Alright, let’s be honest – I don’t talk about my hair a lot around here and there’s a reason for that. I used to have the most beautiful, long, shiny, healthy hair until about a year before our wedding. Truth is, I’m still not really sure what happened at that point – I had super healthy hair, and then all of a sudden I didn’t. My best guess is that I had just tried low lights for the first time, and my hair felt sticky and tough to comb through shortly after that. It felt like either my hair didn’t take well to the low lights, or out of nowhere I had a ton of product build up in it. Either way, I was in such a hurry with life and all the things going on around me that I didn’t really take it seriously until it was too late.  Within a matter of 8 weeks, I had a ton of breakage, my hair felt brittle and thin, and it honestly was in the worst shape it’s ever been in.

So, with that being said — I’ve spent the last two years in what I like to call “hair rehab.” This means I no longer blow dry my hair (I let it air dry), I don’t wash it regularly (three times a week seems to be the magic number), and I pay close attention to what I’m putting in my hair weekly. If you are up to date on the latest beauty trends, then you may be familiar with the benefits of charcoal for not only your skin, but your hair as well. It’s all the rage right now! Charcoal masks, charcoal teeth whitening, and now charcoal shampoo and conditioner. Since charcoal has done well for me within other beauty products, I decided to give Pantene’s new Charcoal Collection Shampoo and Conditioner (available at Amazon) a try! Because build up is one of my main concerns, I focus on using a clarifying shampoo and conditioner to strip my hair of all the products I’ve used between washes. It’s important to find a shampoo that can remove impurities in your hair, dirt, gunk from products, and reset the Ph balance of your scalp in order to prevent breakage! And trust me when I say, you want to avoid breakage at all costs – it takes years for your hair to regrow once the damage is done and even when it does, it may never grow back as beautiful as it was pre-damage. So why Pantene? Their new Activated Charcoal line is a nutrient blend containing activated charcoal, pro vitamin B5, and antioxidants that act like a magnet to cleanse the hair and scalp by getting rid of impurities, leaving your hair silky, soft and smooth. If you’re a regular reader of TCB, then you also know I’ve made a recent effort to get rid of toxic self care products, and this particular Pantene line is free of silicone, parabens, and dyes. So it fits right in with my mantra! Long story short, I wish I would have known to use a clarifying shampoo and conditioner from the start! It makes perfect sense, if you’re not washing your hair regularly and using lots of dry shampoo and styling products on a regular basis — build up will happen. Take my advice and save yourself the hassle later on! Your hair will thank you.

I’m also really excited to share a promotion Amazon is running until October 31. Click here, use the promo code “20PNTCHARC” to receive 20% off the Charcoal Collection Shampoo and Conditioner (530ml) when purchased together.