We're well into 2017 now and some of us are struggling to keep our New Year’s "Resolutions" going. Remember those promises we made? Listen, we get it—sticking to a new workout or personal budget isn’t easy, and those whole-body detoxes seem to be taking more out of us every time we attempt one.

So why not try a hair resolution instead? More specifically, a locks detox? The idea was certainly very appealing to us, so we decided to give it a shot. After a couple of weeks, we’re already seeing a major difference in the health and vitality of our hair. We're hoping with a few tips and tricks, you'll see it too.

So here's our Hair La Vie Detox (give it a whirl and see how your hair holds up!):

Step 1: Ditch the Chemicals

This is the first step to any detox, and our hair method isn’t any different. We threw away our sulfate-filled hair care products with impossible-to-pronounce chemicals. If we can't say it, we don't need it.

During your detox, try to avoid using any hair products that contain:

1. Parabens
2. Sulfates
3. Dyes
4. Pthalates
5. Alcohol

Look for all-natural, organic ingredients that will gently nourish and support your hair.

Step 2: Take A Vitamin

As with most detoxes, health comes from within. We wanted to promote future nourished growth, so we knew a supplement would be essential if we wanted to achieve gorgeous hair the au naturale way.

Some key vitamin ingredients for healthy hair include:

1. Biotin
2. Vitamins A, K, B, E
3. Flax Seed Oil
4. Folic Acid
5. Zinc
6. Iron
7. Collagen

As you might expect, at Hair La Vie, we used our hair vitamin, which has all of these ingredients and more. Even better, this powerful supplement adheres to Step #1. The Revitalizing Hair Blend has absolutely no synthetic chemicals or fillers at all. It’s the perfect blend for a natural hair detox.

Step 3: Never Stop Hydrating

We’ve ditched the chemicals and begun nourishing from within, but now we need to focus on topical benefits. Normally, we spray on all kinds of leave-in chemicals that promise to de-frizz or add volume. Those products are usually filled with the ingredients we promised to avoid in Step #1, so now what?

First, we need to pare down. Using too many products in our hair can be detrimental to its health, but we knew we’d at least need a bi-weekly deep-conditioning masque. We used our own hydration masque, which has high quality coconut, avocado and argan oil, plus a ton of helpful vitamins.

Try to find a hydration masque that works for your own personal hair type, color, and situation.

Step 4: Clarify The Right Way

Shampoo is another essential part of our hair detox. We want to make sure that it only contains helpful ingredients that nourish our hair, which means absolutely no sulfates allowed. Premium shampoo only.

Try to find a shampoo with:

1. Coconut and olive oils
2. Saw Palmetto
3. Vitamin E
4. Keratin

These ingredients both cleanse and help maintain your hair’s natural vibrance. After shampooing, top off with a conditioner that includes:

1. Argan, Tea Tree and Jojoba Oil
2. Vitamin D3

These ingredients create an invaluable, quick and easy solution for naturally cleansing your hair.

Step 5: All-Day Hair care

Like we mentioned before, it’s best to pare down your topical products as much as possible. We suggest sticking to a leave-in serum that does the job of all your old products in one. For added shine and hydration, try to find a serum that includes all of the following:

1. Vitamin E
2. Coconut Oil
3. Jojoba Seed Oil

Sometimes old New Year’s Resolutions work out. We’d like to think that the Hair La Vie Detox is one of them, so why not give it a try? After only two weeks of nourishment, our hair is already thanking us. Here's hoping you can experience the same benefits for the health and vitality of your hair!

And just in case you didn't know your exact hair type already, we want to help you figure that out too...

Know Your Hair Type

It’s important to know your hair type before you buy new products or try a different style. Fine hair, for example, flourishes with light conditioning on the ends, while thicker textures need stronger creams.

There are five categories to focus on when you’re determining your hair type:

- Density, texture, porosity, elasticity, and curl pattern

Figure out your hair’s density

Use a comb to part your hair in the middle, then grab a finger-sized piece of hair on one side of the part. Using a well-lit mirror, gently move the hair around to look at its roots from different angles.
Check to see how much of your scalp is visible.

There is no specific ratio of scalp-to-strand, but the general idea is that if you barely see any scalp at all, you probably have thick density. If you see some scalp, you have medium density, and if you see a lot, your density is on the thin side.

Remember that this will help you determine how much hair you have on your head, not necessarily
how thick each individual strand is. That part comes next...

Check Your Hair's Texture

Pull out an individual strand of hair from somewhere in the middle of your scalp. You want it to be a good representation of your general texture, so make sure it’s about the average thickness of the strands on the rest of your head. Place the hair and a regular piece of thread side-by-side on top
of a white piece of paper. If the strand is thinner than the thread, your hair is fine. If it’s thicker
than the thread, your hair has—you guessed it—a thick texture.

You can also determine your texture by checking its strength. Generally, strong hair tends to be thick. Strength can be determined by porosity and elasticity.¹

Determine Strand Porosity

One way to check your hair’s strength is to figure out its porosity, which is the amount of water it retains. Start by washing your hair with a premium shampoo and conditioning system. Rinse clean and use a towel to partially dry your hair. You want it to stay somewhat damp, but not dripping wet. Run your hand from the roots of your hair down to the ends. Gently squeeze to check the moisture. If your hair feels almost dry, it has low porosity. If it’s a little wet, you have medium porosity. If it feels extremely wet, your hair retains a lot of moisture and has high porosity. Non-porous hair tends to be strongest.

Measuring Its Elasticity

Another way to gauge hair strength is to check its elasticity. After towel-drying your hair, try to take out one full strand (from the scalp to the end of your hair). Grab each end of the strand and pull very
slowly. Doing this too fast will lead to the strand breaking early, giving you inaccurate results.

If your hair snaps right away despite pulling slowly, it’s not very elastic. If it takes a long time— especially if it stretches to 50% of its original length—you have extremely strong and elastic hair.

Comparing Your Curl Pattern

This test will help you determine which type of straight, curly or wavy hair pattern you have. Write the word “LOIS” on a piece of paper. After your hair has air-dried, gently remove a strand, put it on the paper and compare its shape to the letters.

If the hair resembles:

L = Your strand has lots of right angles or bends sharply.

O = Your strand has spirals that curl into the shape of an O.

I = Your strand is straight and doesn't have any curls at all.

S = Your strand curves back and forth in a wavy pattern.

You may have a combination of these, and if that’s the case, try a few separate strands and decide which pattern is the most dominant. Sometimes, two letters are equally prominent. You could be, for example, an LS or an LO. There is no right or wrong answer to determining your truest hair type.²

Knowing your density, texture, porosity, elasticity and curl pattern are essential to maintaining your hair health and styling accordingly. If you’ve tried the methods above and you’re still not sure about your results, you might want to try asking your stylist to analyze your hair type at your next salon visit.

You might just learn something new about your hair you never thought to ask before. Good luck!