you name it. In general it’s in pretty good condition. The biggest hair sin that I probably commit is that after a string of bad experiences I haven’t been to a hairdresser since I was 17. It started out as being too paranoid of having another bad experience and then budget constraints meant DIY was a must. When I have the budget for it I will totally find a fantastic hairdresser here though.

My hair growing up was rebellious, frizzy and untamable but I think I’ve done a decent job of whipping it into shape. At the moment the only thing I’m really concerned about is split ends.

This was taken around a month ago and shows our friend Hughie and I having an epic hair-off competition 😉 He’s taller than me but mine was curled so I think we tied! Since then I cut off around 3 inches and added some more layers to get rid of the split ends!

I’ve done a lot to my hair and put it through some crazy stress but it always seems to bounce right back and even though I’ve done some really damaging things in the last 10 years (since I started dying it) the condition is still pretty good.

So Dove has asked me to try their Nutri-Oil system to see if I can improve the condition of my hair more. I’ll be giving that a try for the next few weeks and seeing how it goes! I’m not holding my breath for anything spectacular because my hair seems to be at its best when I leave it as natural as possibly but I’m definitely interested to see if this is any different.

Here’s a bit about it from the press release:

For centuries oils have been revered for their ability to help nourish, moisturise and smooth hair. Today, oils are a hot beauty trend as women once again realise and appreciate their power. However, some traditional oil infused products can leave hair limp and greasy and many salon treatments are expensive and hard to find.

This December, Dove Hair will exploit the benefits of oils and make their powerful properties available to women everywhere, through the launch of their weightless nutri-oil technology.

After a decade of research and development, Dove is expecting its new Nutritive Therapy Nourishing Oil Hair Care Range to transform the way women feel about their hair, with the hero product – Nourishing Oil Care: Nutri Oil Serum anticipated to achieve cult status once it hits supermarket shelves.  The new serum reduces roughness and frizz by 99% and is scientifically proven to leave your hair as smooth and shiny as Moroccan Oil Treatment, yet is just a fraction of the price.

Dove’s Nutri Oil Serum is  formulated with natural oils known to contain components identical to hair’s natural lipids to help keep moisture locked in for healthy looking hair, providing nourishment from root to tip, keeping it healthy and supple. It is rapidly absorbed and leaves no greasiness to give hair instant smooth and shine (anytime).

Dove’s Nourishing Oil Hair Care Range:

• Dove Nutritive Nourishing Oil Care Shampoo, 300mL RRP $6.49
• Dove Nutritive Nourishing Oil Care Conditioner, 300mL RRP $6.49
• Dove Nutritive Nourishing Oil Care Serum 40mL RRP $9.99

So we’ll see how that goes over the next few weeks. Have any of you guys tried it yet? I’d love to know any hair tips you have too!