Fifty Strands of Gray: My Ongoing Quest for Healthy Hair {Pantene Pro-V Expert Collection Giveaway}

Over the past few years, I’ve been bewildered by them — and their trajectory — wondering where they came from, how long they’d be staying and how to get rid of them.

Like unwanted houseguests, the grays have settled in.   And frankly, my hair has never been the same.  But it hasn’t always been this way.

Some background:

Once upon a time, mom a la mode had thick, vibrant hair with a lovely sheen.  And then she had a baby, and was left with coarse, frizzy hair and several new friends in the shape of wiry grays.

For a good amount of time, I scratched my transformed head wondering what the hell was going on and what the secret was to getting back my shiny, healthy, pre-pregnancy hair?  I took comfort in some recent Facebook Fan Page conversation that confirmed that I wasn’t alone:

From Roe’s emphatic “YES” to Kristy’s noticeable diminishing of her curls, mom a la mode’s  Facebook Fans shared that they noticed definitive differences in their post-pregnancy tresses.

My baby literally sucked the life out of my hair.  And he was worth every ounce of that (and MORE!)  However, I longed for a way to still have my amazing baby AND have my amazing hair back.

So when Momtrends invited me to checkout the Launch Party for Pantene Pro-V’s New Expert Collection, I was all-in.

High above the city streets in a sleek midtown Manhattan penthouse, my hair questions were finally answered.

Here’s what I learned: that as parents know all too well – a baby changes everything.  Including your hair, which is largely controlled by hormone production. So when the hormones get all wacked out from something small like, gee, pregnancy, the whole game changes.

Some gals like Facebook Fan Kristy will see thinning and loss of curl, while others like me will see coarser texture, grays and frizz.  Dr. Jeni Thomas, P&G’s Beauty and Grooming Principal Scientist, whose research focuses on the areas of the scalp and hair, explained to me that my particular hair issues could be a combination of post-baby adjustment and just plain “getting older” as the ol’ body is starting to change.

Super.  Thanks.

But what I also found fascinating is that it is completely normal to lose 50-100 strands of hair a day (how awesome would it be if it were those GRAY ones to go!), and that if you can see the little follicle at the root of the hair – that’s actually a good thing because it means it happened naturally. It’s when there’s visible breakage by way of a rough cut that it’s a sign of potentially unhealthy hair.

So for the past few weeks I’ve been using Pantene Expert Collection AgeDefy, which seemed more appropriate for my needs (gray, frizz, breakage, etc.) than the Advanced+Keratin Repair system.

I liked it from the start.  I typically lose a bunch of hair in the shower while shampooing and conditioning.  Since using the AgeDefy products, I’ve noticed a remarkable difference – just a few strands came out, opposed to a handful (chill – that’s normal for me.)  And then as I progressed to the next stage of my grooming process — the wet-hair comb out — just a few strands more (I typically lose a lot at this stage, too.)

Once blow-dried, my hair seemed silkier, less frizzy and smelled amazing — so much so that my husband actually noticed it!

It took two-and-a-half years, but I feel like I finally got my hair situation under control, and learned how to manage it better, thanks to some fabulous new products and very regular highlights. I also take comfort in knowing that me and my fifty strands of gray are not alone.

Now it’s your turn to take control of your hair.  Pantene is giving one lucky mom a la mode reader the Pantene Pro-V Expert Collection that includes Advanced + Keratin Repair AND AgeDefy products (a $90 Value!!!)  Raffle will run for 1 week.  Enter Now: a Rafflecopter giveaway

oxox

-mom a la mode

{I was not monetarily compensated for this post.  I was invited to an event sponsored by Pantene and given samples of the Pro-V Expert Collection to test for product review purposes.  All opinions, as always, are solely mine.}

 

{Giveaway: No purchase necessary. Must be continental U.S. resident aged 18+ to enter.  No P.O. Boxes. Mom a la mode will contact the unofficial winner via email and that unofficial winner will have 24 hours to respond in order to claim the prize. Pantene will send the Expert Collection prize package ($90 value) directly to the official winner. Contest ends 2/11/13.}