INALA Staff Spotlight: Evelynn's New Year's Hair Resolutions

For part two of our INALA Staff Spotlight on New Year’s Hair Resolutions, we chat with INALA’s Senior Brand Manager of Sales and Education, Evelynn!

“My journey with my hair has drastically changed since 2020. Before the pandemic, I had a signature look of platinum blonde hair worn in a super short pixie cut. I cut all my hair off in 2011 – I was VERY inspired by Rihanna's short hair evolution at the time –  and loved how “styled” short hair looked on me. It was the start of a new chapter in my life for many personal reasons, and although the color of that cut changed from blonde, to Lucille Ball red, to lavender, to pink, to black, then back to blonde, I stuck with that cut ever since. Because my hair is naturally very dark and very curly (2c - 3b), and grows pretty quickly, I *literally* became best friends with my stylist because I was in her chair so often. 

 "Me & my blonde hair in 2019, for reference."

Fast forward to 2020, and I’m unable to go to the salon. My bleached pixie cut started to grow out into a two-tone mullet that was a far cry from where it had been in its heyday. (I'm not saying I don't love the mullet trend, because I do. It's just not for me.) By the time COVID restrictions were lifted, my hair had grown out so much that I decided to just stick with it and cut all the old damaged hair off and start over. I felt like this was a good way to symbolically start another new chapter in my #StrandStory.

In 2023 I want to fully embrace my hair texture, which means I need to help it get over the "awkward" hair length hump. Anyone who has had to grow out a pixie cut knows it's a struggle. I had to get a true “curly cut” last March in order to “reset” my curls after all these years, but it ended up taking my hair a little shorter than I had hoped for after growing it out for so long. A valuable lesson was learned: Do NOT put off your trims, even if you are growing your hair out and if you have curls, they are not living their best life if you're not getting a curly cut. I did get better curl definition, volume, and bounce, so it was the right decision, but I’d like to have it long enough to put it up in a bun or a ponytail, ideally.

Healthy hair starts at the scalp, so I plan on using Reset Rinse and Power Potion to help me gain a few inches this year, as well as keeping up with my curly cuts and trims (every 3 months!) and trying to go longer in between wash days so I’m not drying out my hair.”

Shop Evelynn’s 2023 picks:

Power Potion: “If you want hair growth, the scalp can’t be ignored. This year I plan on using Power Potion daily to help with growth and hair health.” 

Reset Rinse: “Since I’ve gone back to my curly roots (sorry, could not resist the pun), I have been loving the look of super voluminous curls. I have decent volume in my hair naturally, but in order to get the big lioness hair of my dreams, I need to put in a little bit of work. Part of this is making sure that once a week I give my scalp a full detox, clarification, and rebalance with the Reset Rinse. Even if volume isn’t your hair goal, this treatment works wonders for hair in so many other ways by strengthening strands, reducing breakage, and soothing the scalp.” 

Triple Threat Tonic: “This multitasker has become my ultimate curl refresh hack that allows me to go longer between wash days. It revives my pattern when my curls are heavy and stretched out and strengthens them in the process!” (If you want to see my exact process for the curl refresh, check out this video on our Instagram!)

Dry Me Off: “The hardest part about growing out my hair? Definitely learning how to work with my curls again. I can’t tell you how many products, techniques, and variations of the two that I’ve tried, but one thing is for sure: “plopping” my curls has become my go-to way to style and dry them when I’m crunched for time, which is, most the time.

Plopping is basically gathering up your curls when they are still wet with product in them and placing them on top of your head in a way that doesn’t disrupt the natural curl pattern, wrapping them with fabric (cotton and microfiber are the most common ones), and letting it sit so that the fabric absorbs the moisture in the hair while keeping curls springy. Many people recommend using a cotton t-shirt for this, but I have found that microfiber dries my hair faster and gives me better results. Not only does Dry Me Off  look glamorous, but it cuts down on my dry time, reduces frizz, and helps set my curls!”

Want to see other New Year’s Hair Resolutions? Check out Kayla’s from last week and stay tuned for more!