This time last year I was introduced to MONAT. I'd seen some fellow photographers using it saying how much they loved it and how it's changed their hair game but I wasn't convinced and I didn’t exactly have the money to drop on expensive products that don't work. So I decided to keep lurking.

At the time, I was using all of the professional salon products my hair stylist could recommend, I won't list them here, but if you name it I've probably tried it. For a few weeks it seemed like they would work then I would be right back where I started: lifeless, broken, sad hair. Every time I went in for a haircut my hairstylist almost looked disappointed and sad for my hair. I always had to take inches upon inches off of my hair for a trim. I was sick of it, my hair wasn't growing, it was losing its curl, it was broken and thinning from heat damage, it was an all-around mess.

Finally, in October 2017, I decided to make the switch. WHY DIDN'T I DO IT SOONER? I have no idea. I should have. I wish I would have. I'm full of regret for not doing it earlier, but, none the less, I finally switched and let me tell you, my hair has never been better. It's full of life, it has so much volume, it's shiny, full, and when I go in to get my haircut there's little to no split ends. I didn't even know that was possible. I'm actually getting the compliment that my hair is “looking so healthy lately." I have never gotten that compliment in my life. I've had people tell me that it looks great or they love how long it's getting but never how healthy it is--because it never was healthy.

A few years ago I noticed that my hair wouldn't curl anymore, it wouldn't even hold curls either. I HAVE NATURALLY CURLY HAIR! I blamed it on length when people asked or how heavy it was (weighing the curls down). Honestly though, I thought that I had lost my natural curl forever. Then I started using the right hair products and it came back. Don’t ever make excuses for your hair like I did, long heavy hair will hold curl, it will.

Now that I’ve been using Monat for a while I get these questions constantly:

“What is Monat?” In short terms, Monat is a naturally based haircare product line. It contains no: parabens, sulfates, cyclic silicones, BHT, DEA/MEA, polyethylene glycol, phthalates, Phenoxyethanol, petrolatum, mineral oil, paraffin wax, triclosan, plastic microbeads, formaldehyde releasers, gluten, harmful colors, or harmful fragrances. Monat also says no to animal testing and animal origin ingredients.

“How does Monat work? What makes it different from the rest?” Monat strips your hair of all harmful silicones and waxes restoring hair to its natural state, then Monat heals it from the inside out making it the best and healthiest hair you've ever had. My favorite part about the whole thing is that there are hair products for every hair type, not just a one size fits all product, because no, one size does not fit all.

My routine:

For the first six months I used the Rejuveniqe Oil the night before every wash (I tried to use it about 2-3 times a week), the Black 2-in-1 Shampoo + Conditioner, Renew Shampoo, Intense Repair Treatment Conditioner, the Replenish Masque every four washes, and the Rejuvabeads every other wash. I used the Blow Out Cream every time I put heat on my hair and the Moxie Magnifying Mousse when I air dried it. The last few months I've been using the Black, Smoothing Shampoo, Smoothing Conditioner, Restore Leave-In Conditioner, Replenish Masque every four washes, and the Rejuvabeads every other wash. Still using the Blow Out Cream when I style and I have added the Curl Cream among with the Moxie Magnifying Mousse when I air dry.

From a consumer perspective, the Monat road isn’t always easy. Sometimes it takes a lot more time than you’d like. So I'll just give you a low down of why you might not like Monat at first:

Detox. Detox, or the healing process, is what happens to some people when they start using Monat. Monat cleanses your hair of all the silicones and waxes that have built-up on it over the years of using other products and restores your hair to its natural state. For some people, the natural state under all of those waxes and silicones isn't pretty. It can be broken from build-up, heat, over processing, bleaching, etc. Detox can also cause excess shedding making some think that they're losing hair, when in fact the hair was just stuck to all the wax on your head. Trust me: you're not losing hair. It can also make your hair look greasy or feel sticky sometimes while it’s working the products out of your hair. Detox takes so long for some people and it's so hard to power through but trust me, you will want to. Once you get past it, you'll be so happy, I can promise you that it is worth it, but I can’t stress enough that detox takes time. Some longer than others, but just keep with it.

You were recommended the wrong products or purchased the wrong products without a recommendation. Product knowledge is huge for this, as with anything else you'd buy. Not every shampoo and conditioner will work the way you want it to for your hair. Some work better than others for your hair type. Talk to a Market Partner to get a recommendation, trust your Market Partner, they're trained for this.

If you've been on the fence and wondering if it really does work or not I am here to say that it does. It really works.

how I changed my hair's life